chapter TWO
The bell sounding the end of sixth period and the school day shook Jake out of his daydream of him and Sabrina together, Donald having been pushed out of the picture. His civics teacher had been droning on about the federalism and Jake's mind had wandered, remembering Sabrina's touch earlier, her perfume still on his hand.
He cleared off his desk, gathered his things, shoved them in his backpack and headed out the door. He was still in a slightly absent-minded state, remembering the pleasures of his daydream, as he entered the press of other students in the hallway. He had taken a few steps when he noticed some of the other students watching him and then looking around.
"Crap!" He thought. "They're looking to see if Donald is around." He shook off the effects of the daydream and began subtly glancing around for Donald. He tried to stay cool, nodding and briefly chatting with some of his classmates, as he dropped off his backpack in his locker and headed to the student parking lot to meet Sean. Despite all of the other students around him, he felt alone and vulnerable. Even though he hated to admit it, having Sean around would make him feel better.
"Jake!" Tina's voice came from behind him.
He stopped and turned as Tina came up to him, smiling. His mind flashed back to the two of them, intertwined, making out in the spare bedroom at Matt's house. Remembering the feel of her body against his, he started to blush.
She stopped uncomfortably close, just a few inches from him, the scent of her perfume making him blush further. She lifted up on her toes, her left hand reaching out and resting on his right shoulder and leaned in, her hair brushing the side of his face as she whispered in his ear. "You need to be careful. Everyone is saying that Donald and his goons are looking for you."
She giggled suddenly, stepping back, her eyes twinkling. "You have a bit of time, though. I passed by Sabrina's locker and she was giving him hell. He didn't look too happy." Her smile turned mischievous. "Of course, if you had not just used me, then left me, none of this would be happening."
"Tina...I…ah." Jake stammered, face burning.
"It's ok, I forgive you." She paused, her face tilting to the side, taking on a mooning look, hands clasping in front of her breasts, her eyelashes fluttering at him. "Do you still love me?"
The question, though meant in jest, caught Jake off guard. Before he could respond, Tina broke out in laughter at the look that crossed on his face. Giggling, she came back, grabbed his head with both hands and kissed him quickly on the lips, stunning Jake more. She stepped back, staring into his eyes, hands lightly resting on his face.
"See what you are missing?" She said quietly, grinning, eyes still sparkling. They stood like that until they heard someone shout out "Get a room!" Tina stepped back, her left hand reaching out to softly hold his right, her smile fading into a serious look. "You should get going before Sabrina finishes with Donald." A slight blush rose in her face. "Do you need a ride home?" She asked hesitantly.
"No…Sean is giving me a ride home. In fact, he is waiting for me right now."
"Oh well, your loss. I would have been more fun company." She said naughtily, smile returning. "Why don't you call me later? If he doesn't listen to Sabrina, maybe we can think of something to get him off your back."
"Ok." Jake said, surprised by the offer. "Thanks, Tina." Tina gave his hand a squeeze and headed off.
He was almost to the parking lot when his phone in his front pocket vibrated against his leg. He pulled it out to see a text from Sean, saying that his mom called and he had left to go pick her up. Sean asked if Jake wanted to hang at Sonny's for twenty minutes or so and he'd come get him. Sonny's was the gas station and snack shack just down the street. It also happened to be located next to a sheriff's substation.
Jake thought about it for a minute. It was probably too late to catch up with Tina. That would also increase the risk of running into Donald or his pals. Jake replied to Sean. "No. I'll just head home. It will be ok. I'll keep on the lookout."
Jake slid his phone back into his pocket and circled around to head out of the other side of the school. It was closer to his home and he could take some neighborhood streets for a half a mile or so. Unless Donald caught up with him in the next couple of minutes, Jake should be able to avoid a confrontation. He moved quickly, keeping to the edges of the buildings and watching for Donald, John or Robert.
He paused at the last building, making sure the coast was clear, and then jogged across the open grassy area between the gym and Anderson Boulevard, the main street to the east of the school. He stopped under one of the trees lining the street and looked around. He saw no sign of Donald or his friends. Jake sprinted across the street and entered the tree-lined streets of the Classics neighborhood. The area was named that for the older, more ornate homes with big front yards and large mature trees. The streets were wider than the newer neighborhoods, with more cars parked along the street. Jake decided that those would give him some cover if Donald passed by.
Jake began to relax as he made his way through the neighborhood. It was a nice day, warm and sunny. The shade of the trees, the quiet only interrupted by the occasional dog bark, the generally peaceful nature of the area, helped him feel more comfortable. He altered his path as he went, taking several side streets, finally ending up at the edge of the neighborhood. There was a path between a couple of the homes that led to an open field that bordered the backyards of the homes. Jake could cut across the open field, far away from the roads and pop out about half a mile from his house, near the edge of the Black Hole Woods.
He walked down the path, waving at the homeowner watering his lawn, and came to the open field. The field was covered in green grass and weeds with trees sprouting up at random points. On the far side of the field, the trees of Black Hole Woods appeared to form a green and brown wall. He saw a hawk slowly circling in the blue sky about the field, looking for mice or squirrels.
He took out his earbuds and started his music app on his phone, then progressed at a walk, enjoying the day. His mind began to drift back to the daydream he had about Sabrina. As usual, her beautiful face and gorgeous body began to fill his thoughts. To his surprise, images of Tina appeared as well. Considering what just happened between them, it made sense, Jake thought.
It took him about ten minutes to cross the field, coming up to the road that led to his home. Across the street towered the grove of large trees that made up the Black Hole Woods.
It was officially Anderson's Grove, named for one of the founders of the town who had planted the trees to cover a one hundred acre area. Over the years, the trees had grown tall and wide, the dark green leafs forming a large canopy in the spring and summer, shading most of the ground. However, it had taken on the name Black Hole Woods after a young man named Bruce Tilia disappeared a little over ten years ago after last being seen in the woods.
According to the two guys who had last seen him, Bruce had gone into the woods and never came out. A massive search was conducted. The police, searchers and even the sniffer dogs could not find any trace of him, except for a scent trail that led to the large pond in the middle of the woods. They sent in divers and dragged the bottom, but did not find any evidence of him; the trail simply ended at the pond. The two guys were regarded with suspicion by the police, fearing foul play, but no charges were ever filed. Talk around town mentioned a serial killer or aliens as possibilities. Since then, most people avoided the woods.
Jake had been seven when this occurred. His home was on the other side of the woods. He could remember his parents being worried and locking the doors at night. They had been adamant that he was not to go into the woods or even play outside without one of them present. They had hovered over him and his brother whenever they went outside. But after a while, when nothing else happened, things returned to normal.
Jake had never been afraid of the woods; he actually enjoyed the quiet and solitude under the trees. He found that its reputation kept most people out, so he did not have to worry about being disturbed.
Jake debated cutting through the woods, but decided to take the street. Being this close to home had him feeling confident about his situation. His music playing, he crossed the street and headed towards home. His mind returned to thoughts of Sabrina and Tina, losing track of his surroundings.
He was about a quarter of a mile from home, lost in his thoughts, when a car suddenly screeched to a halt next to him. Startled out of his revelry, he spun to face the car. As soon as he did, he recognized Donald's Lexus.
The driver's door flew open and Donald jumped out. Robert was already rounding the front of the car from the front seat while John lumbered out of the rear driver's side door. Before he could react, Jake was surrounded on three sides with the woods behind. Jake pulled his earbuds out and shoved them in his pocket as his mind raced to figure out what he should do.
"I told you this wasn't over, a*shole." Donald said as he moved closer to Jake. "I know you're a p-ssy, but to go crying to my girlfriend? Now she is all pissed at me. That is something else I'm going to take out of your hide."
"I didn't go crying to your girlfriend. Someone saw what happened at lunch and told her." Jake said. He shifted back a step and raised his hands, palms out; John and Robert moved to cut him off if he tried to run. "Man, there is no need for this. I told you that I didn't know you two were dating."
"You should've checked." Donald stepped within arm's length of Jake and stopped. "You have been asking for this for a long time. I should've kicked your ass at the party last year."
Jake glanced at John and Robert, trying to see if he could get by them. He didn't think he could and turned back towards Donald. "Look, I don't want to fight, especially against three dudes. Why don't you…" Jake began. The next thing he knew, he was lying in the dirt, the left side of his face throbbing, Donald standing over him, smirk on his face, fists clenched.
"That son of a bitch hit me!" Jake thought, shocked. His shock transformed into anger. He pushed himself up to his knees and, before anyone could react, leapt up and charged Donald. He ducked under Donald's arms, planting his shoulder into his chest and drove Donald backwards into the car. The impact knocked the wind out of Donald's lungs, doubling him over.
Jake took a half step back and lashed out with a right hook, attempting to knock Donald out. His fist only made it halfway before it was violently stopped as he was yanked back by Donald's companions, each grabbing one of Jake's arms. Jake struggled against the restraints, but could not get free.
"You're going to pay for that." Donald rasped as he caught his breath and straightened. "Hold him." He advanced on Jake, face angry, fists clenched.
Jake continued to try to break free, anger boiling over. "It must suck to need others to fight your battles. Face me yourself, you p-ssy. Are you afraid…?" Jake cut off as Donald delivered a blow to his solar plexus, stunning him and knocking the wind from him. Before Jake could move, another hard blow took him in the ribs, pain radiating into his right side. Jake tried to avoid the next blow that went high, but, with his arms held tight, his ability to move was minimal and was hit directly in the face, his lip splitting, the hot iron taste of blood in his mouth, ears suddenly ringing. Jake's vision went blurry from the pain and sudden tears in his eyes. Donald's companions snickered at the sight as Donald landed another hook into Jake's ribs.
Through the pain and ringing in his ears, Jake heard the sound of another vehicle stopping suddenly. A deep voice boomed out. "Hey, you kids knock that shit off!"
Jake's arms were released, his captors moving away, and he collapsed to his knees, hands pressed down to prevent himself from falling over, blood dripping onto the ground.
He looked up through his tear-stained eyes and could make out the blurry form of George Madison, the farmer who lived down the road from Jake's house, stepping away from his truck, which he had stopped in the middle of the road.
"Drake, you have about two seconds to get your sorry ass and those two other knuckleheads out of here." Mr. Madison said, voice even and stern.
Mr. Madison was a tree trunk of a man. He stood around six three, broad shouldered with a large close-shaved head and deep-set dark eyes under bushy eyebrows. He must have weighed a good two hundred and fifty pounds. While age had added a small layer of fat, he still seemed to be nothing more than muscle and bone. "If you're not gone by the time I get over there, I may have to teach you boys a lesson."
Even though he had always been nice to Jake and his family, Mr. Madison had a reputation around town as a dangerous man. Years ago, he used to drink heavily and had nearly killed a man with his bare hands during a drunken rage. He did a year–long stint in prison for that, but had become a different man since. He was sober now and had married his wife Mary, a nurse who he met while in the hospital. He worked hard running his farm, attended church regularly and was active in civic matters, but his dangerous reputation remained. His face radiated that danger now.
"You can't touch me. My father will…" Donald began, trying not to look weak and back down.
"Your father will do nothing." Mr. Madison said flatly. "You tell him to come see me if he has a problem with what I am apparently going to have to do." Mr. Madison continued to approach, stretching his arms, his knuckles cracking as he curled them into tight fists, muscles cording under his hairy forearms.
John reached out and grabbed Donald's arm. "Let's go, man. This dude's crazy. I'm not messing with him." He said nervously. Robert nodded in agreement, eyes glancing around.
"Your friends have some sense, Drake. Do you?" Mr. Madison's face seemed carved of stone, eyes hard as they stared at Donald.
"Alright, we're leaving." Donald stated, holding his hands up and moving back toward his car. He glanced down at Jake. "You got off easy, dick." He snarled. "Stay away from my girlfriend." He and his friends got in the car, all anxiously watching Mr. Madison; Donald threw it into reverse and spun it around. He gunned the accelerator and sped off back towards town.
"You ok, Jake?" Mr. Madison asked as he knelt next to Jake. Jake nodded and tried to stand up, wincing at the pain in his ribs, feeling a bit light-headed.
"Here, let me help you." Jake felt Mr. Madison's strong left hand grab his left arm as the other arm wrapped around his back, hand gripping Jake's right shoulder. Mr. Madison, surprisingly gentle, lifted Jake to his feet and helped him back to his truck and assisted him getting into the passenger side.
"You look a little worse for wear. You want me to call your folks?" Mr. Madison asked. Jake shook his head no.
"Ok, I'll take you home." He closed Jake's door gently, went around and climbed into the driver's side, started up the truck and turned around.
"You want to tell me about it?" Mr. Madison asked quietly. "I can remember a few scrapes I got into when I was your age…over stupid things, mostly."
Jake, suddenly aware of the tears on his checks, wiped them with the back of his hands, embarrassed, imagining Mr. Madison must think him a baby. "I asked his girlfriend to the prom." Jake replied. "I didn't know they were seeing each other and he took offense. He tried to start something earlier at school, but someone stopped him." Fresh blood began trickling out of his lip as he spoke.
"Here,…" Mr. Madison said, handing Jake some tissues. "…use the tissues and put some pressure on the lip. When you get home, put an ice compress on it and your eye." He paused for a moment as he turned down the lane to Jake's house. "You want me to speak with your dad about this?"
"No. I'll talk to him later. I guess I won't be able to hide this."
"Alright, if that is how you want it." He pulled into the driveway and stopped. "Listen, Jake, there is no shame in what happened to you. You got jumped by three guys and did what you could. Don't let it get into your head."
"I'll try. Thanks for your help, Mr. Madison." Jake said as he opened the door and got out gingerly, pain radiating from his ribcage.
"You sure you're ok? You need any help to get into the house?"
"No. I'm ok, Mr. Madison. Thanks again."
"If you say so, Jake. Look, if you ever need to talk about things that you don't think you can tell your father, like fighting or some such, you can come see me." Mr. Madison offered. He backed out of the driveway, gave Jake a wave and left.
Jake slowly walked to the front door, unlocked it and went inside. He had an hour or so before his mom got home with Russ and Jane, his younger brother and sister. He headed through the living room, dining room and kitchen, turned down the hallway next to the bathroom and went straight to his bedroom.
He pulled his phone out of his pants and saw that he had a message from Sean. He opened it and saw that Sean had asked - "You get home ok?" He did not feel like discussing what happened yet, so he sent a reply – "No problems." He plugged his phone into the speaker dock next to his bed. He took off his clothes, went to the laundry room and tossed them in the washer, then headed to the shower.
He kept the shower cold as it seemed to help with the pain in his ribs. He carefully rinsed the blood off of his face, trying to avoid getting his lip bleeding again. He could tell that his left eye was swelling. He got out and gingerly dried off, wrapping the towel around his waist. He went to the mirror and stared at his reflection, seeing that he was a mess. His cheek and the skin around his left eye were swollen and starting to change color, his lip split in an angry looking cut, blood trickling out. He grabbed some tissue and put pressure on his lip. After a minute or two, he gently removed the tissue and threw the bloody remnants into the toilet and flushed them down.
Wrapped in a towel, he went to the kitchen and grabbed some ice and aspirin. He popped the aspirin, then wrapped the ice in a dishcloth and returned to his room. He closed the door and pulled up his music on his phone, selecting the soft mix he liked when he wanted to relax. He slowly laid down on his bed, shifting to get comfortable. He rested the icepack on his face, trying to cover his cheek and lip. He closed his eyes, trying to ignore the cold on his face and the pain in his ribs, and drifted off into a fitful rest.