31
Fuming, Victor drove blindly down the street. He flexed and then relaxed his fingers on his free hand, trying to will the anxiety that coursed through his body to quiet down. He couldn’t believe Brenda had dared step to him, slandering his name with accusations that Mimi had put in her head. Brenda had pushed him to the brink, and he couldn’t be responsible for what might happen.
Victor wasn’t a killer; he was a lover. He loved up on a lot of women, but while he may not have shown it, he loved Brenda. It was his love for her that had kept him from aiming the gun and quieting her down. She kept droning on and on about his indiscretions…how she made him, making him look like the imbecile of the year with no backbone. Why did Brenda want to break up their happy home, a home that he’d cultivated for her and their two children?
Grasping the wheel, Victor sped on until he was finally at the entrance of Mimi’s subdivision. He pushed air from his mouth and proceeded ahead; his mind made up on the task he planned to carry out.
He parked the car and jumped from it, looking both ways to see if anyone could ID him. Seeing no one, he marched up to Mimi’s door and rang the bell. As he waited, he glided his hand over the bulge in his coat pocket.
Annoyed, Victor rang the bell again, but still no answer. He banged the door with his fist, but still no answer. He put his ear to the door and listened for any signs of movement in the house. Hearing none, he moved away, looking left and right before getting back into his car.
Victor sat a moment, his anger increased twofold. He beat the steering wheel with his hand and rolled his eyes around in his head. Then it came to him. He sat up straight, turned on the ignition, and headed out of the development.
He pushed the car as fast as it would go within the boundary of the law. He took a left and then a right and headed for the interstate. He was pushed for time. He exited the interstate at Fayetteville Street and headed toward North Carolina Central University.
Fayetteville Street and the area surrounding the stadium were littered with automobiles. He was fortunate enough to be at the right place at the right time as someone pulled out of a spot in front of him. Victor patted his trenchcoat and headed for the ticket booth.
“Hi, Mr. Christianson,” the pretty brown-skinned girl in the ticket booth said as Victor pushed his money toward her.
“Good afternoon; one adult ticket.”
“We’re in the fourth quarter. There’s no need for you to pay. You’ve got to get here early next time. I think we’re winning.”
“Thank you,” Victor said, offering a semi-smile to the nice young lady before pushing on. “What’s up, dawg?” he said to the school safety officer who stood at the gate.
“Central’s kicking some butt. You missed a good game, man. You better hurry on in because this game is about over.”
Victor and the guard gave each other a casual fist bump, and Victor moved into the stadium and into the crowd.
“Third down, eight to go with NC Central leading by three points,” the announcer said. “NC Central’s ball on the thirty-yard line with a minute and half left in the game.”
Victor moved toward the bleachers. He spotted the cheerleaders, cheering the crowd on to victory and stopped when he spotted Afrika amongst them. Victor quickly walked up in to the stands without taking his eyes off of Afrika and blended in with the crowd that was now on its feet.
“Fourth down,” the announcer said. “Central will go for the first down with a minute left to play.”
The crowd yelled at fever pitch as the quarterback received the ball. He handed off the ball to one his linebackers who ran for five yards.
“First down,” the announcer called. “The Eagles are in field goal range; forty seconds left on the clock.”
The Eagles moved swiftly into a huddle, wanting to capitalize on the play and the momentum they were riding. Adrenaline was running high; the guys wanted this win. Moving out of the huddle, the players reorganized themselves on the field. Snap. The quarterback received the ball and threw a long pass to his running back, who ran for ten yards.
“First down and goal!” shouted the Eagles’ announcer. “The Eagles smell victory!”
Victor kept a steady eye on Afrika, noting that Asia was four girls down in the row. He thought she spotted him and moved from what he’d perceived to be her line of sight. The cheerleaders were in a fast chant, waiting for the next play to occur. They stopped and the quarterback threw the ball.
“Touchdown!” the announcer called. “We’ll have time for the extra point and kickoff.”
The crowd was in an uproar. People were dancing where they stood.
“Eagles are number one! Eagles are number one!”
“The Eagles’ kicker, Simon Perry, is ready,” the announcer said. “He looks, kicks…and the kick is good for the extra point!”
Victor watched as the cheerleaders were in high velocity, shaking what their mamas had given them, engaging the crowd in a chant. “Eagles are number one! Eagles are number one!”
Defense and the special team unit came onto the field for the Eagles. Simon Perry swung his foot preparing for the kickoff.
“The Eagles are ready for kickoff,” the announcer said with excitement in his voice. “Perry’s leg is up. He kicks. You won’t believe it. Perry kicked it into the end zone. The opposing team will receive the ball on the twenty-yard line with only three seconds left on the clock.”
“Defense! Defense!” the cheerleaders shouted followed by the fans. “Defense! Defense!”
“The opposing team snaps the ball…and…and the game is over. The Eagles have won it, thirty-one to twenty-one.”
All mayhem broke loose. Everyone cheered and cried. The Eagles were on target to win their conference. Victor left the fans and the stands to their celebration.
“Hey, Mom. You all right?” Trevor asked.
“Yes and no.”
“What’s up?”
“I’m scared, Trevor.”
“Scared of what, Mom? Speak up. The Eagles are about to win this game and the fans are going crazy.”
“Your father has…”
“What about Dad? I can barely hear you.”
“Trevor, your dad has a gun. I’m afraid he’s going to do something crazy.”
Pop, pop, pop!
“What was that?” Trevor asked, talking to Freddie.
“Your father…” Brenda began.
“Mom, I’ve got to call you back. Something happened. People are taking cover and running out of the stadium. I’ll call you back when I find out what’s going on.”
“Trevorrrrrrrrr!”
Trevor flipped the lid on the phone.
“Come on, let’s get out of here,” Freddie said to Trevor.
“What happened?”
“I’m not sure, but it looks like a stampede.”
“Why is everyone swarming around the cheerleaders?” Trevor asked. “Let’s go find out. My sister is down there.”
“Okay, let’s hurry up. I don’t want to be around any longer than I have to.”
“You don’t want anything to happen to your brother’s car.”
“Got that right.”
Out of nowhere, a siren began to blare. Trevor and Freddie looked up as the ambulance careened in their direction. Police officers were on the scene, pushing back spectators that were drawn to where the cheerleaders stood. Raw emotions and screams could be heard, the closer the young men walked.
A police officer stuck out his hand. “You’ve got to go back against the fence. You can’t come any closer.”
“My sister is a cheerleader,” Trevor said in a huff. “Is she all right?”
“Who’s your sister and what’s your name?”
“My sister is Asia Christianson and I’m her brother, Trevor.”
“Let me find out. I’ll be back in a moment.”
Two paramedics rushed to where the cheerleaders were gathered. They knelt down on the ground out of Trevor’s view. Within seconds, the paramedics lifted one on the cheerleaders onto the gurney and hurried toward the ambulance. In another few seconds, the siren was switched on and they were on their way.
The police officer returned with Asia close at his heels. Asia was crying and blood stained her uniform.
“Asia, what happened?” Trevor asked, fear in his eyes.
“It was awful, Trevor. Someone tried to kill Nikki. We heard this pop and then Nikki fell to the ground. Blood was running everywhere.”
“Did you see who did it?”
“No, there were too many people standing around. I can’t believe this has happened to Nikki.”
“Has anyone called her mom?”
“I don’t know, but I will as soon as I get my cell phone.”
“Oh, Asia, this is Freddie. He goes to my school.”
“Hey,” was all Asia could say. “I want to go home. I can’t stay on campus tonight.”
“I’m taking Trevor home,” Freddie said. “You can ride with us.”
“No, the cheerleaders are going to the hospital to be with Nikki. I’ll get a ride home later.”
“Asia!” someone shouted. “The police want to talk to you!”
“Oh, God. I don’t believe this. Who could have done this?”
“They’re probably questioning everyone to see if they saw anything,” Freddie offered.
“What if the killer is still here?” Asia asked.
“Get your stuff so we can get out of here as soon as we can,” Trevor said.
“No, I’m going to the hospital. Nikki is my best friend. Just think, it could’ve been anyone of us.”