Chapter 6

      It took days for us to control Sandie. When we finally did control her breathing, we had to turn the tables on the woman who was pressing charges; Ms. Karen Darke had snitched on Gary and was pressing charges on him for having drugs in her school, both cocaine and marijuana. She complained that students were having difficult times breathing, especially those with asthma or those with second-hand smoke infections. We not only had to free Gary and arrest Darke, but Sammy had a skating competition in Daytona the day of the trial.

      Gary had to attend the delinquent section of the school, Sunset, were he went above and beyond the requirements. At Sunset, their schedules allowed them to visit their lockers when we only had two minutes of time before we were asked to report to our class. Those two minutes only allowed us to leave my locker open slightly so Gary could slip in a note or two for us. We often left a binder of notes for him to add to. Sandie, Charles, and Dickey often left us memos and other important information for us to read. Whether it was a slow or fast pace school day, we always had stuff to do for the trial and the competition.

      Sammy often spent night and day on this endeavor. She had a lot of people helping her too, so it wasn’t like she was all alone on this project.  “AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!” A female voice shrieked down the hallway in blood curdling terror. I spun on sight to try and pinpoint where the din came from. Since no one else was in the building at the time, I was petrified with horror and fear. 

      “Hello?” I called. I felt the presence of something, but I was too scared. When nothing answered, I burst from the halls. I made an all out run for the door. Run, Run, Run, * BANG! * I ran straight into the door.

      “OOOOOWWWWW!!!!!” I shrieked in agony. “How could this be happening? What did I do to deserve this extreme form of punishment? At least it can’t get any worse.” Oh, ho, ho, but it COULD! Just then, the bell rang for classes to let out. So, I was standing there, bruised, red, and tear-streaked, awaiting humiliation and rejection. Luckily, my knight in Spanish armor came to my call.

      “Hello sweetheart. Let’s go over here, away from peering eyes and get you all cleaned up. Then you can cry on my shoulder and tell me your problems.” Riki’s sweet, soft voice was the long anticipated answer to my nightly prayers. He might not be the top dog in the pen, but he is my loyal puppy. He is my solider, guarding my life and heart with his brilliant smile and witty attitude. He is my kitten, always purring and rubbing up against me. When needed, he is a pillow to cry on. He’s a walking, talking diary that will never divulge my secrets, even if it means his own life. He’s mine! We left for the storage shed outside the technology building. As the only students who had keys to this building, we often came here to escape the horrors and terrors of the world. When 9-11 happened, we ran here to pray and cry. When my mom was in the hospital with gun wound, we stayed here. We left food, books, and cots in here, just in case we ever need them. No one else- not even Justin, Sammy, or Gary- knew we had this all to ourselves.

      I told Riki everything about everything: the screams and the shock, me banging my head on the door, my worries, everything. Even thought I was crying like a baby, he still stuck by my side. When I said something funny, he laughed; when I said something sad, he showed me sympathy. He was the perfect person for me. When I was done, I just sat there, held in his arms, feeling his warmth. I looked up at him; he looked down and flashed another of his famous smile. This wasn’t really just a smile, but the smile that could bring life back into the dead, stop wars, and heal the blind. It’s that good.

      “Baby, we should get going home. Good thing this is sixth period,” he whispered softly. I looked up at his smile, his face, and his eyes. I wished I could just jump into his eyes and swim away, but instead, I smiled back and nodded. I got up and followed like a helpless dog, waiting to fall back into his arms.

      +++

      After about two weeks, things were back to normal, somewhat. Gary went to Sunset everyday and left notes in the locker. Sandie, Dickey, and Charles worked on the case constantly, and we worked on training Sammy for the competition. She worked quickly and tried to learn everything we could teach her; she spent time on end drawing and trying to perfect something. We didn’t know what and when we tried to ask her about it, she would tell us that when the time came, she would tell us. If we continued to bug her, she would get mad and storm off. I just learned to accept it for what it was, an opportunity for Sammy to express herself without us imposing strict guidelines and outstanding restrictions that we force onto her without noticing. We just treat he like this and she never speaks up. I keep telling her to talk for herself because if she doesn’t, we’re just going to continue to walk all over her like a welcome mat at the front door.

      +++

      How we did it, I’ll never know. I was training Kam! So what, it didn’t mean that he didn’t have his moments, but soon Riki and I would make the best quarterback in the school out of him. He had rigorous training sessions that took place seven days a week. We eliminated junk food and fatty carbohydrates from his daily diet. When we were done with him, any girl would want him. It was hard work but Gary and Riki just happen to have trained Justin, so they have experience. Sammy and I had a difficult job: changing his reputation so that any kid that wants to pick a fight knows that his ass was dead. If he didn’t give us something to work with, though, we were going to have a hell of a time attempting to help him. It is almost impossible. ALMOST! We would be able to do it thought because we were geniuses. It just happens to be what we do best, helping others change so that they like what they see.

      Kam gave us something in return; he gave us his help on Gary’s case. He said he would even plant evidence so that Gary didn’t go to jail. He shouldn’t have to; he doesn’t even smoke it at school, but Ms. Darke does.

      “Kam, you have to promise that if anything goes wrong, you’ll help. You are now a member of this gang and as with any commitment comes great responsibility. We will put our ass on the line for you, so you have to do the same for us. Got it?” I asked. He nodded. “All right! Now let’s start this party!” From that point on, Kam became a big help in Operation Kim Possible. That, when shorted is KP, which is Karen Prevention.

      LET THE BATLLES BEGIN!

      +++

      “Kay, do you remember when you came to me to tell me about the screams that you hear?” Riki asked. I nodded and asked why. He went on to explain that the scream that I head wasn’t just in my head. It was a young girl who had been repeatedly raped by the janitor, Hernado. He was arrested and the cops were looking for someone who knew something about what was going on. They were curious to see if anyone else knew about the horrors that this young girl was being forced to live with. I felt so bad; I should have gone to someone that day and not have waited. She could have been killed and I would have known. I felt so bad, so that night, I went to see the officers that were assigned to the case. I told them everything, from when it happened to why I didn’t file a suspicious persons’ report that day.

      “Don’t worry Kay. It takes a lot of guts to come out about this type of thing. Some people go their whole life knowing that their ignorance cost someone their life and yet they never speak up. You are a very brave young lady,” Officer Samuel McGee told me. I felt assured that I was doing the right thing until they gave me a check for one thousand dollars.

      “Reward money. It goes to those who help confirm that we have the right man behind bars,” he explained. I thanked him for his time and the money and then shot out the door like a rocket.

      +++

      “So, do you feel better about how you help an innocent man out?” Riki asked. I looked at him confused.

      “But that bastard did it. I have the money to prove it,” I said. Riki laughed and said that he was joking. I sighed in relief and told him that I was glad that I told the officers the right story. We laughed all the way to class where we were greeted by a mob of angry students.

      “I swear I didn’t do it! Honest!” I yelled franticly. They broke out in laughter. “What!?!?!?” I asked.

      “We are just mad that you are late, AGAIN! You are totally risking it!” Ms. Mullberry explained. I sighed in relief.

      “I thought we were in serious trouble. I’m soooooooo glad that I’m not in trouble, but then that’s just me,” I said. The class laughed. Riki tried to protest, but no one would listen. We went the rest of the day talking mathematics.          After we left school, I had so much to explain to the gang. Sammy, Justin, Gary, and Kam awaited my explanation of what has been happening over that past few weeks. They are all like Riki in their own ways. Sammy was great at adding emotion to anything that she does. Gary and Kam add the much needed suspense. Justin is that shoulder to cry on. He was so caring and sweet! After I had rambled on for over an hour, Kam took the wheel. He explained how the evidence was coming along. He showed us digitally altered photos and false evidence photos. He even had a phony witness for the trial if it was needed.

      “Yo-yo said that he would ‘testify’ if you pay him twenty bucks,” Kam explained. I told him that if we needed Yo-yo, we would call him. Then he sprung us with some sad news.

      “Guys, I have one more thing to tell you. My mom died of cancer yesterday, so my I am going to live with my dad in Las Vegas. He deals blackjack out there, so he has the money to keep us afloat. I’m sorry I can’t stay for the trial and everything. Oh!” He turned to Sammy and me. “I got a trainer in Las Vegas that is just like you five! I needed to keep up my routine, so my dad is going to pay for me to have a trainer. I’ll send photos once a month so that you know I’m sticking to the routine, I promise!” I started to get a dry throat as I looked into Kam’s eyes.   “Don’t worry, amigo. You’ll do great, I swear! But, man are we going to miss you!” I leaned in and embraced Kam in a bear hug. When I let him go, I held him at arms length to evaluate him again. He looked different than when he had come to me two months ago. He had lost some weight around the middle and was starting to build a six-pack. His arms and legs were like steel; he could lift a house with those guns!     “We’re going to miss you, friend. We really are.” 

      +++

      It had been two weeks since Kam left that it all started to sink in. I started to comprehend that Kam would never come to class again. I felt bad for Yo-yo, Kylar, and Mike, who were all dear friends of Kam. Everyone realized that it just wasn’t the same anymore. Though we did have some things to look forward to: the skating competition and the trial. I knew the outcome of both. Sammy was bound to win the competition. She has been practicing for to long to place any lower than first. I mean, how hard could the rest of the state finalist be practicing?

      Then, there is the trial. Ms. Darke has been begging for her face to be slammed for years! She is always messing with kids’ personal lives so this was going to be her final slam. Charles and Dickey won’t be at the trial thought; they will be out of the country for the next three months so….

      Everyone has one major question on his or her mind: Who will take over when Ms. Darke leaves? Will Dr. Left be given the job? Maybe we will get someone new who doesn’t know the state or the laws very well. Sammy didn’t find this to be as reassuring that the imminent would be extraordinarily vivid. She seemed to fret over the outcome of this horrendous affair.

      “Sammy, I swear, nothing bad will come out of this joyous episode! Serious! What could possibly go amiss?” Riki and Justin gave us blank ogles as if we spoke a foreign verbal communication that they couldn’t begin to comprehend. “I beg your pardon? Are you not au fait with our intricate verdict of communication? Is it that arduous to comprehend?” I queried in a false yet formal matter.

      “I have no clue what you just said but okay,” Gary said from out of nowhere. Sammy and I laughed and choose to use smaller words while talking to them.

 

Chapter 7

      As we exited the class, we stepped into the hall. The noise and rowdiness wasn’t bearable. The class idiots, Kylar and Yo-yo, were throwing marbles. I felt like throwing this comment at them.

      “Yo-yo, you’re so darn childish that you make rocks look like Einstein.” I jeered. The halls roared with laughter as Yo-yo and Kylar raced from the halls, red in the face.

      “Your choice of words were darn good, Kay, but I thought you would kick Kylar’s ass because of how he has been acting,” Riki concluded inn his matter-of-fact tone. Justin smacked me on my back in approval for my comeback to the idiots. Just then, Sammy showed up. Justin walked over and kissed her on the cheek.

      “Hey guys, have either of you seen Gary? He has my board and I want it back. I have a competition to attend this tonight!” Sammy said in a genuinely pissed toned. She has been looking forward to this competition for months. That’s all she could think about in class. When we do free writes in Ms. Yancey’s English honors class, she wrote of traveling to Daytona for the competition. In math class, she worked distance formulas and equations to calculate when she should practice and where she should practice. In art class, she designed the board. It had a blood red dragon with long pearly nails and beady blue eyes on it. On the edge was the best thing; there were pictures of the gang: Justin, Riki, Gary, Sandie, and me. We were honored when we saw the intricate design.

      “It shows my respect and tells me y’all will be with my on the pipes…” Sammy whispered one day. Gary said he would finalize the board for Sammy. He would put in on an oak base and add trucks and all that a board needs. Now, he just happens to be absent. Boy, when Sandie finds out how unreliable Gary is, she’ll never want to marry him! She’ll kill him! But, she is going to have to dig him up from his grave because I’m going to kill him! I’ll rip him limb from limb, scoop his eyes out with a dull knife, and then shot him twenty times!

      “Gary Ollman, there you are! Where have you been, you jerk?” I scowled at Gary while yelling at him. He forcefully grabbed my head. Smack! Riki smacked Gary across the face. He seemed very cross with Gary, as if there was a fine line that came in between telling me to stop and touching me. I was so shocked; I stood there, petrified and silent. That wore off quickly.

      “Next time you decide to blow off my alter ego,” I scolded, “expect my foot to be up your ass!” I surveyed the board with a close eye. It was PERFECT! Gary got all the aspects plus some. His craftsmanship was beyond words. It just needed one thing….

      “Test ride time!” I shouted as I threw the board to the ground and hopped on. I had a sudden urge to ride up to Ms. Darke and smack her. I felt so…rebellious! I rode around the halls, enjoying all the sights and feelings as I rushed to my next class, Mr. Warner’s World History class.

      “Today…class, settle down!” Mr. Warner roared over the class’s chatter. I had to just go into my hole. I hid there daily, doing my work and passing the class. This wasn’t unusual, since I was the only one who worked in this class. The constant fighting, loud banging, the bloody brawls; I was use to it all. At least I had one thing going my way: I was being checked out early, to go to Daytona Beach. 

      “Mr. Warner, we need Kay Parsons. She is being checked out,” Ms. Grey called over the intercom.

      “She’s all yours,” Mr. Warner returned. He turned and looked at me. “Parsons, get out before you’re hurt,” I rushed out the classroom. I knew this began a new adventure.

+++

      “Alright! Daytona, here we come!” Justin’s voice stood out like a sore thumb. He was in his swimming trunks and flip-flops, surfboard ready. Justin and Riki had been planning for weeks. Gary couldn’t come; his drug hearing was in Miami on the same day. I spent months perfecting his case from the day he was convicted. There was no way in hell that any jury could convict him on any of his charges; they had no concrete evidence of drugs! My counter-claim is good too. Ms. Darke was going to have a hard time explaining here fingerprints on the bag of weed. Oh well! Who could be worse than that bitch?

      “Justin, do you have my board? I can’t find it!” Riki panicked. “Did I leave it in the truck?” he asked no one in particular. With that, he rushed out of the hotel room and to the truck, franticly searching for his surfboard. Out of nowhere, we heard a voice shout, “I found it, guys!”

      “Okay, crew, load up!” Justin hollered. I slipped on my flip-flops and grabbed Justin’s car keys. 

      We loaded up in the 2006 Ford Civic and buckled up (for safety reasons, with Justin driving and all…HA!). Our first stop of the trip was the Boardwalk. The skate-off was going down there, next to Walking Charlie’s. With a cash prize of ten thousand dollars, Sammy had her eyes on the prize. She was decked out; she had her board and matching outfit. A girl at school named Erixa made it. She’s really good! Her boyfriend, Jess, helped her. Erixa reads manga all the time, like Princess Ai, Fruits Basket, Juvenile Orion, Mark of the Succubus, and more. If the school had got some manga, she would have stolen it. She’s good at drawing, too; she’s drawing her own manga. Jess is odd; no one knows his true sexuality. He could be straight or bisexual. But it doesn’t matter because he is really sweet. Erixa is very lucky to have him as her boyfriend. He is loyal and I think she deserves him. Anyways, Erixa made her outfit to match her board as thanks for helping her in math.

      Justin was ready to support. He had a shirt like Sammy’s. He even practiced with her everyday. Riki had plans with me. After cheering on Sammy for two hours, or the whole competition, we were going to Mar Leque, a fancy, expensive French restaurant on Main Street. Sammy and Justin were going too. Afterward, we are going to the beach to just play and kid around. Basically, we are going to be kids for a little bit. Remember what it was like to have no worries, to be able to just get up and fly away….

      Each couple has their own room at The Boardwalk Inn. Well, sort of. We were splitting a suite. We have the living room and Justin and Sammy had the bedroom.

      When we arrived, we were LOST! I had no idea if I should stay or run. “Hey, bitch! Ya know shoebees don’t belong here!” I heard someone scream behind me.

      “Yeah! So get lost, loser!” I heard his bitch holler over the crowds. They rolled with laughter. That’s when Riki truly saved me.

      “Yeah, well, if we were rating your intelligence, we might need her to operate the telescope to see if that brain is actually in there. And, if shoebees don’t belong, then what are those one your feet?” he backfired as he pointed to the couple’s feet. On them was the most ugly, rancid excuse for footwear I have ever seen. I wouldn’t even put these on Hitler, and yet here they are, wearing them. The crowd backfired on them and started to taunt them. They ran off toward their friends, who were even laughing.

      “Come on, baby. I know where to go,” Riki’s voice was like the song of angels. He was like the light at the end of the tunnel. When he spoke, I felt as if his voice could make me levitate, I was so entranced. He spoke with such kind words; I began to remember why I asked him out to begin with. It was his sense of cool in a dire situation. He could light up a room with his brilliant smile; it made most women, even me, melt on contact. “Let’s go, sugar. We’re causing a backup,” he cooed. I followed like a helpless puppy, unsure what to do. So, I sat where I was told to sit. That’s when I remembered why we were in this God-forsaken hellhole; we came to cheer on Sammy! I knew what I had to do. I had to cheer her on like the friend she deserved.

      “Our first contestant joins us from Volley! Give it up for Samantha Connelly!” the announcer yelled. Justin, Riki, and I started yelling out chants as Sammy hit the rails. She did her routine as planned; she landed a perfect three sixty, Ollie, nose grind, and flipper. Then, all the pressure came onto the shoulders of the judges, who had to give the final score for the competition.

      “Will our judges please reveal their score?” the announcer asked placidly. Across the board was the best thing a skateboarder could see; she had a perfect ten. Even though the crowd roared with pleasure, we were the loudest. Hands down, Sammy had the competition in the bag; there was no way she could lose unless someone else got a perfect score. 

      “Will our second contestant please join?” the announcer asked the crowd. A rough set boy came onto the pipes with his board. “This is Timothy Lord and he joins us from Archer!” the announcer yelled to the crowd. Riki looked as if had seen a ghost.

      “Tim?” Riki whispered, almost incoherent.

      “Come again?” I asked. He shook his head to signal nothing. Timothy had jet-black hair that he let grow out a little. It was about rocker length. His eyes were like chocolate! His Lot 29 outfit and board told me he had a lot of connections with blacks. His girlfriend, I think, sat two rows away in a matching outfit. From the expression on her face, she was proud of him. She had matching hair and eyes. Her hair fell down to her shoulders and she had it highlighted with blond streaks. I’m not sure if she is truly his girlfriend or his sister. Either way, she was very pretty.

      When Timothy started his tricks, he was good. He nailed everything. I thought for a moment that Sammy might actually have that other perfect scorer to go against. In the end, the judges gave him four tens and one nine point five. For the rest of the competition, Riki seemed to be in a trance. At the ended, he got up and made a beeline for Timothy’s girlfriend/sister.

      “Lacey Estates?” Riki shouted at the girl. She spun around to she who had called her name.

      “Who called my name?” she asked into the crowd.

      “Me.” Riki popped up next to Lacey. “Well, it has been a while since I have seen you. Remember me?” Riki asked.

      “Oh my gosh! Riki?!” Lacey asked. She reached out and hugged him. That’s when Timothy showed up. 

      “Lacey, what are you doing?” he asked in a confused anger.

      “Tim, you remember Riki from Pine Sight, don’t you? I dated him before I dated you. He went to JDC because of me.” Lacey’s questions seemed to spark something in Tim’s memory.

      “Well, well. Long time no see, old pal!” Tim answered back. Riki must have noticed I was confused because just then, he grabbed me up and brought me into the conversation.

      “Lacey, Tim, this is my girlfriend, Kay Parsons. Kay, this is Lacey and Tim. They were my best friends in middle school,” He explained. I mumbled back a weak hi and then grabbed Riki.

      “You do remember that we have reservations tonight! Don’t forget!” I whispered urgently and pointed at my watch. Riki smacked his head in anger at himself and disgust toward himself.

      “I’m sorry, I forgot,” he answered apologetically. “Guys, we have to go; we have dinner reservations with friends. Hey, but calls us or drop by and see us. We’re in room 106 at the Boardwalk Inn. I have to go. Later!” Riki shouted as we ran off. The couple waved goodbye as they headed off toward their car.

      +++

      “I can’t believe I won!” Sammy’s voice was hard to miss with her metal and suitcase full of cash. “Ten thousand dollars,” she breathed. Her eyes gleamed like diamonds. I could tell that money wasn’t going to be spent wisely; she was going to spend it as recklessly as possible, buying anything she wanted. I can see her placing half in the bank for later and half on a down payment on a new Mustang convertible. “I can’t wait! Volley mall, here I come!” she screamed. Her voice was like a child’s when given a dollar. Ah, I remember those days. We were so naïve; we had no concept of money at all!

      “All this money is making my arm hurt,” Sammy groaned. She grabbed my arm and pulled me into the Civic. “Let’s go eat!” she suggested. I felt as if she had pulled my arm out of its socket.

      “OW! That hurt Sammy! Please be gentle,” I requested. She nodded her head. I rubbed my arm for a moment and then lurched over and hugged Sammy. “Congrats, Sammy!” I told her as I hugged her. As I held her, I felt if all my problem, stress, fears, and worries would just…melt away like butter.

+++

      While I was at Mar Leque eating Sandie and Gary were….

      “Sandie, I can’t do this! I can’t go to court!” Gary whined. Sandie patted his head.

      “It’s alright baby. We have the best lawyer in the state. There is no way that they can charge you charge you with drug trafficking,” she cooed. Her brown hair was pinned up in a bun with a blue ribbon wrapped around it. She looked like a federal official; she was in full suit, ready to try her case tooth and nail. Gary looked surprisingly…good. His hair was done, hair and body washed; he was even wearing a suit with a tie. He looked very professional.

      “It’s time to load up and head to the district courthouse. So grab you coat and bag and let’s get a move on!” Sandie urged, even though she was stuttering. He grabbed his stuff and rushed out the room.

      Sandie and Gary drove for an hour. They passed by all sorts of famous houses and landmarks as they made it to Miami’s center. Sandie went to college in Miami, so she knows the area well. She knew exactly where the courthouse was too. As a CSI-in-training, she went there about twice a week for cases of murder, rape, grand theft, and other federal cases. As they arrived in the parking lot of the district courthouse, so did Ms. Darke. 

      “Well, good luck. Plus, remember that I can still expel you from my school if you try ANYTHING!” Ms. Darke snarled. She looked like a caged gator. She wanted out…NOW! Her eyes were livid, wild. Ironically, she smelled of day lilies.

      “I hate lilies,” Gary mumbled. They entered the building and began the trial of their life.

+++

      “All rise. The honorable judge Maybury is residing. You may now be seated.” The bailiff hollered across the courtroom. The room shook and rolled as the clatter of chairs being put to the desk and onlookers settling into their seats commenced.

      “Today, we will hear the case of School Board of Dade County verse Ollman. Mr. Ollman has been charged with drug trafficking, possession of marijuana and cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia, and use of a controlled substance. If convicted, he will be charged with thirty years prison without the chance of parole. How do you plea?” Judge Maybury asked. The whole court sat on edge waiting for Gary’s response.

      Gary enjoyed the power of his words on the crowd.

      “Your honor, I’m innocent, but I wish I could say the same thing for her,” Gary replied as he pointed at Ms. Darke.

      “What do you mean?” the judge asked, intrigued.

      “I mean I caught Ms. Karen Darke taking cocaine and smoking marijuana at school. She was stinking up the building. I couldn’t even breathe!” Gary whined in defense. The jury totally bought the puppy dog look. Gary had them eating out of his palm. “I sorry,” Gary stammered as he fumbled with a doctor’s note that was false, though it looked REALLY good! He handed the note to the bailiff as he continued. “Ms. Darke threatened to expel me from school if I ever told anyone that she is a user. I was so petrified...” Gary’s voice trailed off in the end. The judge went from Gary to the ‘doctor’s’ report. When Gary noticed that the judge’s eyes were focused on the document at hand, we whipped his plan into action.

      “Plus, your honor, they can’t even prove their statements to be true. They have no supporting evidence to cross exam, no PROOF! On the other hand, I don’t make false accusations. All of mine can be cross-examined by any jury.” Gary made an emphasis on the final sentence.

      “Mr. Ollman raises an excellent point,” the judge answered. Then she looked up and stared fixedly at Ms. Darke and her attorney. “Where is your evidence?” the judge cross-examined. Ms. Darke looked as if she had been shot in the head; she was so dumbfounded. She wasn’t prepared to back up her statements.

      “Uh…I…I…I have evidence! I have a pic…picture of Mr. Ollman smoking marijuana within school property!” she stammered.

      “Ha!” Gary laughed.

      “Prove it!” Sandie demanded. Ms. Darke looked livid with rage.

      “I left the photo in the car,” she whispered in defense. She was beet-red and hoarse. Her expression was of a wild boar; she knew what not to do in a deadly situation. “Why you insolent little…” she hissed, but she was interrupted.

      “Mr. Ollman raises an excellent point and has evidence of his accusations. In conclusion, I find in favor of the defendant. On the other hand, I wish to impose a criminal investigation on the accused plaintiff, Karen Darke, to be lead by Ms. Sandie Gallows,” the judge informed the court. “Mr. Ollman, you are free to leave. Court is adjourned.”

      “Thank God,” Gary whispered. This nightmare that he was living was no over, as he and Sandie left the court in each other’s arms. 

 

Chapter 8

      “Come on, Kay! Give me the juicy 411! Tell me!” Jenn begged; she looked so helpless without juicy gossip to spread like butter on bread. Her blond hair matched her personality, spacey yet fun and energetic. Anyways, we had all returned from our vacation in Daytona. Gary was so happy with the verdict that he and Sandie joined us. 

      “So, are you going to tell me?” Jenn asked urgently. She is nice, smart, and a great friend, but she can have her moments.

      “Fine Jenn, I’ll tell you. Riki and I…” I started to describe our vacation in full details, describing everything from the skateboard competition to Marine Land. As I approached joyous, exciting parts, her eyes would light up like a candle; when I reached the sad or rude points, Jenn’s anger would flare or she would look like she could cry. She is an excellent crowd and makes the experience of reliving my past very… exciting! Just as I was approaching the fourth day, Gary arrived with Justin and Riki, who were tanner than normal.

      “Will the future Ms. Riki Moralis please join us?” Gary mocked as he pointed toward himself, Riki, and Justin. Riki and Justin tried to look serious, but it didn’t work. I just started to laugh. 

      “Ha... he heeeeeeeee! O...O...Okay, I’ll...I’ll HA! Okay, I’m coming.” I laughed. Jenn waved and hurried off to retell the story.

      “So, what do you three want?” I asked.

      “We need to celebrate with the school of the defeat of the wicked bitch of the west. So, in honor of his courage, Gary,” Riki smacks Gary’s back, “is going to host a death-day party!” Riki shouted enthusiastically.

      “Is that so?” Sammy asked as she arrived. It was my idea for her to wear her metal; it made her look like a champion. I was so proud of her and so was Justin. Her accomplishments meant a lot to the group; she made us look semi-smart and well behaved, even though we are at the top of our class.  “Do you like my death and fall day outfit? I want my close up look with the cameraman to be prefect!” she finished.

      I giggled, “You look great doll!” She giggled in return. That’s when Officer Dumbass showed up and ruined our fun and joy.

      “Do any of you know where to find Ms. Karen Darke’s office?” he asked. We all shook with anger for him interrupting our celebration. I was livid, pissed, and MAD!

      “I don’t know. How ‘bout this? Turn around and read the nameplate that is attached to the door! When you feel like a big enough jackass, then you can return!” I shouted. He turned and read the door.

      “Ms. Karen Darke, Principal,” he whispered and looked down at his feet. “Sorry.”

      “Yeah, now GO!” I was still flaming mad, so I shouted this. He scampered away like a hurt puppy; I felt no pain for him. He deserved every bit of the brutality. I’m glad that I could dish it out to him in my most harshest of ways: fear. (Maw Ha Haaa!) Oh, I’m good, but my friends thought different.

      “That was harsh,” whispered Justin.

      “Yeah!” Gary was less afraid.

      “I agree,” said Sammy.

      “Me, too. Sorry buttercup,” Riki agreed. I was pissed.

      “He deserved it all!” I shouted. But I had to agree; I was kind of mean. “I’ll apologize to him later...maybe!” I caught myself.

      “That’s fine with me, “ Sammy approved.

      “We agree,” spoke Justin. I guess he was feeling bold.

      “Fine, but we need to go to Mullberry’s class pronto!” I speeded. We all jetted toward Ms. Mullberry’s class. We made it in just AFTER the bell rang.

      “Wow! You are only one minute late. Very unusual,” remarked Ms. Mullberry sarcastically.

      “Yeah. Maybe we should leave just to keep our average steady,” I backfired. She grinned and motioned for us to take our seats.

      “As I was explaining, our school will be in lockdown mode until the accusations against the principal are either cleared or conformed. Guys and gals, try to be helpful in the investigation. Don’t act stupid and get in the way! I wouldn’t want y’all kids in trouble with the law,” she remarked. We gave her our best innocent look we had. She just laughed in return for our attempted foolery. It never truly works. Finally, the tension broke. We went the rest of the class reviewing radical equations.

      “Now, if the square root of four is two, is the following equation true?” she asked as she wrote the equation (√4)2=2(2) on the board.

      “Yes,” I found my voice and answered.

      “Correct,” she nodded in approval. “Now, Kylar, will you answer the next equation: the square root of a number minus seven equals zero.” Kylar walked up to the board and did the following work:

      √x-7=0

      √x=7

      (x)(x)=7*2

      x=14

      Kylar walked backward and looked at the teacher for reassurance. “Is that right?” he asked.

      “No. Justin, same problem,” she directed. Justin walked up to the board and showed the following work:

      √x-7=0

      √x=7

      (√x)²=7²

      x=49

      “Correct. Now Sammy, answer the following proportion: two over four is equal to twelve over x. Define x,” she requested. Sammy didn’t even walk over to the board to solve the equation; she knew the answer right away.

      “X is equal to twenty-four,” she answered.

      “Corre...” Ms. Murberry tried to finish, but she was interrupted by the intercom. 

      “Please send Kay, Sammy, Riki, Gary, and Justin to the office, Ms. Mullberry,” the attendant ordered.

      “Fine,” she growled. We gathered our stuff and fled, leaving behind a flaming mad teacher. We were far from the room before one of us spoke again.

      “Cop or no cop, whoever just did that is deader than dead.” Gary was the brave soul who broke the silence and reminded us of what we were doing.

      “Yep,” agreed Justin.

      “You bet,” Riki complied.

      “I’ll dig the grave,” I stated.

      “I’ll help,” Sammy volunteered. We laughed as we headed toward the office, oblivious to the world around us and unsure of what we could have done. All we knew was that we needed to go to the office for some reason....

+++

      “It is nice of you five to join me,” came a small, menacing voice from within the dark room. We were totally freaked out! I thought this guy would go Silence of the Lambs on us; his deep, terrifying voice and deadening glare didn’t help much either. He looked like the devil might, minus that staff and horns. I was frozen with fear until he spoke again.

      “Kay Parsons, please step forward,” he demanded. I could have sworn my feet had their own minds; I ended up following the command. “I see even the leader of your group is easily scared. Good. Fear is good,” he mumbled.

      “I am not afraid,” I roared boldly. I couldn’t stand it; he had to go, whoever he is. “And who are you?”

      “Me? I am Vincent Hatchet, the new principal of this fleabag you uneducated adolescents call a center for knowledge or a school, in common terms. Oh, and just in case you were wondering, I’m not afraid of a good fight. I will be official when Ms. Darke is fired for drugs. Oh well,” he sighed falsely. If I had to choose between Darke and this new guy Hatchet, I would choose Darke in a heartbeat.

      “Come on guys. We are leaving,” I commanded. I realized what we had to do and the seriousness of our situation. The rest of the group looked confused, all except for Sammy, who was in a sort of trance; I think she knew our mission and didn’t fear it or anything right now. We walked back to class in silence.

      “Guy, you do know what this means, don’t you?” I asked.

      “Yeah! This Mr. Vincent Hatchet is a good for nothing git!” Gary growled. He looked livid with anger. I could tell the expressions of the rest of the groups were equal. We had a mix of feelings: anger, fear, resentment, confusion, depression, and joy. We were angry that Mr. Hatchet pulled us out of class just to inform us of his appointment. We were afraid of what he may do and for that, we resented him. We were depressed and joyful that Ms. Darke was leaving. Though, the main feeling was confusion. Why did he call us up? How did he know my name? How did he know I was the leader? Why did Sammy look like she knew him? What is his purpose this “fear control?” Did he plan to harm us? All of these were questions that I wanted answers for. All I truly knew was that we were going to need one thing if we were to get back Ms. Darke and rid of Mr. Hatchet: help.

      “I know where we can get that help we are going to need,” Sammy commented. I didn’t even have to tell her my plan; she already knew!

      “Where?” I asked in a daze. Her eyes looked like crystal balls; she was remembering the past.

      “Back home, at my old school. You have a lot to learn about me and not a lot of time to learn it in. So, I hope you can listen and do as you are told ’cause in Miami, anything goes,” she explained in a distant voice.

      “What do you mean? Are we going to your old home?” I questioned. She nodded. I could tell she was ready for anything and not even Mr. Hatchet could stop her from reaching whatever her goal may be. Justin must have been listening because just then he sets the score.

      Let the battle begin. 

 

Chapter 9

      Word of Ms. Darke’s investigation and Hatchet’s arrival spread like a wildfire. Everyone soon held the same feelings toward the mysterious bastard as we did. Then, Sammy and I came up with a way to remove him permanently. It would be called Operation Homeroom. When you abbreviate homeroom, you get HR. HR stands for Hatchet Removal. Gary, Justin, and Sandie began training groups of twenty-five children at a time until all of the school’s student population could shoot a gun and fight; we made an army in no time. Sammy still didn’t talk of her past; she told me that she was waiting for the right time and place. I didn’t mind because I had a lot to learn, like the street lingo and, of course, how to handle a gun. A group of fifteen girls, Sammy and I included, would travel to Miami with Gary, Riki, and Justin as their “bitches.” While we are there, Sammy would take us to the underground organization called Sharpener. From there, we were to learn everything we could about Hatchet and how to get rid of him.

      “We leave at 0800 hours on Monday. Be ready!” Sammy told us on Friday night after shooting practice at the range. Our group included all nationalities: African American, Hispanics, Asians, and Europeans. Gary had the black girls in his group; he selected Shanta, Esme, Paris, Barbie, and Courtney. Justin’s group was made of the white girls: Shelby, Carolina, Olivia, Rebecca, and Sammy. Riki took the rest of the girls; Nomie, Bonita, Maria, Hay Lin, and me. We were chosen for our skills in shooting, fighting and knowledge of Miami. Besides Sammy, Esme knew Miami the best. Hay Lin’s older brother, Hiro, taught her how to fight like a samurai. She’s now a third degree black belt. Carolina taught herself how to shoot a gun when she was seven after her brother, sister, aunt, father, and mother were shoot by a robber. She was only two and has a scar where the man hit her with the butt of his gun. We had spent weeks trying to get everything perfect. We held meetings for the school and informed kids what to do while we are gone. Some of the kids are going to Tampa to get the guns and ammo that we need. Some are setting up areas in the woods behind the school to use for the shooting range. Some are researching how to create different gas bombs that hold the chemical compound that would knock out anyone within a hundred foot radius. The brightest of our students were researching laws that formed loopholes for us and planting false evidence to clear Darke’s name. It’s a risky plan that we had; if we are not careful, we could all be in jail for life. We had to take every caution to cover our tracks, even if it meant breaking a few more rules. At no cost would any of us go to jail and in an emergency, we wouldn’t give ANY names; we couldn’t rat anyone in the operation out. We had to trust each other because in the operation, we are all each other had.

      +++

      Vince stumbled into the living room. Still in his Navy Seal uniform, he looked around. Mountains of knowledge littered the room; the family’s dog, Suzie, sprung from her position next to Vince’s bed and sprawled herself at his feet. Vince reached down and lifted the pint-sized Pomeranian into his massive arms; he let out a soft sigh and smiled at his furry friend.

      “Ah! It’s great to be back in a country where I’m not constantly looking at a translator for directions,” he cooed. He went to take a step forward when he stumbled, lost his grip, and then landed on the floor with a loud THUD!

      “What was that? Who goes there?” Vince's older brother, Chad, who was slightly paranoid, rushed into the room with a loaded M-4 machine gun. His crazy levels had been shooting through the roof since the break-in the week previous. The robbery had almost jeopardized their whole operation: the gathering of first class and confidential information on all US citizens above the age of eighteen. It might be a crazy job, but someone had to do it.

      “Chill, bro. It’s just me. Now, do us both a favor and put down the gun. I swear, I’m not going to hurt you.” Vince coaxed Chad into setting down the gun; but first, Chad had to hear the password.

      “Bubblegum,” Vince replied firmly. With that, Chad slammed down the gun and rushed to his brother.

      “Welcome home, little brother! How was your last month? Where did you go?” Chad inquired. He knew he wouldn’t be told; he just enjoyed asking because maybe, by chance, Vince would spill some hints on where he had been stationed so the he and Jamal wouldn’t worry. Vince smiled and wondered with Chad into the kitchen. He reached for the coffee pot with one hand and his personal mug with the other. Pouring himself and his brother coffee made him feel right at home. He had set down Suzie earlier and now she was back at her position at Vince’s feet. He knew where his older brother Jamal was; Utah was hosting the horse competition and he was in it. He raised and trained horses for a living and he loved his job.

      “Baby, who’s there?” a sweet, kind lady’s voice sang. Addie Riddell, Chad’s wife, bounced into the kitchen. When she saw Vince, she squealed with delight. “Oh Sammy is going to be happy to see you, Vince Riddell!” she wailed in pure delight. Vince looked up from his book once more and locked eyes with Addie.

      “What? Sammy is coming out!?! Why didn’t she call me or leave a message with the base receptionist? I would have called her back, honest!” Vince hollered in complete disbelief. He was shocked that Sammy, the girl that he had raised like his own, called her his daughter, wouldn’t call him first. He shook his head and looked pleadingly at Addie, who rushed to his side in an instance. She looked Vince in the eyes and then placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

      “Who knows Vince, but she’ll be here tomorrow. She has come to use the mountains,” Addie said. “Oh! She’ll have a bunch of friends with her!” she added.

      “Well, tomorrow is tomorrow. We’ll deal with anything that happens then. Right now, let’s eat!” Chad dished himself a plate of Addie’s great cooking and went to work shoveling spoonfuls of fresh, hot, creamy, buttery mash potatoes into his open and waiting mouth.

      +++

      “But I want to go with you! Please Diamond! I’ll behave!” Bard Garr’s voice rang throughout the hallway as a piercing cry. The young African American boy glanced into his older brother’s eyes, hoping to receive pity points. Diamond Garr glared back. Ever since his parents’ brutal murder, he has been watching over his little brother like a mother hen. Today, Brad wanted him to throw caution to the wind and let him join Diamond and his crew in the fortification of the eighteen teens from the outskirt town of Volley.

      “NO!” he roared. Brad understood that this verdict was final and moped out of the room.

      “Yo, boss! Ready ta go?” Rattle’s voice came from the doorway in a shill whine. He stood barely taller than Brad, who was five years younger than him, but he was strong and smart for his height. He was an excellent sharpshooter and almost never missed his target, no matter the distance. He owned one of every gun imaginable; from the military entrusted M-4 fully automatic to the small and beginner nine-millimeter handgun that people could buy at any gun shop, cheap. He knew a lot about the many different types of martial arts and mastered as many as he could. Today, he stood there in Diamond’s doorway in a black camouflage outfit with his treasured AK-47.

      “What Rattle? Have you got a date, you ungrateful snake?” Diamond shot in annoyance.

      “Yeah!” Rattle replied vehemently. “Papi’s got four ounces of the good poop waiting for me! It may not get cold enough down here, but I want some snow bad! Let’s get this bodyguard crap out of the way so I can go and do some snorting,” Rattle whined. Diamond shook and motioned toward the van with a flick of his mutilated hand. Rattle nodded appreciatively and rushed toward the 1976 Chevy with the speed of an Australian roadrunner.

      “It’s show time,” Diamond sighed to himself. With one hand, he lifted his heavy gun onto his back and trudged out the door after Rattle, slamming it behind himself and shaking the frame. The two men stealthily wondered toward the gray van, where they were to meet the group. Out of the corner of his eye, Diamond saw a flicker of violent red hair: Sammy’s violent red hair.

      “Ms. Connelly?” Diamond asked to the air. With a flick of light, Sammy appeared in front of him in a full disguise.

      “I’m ready when you are Mr. Garr, Mr. Ske,” Sammy stated as if this was a daily routine. Diamond and Rattle nodded, still in shock from Sammy’s formality; they just weren’t used to being called mister. Sammy didn’t notice and led the pair of guardsmen to where we were hidden.

      “Bubblegum,” she whispered in an inaudible voice. I unlatched the lock on the door and let the three “outsiders” in.

      “Welcome Sammy. I see you have successfully located our guards without receiving any harm,” I said in a menacing voice. With a cynical look, I led the pair inside and let Sammy go to get some sleep. As we entered the main room the guards started to get the jist of how things truly went down here. Carolina, Hay Lin, Shelby, Olivia, Shanta, Paris, Barbie, and Rebecca were in a deep game of Texas Hold’em. The rest of them were practicing fight techniques. Sammy, who couldn’t get to sleep, joined us in the main room.

      “Okay Kay. Stop this evil crap; it’s just plain stupid.” With that, I burst into a fit of hysterical laughter and apologized to Diamond and Rattle for being so cruel.

      “Just kidding ‘round, Sammy! Loosen up! Can’t you take a simple joke? Ever since we passed into the city limits, you have been tenser than a wound-tight guitar string. Chill and have some fun! The ‘rents think we’re in California soaking up rays, so while we’re here…CHILL!” I told her enthusiastically. She waggled sheepishly and then stumbled off. It looked as if she was finally going to get that well deserved sleep.

      I got the gang to gather around and I introduced Rattle and Diamond to them. Everyone gave weak nods and went to packing. Rattle went into the kitchen and returned with a glass filled to the brim with water. I told him that there were sodas in the fridge and that he was welcome to them, but he just shrugged and drank deeply from the glass cup. He seemed contempt with the tasteless and odorless liquid and soon went to the kitchen to get more. When he returned, not only did he have a drink for himself, but also he held in his hand a can of ice-cold Coca-Cola. Diamond grabbed for it and drank greedily from the small can. I showed them to the firing range and told them to feel free to fire off some rounds with our guns.

      “We’ll be ready to leave in a few minutes,” I told them. Diamond urged that we take our time and that they weren’t in a hurry. I gathered everyone and in only four minutes, we were leaving for the “mountains.” Rattle told us not to hurry, but to take our time.

      “Call us ten minutes before you are ready to leave and don’t rush. If anything goes wrong, give us a call and we’ll come help out. Don’t hesitate to call,” Rattle told us calmly.

      Soon, we were leaving with our revolvers and switchblades and loading into the heavily armed vans. I feel like a presidents daughter with all this protection. Sammy told us that “they” were waiting for us and that they would help us with our research. They would even research new information if we needed it. Wow! What a way to start our trip in Miami!