Running Scared

by Leslie McGill

  CHAPTER 10

  Joss

  As she got ready for bed that night, Joss thought back over the day. Her thoughts again turned to Rainie. Maybe her friend was just having a bad day. But the more Joss thought about it, the more it seemed like there had been a string of bad days.

  Sure, there was the eating thing. Rainie’s refusal to eat wasn’t normal. When they’d worked together during the summer, they had eaten together lots of times. They often ended their shift at FreeZees with a bowl of frozen yogurt. Rainie used to cover her yogurt with chocolate chips, then ladle hot caramel sauce over the whole thing, making a soupy, sweet mess. She didn’t overeat, but she never would have turned down as many meals or snacks as she did today.

  But it was more than just the eating. Rainie was withdrawn and very quick to get angry. This was not normal for her. She had always been cheerful and easy to get along with. Rainie was a good friend, and Joss was worried. Joss knew she could just leave Rainie alone while she worked out whatever was bothering her. But she cared too much for her friend to give up.

  She picked up her phone and called Rainie’s cell. It rang and rang. When it finally went to voicemail, Joss hung up without leaving a message.

  She wondered where Rainie was. She hoped she hadn’t decided to take a run that late at night. Their neighborhood wasn’t safe enough for a girl to run by herself after sunset.

  Joss tossed and turned. She wanted to help but didn’t know how. She needed to talk to someone who knew how to handle this kind of thing. Immediately, one name came to mind.

  Mrs. McArdle.

  She’d talk to her in the morning. Hopefully, she would know what to do.

  CHAPTER 11

  Rainie

  The next day, Rainie ran into Durand a few blocks from school.

  “Hey, how are you?” he said with a big smile when he saw her. Rainie had never noticed how warm his dark eyes were or how long his lashes were.

  “Girl, I get hot just looking at you,” he said.

  Rainie’s eyes widened in surprise.

  “Oh my gosh!” Durand looked horrified. “I didn’t mean … I just meant … you wear such warm clothes, and it’s so hot out. I get all sweaty when I look at you! I mean, I just—oh, shoot. I didn’t mean any of this the way it sounded.”

  He looked so embarrassed that Rainie had to laugh. “So you meant hot, but not hot? Is that what you’re trying to say?” she asked with a smile.

  “Yeah, I mean, you look good. Great, actually. But I wouldn’t have said—”

  “It’s okay,” Rainie said. “I knew what you meant … I mean, really … it’s me. We’ve known each other since we were five.” She couldn’t read the look that crossed his face.

  “Right. I wouldn’t have wanted you to think—”

  “Oh, I don’t. I didn’t,” Rainie said quickly. She wasn’t even sure what she was reassuring him about.

  They walked in silence for a few minutes.

  “So did you ever Google the name of that guy?” Durand asked.

  “We don’t have the Internet at home,” Rainie said.

  “Go to the library at lunch and use the school’s computers. Maybe you’ll find out that he’s an ax murderer or something. Then your mom will quit dating him.”

  “Gosh, I hope so. That’d be great!” Rainie said enthusiastically. She realized how silly it was to be hoping that her mother’s boyfriend was an ax murderer, and she started laughing. Durand laughed too.

  They walked into school together. At the door, Rainie stopped suddenly.

  “Hey, is wrestling like self-defense?” she asked.

  “Kind of, I guess,” he answered. “I mean, someone’s coming after you, and you try not to let him get you down on the mat. And the whole point is to keep from getting pinned down. If you can pin the other guy, that’s even better. Why?”

  “What if the guy is bigger than you are?” she asked.

  “That’s why wrestlers wrestle guys in their weight class,” Durand answered. “But there are some tricks that would work even if someone was bigger than you. You thinking of joining the team?” he asked. “I hear Cardozo’s got a girl wrestler. Monica something. None of the guys were sure where to grab her at first, but now they just treat her like one of the guys.”

  “Not on the school team, no,” Rainie said.

  “I can see you’re thinking about something,” Durand said. “MMA? They have women’s leagues, you know.”

  “Do you do mixed martial arts too?” Rainie asked.

  “Yeah, that’s mostly why I wrestle,” Durand said. “I do MMA on the weekends. Wrestling keeps me in shape and helps me with some of the MMA moves. You want to practice some moves, you just let me know.”

  “I will,” Rainie said. “Thanks!” She turned and started walking toward her locker.

  “I’ll just bet he could show you some moves!” Eva joked, walking up beside her.

  “Oh, stop!” Rainie said with a chuckle. She went to first period feeling better than she had in a long time.

  CHAPTER 12

  Joss

  Joss got to school early. She immediately went to Mrs. McArdle’s classroom.

  “Joss, good morning! What’s up?” the English teacher asked as she wrote on the whiteboard.

  “Mrs. McArdle, if I ask you something, do you have to pass on the information?” Joss asked.

  “Depends on the information,” Mrs. McArdle said. “I have to pass on anything that indicates that a student is in danger from themselves or from another person. I’d love to hear what’s on your mind, but you need to know what the law requires me to do.”

  Joss made a face. “I’m not sure what to do here,” she said.

  “Is this a problem you’re having? Or someone else?” Mrs. McArdle asked.

  “Someone else,” Joss said. “Does that change things?”

  “Sort of,” Mrs. McArdle said. “Why don’t you try telling me what’s on your mind but without using a name. I can’t report it if I don’t know who it is.”

  “Sounds fair,” Joss said. “Okay, what if you had a friend who all of a sudden changed—drastically. Her appearance is lousy, she’s not acting like herself, her grades are slipping. Would you think something bad was going on?”

  “Yes, actually I would,” Mrs. McArdle said. “Have you asked her?”

  “Yes, but she has all sorts of excuses for what’s happening. I just don’t believe them,” Joss said. “I think … I’m not really sure what I think. I just know it’s not right.”

  “You can tell the school counselor, and she can talk to her,” Mrs. McArdle offered. “But chances are, if she’s not talking to you, she’s not going to talk to Mrs. Blackwell either.”

  “I know,” Joss said. “But I’m really worried.”

  “Can you talk to her parents?”

  “Not really,” Joss said. “There’s just a mom. I don’t know her at all, and of course she’d end up telling Rai—I mean, my friend.”

  Mrs. McArdle nodded knowingly.

  Joss was certain her teacher knew she’d almost said Rainie’s name.

  “I guess all you can do is let her know you’re there for her,” Mrs. McArdle said. “I know that’s not a great answer. But unless she’s willing to tell someone what’s going on, it’s about all you can do. Just be her friend. Don’t judge. And keep the lines of communication open in case she does feel like talking.”

  Joss nodded. “Thanks,” she said.

  CHAPTER 13

  Rainie

  As soon as it was lunch, Rainie ran to the library. She logged in to one of the computers. She opened Google and typed “Daymon Jenkins” into the search box.

  She immediately got a hit. A news article dated two years earlier reported that Daymon Jenkins of Washington, D.C., had been arrested for having a relationship with a student. The article did not identify the victim, except to say that she was a student at Coolidge High School, where Jenkins worked. A follow-up article said that he was cleared of all charges.
The girl wasn’t underage. She refused to cooperate with the investigation.

  Rainie was excited. This was just what she needed to prove to her mother that Daymon was dangerous. She downloaded the articles onto her flash drive. She left the library feeling righteous. As soon as her mom got home from work, she was going to show her what she’d found.

  That night, Rainie didn’t argue when Angie offered to drive her home.

  “Oh, you see what I don’t see?” Angie said as she pulled up to the curb.

  Rainie looked around for Daymon’s car but didn’t see it. “Yeah, no Daymon,” she said. “Good. ’Cause I need to show my mother what I found out about him.”

  She told Angie about the news articles she’d found on Google. Angie shook her head in disgust. “Girl, I told you he was bad news,” she said. “He’s not even good-looking. I don’t know why any woman would want to have anything to do with him.”

  “I think he makes my mom feel pretty,” Rainie said. “She took it hard when my dad left. She quit caring about how she looked, and she just lay around the house watching TV. But then she got the job at the bar, and he started hanging around. I think that having a guy like her—even a low-life like Daymon—makes her feel like she’s still got it going on.”

  “Well, looks like you’ve got the night off from his ugly company,” Angie said. “Thanks for working, and I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning. All right?”

  “Yep. Ten o’clock. See ya!”

  Rainie unlocked the door to the house and opened it. Her mother was asleep on the couch in front of the television. Rainie tiptoed to her room, put down her backpack, and changed into her pajamas. She came back down and sat on the couch. She knew it would wake her mother up, but she really wanted to have a chance to talk to her.

  “Hmm, Rainie, baby, is that you?” her mother asked sleepily.

  “Yeah, sorry I woke you,” Rainie said. “Did you work tonight?”

  “Things were slow at the bar, so DC let me come home early. Do you want something to eat?”

  “I ate at work,” Rainie lied. “Before I forget, Mom, can I sleep over at Eva Morales’s house tomorrow night? She and Joss and I have to finish our science project.”

  “Will her parents be home?” Mrs. Burkette asked.

  “I’m sure they will be, but you can call if you’d feel better about it,” Rainie said.

  “That’s okay, baby. I trust you,” her mother said. “I’ll see if Daymon can stay with Jessie.”

  “Oh no—Mom, you can’t!” Rainie cried.

  “What are you talking about?” her mother asked curiously.

  “Mom, I have to tell you something,” Rainie said slowly. She knew her mother wouldn’t like what she was about to say. “I went to the library today and I … I looked something up.”

  “What did you look up? You know you could have asked me about anything. Was it about where babies come from? We’ve talked about this before, but if you have questions—”

  “Mom … no, just listen,” Rainie said. “I looked up Daymon’s name on Google.”

  Mrs. Burkette’s mouth opened and closed as if she wanted to say something, but nothing came out. “You did what?” she said finally.

  “I looked Daymon up on Google,” Rainie repeated. “Mom, he makes me so uncomfortable. What do you know about him? Who is he? I just wanted to know if there was anything about him on the Internet. And I found something. He was charged with abusing a kid.”

  “You’re lying!” Mrs. Burkette hissed. “I know all about Daymon. He’s told me all his secrets. That’s what people do when they care about each other. He would have told me if something like that were true.”

  “Mom, it is true. I can prove it. I have the articles here,” Rainie jumped up and stuck her flash drive into the computer. “Here, I’ll show you.”

  “I don’t even want to see,” her mother said. “I don’t believe you.”

  Rainie was crushed. Her mother had called her a liar. She’d rather defend Daymon than believe her own daughter. She watched the computer screen, and when the list of files appeared, she opened one of the articles she had downloaded.

  “Here,” she said. “Read this. He was arrested for messing around with a girl at Coolidge when he worked there.”

  “Then why isn’t he in jail?” her mother asked.

  “Because they couldn’t prove it,” Rainie said. “She refused to cooperate. But I’ll bet that’s why he quit working there.”

  “You know, anyone can make up anything and put it on the Internet,” Mrs. Burkette said, not looking at the computer screen. “But that doesn’t make it true. Daymon’s an attractive man, and I’m sure he was a target for the girls at that school.”

  “Mom, you’ve got to listen to me,” Rainie said in despair. She took a deep breath. It was so hard to try to convince her mother that her boyfriend might be dangerous. “I don’t like being alone with him, Mom,” Rainie said softly. “I think he wants to, to—”

  “To what? Spit it out, girl. You’ve gone this far,” Mrs. Burkette said coldly.

  “He looks at me funny, and sometimes he touches me when he shouldn’t,” Rainie whispered.

  “Touches you? Where?”

  “Last night, he touched my chin,” Rainie said.

  “Your chin?” her mother said with a laugh. “Girl, I think you’re safe. I’ve never heard of chin abuse! Your chin,” she repeated bitterly. “I know what’s going on here. Daymon’s a little younger than me, and it bothers you to have a good-looking young man in the house. You’re thinking of him in a way you know you shouldn’t, and—”

  “Mom!” Rainie yelled, jumping to her feet. “That’s a lie. He makes me sick, and you make me sick for letting him come around here. I hate him. Something bad’s going to happen, and you won’t even listen to me.”

  “Girl, you watch how you speak to me,” her mother said sternly. “Daymon is the best thing that’s happened to me since that lousy father of yours took off. And now you want to ruin it. This conversation is over.”

  Rainie ran upstairs to her room. Without even turning on the light, she threw herself on her bed and started sobbing. She was terrified. She knew Daymon was evil. The one person who could protect her—who should protect her—refused to admit there was a problem. Somehow, Rainie had to figure out how to protect herself and her little sister.

  CHAPTER 14

  Joss

  Joss was glad that she and Rainie were sleeping over at Eva’s that night. She hoped she would have a chance to talk to Rainie about her concerns.

  Her phone rang in the afternoon. She saw that it was Eva.

  “Hey, what snacks do you want tonight?” Eva asked. “My mom’s going shopping.”

  “Oooh! Cheese curls!” Joss said. “And get some candy!”

  “What do you think Rainie wants? She’s working at FreeZees, so I can’t reach her.”

  “I’ll bet she wouldn’t tell you even if you could reach her,” Joss said. “I don’t think she eats anymore.”

  “I know, right?” Eva said. “She’s gotten really, really skinny. She pulled up the leg of her pants to scratch her leg in class yesterday. I couldn’t believe what her leg looked like. What is wrong with her? Do you think she’s sick?”

  “I don’t know,” Joss said. “Maybe we can find out tonight.”

  “Bring your stuff to my house, and let’s go to Primo’s,” Eva said. “Ferg said the guys were eating dinner there.”

  “Sounds good,” Joss said. “Make sure you text Rainie. I don’t know how anyone could resist Primo’s pizza.”

  CHAPTER 15

  Rainie

  Rainie jumped in the shower and dressed in jeans and a loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirt. She headed downstairs to the kitchen and ate half a banana. She buried the rest in the bottom of the garbage can so her mother wouldn’t find it.

  “Sissy, come watch ‘My Little Pony’ with me!” Jesika called from the living room. She was curled up on the couch, watching cartoo
ns. Rainie sat down and pulled her sister close. Jesika meant more to her than anyone in the world. The thought of Daymon alone with her was frightening.

  “Jessie, has Mom ever talked to you about what to do if someone tries to, to—” Rainie didn’t know what words to say to warn the younger girl about being touched inappropriately.

  “Shhh. This is the good part,” Jesika said without taking her eyes off the screen.

  Rainie waited for a commercial and muted the TV. “Listen, Jessie, this is important,” she said. “There are bad people in the world who like to mess with kids. Sometimes, they’re people you know. If anyone ever tries to touch you in places that should be private, do whatever you can to keep him from doing it. Kick him, scratch him, scream—whatever, okay?”

  Jesika looked horrified. “Mom would kill me if I did that to anyone!” she said. “It’s against the law.”

  “Actually, it’s against the law for somebody to touch you like that,” Rainie said. “I’m not talking about nice people giving you a hug or somebody kissing you who you like. This is someone besides Mom or a doctor. Someone wanting to touch you where your bathing suit goes. The police have said that you can hurt them bad for doing that,” she said.

  “Why are you telling me this?” Jesika said with a frightened look. “You’re scaring me.”

  “Rainie, aren’t you supposed to be at work?” Rainie’s mother padded downstairs and into the living room, rubbing her eyes.

  “I’m about to leave,” Rainie said. She was still hurt over her conversation with her mother the night before. She didn’t want to talk to her now. “I’ll go straight to Eva’s after work. So I won’t see you till tomorrow.”