by Cody Wagner
That was made obvious as we tackled The Bruiser that afternoon.
Coach Adkins led us out to the exercise field like we were attending a funeral. We walked single file, heads down. He made a big show of his obstacle course, and us experienced students joined in to make the newbies nervous. I heard them gasp as we walked onto the grass.
The Bruiser contained staggered tires, a climbing wall, push-up and pull-up stations, and other murderous exercises. After tackling all that, we had to run two laps around a track surrounding the entire course. Granted, it was intimidating. And I was feeling a bit unsure as I’d been lazy over the summer. But I wasn’t going to show that to Roze and Tracey. Besides, I needed a distraction from my Timothy obsession.
Coach Adkins walked around and stood in front of us. He was still the hairiest man I’d ever seen. Bushels of hair poked out of his golf polo and coach shorts. For an instant, I imagined him running into the wind, hair flying behind him like a Basset Hound’s ears. It was kinda funny. Tracey just had this horribly insulting way of saying everything. She could have lovingly complimented her dying mother and it would have sounded nasty.
Thinking of Tracy, I looked over to Darrin and his group. They were standing next to the new students talking loudly about how people had died running The Bruiser. One of the newbies gulped and folded his hands as if praying to survive. I rolled my eyes, thinking, At least they’re leaving Tracey alone.
Coach Adkins cleared his throat, and everyone stopped talking. Despite Tracey’s poking fun at him, the whole popular group seemed to respect Adkins. He definitely had a commanding air about him.
“Today, we’re running The Bruiser.” He went on to explain each part of the course. His gaze softened just a bit as he focused on the new students. “I don’t ask that you beat everyone. I just ask that you try your best.” Then he looked at me and said, “And get better.”
I smiled back. He’d said that to me a lot last year.
Walking a circle around us, Adkins told everyone to line up, then said, “Are you ready?”
One of the new students actually shook his head.
Adkins ignored him and shouted, “GO!”
That same newbie took off as fast as he could.
I looked at Roze and we both shook our heads. If I’d learned anything regarding The Bruiser, it was to pace myself. That kid was in for a world of hurt, and soon.
Focusing back on the course, I ran through the staggered tires without a problem, then used my height to pull myself over the wall.
The push-up station took a bit longer. We had to do thirty push-ups. Although I’d only been out of school a couple months, I could feel how much weaker I’d become. I had to stop halfway through and take a breather before continuing.
At the pull-up station, I came upon the kid who’d started so fast. He lay on the ground, panting and clutching his side.
“Pace yourself next time,” I whispered, grabbing the bar.
This time, I had to take a few breaks before knocking out ten pull-ups. I had the option to skip the pull-ups and sit for sixty seconds. But I made myself finish before continuing under a giant net, across a huge set of monkey bars, and to the half-mile run.
Approaching the track, I noticed Darrin, Tracey, Roze, and I were in the lead. One of the new students, a girl, wasn’t too far behind. By the way she was panting, I knew she’d never catch up. I smiled to myself. It was just like last year, with the four of us out in front.
As I turned onto the final lap, sweat poured down my face, and I was tempted to tighten up my fists. But I made myself relax. Roze huffed right next to me while Darrin and Tracey were a yard or two ahead. I could feel the exertion coming from Tracey. After the week she’d had, I couldn’t blame her for wanting to beat him. If anything, it was a moral victory, and I silently rooted for her.
And that’s when Darrin stuck a foot out and tripped her.
Tracey plowed onto the asphalt, face first. I could see her hands and knees tear across the tar.
Roze and I both gave up on the race and went straight to her.
Roze turned her over. Tracey’s forehead bled into her left eye. Huge scrapes ran across her knees. I helped her up and saw road rash on her wrists. She gasped in pain.
“Oh my god,” Roze said.
“Are you OK?” I asked.
Tracey’s teeth were clenched. I could tell she wanted to cry, but she wasn’t going to let Darrin get to her. Instead, she nodded and pushed herself to her feet.
We stood there for about a minute when Coach Adkins appeared and put an arm around her. “Come with me.”
Without another word, he led her, limping, back to the gym.
Suddenly, Roze tore off toward the finish line. I followed and had to sprint to keep up with her. When she reached the end, Darrin was already standing there, stretching and panting. Before anyone could react, Roze shoved him. Hard. He crashed into the ground then flew back up, fists raised. When he saw it was a girl, he lowered his hands—how gallant—but fury remained in his eyes.
“What’s your problem?” He didn’t blink as he glared at her.
Roze put a finger in his face. “I don’t care if you like Tracey or not. But don’t you ever do that again. Do you understand me?” She was screaming by the time she finished.
Even Darrin flinched at the anger in her voice. Still, he managed a shrug. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
That got me mad. “Liar!” I shouted. “We watched you trip her.”
Just then, Darrin’s popular group came and surrounded him like bodyguards.
Roze stepped toward them. “What? Am I supposed to be intimated?”
Normally, I would have been terrified, but Darrin had pissed me off. And the fact his little group was trying to defend him pissed me off even more. I stood next to Roze and puffed up my chest. A flicker of fear invaded, but I pushed it away, thinking, I survived Zimmerman’s Zealots. This is nothing.
One of the guys, Jason, saw me puff up and he stepped forward. So did I. He winked at me. That set me off and I raised my fists. I was about to get into my first fight at Sanctuary.
“STOP IT!”
Adkins’s growl reached us all the way from the gym door.
Jason immediately stepped back. I continued glaring at Darrin and didn’t stop until Adkins reached us. Tracey walked next to him. She’d washed off, but blood still ran down her knees. I guessed Adkins hadn’t finished tending to her before seeing our confrontation.
“Fighting will not be tolerated.” His voice lowered to a whisper, but it was so intense, I found myself shivering.
“Yes, sir,” Darrin said. He bowed his head like a servant.
His meekness set Roze off. She pointed at him and said, “Sir, we watched Darrin trip Tracey.”
“He did,” I added. “Right in front of us.”
“It was an accident,” Darrin said.
“Lies!” Roze shouted. Her hands shook with anger.
“Enough!” Adkins looked at Tracey. “Did Mr. Winborne trip you?”
Tracey looked from Darrin to Coach Adkins then back to Darrin. I knew she was arguing with herself. Finally, she lowered her head. “No, sir.”
“Tracey!” Roze said.
Without looking at us, Tracey said, “It was an accident.”
Part of me was furious. I didn’t like the idea of Darrin getting away with this. I also didn’t enjoy being made to look like a liar. On the other hand, I couldn’t blame Tracey for wanting to get back in with the jocks. I remembered how far I almost went last year to join them. By not ratting Darrin out, maybe he’d invite Tracey back in. Or maybe she still held some old loyalty to him. Either way, I decided it best not to respond.
Roze didn’t let it go. Her eyes blazed as she said, “He’s been messing with her all year.”
“Tracey’s been part of our group for two years,” Darrin said. Then his eyes grew wide with mock innocence. “I’d need a really good reason to turn on her. What could that reason possibl
y be?”
I glared at Darrin. He was trying to veer the topic over to Tracey’s attack on Jimmy.
Coach Adkins caught on, too, because he raised a hand and said, “Enough. Ms. Bridges, please finish bandaging yourself up, take a shower, and proceed to fifth hour.” He then gestured at the group of students who had gathered behind us. “The rest of you, finish your cool-down stretches out here.” His gaze grew harsher as he looked at us. “Winborne. Trales. Merrill. Over here. Now.”
He ushered us toward the gymnasium and rounded on us just outside the door. My heart pounded; I didn’t like Adkins being mad. And I especially didn’t want to start calling him Coach Madkins.
Pointing at Darrin, he said, “You will stop spreading rumors about what happened with Tracey last year. Do you understand me?”
Darrin’s jaw dropped. “I think people deserve to know the truth.”
“No, you don’t,” Roze said. “You’re just looking for a reason to torture her.”
“And Tracey’s innocent!” I added.
Both Darrin and Coach Adkins froze and stared at me.
“How can you say that?” Darrin said. “I heard you were there when she attacked Jimmy!”
My mouth started moving but I didn’t say anything. For all intents and purposes, I should have thought Tracey was guilty. Admitting her innocence suggested I knew about the Siren. Roze glared at me as curse words flew through my head. This was a case of me shoving my foot into my mouth at the worst moment. Darrin was right: Tracey attacked Jimmy in front of me. In fact, I’d stopped the murder attempt. I was so desperate to take Tracey’s side, I’d just admitted I knew more than I was supposed to.
Adkins definitely gave me a weird look.
Darrin apparently didn’t notice our moment. Why would he? He knew nothing about the Siren and thought I was just playing dumb. He looked at Adkins and said, “How could you let her come back here?”
Roze balled her fists. “Don’t play the victim here. If you really felt like that, you’d talk to the school about expelling her instead of using this as an excuse to make her life hell.”
Darrin rolled his eyes. “So untrue.”
I swore Roze wanted to punch him.
Adkins stepped between them and glared at Darrin. It was clear he was singling Darrin out as the bully. It made me feel a little better. I stared at Adkins’s back as he calmly said, “Ms. Bridges is no more a murderer than you or me. You will leave her alone. Understood?”
Darrin opened his mouth to protest then went quiet. Folding his hands in front of him, Darrin nodded. “Yes, sir.”
His posture and expression were phony. I looked at Roze, who gestured at Darrin as if she couldn’t believe how fake he was being.
Adkins seemed to buy it, though, and he said, “Hit the showers.”
Darrin said, “Yes sir,” and jogged to the gymnasium doors. He turned to flip us off before going inside.
Roze gestured at him. “Can’t you tell how fake his apology was, Coach? The second you turn around, he’s going to keep torturing Tracey.”
To our surprise, Adkins nodded. “Yes, Ms. Merrill. I’m aware.” Then he crossed his arms and said, to me, “I’m also curious as to why you think Ms. Bridges is innocent?”
Roze threw me a quick look that clearly said, You and your big mouth. My face heated with embarrassment.
Adkins glanced from Roze to me. I could see Roze trying to come up with something. But what could we say? Tracey attacked Jimmy, clear as day. Not that he held a grudge about it. In fact, he totally forgave her after the incident.
That gave me the idea I needed, and I blurted, “Right before Tracey left, Jimmy went and hugged her. Then, he told her she’d better come back this year.” I frowned like I was sad, which wasn’t hard when I thought about Jimmy. “I may not understand why he forgave her, but I’m honoring his wish. Roze, too.”
Roze gave me a genuine smile. Adkins stood and watched me for a minute. Then his expression softened, and he said, “That’s very decent of you.”
I was suddenly embarrassed and just shrugged, very ready to leave.
Roze wasn’t done with the situation. “What are you going to do about Tracey, Coach?”
Adkins gestured at the door and we started walking. “Tracey’s situation is . . . difficult.”
I nodded. How could they prove Tracey’s innocence without admitting a Siren existed?
Roze threw up her hands. “Yes, her situation is messed up. But what about the other kids? She’s not the only one here who’s bullied.”
At that, Adkins eyes grew sad. “Sanctuary has limited staffing, Ms. Merrill. I’d love to have the personnel to monitor everything. But it’s impossible.”
I waited for a quick Roze comeback. Instead, she froze, thinking. After a few seconds, she said, “Do you mind if I talk to you for a few minutes?”
Without hesitation, Adkins said, “Of course. Come to my office.”
I was curious what she wanted, but there was no way I was going to join them. Who knew what other stupid things I might have said given the opportunity? Keeping silent, I went into the gym a few steps ahead of them. They didn’t try to stop me, so I sped toward my locker, grabbed my stuff, and hopped in the shower.
I didn’t see Roze or Coach Adkins before heading to Spanish, but I noticed his door was closed as I exited. That got a tiny nugget of curiosity bubbling in my head. As I approached the Classroom Center, though, my eyes found the theater door and thoughts of acting and Timothy flooded back into my brain. With all the drama in gym, I’d forgotten about seeing him tonight. Now that I was alone, my stomach started feeling as though I’d run The Bruiser four times.
My mind fluctuated between Roze, Coach Adkins, and Timothy for the rest of the day. I couldn’t focus on any actual learning because I was too interested in everything going on outside of class. Unfortunately, it was completely obvious. In U.S. History, Mr. Pryor asked me how the Minute Men earned their name.
I stared at him a full five seconds before spouting, “Two if by air!”
Even Mr. Pryor smiled at that one, which made me feel even stupider. Shaking his head, he said, “I don’t think they had airplanes in the Revolutionary War, Mr. Trales.”
Despite my embarrassment, I remained unfocused the rest of the day. To make matters worse, Roze didn’t show up for dinner. I figured I could have at least distracted myself from Timothy by asking about her conversation with Adkins. Without her, Timothy swam breast strokes through my head as Cassie, Tracey, and I ate in silence.
Tracey and Cassie never talked, so I should have been a buffer. As it were, Cassie sat there, studying Tracey like she was some African predator. In return, Tracey kept opening her mouth to show Cassie the food she was eating. Instead of jumping in, though, I kept running through clever lines to say to Timothy.
By the time the clock reached 6:30, and I went to put my tray up, I think Cassie and Tracey were thrilled as it gave them an excuse to leave. I nodded at them both and gave Cassie an apologetic smile as I exited the cafeteria and began walking to the Classroom Center.
The evening was still warm, which didn’t help my sweating back and nerves. My brain kept telling me not to worry and just be myself. But I knew the things that could come out of my mouth when I was just myself. (“Are you hungry, Timothy? HI HUNGRY, I’M BLAIZE!”)
Those were the thoughts running through my head as I practically jogged across the field to the theater door.
That’s when I saw Principal Wolcott walking toward me.
“Mr. Trales. Good evening. May I have a word?”
I glanced at the theater door. “Um . . . Sure.”
“Great,” he said.
I thought we were going to talk right there, but Wolcott began walking toward the Admissions Building.
I began shaking my head, thinking, This can’t be happening! Desperate, I heard myself say, “Actually, sir. I’m trying to see if I got cast in the new play. They’re about to post the results.”
Prin
cipal Wolcott stopped and turned around. “Ahhhh, the play. I heard you’re going to be the stage manager.” At that, I saw the tiniest hint of a smile creep onto his face.
Normally, I would have wondered what that was about. Did everyone know about my lack of acting skills? But I didn’t care about the play. Wait, that wasn’t true. I absolutely cared about it because of Jimmy. But, in the moment, I couldn’t bear the thought of missing out on Timothy.
“Now that you know the results, may I have that word, please?” Wolcott turned again and continued walking.
My mind screamed, I hate you Murphy’s Law! But I couldn’t think of a way to get out of this meeting. So, I grudgingly nodded and began following. After a few steps, he slowed down to let me catch up. Then, we walked in silence to the Admissions Building.
Most of the lights were out in the stone building as we approached. Wolcott unlocked the door and we entered, heading down a dark hallway to our right. It was eerily familiar, and I shuddered. Last year, Wolcott had pulled me in to talk about my straight ex-friend Kyle, who’d been controlled by the Siren. It was evening when that meeting had happened, too.
Sure enough, we entered the same door as last year and walked into a nice office with a huge wooden desk against the wall to my left. Timothy vacated my head as Wolcott motioned to one of two chairs in front of the desk and I sat down. Instead of moving around the desk, he sat in the other chair and turned it to face me.
“How have you been, Mr. Trales?”
Normally, small talk would have come across as phony, given the weird situation. But his voice was so kind. It always was. He had this way of talking that made people feel like the center of the universe. Still, I didn’t know how to respond and just said, “I’m fine, sir.”
For a few seconds, I mentally said the word sir over and over. I almost never said it and found it weird.
“So, you’re taking up acting?” This time he didn’t smile. His face showed genuine interest.
“I guess,” I said.
