by Love, K. J.
I laugh, because I know who he is talking about. Those girls will do anything to be with one of the athletes. Although the baseball team has many fan girls, the football team has it much worse.
“Yeah, I’ll be there.” Megan states.
Megan is single. I think she prefers it that way. Happily hanging out with friends and being able to do what she wants, is all she cares about.
“I’m gonna walk with y’all. Sarah is supposed to be waiting with Tessa for me.” Brandon says as he walks with us toward the main door.
As we walk out of the building we are met with a wall of students. Making our way through the crowd, finally breaking through, miraculously all three still together. It’s a beautiful spring day. The sun is shining with a gentle cool breeze. It feels delightful.
I look up, looking for Tessa under our tree. I freeze in my tracks when I see David standing a few feet from us with his arms crossed not looking pleased at all.
Chapter 26Kayla
This is the drawback to an open campus for a High School; anyone can just walk on and interact with the students. I grab Megan’s arm to stop her. She follows my line of sight.
“Shit.” She is now standing right beside me.
Brandon stops and looks back at us, before looking around trying to figure out what is wrong. He is now standing on the other side of me in a defensive mode.
“What is it? You both look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
He waits for one of us to answer his question. I, however, can’t speak. I see Tessa running towards us. She has obviously seen David. Asher is right behind her.
I told Blake a little about what has been going on last night. However, Troy said David was parked outside the Lake House for hours before he finally called the police on him. They made him leave and told him not to come back there.
All of this screams desperation. The Lake House is a good hour from his house and even after we got back Saturday morning he was back at it. Even resorting to borrowing cars so that we hopefully wouldn’t know it was him. I hope Troy can get that restraining order taken care of soon.
He, just like Blake, told Tessa and me to be careful and to not go anywhere alone. He instructed us to call the police if we saw him. Troy said he seemed very unstable and that he didn’t want to take any chances.
“It’s David. Kayla’s ex, who can’t take ‘Get lost loser’ as a hint to leave her the hell alone.” Megan finally answers Brandon.
“Are you okay, Kayla? You don’t look good.” Brandon says, looking down at me.
I now realize I’m surrounded by my friends. Brandon is standing on my left, Megan is on my right, Tessa is standing behind me, and Asher has taken a stance in front of me facing David. His arms are folded across his chest, looking like he is ready for a fight if need be.
David slowly approaches us. Brandon eases me behind him and steps up beside Asher. Both boys are average in size, but trust me when I say; no one wants to be the one to underestimate them. Each one can be a force to be reckoned with when pushed too far. Asher speaks first.
“You need to leave this campus before we call the cops. You are not a student and you have no business being here.” Asher is standing his ground.
“I just want to talk to Kayla.”
That feeling that everything is closing in on me is overtaking all of my senses. I can hear them talking, but it’s like I’m hearing them through a fog filled tunnel. I try to take myself back to that moment with Blake, when he sang to me, made me feel safe, and gently rocked me. It slows my breathing some, then I hear the anger that resonates in Brandon’s tone as he speaks to David.
“Kayla doesn’t want to talk to you. So you can leave on your own or we can make you leave.” Brandon states with a force that is undeniable.
David is bigger than both Brandon and Asher; however, they don’t seem to care. I love my protective friends.
Sarah walks up and puts her hand on Brandon’s back saying. “Calm down Brandon.” Brandon ignores her.
Asher speaks again. “What’s it gonna be?”
David takes another step toward them. Brandon and Asher stand a little taller and ready themselves to pounce.
“You little punks think you can stop me?”
Brandon steps up to David. “I know I can stop your damn crazy ass. All by myself. Asher’s just here to drag your sorry ass out of here when I’m done.”
He is right in David’s face now. Asher grabs him and pulls him back.
“Man, you’ve got your future to think about. You can’t get thrown off the team. Let me handle this, then you can clean up.”
After Asher gets Brandon back under control he turns and looks at us and winks at Tessa. Who I can tell is really worried that Asher is going to get himself in trouble. That look on her face is a dead giveaway. My panic has turned to fear for all of my friends who are trying to stand up for me.
“It’s okay Asher. I’ll talk to him, just so no one gets into trouble.”
“Do you want to talk to him?” Asher asks.
“No, but I don’t want anyone to get kicked out of school our senior year.”
“Let me handle this. I’ve got it.” He smiles, but it doesn’t make me feel any better.
He turns back and jumps at David, who backs up. Brandon is now laughing his butt off. Asher holds his arms up and out to his sides.
“Go ahead and hit one of us, because we can and will kick your ass. Then when the cops do get here, it’s you who will be going to jail. You see, we are still seventeen, so you touching any one of us is against the law. Let’s go buddy.”
David leans over so that he can see me.
“This isn’t over by a long shot.”
Just then I see Principal Manning coming out of the building. David turns and walks out into the street, making sure that he is no longer on the school campus. He just stands there staring at us.
We walk over to our tree to sit and eat our lunch. Eating is the absolute last thing I have on my mind. At this moment I’m glad that Blake won’t be calling me tonight because I’m pretty sure he would be able to tell that something is bothering me.
Listening to my friends talk about what happened through our lunch break has me feeling guilty. All of this is my fault. I chose the wrong person out of sheer loneliness. Not really knowing him was my first mistake. Then it hits me. Am I doing the same thing with Blake? Knowing very little about him, could he be putting on some kind of act? No one can be as great and understanding as he is. Can they?
“Kayla, it’s time to go.” Tessa says, touching my arm.
Jumping at the contact, because I was so lost in my thoughts. My typing class was next. It was on the lowest level of the main building. Noticing the time, I’m going to have to rush to class to not be tardy.
“Who has a class close to Kayla’s typing class?” Tessa asks our friends.
“I do. I have economics this period and that’s only two classes down from her class. I’ll walk with her.” Sarah explains.
Cringing at the thought of being herded around like a child, I stand taller. “I can walk myself.” I state confidently.
“We just finished discussing that we are not going to let you go anywhere alone, not until this nut case gives up.” Asher’s tone let me know that he is dead serious.
I give up. There is no use in trying to fight them on this. “Okay. Whatever. Let’s go. We’re going to be late.”
I don’t know Sarah that well, so it bothers me that she is being pulled into the craziness that is my life. We rush in silence down the hall, and through the door that leads to the stairwell.
This stairwell always creeps me out. It’s a dark, closed in space that reminds me of something you would see in a horror movie. Many students have been caught making out in here. So maybe I’m the only one who thinks it’s creepy. Right now, though it’s empty, which means we are later than I thought. As we emerge out into the hallway. I tell Sarah, Bye. “I’ll see you later. Thanks for walking with me.”
“Me too.” Although I know that he isn’t going to give up that easily.
Walking into my class, Mrs. Carson looks up at me along with all of the students in the class.
“It’s kind of you to join us, Miss Jameson.”
Mrs. Carson is a wonderful teacher, but she just does not tolerate tardiness.
“I’m sorry. I was in the quad eating lunch and the time got away from me.”
She is not going to let me off. I know what’s coming; I’ve seen it happen to too many students this year.
“Maybe you should choose to eat in the cafeteria since it is right down the hall from here. You’ve already missed a week of school. I’d think you would at least try to make it to class on time when you are here. You will be staying thirty minutes after class with me Miss Jameson. This shouldn’t be an issue since this is the last period of the day.”
Great! I’m never late. You’d think I would get at least one warning. If I had gone to the doctor like Lisa and Troy had asked me to, she wouldn’t be giving me grief about this because I could have gotten a doctor’s note for being out for a week.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Take your seat. Your assignment is on the board.”
I sit in my seat that faces the window. Our assignment is to type four business letters. Turning to the correct page in my book I begin to type.
I’ve finished my first letter and starting the next when I begin to feel uneasy. You know that feeling you get when someone is watching you? I stop typing and look around the room, everyone is busy typing. I’m starting to get a little nervous, because I can’t shake the feeling that I’m being watched.
Right when I get back to typing my assignment a chill runs through my body. Something isn’t right; I can feel it in my bones. Raising my head once again, I glance out the windows; I take in a sharp breath, allowing a gasping sound to escape me.
Mrs. Carson stands looking very annoyed at me.
“Miss Jameson you have interrupted my class twice now. Once with your tardiness and now with that shrill noise. You just bought yourself another thirty minutes with me this afternoon.”
Swallowing hard, I try to speak, but I’m unable to make a sound. So, I decide that the best thing to do is to simply nod my head at her. Slowly turning my head back to the window, I try to control my fear. Now, having a clear view of the student parking lot, I blink my eyes several times. Clearly my vision is just fine; I know I saw him though. Am I going crazy? I know he was there. David was standing right outside my classroom window staring at me. I didn’t imagine that.
I manage to calm myself down and get back to work. I finish just as the bell rings. All of the students leave except for me. Mrs. Carson brings me some of my make-up work and I immediately get to work. It would be nice if I had some way to let Tessa know what’s going on. I have my appointment at five o’clock, so we drove separately today. If I know Tessa she will be waiting for me in the parking lot. She knows I am going to see the counselor alone, but I’m sure she will want to see me before she leaves to go home.
It’s only been twenty minutes when I look up and see Tessa and Asher getting into his car to leave. That’s odd; I just knew they wouldn’t leave until they knew where I was. I shake my head and get back to work. Finally, its four fifteen and I can leave. I turn my assignments in.
“I trust you will be on time tomorrow, Miss Jameson.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I walk out and make my way down the hallway and out the door that leads to the parking lot. I’m digging in my purse trying to find my keys when someone grabs me from behind. They have their arm wrapped around my neck and the other hand over my mouth. I try to scream but his hand muffles the sound. My self-defense lessons kick in. I bite the hand that is covering my mouth, then grab the arm that is around my neck with both hands and pull down while drop my body into a crouching position, pushing my butt into his legs. I’m trying to create some space between us.
Next, I move to the side dropping down more and then slipping my head out of his grip and behind me. I begin to scream fire as loud as I can. The man takes off running as people come out of the school to check on me.
Mrs. Carson is right by my side. I answer what feels like a million questions once the police arrive. Never seeing his face, I have no idea who the guy was or what he looks like. All I can tell them is that he was wearing a dark jacket with a hood. They take the report and call Lisa and Troy. I explain that I am fine and that I need to go or I’m going to miss my appointment. I’m shaken up, but I need this appointment more than ever.
On my drive to the counselor’s office, I think about the attack and wonder if it was David that I saw. It could have been him that attacked me. I shake my head, he wouldn’t do that. He would confront me and try to talk to me, but he would never attack me that way.
I pull up to the office and get out of my car. This is kind of scary. I don’t know what to expect or how to act. I say a little prayer of thanks for God’s protection over me today. Things could have gone a lot different so I feel truly blessed to be okay.
“Good afternoon, Miss Jameson. I’m Claire Reed. Why don’t you have a seat and get comfortable.”
She motions to an oversize chair for me to sit in. “You can call me Kayla. I think I’d be more comfortable with that.”
“Okay, Kayla. We’ll keep this very casual. You can call me Claire. I’m sure you know that I’m Christian counselor and anything you say to me stays with me. I can’t and won’t share any information from our sessions unless you have asked me to do so. I want you to be open and honest with me, which is the only way we can get to the bottom of what’s bothering you. Lisa and Troy have spoken with me on some of the problems you’ve been having, however, I want to hear about what’s going on from you.”
I twist my hands together in my lap. This is more uncomfortable than I ever imagined it would be. “I’m not sure what you want me to say. I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”
“You can start from where ever you want to and it’s not about what I want you to say. It’s about expressing your true feelings. There is no right or wrong here. Let’s start with something that is positive in your life right now. Focus on the good so to speak.”
A smile comes to my face as all of my thoughts turn to Blake. I look at Claire and she is smiling at me.
“Tell me about that. What or who causes that smile?”
I spend the next hour talking with Claire about Blake. How we met. What we did. And about his upcoming visit on Friday. It felt good to talk about him.
“Our time is up for today Kayla. I would like to see you again on Wednesday. Is six o’clock okay for you? I already have someone scheduled for five on that day.”
“Yes. That should be fine.” I feel better about this. Having someone listen to you talk about yourself without any judgment from them isn’t half bad.
“Great. Between now and then, I want you to think about what you want to discuss on Wednesday. What do you want out of life Kayla? Who is Kayla Jameson and who does she want to be?”
“That’s some deep questions?”
“It is questions that will help you discover you. So that we can make sure you are on the path that you want to be on in life. I want you to read some scripture before you come back too. Here, I’ve written it down for you.”
I take the paper from her hand and read it. Jeremiah 29:11, Proverbs 2:5-6. I look back up at her. “Thank you. I’ll see you Wednesday.”
When I get into my car I realize I never mailed Blake’s letter due to all the commotion that happened today. I decide to ride to the Post Office before I head home. It’s already after six, by the time I get home it will be seven. That’s just enough time to grab something to eat, do some homework and go to sleep.
Chapter 27Kayla
The next morning consists of a long discussion at the Breakfast table about what happened Monday afternoon after school.
“I don’t understand why you didn’t wait for her Tessa. I told both of you that I didn’t want her to be left alone.” Troy states looking very upset with both of us.
Tessa seems even more upset than Troy as she answers him. “Dad, I told you a girl who said she is in Kayla’s typing class came out and told Asher and I that Kayla said for us to leave. She said that Sarah was going to walk out with her since she was staying for Brandon’s game anyway.”
“What?” I asked, shocked. “Did you get her name? I didn’t tell anyone that.” This is so weird, I don’t understand this at all. Why would anyone tell her that?
“I don’t know her. She was an underclassman. Kayla, I swear to you that’s what she said. Then Connie came over and I asked her if you had to stay over and she confirmed that Mrs. Carson was making you stay over for an hour. So I believed it all to be true. I guess I should have checked with Sarah but I didn’t have a clue of where to find her.”
“I don’t like this at all. It sounds like a set up.” Lisa says, looking very worried.
“New rule. Do not, for any reason leave Kayla alone. I want you girls to stay together at all times, except of course, when you are in different classes. I’m going to look into this.” Troy sounds really angry. He thinks of me as his daughter at this point and he is very worried about me and Tessa.
“Troy, I have my appointment tomorrow at six o’clock.” It’s okay with me if I have to miss the appointment. I haven’t even gone over the stuff that I’m supposed to yet.
“Tessa can go with you. She can do her homework in the waiting room.”
Tessa doesn’t look happy; however, she will do what her dad tells her to do.
“Okay. Dad, is it okay if we meet Asher after for burgers, fries, and shakes at What-A-Burger? It’s right down from the counselor’s office and we haven’t been able to go since we moved.” Tessa asks.
Lisa speaks up then. “Troy, they’ll be together and Asher will be there. We can’t expect them to quit living their lives.”
