Surviving Elite High (15 page)

“Yes, it was on that terrible Monday morning.”

“What happened that day?”

“I was walking to my second period when I saw him staring at me with a malevolent smile so I told Nick about Matthew during class. He told me to be careful because Jacob warned him that Matthew had changed. Nick left early from class to pick up an assignment, but he asked me to take his bag to third period lab. While my friend, Madison, and I walked to the silence lab, I saw Matthew exiting the bathroom near the entrance to the school. I clearly saw when he took out the two guns and aimed at me.”

“What happened next?”

“My reflexes kicked in. I pushed Madison down a corridor and threw myself to the other side. At that moment, I heard the first two shots. I felt a burning sensation on my left shoulder. I dashed towards the left-wing emergency exit. While I ran, I placed my hand over my shoulder. It was then that I realized that I was bleeding to death. I wasn't going to make it to the emergency exit because I felt weak and light-headed. So, I decided to hide inside the first room that I came across.”

“It was there where Mr. Hawing found you. Am I right?”

“Yes. Nick found me and we waited for someone to rescue us, but no one was coming. So, he lifted me into his arms and carried me out of the room. Matthew spotted us in the hallway and pointed the guns at us. Nick begged him to let us go, but Matthew told him that he came that morning to kill us.”

Another wave of distant voices hit the room, but the judge silenced them again. I glanced at Matthew for the second time. He was still smiling treacherously so I looked away. Mr. Baltimore continued with his interrogation.

“What happened next?”

“He told us that he was going to finish what he started so Matthew asked Nick, at gun point, to put me on the ground.”

“Do you think he was going to rape and kill you?”

“Yes. Matthew ordered Nick to step away from me. He knelt beside me and proceeded to unbutton his pants. He was about to pull his boxers down when a knocking got his attention. He immediately stood up. He ordered Nick not to move from his spot while he followed the knocking that was coming from a classroom. Matthew kicked the door open and peeked inside. Suddenly, Mr. Wright flung himself on top of him and tried to wrestle the guns from his hands. Mr. Wright told Nick to run so he picked me up and ran outside.”

“That'll be all, your honor,” Mr. Baltimore said as he walked to his seat.

“Do you wish to cross-examine?” the judge asked.

A fat man, with hardly any neck, stood up and made his way to the witness stand. He made me extremely nervous.

“You stated that Mr. Ward and Mr. Ashmore bullied you for the first two years of your high school life. Is that right?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn't you report them to the school or to a higher authority?”

“I was afraid that they might bully me even more if I told anyone.”

“Why didn't you report the sexual harassment then?”

“I was afraid that no one would believe me. It was my word against the word of two rich kids. Who would you have believed?”

The defendant smiled as he stared into the crowd.

“No more questions, your honor.”

I was relieved. Finally, I could get away from Matthew and move on with my life. The judge signaled an officer to take me away. As the officer made his way towards me, I stood up. Without warning, Matthew jumped over the table and ran towards me. He screamed at the top of his lungs.

“WHEN I GET OUT I'M GOING TO FUCK AND KILL YOU, JOHNNY BOY!!”

I was scared for my life. Matthew was going to kill me. The officer pulled me away while six more officers fell on top of Mathew. Everyone screamed as Mathew was wrestled to the ground. The officer pulled me through the door and locked it shut. He gently grabbed my shoulder and led me to another hallway. He opened a door, and there were Nick, Jacob, and my mom. Nick silently examined my pale face. Suddenly, I lunged into his arms and began sobbing.

“What happened, Jaan?”

I couldn’t find the words to explain to him what happened so I simply cried.

“Everything's going to be fine. He won't hurt you again, baby boy.”

“I know, love,” I whispered into his ear. “Matthew signed his own death sentence.”

Chapter Ten

Three consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole was Matthew Ward's punishment for his violent rampage. It only took one hour for the jurors to come back with a guilty verdict. Finally, Matthew was in my past and I could move on with my future. The following day, we awarded Mr. Wright a medal for saving us that day. Mrs. Wright cried with happiness and hugged us tenderly after we delivered her the heroic ornament. Things got better in our house since Nick was doing so well in his job. He proved to his parents that he was not a failure and that he did not need them to survive. People in our school supported Nick after his parents kicked him out for being a bad ass. That was the rumor that circulated around school as to why they kicked him out. Supposedly, his parents could not handle or control him anymore. Many, in a strange way, saw him as a role model because he was living independently from them. Others felt that action just added to his bad boy image. I, on the other hand, was seen as the best friend who offered him a place to stay in a time of need. No one suspected that Nick and I were more than just friends. To them, it was impossible to think that Nick, the womanizer, the hero, the lover, the star quarterback, and athlete extraordinaire was my boyfriend. To be honest, I loved that they thought of him that way.

“The day after tomorrow is the regional championship,” I told Nick as I served him dinner. We were home alone since my mom was working late. “You excited?”

“Hell yes! I can't believe we made it that far! The guys are losing their freaking minds!” Nick answered me as I sat down beside him. “I reserved a room for us in a small motel. You'll go with me, right?”

“I wouldn't miss that game for the world. Hopefully, you win, because tomorrow is your seventeenth birthday.”

“Tomorrow is the fifth?”

“Yes, silly,” I said as I walked up to him and sat on his lap. Instantly, he wrapped his arms around my waist. “What's the plan?”

“You know the plan,” Nick retorted as he cupped my butt.

“I love that plan.”

“Maybe, we should go with the plan right now.”

“No, eat first,” I insisted, smiling as I stood up.

“Damn!” Nick muttered with a smile as he continued eating.

“Nick, how are we getting to Atlantic City tomorrow? We don't have a car.”

“I'm renting one. I'm an adult, remember?”

“Awesome,” I said as I served him a slice of cheesecake.

Nick examined the piece of cake.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Nick reassured me as he stood up, scooped me into his arm and grabbed the entire dish of cheesecake. “Let's have dessert in our room.”

* * *

The following day, the school was buzzing with excitement since it was the clash between two great titans. The Elite Hawks were facing off against the Southeast Sparrows! Each team was the best on their side of the state. Madison and Kitty were losing their heads. They were more excited than me. Everyone wished Nick good luck throughout the day. We were heading to our last class when Principal Lewis stopped him. I continued walking, but I waited for him at the end of the hallway. Nick's face lit up while they exchanged a few words. After the short conversation, he ran to where I was waiting. His face was beaming with excitement.

“What happened?”

“You've got no idea! Mr. Lewis said that a representative of Princeton Tigers will be at tomorrow's match. If I play to the best of my abilities, they might offer me a full scholarship to Princeton!”

“Shut up!”

“Yeah!” Nick exclaimed as he lifted me from the ground.

“Nick! Someone might see us!”

“I don't give a fuck!” Nick answered smiling as he put me down. “Can you believe this? I'm going to Princeton!”

“I'm so happy for you!”

Nick looked around and then kissed my lips. He was excited to say the least. Princeton had been our dream university since we were young. One of us would have our dream come true. I wanted to go to Princeton, but with our financial situation, it was impossible for us to attend the university together. Nick read my mind and let out a small sigh.

“I know that Princeton is your dream as well. I promise to work hard so one day you can attend Princeton, Jaan.”

“Nick, you're my dream. If I never attend Princeton, I don't care because you'll go and make our dream come true. And besides, you're the breadwinner now.”

“You bet your ass I am! When I begin to work full-time, I'll buy you anything you want. There will be no limits! I promise you the world, Jaan.”

“Thank you, baby. Now, let's get to class. We're ten minutes late.”

* * *

As soon as the class ended, we headed to the nearest car rental store where Nick rented an old brownish Mustang. We picked up our luggage and set off to Atlantic City, home of the Southeast Sparrows. On the way, we drove through Princeton and admired the beautiful buildings that made up the campus. We visited the old Nassau Hall, Alexander Hall, the Fine Hall, the University Chapel, and the famous man-made lake, Lake Carnegie. After spending a few minutes in Princeton, we continued on our journey. After a few miles, Nick noticed something strange.

“Do you see the black car behind us?”

“Yes,” I answered as I examined the car through the rearview mirror.

“I could swear that it's been following us since we left Princeton.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah, I didn't notice if the car was from home though.”

I examined the car and found it oddly familiar. It resembled Chris' car, but it couldn’t be him. The mysterious car followed us all the way to Atlantic City. On the way to the motel, Nick tried his best to shake it off our tail. After a few spins around the city, the car disappeared a few blocks away from the motel. I was glad because my heart was about to explode.

“Who was that?”

“I don't know, but they were definitely following us,” Nick answered as he took out the luggage from the trunk. “Don't worry, we're safe now.”

I silently followed Nick to the receptionist area where we got the key to our room. The young man took us to our room and opened the door. It wasn’t a five star hotel, but it was comfortable enough to spend the night.

“It's all I could afford.”

“I don't care as long as you're with me,” I assured him as I gave him a hug.

“I know, but you deserve the best,” Nick told me as he kissed my forehead.

“Nick, you're the best. You're always saving me.”

Nick lifted me into his arm and carried me to the bathroom where he stripped me naked while he kissed me passionately. We stepped into the small tub and I sat comfortably on his lap. Life was perfect with Nick by my side.

“I love you, Nickelodeon,” I told him as I rested my head on his shoulder.

“I love you too, Jaan.”

“Oh my God!”

“What’s wrong?”

“I have a birthday present for you.”

“Really?” Nick asked me, smiling.

“Yes.”

I ran out of the bathroom. After flipping my suitcase over, I found his gift at the bottom. It was inside a tiny blue box with an orange and black ribbon. I chose Kitty to help me pick out Nick's present since Madison would surely have chosen something naughty. I walked back into the bathroom and handed it to him.

“What is it?” Nick asked me as he shook it.

“Open it,” I answered as I sat on the edge with my feet inside.

He quickly opened it. Nick smiled as he retrieved the silver chain with the Princeton shield pendant.

“This is awesome!”

“You like it?”

“Hell yes!” he answered as he placed it around his neck. “Thank you, Jaan. But, this better be part one of my gift because I'm fucking horny as hell!”

I laughed. Nick began to kiss and lick my legs at the same time. Shivers went up my spine as he moved up and down. Nick was an amazing kisser. Suddenly, a knock on the door stopped him in his tracks.

“Who’s that?”

“I don't know. It must be Madison or Kitty. I told them we were staying here.”

“I thought they were coming tomorrow.”

“They weren't sure,” I said as I stood up and put on a bathrobe. “Be right back.”

“Okay, but tell them to hurry along because Nick Wild Fuck wants to play tonight!”

I smiled and headed to the front door. I slowly opened it. I was shocked to see Jessica standing in front of me with a huge smile on her face. I tried to close the door, but the bitch blocked my action with her foot.

“I knew it!” Jessica screamed as she pushed me aside and walked inside. “I knew he was fucking you! I saw him kissing you earlier!”

I could not move or even say a word.

“Where is he?” Jessica asked me as she looked around. “Where's that fucking fag?”

“Madison and Kitty, Jaan and I want—” Nick started to say as he exited the bathroom.

As soon as he saw her, he came to a halt. Nick was only wearing a towel. He glanced at me and turned to her.

“What the fuck are you doing here!?”

Jessica laughed maliciously.

“Nick, Nick, Nick! What happened? You banged all the girls in school and now you've moved on to the guys?”

“Get the fuck out of my room!”

“You're in no position to be threatening me, asshole! I got your future in my hands. I knew someday you’d pay for what you did to me! You humiliated me in front of the entire school!”

“Jessica?” I asked her. “What do you want?”

“From a fag like you, nothing!” Jessica answered as she scowled at me.

“Don't talk to him like that!”

“Oh my God, Nick! You settled down for this queer?” Jessica sneered as she pointed at me. “You chose him over me?”

“Jessica! Get the fuck out of my room you, ugly twat!” Nick shouted as he grabbed her arm.

“Let me go or I'll tell everyone that you're banging this homo!”

Nick let her go, but he continued to stare at her with rage.