x
Sailor Kent dressed for school after Maddox's departure. There was no reason for her to stay home, although she felt depressed about her friend. Clyde was awaiting her arrival when the bus stopped outside the school. Her forlorn expression told him something was wrong.
"Dad found Maddox asleep outside my window this morning," Sailor explained, her voice solemn. "Something happened between her, Jack, and her mom."
Clyde frowned. He'd heard the gossip about Enola Kelley and Jack Meadows. The older woman spent a lot of time alone with the teenage boy. People grew suspicious of them and sent rumors flying around the small town.
"Maddox left in a hurry. She said she was going to give herself to Jack," Sailor continued, walking with Clyde toward the school entrance. "She said her mother was encouraging her to strengthen her relationship with him."
Clyde stopped, halting Sailor. His expression deepened. He loved Sailor and wanted the same thing. He thought about kissing her, touching her in private places. Clyde was a gentle soul. He took things a little at a time, working up to his fantasies. The ultimate experience had to come at the right time for both.
There was so much confusion in their middle school years. It was a time to grow and learn about each other. Both Clyde and Sailor wanted more from their relationship but didn't know how to proceed or how fast to go. They experimented with their bodies, moving forward and stepping back.
Sailor enjoyed the process. It left her breathless and excited. Clyde didn't make her feel as though he dominated her. They made mature decisions together and listened to each other's words and bodies. If she wanted to slip back, he withdrew in accordance with her desires.
"Does she understand what that means?" Clyde asked, his fingers pressing into Sailor's arm.
"I doubt it. I barely know what it means," Sailor replied. The pressure of Clyde's fingers hurt but also reassured her. "Enola's behind it, I'm sure. Something is going on. I don't understand it."
Sailor never felt right about Enola Kelley. Maddox's mother was hard and cold. Her eyes bore into her as though drilling into her thoughts. She had no compassion, no love for her children. The trailer was usually untidy, and the atmosphere unwelcoming. Sailor would rather invite her friend to her own home than play at the Kelley's when she was younger. She told herself it wasn't because the Kents were wealthy, and Maddox's family was poor. No, it was something else. Something menacing, something not quite right.
"Maddox can take care of herself, Sailor," Clyde suggested. "I know she's your friend, but don't get deeply involved."
Sailor's brow furrowed. Maddox was tough, like her mother, but she also had a soft spot. She had seen her friend laugh and cry throughout the years. Certain things meant a lot to Maddox. It was Jack at the moment. Sailor pitied her friend.
"I don't want to see her get hurt." Sailor frowned. "We're growing apart, Clyde, but Max was my best friend. It hurts me when she's hurting."
"I get that." Clyde pulled Sailor away from the crowd, heading down the corridor. "Our lives are changing so fast. We're leaving childhood behind. We will go to high school next year. It's hard, but we must get away from yesterday. Tomorrow is ahead of us. You might have to face it without Maddox."
Sailor studied Clyde thoughtfully. What made him so smart? So prophetic? He was always nerdy, even during their first days at school. She thought he was different, stand-offish before she really got to know him. Now, she looked at him in a new light. He could guide her into the future and ultimately change her life. It was a comforting thought.
It was difficult for her to consider tomorrow without Maddox in her life. Jack Meadows stood between them. Jack with his blubbery mouth and obese stomach. Sailor frowned, her forehead wrinkling. What about Jack attracted Maddox? Why was Enola so interested in him? He wasn't handsome like Clyde, and he had a rotten personality. Sailor couldn't understand it.
"It's sad to lose a friend, Clyde." Sailor cast her eyes downward. "Maddox and I have history together. I know she's acting ridiculously about Jack Meadows. It gives me the creeps. I guess I feel sorry for her. I've seen how he treats her, and she just laps it up."
"I don't know that much about girls to answer you," Clyde responded. "I'm still learning."
"I'm still learning about boys, too," Sailor answered, reaching for her boyfriend's hand. She squeezed it firmly.
A tall, lanky boy brushed past them as they stood in the hallway. He pushed against Sailor, causing her to stumble. Clyde shouted at him. The newcomer turned dull eyes on them both and continued toward a locker.
"Who's that?" Sailor asked, turning her attention away from Maddox.
Clyde shrugged. He didn't recognize the boy either, although he seemed familiar.
"I don't like him." Sailor shivered.
"Hey, Gorey!" Erik Newell shouted, slamming the new boy's locker closed. He stood with his back against it. "Talk to Elvis recently?"
Arnold Gorey stared at Erik with glassy eyes. His facile expression was completely blank. Without a word, he pivoted and entered Mr. Willard's homeroom. Erik followed him with Frank Bartley on his heels. Sailor exchanged a look with Clyde, and they entered, taking their assigned seats.
The students usually prepared their books for the day and chatted amiably amongst themselves while awaiting the teacher's arrival. Now, all faces turned toward Arnold, Erik and Frank. An air of expectancy surrounded them.
"How was it at the funny farm?" Erik prodded, leaning against Arnold's desk. "They finally let you lose on the world again?"
Erik laughed hideously.
"How does freedom feel, Arnie?" Frank put in. He placed his hands on the desktop and put his face close to Arnold's. "Do you miss the rest of the cuckoos?"
Arnold's face remained a stern blank. He neither spoke nor indicated he heard the harsh statements. His fingers gripped the desk's edge, turning white at the knuckles. Erik and Frank continued to rib him about his reincarnations until Mr. Willard entered. Then, they swiftly took their seats.
The biology teacher scanned the classroom before taking his seat. He took attendance while the students waited. Before the boy responded, Mr. Willard had to call Arnold Gorey's name three or four times. He gave a terse 'here,' and the teacher moved on to the next name.
The classroom buzzed with whispered voices. No one expected Arnold Gorey's return to school. He did appear changed. His baggy jeans hung on his skeletal body, and his turtleneck sweater made him look thinner. Premature gray speckled his long, unkempt brown hair. Gone was the excitable boy who dressed as dead celebrities.
Erik and Frank continued to shadow Arnold throughout the day. Although they tried relentlessly, they were unable to provoke a response from him.
"Arnold," Bethany Copley whispered to her friends in the cafeteria, "is medicated."
Sailor overheard while passing with her lunch tray. She felt sorry for Arnold. The boys were making his first day back miserable. His medication had turned him into a zombie. He passed through the halls like a wraith, never smiling or answering the constant teasing.
Arnold Gorey's reappearance took Sailor's mind away from Maddox. Her friend did not show up at school for the rest of the week. Maddox remained absent on the following Monday but finally appeared on Wednesday. She had reverted to wearing her old plaid skirt and oversized sweater.
Sailor approached Maddox with a wide grin and said hello. Maddox looked through her and, turning, walked away. Sailor ran after her and stopped her with a tug.
"Are you okay?" Sailor asked when Maddox turned. Sailor drew in her breath sharply. Maddox's eyes were sunk deep in their sockets. Her mouth was a straight line. "Something's wrong. What is it? What happened?"
Maddox hung her head and walked away. She joined Arnold Gorey in his spectral gait through the corridors. Sailor became more concerned about her friend as the days passed.
Maddox's heart filled with hate. She hated her mother. Her dreams of happiness with Jack faded. Maddox wished her mother hadn't decided to interfere with her relationship. Jack was her first love, but the experience turned sour with Enola's prodding. It gave her mother more pleasure to watch her with Jack than Maddox felt. Day after day, he made rough love to her while Enola stood in the doorway.
Screams rose in Maddox's throat while she endured Jack's hands on her unwelcoming body. He took what he wanted from her without emotion or tenderness. Her secret parts throbbed painfully when he finished. As soon as he ejaculated, Enola pulled her from the bed and thrust her into the short hallway. The door slammed closed in her face.
Maddox fell into a deep depression. She moved through her day-to-day life as though in a shroud. At night, she cried herself to sleep and dreamed of Jack's thrusting penis and her mother's delighted eyes. It hurt her, and she endured silently.
"Jack," she muttered in her sleep, her arms reaching for him. Jack Meadows was as much a victim of her mother as she was. Maddox was convinced Enola had complete control over Jack. Still, she did not understand their relationship. The truth was beyond her tender years. Tears trickled down her cheeks. She wiped them away and turned over.
Maddox longed to talk to Sailor about her problem. Her long-term friend was kind and often, in the past, reassured her when she felt depressed. Still, she could not speak of her embarrassing predicament. She dreamed about running away from home but couldn't leave Jack. She was determined to talk to him about Enola if she could find a moment alone with him. Perhaps Jack had the same concerns. If he did, they could break away together.
Yes, they should run away. They could break with the past and pick up their relationship more normally. The thought bolstered Maddox. If only she could find that moment when Enola was not around.
Jack would treat her differently when they were alone. The sunshine and roses Maddox dreamt about would come true. They could walk together hand-in-hand along some distant shore, watching the sunset and glancing at each other with true love in their eyes.
Maddox longed for love. She had never experienced it unless it was in her friendship with Sailor. Maddox opened her mouth to tell her friend her worries. Sailor looked at her expectantly, and then the moment was gone. Maddox collapsed into herself, her depression resettling on her slender shoulders.
Maddox could not tell Sailor about lying beneath Jack's heavy body while his penis sought her unwilling vagina. She couldn't put her hurt into words or her longings for a normalized relationship. Sailor would not understand.
Her friend enjoyed the good life. Sailor had a nice home, a close sisterly relationship with Gabby and Kennedy, and a boyfriend who loved her. Maddox was always jealous of her friend. Resentment filled her heart, although she loved Sailor. Perhaps idolization was a better word. Maddox wanted everything Sailor had. She wanted to reach out and grasp the good times her friend enjoyed. Maddox knew she could never have the things she wanted. She had to take what she was given, and Jack was a part of all her secret wishes.
Maddox's shoulders sagged, and her face hardened. A lump welled in her throat, constricting it. The words that should have overflowed remained stuck behind the lump. She made a harsh sound, then, pivoting, ran along the corridor and out into the autumn chill.
ns52.14.138.123da2
