Darkness Rises_Book 1_Prelude To Insanity Page 4
CHAPTER 4
Although Cole didn’t have many friends his own age he found that most adults acted as if they appreciated him for nothing more than his respectful nature. He had been coming to the “R” Country Store in Los Olivos practically every day since he moved into town in order to buy a sandwich and Pepsi for his lunches. Outside he had to deal with the occasional taunts and insults from his peers that liked to hang around the store, however, in here he felt there was nothing that could bring him down.
“What happened to your face,” Joni the deli clerk asked him using her own face as a reference.
Cole looked down momentarily as he spoke, “I got beat up.” He replied somewhat solemnly hating that he had to admit to the fact.
She puffed out her chest and said, “Do I have to kick his ass for you?” She asked playfully but with an undertone in her voice that hinted if he had asked her to do so she would have torn Stephen to shreds before anyone could think about stopping the massacre.
He lingered on the thought for a moment as if he was truly contemplating allowing her to help him but, he declined her offer. “No Joni, I just got involved in something I shouldn’t have but, I appreciate your concern.” He smiled at how worked up she looked but kept his eyes somewhat averted.
“Ok. If you change your mind let me know,” she offered before returning to her usual posture, “What can I get for you today?” she asked.
“The usual turkey sandwich,” he replied even though she had already begun to put it together. She was in her mid-twenties as far as he could ascertain and found that although she was slightly overweight, her sweet demeanor and kind attitude towards the people she met far outweighed her physical imperfections. When she finished putting his sandwich together she wrapped it tightly in white butcher paper, slapped a price tag on it, and handed it over the counter to him.
“Is that all?” she asked.
“Well,” he paused for a moment and thought of what he should say next, “I have this friend,” he said trying not to allude to the fact that he was talking about himself.
“Yeah and?” she asked resting her elbows on the deli counter propping her chin up in her palms.
Cole thought for another moment at how he would approach his question, “Joni, this guy I know likes this girl but, he doesn’t know if she likes him back. They hung out last night and had a really good time and she kissed him before they parted ways but it was a simple kiss and the two didn’t make any plans for any time later on down the road.” He realized that she was scrutinizing him with her chocolate brown eyes as he spoke and he could feel a hot flush of blood wash through his features.
“You don’t need to be embarrassed about that.” She giggled like a girl half her age for a moment but stopped abruptly seeing that Cole seemed more uneasy than she had expected. “Ok. Cole for your sake I’ll play along,” she said with the utmost sincerity. “Has your friend thought about asking her if she likes him?” she asked him preparing to evaluate his response.
“He’s thought about it but he doesn’t want to make an ass out of himself if she had been there for him only to make sure he was ok.” Joni was touched by his answer and reached a hand forward to caress his face lightly which sent shivers through his body.
“Cole,” she spoke softly and easily, “if any girl goes to make sure a guy is ok then he already has an in with her. If this girl you’re talking about came over to your ‘friend’s’ house for no other reason than to make sure he was alright then she has some feelings.” She let the thought linger for a moment longer as she thought about what to say next, “and your friend doesn’t need to be embarrassed.” She finished, at last, pulling herself up from the counter.
“Yeah but if I……” he paused realizing he slipped up and she smiled knowingly. “Oh ok Joni,” he shrugged admittedly, “I just don’t know if I should go over to her house and ask her how she feels or if I should wait and see if she comes back by or what.” He knew that he must have seemed like a frightened puppy as he spoke but he held his ground knowing that he was talking to one of the least judgmental women he had known and she seemed to care for him like a little brother.
“I think you should take some time and see what happens. Besides, you’re still young and the best lovers usually start off as best friends but don’t shy away from her when you see her next. Be yourself and the person we all know you are.” He didn’t know how to respond to such an obvious compliment but smiled feeling a sense of confidence flow through him as she spoke.
“Thank you, Joni,” he said deeply, relieved that he had someone to talk to about how he was feeling.
“Anytime baby,” she offered before leaning forward one more time, “just be yourself and you’ll do fine.”
“I will,” he said hoping that he could fulfill the promise he had just made. He motioned to his sandwich, “I have to pay for this but I think I’ll be eating in here today.” He said looking over at a couple of empty tables that served as the small store’s dining area.
“I’ll sit with you when you get back. I’m up for a break any minute now anyway.” He nodded appreciatively turning away from her to walk up to the store’s single checkout counter. During the day shift, he had spent a lot of time getting to know Steve, the small Asian man who managed the store and noticed quickly the fire that was burning in his eyes.
“What happened to your face?” He asked and Cole shifted uneasily. Steve, Cole had come to realize, was the kind of guy you didn’t piss off if it could be avoided and the look in his eyes told him that he would be out for blood if Cole told him what happened.
“It’s nothing Steve,” Cole offered sheepishly.
“Nothing, huh?” Steve sounded exasperated as he rang up Cole’s Pepsi and Sandwich, “well if the nothing comes in here and I find out about it there’s going to be hell to pay.” He said making Cole more than a little uneasy but he already knew how Steve felt about kids getting picked on and decided not to try to dissuade him in any way. Steve looked at him through his semi-squinted eyes and whispered, “No one had better mess with you in my store. Your lunch is on me today and I won’t take no for an answer.”
Cole nodded appreciatively, “Thanks, Steve,” he said grabbing his items to head back towards the deli. “I owe you one.” He added finally glancing over his shoulder as he walked.
“You don’t owe me anything and you know it,” Steve interjected before going back to stocking liquor behind the counter. Cole sat alone through the first half of his sandwich quietly watching the few people that came into the store. At this time most of the patrons that wandered in through the front door were middle-aged men coming in after work to buy their nightly liquor, a ritual that he could tell more than a few did on a daily basis.
“What are you thinking about?” Joni asked pulling up a chair to sit across from him at the small round table. Cole sat and talked with her for the better part of her break realizing in doing so that he was more than appreciative to have someone like her offer her opinions and answers to questions he wouldn’t ask most anyone else. He sometimes wished that she had been his older sister. When she went back to work he finished his Pepsi and sandwich quickly before standing up to leave.
He had almost reached the back door to the store when Joni called out to him, “Hey Cole, tell your ‘friend’ that he’s obviously a good guy but he needs to be a little more confident.” She winked at him and he said his goodbyes as he exited the building. The small back parking lot held a line of small business, one of which was his mother’s D.L. Enterprises. He thought about stopping in to see her in the ever dark personal accounting office she had opened up. He loved his mom and ultimately, he knew she loved him. She was a good mother deep down but that didn’t change the fact that she was almost impossible to get along with. After another moment’s consideration, he decided that he would go home first and spend some time by himself.
When Cole arrived at his house he noticed a small piece of paper resting partially exposed beneath the wel
come mat at his front door. At first, he believed that the note was for someone else in the family and made no attempt to bring it inside but he noticed that his name was written in the upper right corner that jutted out. He unfolded the note carefully and read the small message on it:
Dear Cole,
Had fun with you last night and was wondering what you’re up to later this evening. Give me a call and we’ll make plans if you’re up for it.
Sincerely, Laila Hardcastle
A phone number was scribbled near the bottom of the paper with a smiley face next to it. He couldn’t help but grin, feeling for the first time a confidence he couldn’t readily place. Laila had sought him out and given him an opening to be able to contact her without any awkward repercussions. He thought of what Joni had said about him needing to have more confidence and he knew that she was right. If Laila Hardcastle could give him the chance to be himself around her then why shouldn’t he be able to feel that much-needed sense of self-confidence at all times? He wanted to call her right away and make plans but, decided that he would give himself a few moments to relax and try to come up with something they could both do. When he entered the house he slumped down in the large recliner that had always seemed out of place in the small front room and tried to compose what he would say when he finally placed the call. ‘What could he say?’ he wondered and found that he already had the house phone in hand as he dialed the number.
* * * * *
Laila had spent most of the day doing chores however, she felt compelled to contact Cole some time before the day was finished. Although she was generally not so nervous around guys, Cole seemed to be a little timider than most and she found she didn’t want to scare him off. ‘Strange,’ she thought as she showed less concern for her relationship with Stephen than to the blooming friendship she was beginning to share with Cole. She thought again about how rigid he had become when she had pressed her lips to his and laughed appreciatively at the thought. It was an unfamiliar feeling that she felt for Cole as he seemed to be the type of guy she would usually not have given a second glance until she saw how quickly he had come to her ‘rescue.’ “Why?” She had asked herself several times and could only come to the conclusion that Cole was a decent guy waiting to be discovered amidst the relentless hordes of young men that had tried desperately to be a part of her world. He was different in many ways to the guys that she pictured herself with because he was one of the few guys that treated her with respect. ‘How could she ignore her intuition,’ She wondered and let the thought hang in the back of her mind where she would retort with how unpopular he was and with the fact that he was shy but, the truth still remained that he was the only guy that had stood up for her. Although he seemed a little nerdy she found that she enjoyed playing video games with him and upon reading the journal page on his desk she finally knew for sure how he felt about her. Laila had speculated for some time because of the way she would catch him looking at her in the past. The secret crush he held for her that his journal so delicately brought to her attention solidified a truth that she already knew. When her chores were completed she scribbled down a short note on a piece of paper to see if he would make a move for her if she gave him the opportunity but, she knew it was a test that he would have to pass or he would be left in the dark. She ended her short letter with a smiley face in the hopes that he would accept it as a playful gesture and be less intimidated by seeing her again. With one final glance back at the house to make sure all of her chores had been done adequately she made her way out the front door and started down the street. She would stop by Cole’s house then continue up to the school where she would spend a portion of the afternoon in anticipation of his call.
After carefully placing the note under the welcome mat she made her way up the street to the school. She sat alone on the small swing set that marked the edge of Los Olivos School and had been waiting patiently with more than a little nervousness evident in her normally calm demeanor. ‘What was she getting herself into?’ she thought as she moved lightly back and forth in the warm summer afternoon. The school was unnaturally devoid of life however, she assumed it was due to the fact that most of the kids that attended would avoid the school like the plague for a few weeks to come. ‘After all, school was just let out for summer yesterday,’ she thought to herself. When the sun was high overhead she wondered to herself if Cole had read the note and that maybe he was too scared to call her. She wouldn’t have been surprised but at three-thirty her phone began to ring. Laila pulled her cellular phone from her tight-fitting jeans. Noticing that she didn’t recognize the number, she answered it without hesitation.
Cole didn’t know what to say when he heard Laila’s voice on the other end of the line but after a momentary choke, he was able to compose himself enough. “Hey, Laila. What’s up?” He asked feeling like a complete moron for the way he had just approached the conversation. Even still she seemed happy to hear from him when she replied “not much. I’m up at the school swinging by myself.”
It was now or never, he thought desperately as he searched for the words he should say but the best he could muster was, “Do you want to hang out?” “Yeah sure,” she replied somewhat noncommittally and he found that asking her what she wanted to do was harder than he expected. She asked if he wanted to come up to the school and spend some time with her there before they made any plans and he readily agreed with more excitement in his voice than he would have liked to portray but, it was too late to go back now. “Do you want me to meet you by the swing set?” he asked wondering if he sounded a little desperate but his fears were immediately assuaged when she assured him the rendezvous would be fine. “Ok perfect. I’ll see you there.” He offered anxiously before they said their goodbyes and in an instant, he was out the door making his way towards the school. The walk was a short one straight up the small bike path that ran along Grand Avenue. He wondered if maybe Laila wanted to let him know that she didn’t have feelings for him and the kiss she had given him the night before had been nothing more than a mistake offered up as a sign of sympathy but, he quickly pushed his doubts aside as he rounded the corner that took him into the school’s parking lot. ‘What good is it to doubt myself now?’ he thought somewhat less assured than he would have liked to have been but, his doubts were minimal compared to the simple excitement he felt. He passed by the office and the younger student’s classrooms as he made his way through the small courtyard towards the playground that lay on the other side of the school. He felt self-conscious only momentarily as he made his way across the blacktop coming into view of Laila sitting alone on the swing set just down the hill from him. She waved at him and swung more vigorously as he approached. How are you?” he asked pleasantly when he came close enough to her that he could speak relatively quietly.
“Good, and you?” she replied somewhat nonchalantly as he took a seat on the swing next to her pushing off with enough force to keep up with her. He wasn’t use to talking to girls and felt a little awkward but he managed to push his doubts aside.
“I’m alright.” He replied thrusting his feet forward to swing higher. For a few minutes, neither of them spoke as they found themselves caught up in trying to beat the other with how high they could go. Cole was enjoying the friendly competition but, as he swung, each new way he thought to break their silence seemed to be worse than the last. Laila was the first to break the stalemate.
“Your face is looking a little better.” She offered slowing herself to a stop.
Cole kicked his feet against the sand slowing his momentum. “Thanks,” he said dropping his eyes. He couldn’t shake feeling embarrassed by the pointed reminder of his inability to protect himself. Still, his face flushed, he met her gaze which hinted that something was bothering her but, he couldn’t quite place what it was.
“What?” she asked turning away from him as she spoke.
“You seem sad,” he stated absently looking off towards the main part of the school across the small playground. “What’s w
rong?” He asked knowing he had never been good at sounding sympathetic even though he truly cared.
“Doesn’t matter,” she replied curtly.
Normally, Cole would have simply ignored the brush off but, he found himself continuing to speak anyway. “Yeah it does matter or I wouldn’t have asked.” He said perturbed.
“You wouldn’t understand.” Laila retorted sharply causing him to turn and face her. Her face was flushed and she seemed to be on the verge of tears as she said it but she softened when he looked into her eyes.
“You’re right. I probably wouldn’t understand but, I’m a good listener.” He hesitated thinking that he probably sounded like a total geek but he hastily searched for the next words he felt he needed to say, “Laila, I might understand more than you’re giving me credit for,” he finished before pushing himself off the swing to kneel in front of her. She kept her eyes averted glancing into his only for brief instances before trailing off again.