The Consequences and Rewards of Playing Hookey
Chapter 9
The Aftermath
“You bring him right home! I’ll leave work and meet him there.”
“But Mrs. Nilsen, the nurse said he shouldn’t exert himself for the next few hours. Why don’t you let him stay here for a while and then I can run him home after dinner,” offered Maggie.
“With all due respect, he was in your care when he got hurt.”
“That was regrettable, but your son was very brave…”
“Tom?” she asked with incredulity.
“Yes, Tom. You should be very proud of the way he stuck up for his friend and for the plan he devised to protect her.”
“That may be, but it was this girl that got him into trouble.” She paused, before continuing. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll pick him up and take him home in about an hour. Please have him ready for me.”
After ending the call, Maggie looked at Derek and shook her head.
“Let me guess, Mrs Nilsen,” said Derek.
“Yes, Mrs. Nilsen,” she muttered. “I can’t believe how narrow minded and pig headed she is being about this.”
“Well. I’m off to pick up Brett. He left a message for his father, who is out of town. Mr. Nilsen is a bit more understanding than his wife.”
“I hope so,” she said, looking over at the couch. She saw Tom Nilsen lying there with Carrie sitting on the floor next to the couch, gently stroking his head.
“What happened to them was terrible, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen Tom happier in his whole life,” smiled Derek.
“She looks pretty happy too,” said Maggie.
“Almost as happy as I am,” grinned Sandy, as she bounced up to Derek and put her arm on his shoulder.
“You two are so cute,” smiled Maggie. “It’s like I stepped into a time machine and looking at a couple of sweet kids.”
“So, wanna play house, buddy,” laughed Derek, as he looked into Sandy’s eyes. Both mother and daughter to cracked up.
“Remember, be at the shelter at nine AM sharp,” said Suzanne Rowan haughtily.
“I will, Suzanne and thanks.”
“Thanks for what?” she asked.
“For giving me a chance.”
“I’m not giving you a chance. It’s that bitch-on-wheels Sandra Turner, who’s making me do this.”
“Why are you so angry?”
“Because all you guys think of is sex and hurting…” she said, as her mind drifted away for a moment.
“Suzanne, you’re wrong about me and I’m going to prove it.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” she snarled and walked away.
“Hey Brett,” said Derek, as he saw his friend watch the blond walk away.
“Hey, Derek. You know that girl is a bitch?”
“Yeah.”
“Want to hear the funny part? There’s something I like about her.”
“You mean other than her face and her body?”
“Yeah,” he laughed. “Something’s up with that one.”
“You mean like Carrie?”
“Not exactly like Carrie, but she’s bitter about guys for some reason. I’m going to change her mind about at least one.”
“Well you and your brother are poster children for nice guys. If you can’t change her mind, our gender is sunk,” laughed Derek.
“Speaking of my brother, is Tom feeling any better?”
“Yeah, I think Carrie is the best medicine for him right now, but your Mom doesn’t seem to think so.”
“Yeah, Mom is overprotective. Dad is coming home tonight and he’ll be supportive. I know he’ll be happy about Carrie. I get the impression that he thinks we might be gay, so he’ll be stoked about Tom and Carrie.”
“Well, if Suzanne doesn’t work out, I’m sure I can find you someone,” laughed Derek.
“Don’t bro. I think I want to find my own girlfriend.”
Derek smiled. Brett and Tom were painfully shy around women. It seemed as if his and Tom’s newfound confidence had inspired Brett.
Well, here we are a day early,” grinned Rick Carson after he and Ronnie exchanged hugs with Maggie and Paul.
“We’re just so happy to see you guys,” smiled Maggie, “Is Laura with you?”
“Nope, she decided to visit some of her friends this afternoon. She’ll be with us tomorrow,” smiled Ronnie.
“It was nice to see Sandy the other day,” smiled Rick.
“She’s studying in her room. I expect her down when Derek returns. He’s picking up Brett and bringing him here.
“So, where’s the man of the hour?” smiled Rick.
“Lying down in the den,” said Paul.
“Is the girl OK?” asked Ronnie.
“She’s somewhat shaken, but I think she is too busy worrying about Tom to worry about herself. He has a little bruising on his knuckles and around his neck, but the nurse said he’ll be OK.” explained Maggie.
The four walked to the Den to check on Tom and Carrie.
“You go in, Brett. I have to take this call,” said Derek.
“OK,” said Brett.
Derek saw him walk toward the door, as he sat in his car. “OK, how did you get my number?”
“I have my ways,” stated the voice of the stranger. “I see you have some work to do on your powers. It was a good thing you have a clever friend, or the girl might not have been so lucky.
Derek almost asked the man how he knew so much, but realized he was sounding like one of his father’s scratched records, so he didn’t bother. “Why couldn’t I control Clausen? I did it last night.”
“For three reasons most likely. First of all, your power is not fully developed, nor are you proficient with it. Secondly, it is harder to act on a target if they’re already wary of you,” he said before adding, “It may be easier once you master your powers. Finally, last night you were going ‘with the grain’ with Clausen.”
“What do you mean?”
“Last night, you flooded him with emotions he already possessed. Since he already had those emotions to begin with, it was easier to intensify his emotions than to change them into something he didn’t want to feel or think. Today, his subconscious was ready for that tactic. Then, you were trying to control him with your thoughts, which you really don’t have the skill or power to do at this point. As far as ‘going against the grain,’ you successfully did that with your friend… Carrie… last night when you convinced her to go to your girlfriend’s house.”
“Is that why I got the headache yesterday and the one today?”
“Yes. It happened when you had broken through Carrie’s resistance. Going against the grain can work if the target already trusts you. You were successful with Carrie because she had been predisposed to trust you because of your relationship with your other friend. As far as today with Clausen, when you stopped trying to manipulate him, your headache vanished,” the stranger stated.
“Why are you telling me about all of this?”
“Because the better and more effective you get at using your powers, the more likely you will get on somebody else’s radar.”
“You mean there are others like you?”
“Yes. As bad as you thought of me the other day, there are those who are truly evil. Luckily, the most evil individuals are not as strong as those who look to preserve balance.”
“What side are you on?”
“Need you ask?” he laughed. “I’m not perfect, like most of those ‘do gooders’, but I see their aims as important and I will side with them when push comes to shove. That doesn’t mean that I ascribe to all of their ideas about justice, however.”
“Is that why you won’t end the ‘three times a week’ thing?”
“Partly. The other reason is because what we are doing is beneficial to them, to you and to your little corner of the world.”
“It’ still not fair to any of us.”
“How is it not fair to you?” the man’s voice snapped.
Derek realized he should back off. “Because I care about them,” he softened, while still making his point.
“Aside from Chantelle, you didn’t before. Now look at you. You have a hot, loving woman as a girlfriend. By what I forced you to do, you really saved the nice person underneath. She had so much bitterness on the day I met her. Even I didn’t know what she was really like under that mass of hate and self absorption, which brought about this punishment in the first place,” he paused before continuing, “The red head…”
“Mindy,” informed Derek.
“Mindy, was a tortured soul who, between her attitude and the people she hung out with, turned into a first class bitch. By our actions, you helped her to understand her nature. Now, she’s really happy and I must say that if she weren’t only seventeen, I’d be happy to take her off your hands…”
“No, that’s OK,” said Derek, quickly.
“Pity. She’d get along with the rest of my harem nicely.”
“You have a harem?!” exclaimed Derek.
“Yeah, I have a few girls of my own,” he grinned.
“How many?”
“Well, I released one yesterday, so I guess I only have eight.”
“Eight? You call that a few?”
“Compared to some of the evil controllers, that’s nothing. I guess it is still bigger than yours.”
“I don’t have a harem.”
“Yes you do. It doesn’t have the typical architecture, but you currently have four beautiful girls who love you incredibly and follow your orders.”
“What about Maya?”
“Your slave?”
“No. I don’t want her for a slave.”
“But she wants it.”
“Deep down I don’t think she does. She wants to be loved and this is how she allows herself to become submissive enough to be loved.”
“An interesting theory. While I’m not sure I agree, I can’t say that you’re wrong though. I guess time will tell. In the meantime, I can tell you that she feels happy and fulfilled. Now with Chantelle, you’ve done an amazing job of balancing her feelings. You’ve kind of made her a part time member of your harem. In six months, she could either join full time or go back to her boyfriend.”
“Which would make her happier?”
“Neither. The way you left her, she is at peace with her life.”
“What if he is not interested?”
“Then she’ll likely be yours.”
“You said they could choose.”
“They can and they will. Between your past history, the way that you made your girls feel about you and by the love you show them, there is a good chance that most of your girls will stay with you. Like the rest, Chantelle will be happy to stay with you and the others,” he paused before adding, “You’ll need to try to be more discreet about the nature of your relationship with the girls. Your mother already suspects something, as does your sister about your girlfriend. The big kid at school is suspicious too.”
“How do you…” started Derek and the man just smiled and shook his head, as Derek cut himself off, “I know… because you’re a powerful man and you will not be trifled with.”
“God, I have to stop saying that line. It makes me sounds so douchey,” he laughed, before getting serious. “Look kid, be careful. There is a small chance that the girl’s stepfather may still be a threat, as may the pervert he’s in cahoots with. Since you have powers now, I’m forbidden from directly interfering with normal people on your behalf, but should someone with powers give you a hard time, I’ll be there for you.”
“Thanks.”
“Speaking of ‘powers’, in the meantime, you should try to improve yours. Engage in activities that challenge the mind and promote concentration and analytical thinking. “
“Like Crossword puzzles?”
“And chess, other games of strategy, anagrams/jumbles, etcetera. The more disciplined your mind, the better. You already have a lot of the necessary traits, but a little practice might help too,” he paused before continuing. “The other thing is when you are using your power on a difficult target; you should concentrate in short, intense bursts every few seconds.”
“What does that do?”
“It is the mental equivalent of force and inertia. Think about rocking a car stuck in the snow or mud. By applying the gas and then stopping and starting while the car is moving, you can create enough momentum to overcome the inertia. The same is true with the mind.”
“I guess that makes sense, as much as any of this.”
“I know it is tough to wrap your brain around all of this. It was for me too at first. Anyway, in some ways I’m sorry that you got stuck with all of this, but to be honest, I’m glad it was you I met. You’re a good and deserving person” said the stranger’s voice.
“Thanks.”
“Do you have any more questions? I’ll answer them if I can.”
“Is my new power permanent?”
“Do you want it to be?”
“No.”
“Very well. The power will last only as long as the girl’s sentence. It’s a pity. You’d have made a great ‘do gooder’.”
“OK, thanks… by the way, do you have a name I can call you?”
“Nope. Just call me ‘Friend’.”
“You’re my friend?”
“I wouldn’t have picked the word otherwise,” he said, as he disconnected the call.
“You have to stay for dinner,” said Maggie. She had her arm around Ronnie’s shoulder.
“You mean you want us two nights in a row?”
“Of course,”
“Maggie, are you OK? Paul’s not…”
“Oh no! We’re doing great. It’s just that…”
“What?”
“I guess I don’t really have a lot of friends. After you quit, the book club fell apart and I lost touch with people.”
“Maggie. I’m sorry. I never knew.”
“How could you know? I had always suspected that I had done something to anger you. Now I know why you were upset.”
“Sandy told you?”
“Sandy and Derek told us about the locker incident after you and I spoke this morning. I could tell that what she did to Derek weighed heavily on her. Derek, bless his heart, had his arm around her shoulder the whole time. God, you guys are so wonderful and we owe you so much!” she exclaimed.
“You don’t owe us anything. When you care about people it’s just natural to want to help. That’s all we did.”
“You don’t know what you guys mean to us. You and Rick saved our marriage,” she smiled, as a tear ran down her cheek. “I can’t help but think that Derek has saved Sandy too.”
“I’m sure that is a bit of an exaggeration on both counts.”
“No. We wouldn’t be together if it weren’t for you guys. As far as Sandy, she had turned into a real handful… a real bitch. She had become such a bitter kid and I always suspected that it had been our fault.”
Ronnie kept silent. She knew her friend was telling the truth, so there was no point in assessing blame now.
“Anyway,” continued Maggie. “I feel like Derek has given us our little girl back. Last night, Derek told us that he was in love with Sandy. She said she felt the same way about him. Like you with Derek, I can tell you she’s in love with him, without a doubt. I overheard them talking about applying to the same colleges.”
“What schools?”
“Amherst, Bates, Tufts, Cornell, Penn…”
“Is Sandy a good student?”
“She’s hovering around the top ten in her class and she’s hoping to crack it. She had a fantastic SAT score too.”
Ronnie breathed a sigh of relief. She had hoped that Derek would go to an Ivy League school like she, her husband and her daughter. She had worried that Sandy could be a drag on that. It seemed that while Harvard and Yale might be out, there were several others and some “Small Ivy’s” which might accommodate both of them. In the end, she remembered how much in love she and Rick were at Princeton. While obviously younger than she and her husband had been, she sensed that the kids loved each other just as deeply. The tradeoff on college was easy due to the fact that Sandy was beginning to remind her of herself.
“Well, that is fantastic news...maybe we should have dinner here, if your offer is still good.”
“It is,” smiled Maggie, as the friends hugged.
“Do you really have to go?” asked Carrie, as her puppy-dog eyes welled with tears.
“I’m afraid so,” said Tom. “But honey… even though I’m going, I’m not really going anywhere. You can always count on me and I’m only just a phone call away.”
“Look at them, Mrs Nilsen. Tom really cares for her.” asked Derek.
“It certainly looks like he does. But he looks exhausted and needs his rest. I’m also worried that this girl will cause him to get hurt again and I can’t allow that.”
Brett turned to his Mom. “Mom, trust me. Tom really cares for Carrie. If you ever do anything drastic to prevent Tom from being a part of her life and something happens to her, you will lose him. Maybe forever.”
“That’s ridiculous. I’m his mother.”
“Mom, if something happens to Carrie, you’ll lose me too,” stated Brett, as his eyes narrowed.
“What has gotten into you two?!” she yelled.
“Please calm down. Mrs. Nilsen,” said Derek, as he focused thoughts of love and calm. He tried to take the strangers advice by penetrating her current emotions with several short, but intense thrusts of concentration. His head felt a brief but searing pain, but then the headache went away as quickly as it started.
Ilsa Nilsen felt a quick burst of pain in her head, followed by a strange calm. She looked at her son and the pretty girl he was hugging. The girl was crying. This poor girl, who had been through so much, seemed to genuinely care for her son. Maybe she was overreacting. Her husband, Sven, had always accused her of being overprotective of the boys. “Maybe he’s right,” she thought. While she wasn’t thrilled about how the Turner’s had failed to protect her son, she thought about his quiet intensity. Tom was the deep, still Fjord of his Norwegian ancestry. She had not previously seen the deep passions that were now emerging in her son. This girl seemed to be bringing out the best of her son and for a moment, her pride at his heroics took forefront.
She turned her attention back to her other son and his friend. “I’m sorry guys. You have to understand that I’m a ferocious lioness when it comes to protecting my children.”
“I know, Mom, but look at Tom.”
Ilsa saw Tom and Carrie clinging to each other for dear life and sweetly nuzzling each other’s necks with their faces. Since Carrie was a tall girl, they were almost the same height. This made the symmetry of their actions that much more of a powerful visual.
Ilsa then walked in to the room and got the pair’s attention. “Tom, if it is OK with the Turner’s, you can stay the night again,” said his Mom.
Her son broke the clinch with Carrie and ran to his mother, with Carrie in hot pursuit. The young people threw their arms around Ilsa, both with red faces from crying.
“So do you really have to go?” sighed Sandy.
“Sorry honey. I really want to see my sister. Of course, if you want to come along and…”
“Stay over?”
“Well, I stayed with you last night. It’s only fair.”
“I overheard my Mom talking to yours. I think right now she would take a bullet for her,” smiled Sandy.
“Good, I’ll call Laura and warn her.”
“You know she hates my guts, right?”
“She doesn’t know the new you. This will be her chance,” smiled Derek.
“Nice reception committee, Squirt,” jabbed Laura.
“C’mon, Lola, it’s been a tough night.”
“I know, just bustin’ bro. Mom and Dad told me what happened. You OK?”
“Yeah. Things got even worse today. Still, it was far worse for Carrie and Tom.”
“Is Tom OK?”
“Yeah. He has some bruising on his neck and knuckles, otherwise he’s OK. Man, you should have seen the other guy, though,” he laughed.
“Tom? You mean the sweet little dweeby guy who had a crush on me is a bad ass?” she laughed.
“Well he’s not so little anymore. He’s about my height now. Anyway, it’s amazing what you’ll do for love.”
“So when are you coming home? I didn’t come all the way back just to sit in my old room by myself.”
“Fuck you, bitch. We both know you’re at Bethany’s,” he laughed.
“Yeah, I was just asking, so I could to beat you home,” she laughed back.
“Mom, Dad and I are staying here for dinner. You’re welcome, by the way.”
“No way! It’s bad enough that I have to go over there tomorrow and make kissy face with your bitch. She’s ruining my tomorrow. I just want to have a good today.”
“Yeah… about that… I’m bringing a guest home to stay over.”
“When you say ‘guest’ you better mean Brett or Tom… hell, I’d even take creepy Devin…”
“Sorry sis. Look Lola… just be OK with it… for me. She makes me so happy.”
“Probably because she fucks your brains out. Unless she’s just teasing you.”
“No, you were right the first time,” he laughed.
“She probably wants your money, you know.”
“Well she’s welcome to my gas card and my parent limited debit card. Her parents give her a much bigger allowance than I get.”
“She knows that?”
“Yep. Sorry Lola, she’s in it for love.”
“I wonder what her angle is?” murmured Laura aloud into her cell.
“Laura, do you remember what she and I were like years ago?”
Laura paused. She had to admit that Sandy Turner had been a sweet little girl. She and her brother had been inseparable. Also, Sandy used to idolize her like a big sister. That girl was a far cry from the bitch she had turned into. “Yeah, I remember.”
“We’re like that again. Of course not exactly like that,” he laughed and she joined in. “Deep down inside she really missed me and what we had… you know… that closeness. I thought I had lost that too, but I guess we were both wrong. You don’t know how surprised I was when we found ourselves making out,” said Derek, telling some truth.
Laura knew that her brother was sincere, but he was too trusting. She had a hard time believing that the bitch that got him stuffed in a locker and tried to steal her boyfriend was capable of being as nice as Derek described her. Still, there was a small part of her that held out hope for it to be true. Her brother was a great guy. She hadn’t realized how great and how much she missed him until she had gone away to college. She also noticed how much he seemed to miss her. That made her feel sad that they had wasted so much of their childhood bickering.
Derek deserved someone with Sandy’s body, but with a good heart. She decided to withhold final judgment. Worst case scenario, Laura would kick her ass and help Derek pick up the pieces of his heart. He had done that for her recently, so she figured she owed him. “OK, I’ll give her a shot, but I’m still skeptical.”
“Thanks Sis, I love you.”
“I know, Squirt, I know.”
“So, the US used ‘The Monroe Doctrine’ to justify annexing Texas?” asked Rachel.
“Yeah and doing a whole lot of other shit too,” laughed Devin. “Pretty handy when you can say ‘we can do this’, and then we can.”
“I think it’s time for a study break,” she grinned, as she pulled him on top of her. “I hope you don’t mind that I don’t want to do it yet?”
“Are you kidding? I’m just lucky to have such a beautiful girl in my life,” he paused. “Besides.”
“What?” she smiled into her eyes.
“We’ll always have Paris,” he stated in his best Rick Blane voice.
“No fair! You’re making me hot!”
“Well, if I’m going to suffer, so will you,” he laughed.
“Who says we have to suffer?” she moaned, as she unzipped her jeans and pulled his hand to moistening crotch, before unzipping his fly, unbuttoning his jeans and stroking his hardening member.
“Just one more lap, Kyle! You can do it!” yelled Tara encouragingly; as Kyle tried to race walk his final lap around the track.
About four minutes later, Kyle was huffing and puffing, his head down with his hands on his knees.
“Great job, Kyle! You made three laps today,” said Tara, as she poured some water on a towel and began to wipe his forehead with it, before handing Kyle the bottle.
“You did four,” said Kyle despondently, between gulps. “My problem is more about my eating pattern than lack of exercise. You my friend, have your head in your books too much,” she smiled.
“I don’t want Tom, Brett, Derek, or Sharon Parker catching up to me. If we were graduating today, I would be Class Valedictorian,” said Kyle.”
“Well, at number four in my class, I’m not exactly a dummy myself,” laughed Tara.
“True. I guess you are pretty smart,” laughed Kyle.
“Gee, thanks,” she laughed back.
“But you’re also simply pretty.”
Tara stopped laughing. She leaned in and kissed Kyle on the cheek.
“What was that for?” he murmured.
“You motivate me and I motivate you.”
“How do I motivate you?”
“Aside from your friendship and encouragement, you call me ‘pretty’.”
“You are.”
“Nobody else tells me that. Just hearing that from someone motivates me. Thank you for that,” she smiled, leaning in and this time giving him a quick peck on his lips.
As Kyle did not have access to a mirror, he wasn’t sure what was brighter; his red face or his smile.