Satan wasn’t ugly. I had always been taught in church that he was the most beautiful Angel and even in my dreams I realized this. The women started humming what sounded like a lullaby. Their distorted stomachs moving with little hands stretching from the inside of their bellies. I felt his hand start to touch my stomach and I grab it to push him away. He looks down at me and says, “Why James, I just want to feel our baby. See how he reaches for his Daddy?” I look down and a little hand was pushing up from the inside of my stomach and I start to scream.
I wake with my scream vibrating off the wall. Damn, I hadn’t had a nightmare in months. Damn, damn, damn. I lay back down. Normally I don’t dream again once I wake up. My thoughts didn’t slow down for quite awhile, but finally I drift back to sleep.
The next morning I stood drinking coffee in the kitchen when I remembered all the text from the day before. I grab my phone to check them. Mostly all of them were from Jill except the last one. It was from a number I didn’t recognize, which I assumed after reading the text that it was Kane’s.
Jill – Can you please let me know what to do with HIM???? He wants your number.
Jill – What did you do to this guy? He will not leave me alone.
Jill – CALL ME
569-423-1277 - You can’t run. Meet me at O’Malley’s tom night at 9. Were u going to tell me that candy rots your teeth?? Is that what they say about candy??? J
I actually laugh at his text. God he’s such a jackass, but he’s a hot one. I program his number in my phone and reach for my keys on the counter and hurry to school. Running late, I pull into the parking lot and hurry inside.
The warning bell rings just as I walk into the school. Not looking where I’m going I run right into Rhye. He grabs my waist and pulls me toward him.
“Slow down Jay. You don’t want to get hurt.” One dark eye winks at me and his jet black hair falls across one eye.
“Really Rhye? Get your hands off of me.” I turn out of his grasp and walk away. I hear his parting reply.
“I like when you play hard to get. It only makes me want you more.”
I didn’t even glance back and choose to ignore him.
The morning passed and lunch period arrived. I needed to run out to my car and get my phone because I had left it charging this morning. As I walk out of the school doors, Coach Branch was walking in. He had been the offensive line coach and head baseball coach since I was a freshman. Back then he was just out of college. He was loved at our school and thought of as a hero because our offensive linemen rated at the top in the State and we had won the State Championship in baseball for our division every year since he started. Needless to say our little community thought he walked on water. Plus all the girls loved him and considered him a cutie. He had thick brown wavy hair and brown eyes that stood out with a baby face. He was pretty short and stocky for a guy. His southern accent was thick at times. I had heard his wife was his college girlfriend and had met her several times at school functions in the past. She was gorgeous and had seemed nice at the time.
“Well Miss Stevenson, where are you headed,” he asked? I was stunned for a moment. He started to smile and say something else when Miss Kell my Art teacher also walked in behind him. Coach Branch looked at her and shook his head as if he was nodding her to walk by us. Miss Kell stopped and looked between us and finally at me.
“James are you okay? You look like you don’t feel good.”
My eyes shift between them both.
“Um, I left something in my car and was going to get it, but actually I don’t need it.”
I turn swiftly around and almost sprint down the hallway. Running into the girls bathroom I barely make it to the toilet before I start dry heaving. Ten minutes later I wash my mouth out with some water and head for my next class.
Art was my fifth period class and Miss Kell asked me again if I was okay and I just nod assuring her I was. This was the class that I have with Molly and Reed. We all used to spend a lot of our time drawing when we were little. In fact I’m pretty sure that Reed got into some fancy art school up north. I knew Molly was headed to the University of Georgia.
We received our assignment and I started painting a stormy beach scene. After a while I notice Molly and Reed laughing and joking with each other. Molly was smiling at something he had painted. At that moment she looks up and sees me staring at her and suddenly looks down at her painting frowning. Reed grabbed her hand and whispered something in her ear and then he looked up at me. Raising my brush, I started painting again. I had already let them go, but it never got any easier. Every day was a reminder. Finally the bell rings for the end of class.