Chapter 7

I guess Monday mornings just cannot be avoided. But the good thing about high school gossip is that there always will be new ones. Anton was dead, so he became old news. Three other guys missing from the football team which got its ass wiped on Friday night. That was a bigger thing. Until Saturday evening when a senior party was raided and both booze and weed were found. I guess someone forgot to bribe the deputies. Whatever, I was happy to be moved from the spotlights. Marie was back but she was avoiding me. Well maybe she was avoiding almost everybody.

As my usual lunch companions had decided to collect all the rumors they could get, I found myself sitting alone and looking suspiciously at the stuff that was supposed to be my lunch. So noticing that someone suddenly sat next to caught me somewhat unprepared. Especially when the person was a classy senior girl. THE blonde twin. Most likely a real blonde, not one from the bottle. One of the twins who were not twins. But who both were so classy that they could have been. And I need slow down my internal processing before too much extra heat is generated and my head explodes. It could not have taken long for me to gather myself together but she must have noticed something since the amusement flashed on her face.

"Hi Judy, what brings you here? Or are you just kindly offering some of your brightening presence that would wipe away some of the gloom surrounding me?"

And where in a hell did that come from? But she actually laughed at it. And she had a nice laugh. I would not mind hearing that again.

"In fact, something like that Eric. We are going to have a date on Friday, you take me out to eat to some nice place and then maybe a movie afterwards."

I guess it still had to be the night between Sunday and Monday and I was dreaming. A good dream or nightmare? No way of knowing yet. Or then I have had an aneurysm and I'm on my way to go now.

"OK, do you have any food allergies? Or do you prefer something special?"

I did not know that I could do parallel processing. And without thinking.

"No allergies. And maybe I'd like you to surprise me."

That sounded like a challenge. And those light blue eyes showed it, too. But there was something else also. Hint of fear? Anticipation? Or just my imagination.

"Fine by me. Should I pick you up at six - or earlier?"

"Can you make it at five. Gives us more time to get to know each other."

That look in her eyes, again.

"I can make it. However, there is still one minor detail..."

"Give me your phone."

Soon I heard a chirp from her pocket and she gave my phone back to me.

"Now you are one of the privileged ones. Do you already feel your gloom disappearing?"

Now it was my turn to laugh.

"In fact I do. Thank you - you ravishing goddess."

"Goof."

Then she kissed me on my cheek and was gone. I did not know that cold school lunch could taste that good. Most probably the sun would rise from west tomorrow morning and there would be peace on earth. As the twins just did not go on dates. Ever. And senior girls did not date junior boys. Ever. Most probably I had just been had. Whatever. There was not much I could do.

And then I was at courthouse and missing school again. We were there early which turned out to be waste of time as the judge was so busy that he had no time to see us before the meeting. However, Mer - our DA - assured us that everything would go smoothly. My aunty followed intensively how we two interacted with each other. I paid her back by taking her hand in mine and thanking her profusely for being there and supporting me. Her eyes flashed dangerously as she knew exactly what I was doing and why I was doing that. But after that she believed that we could behave.

The meeting with the judge went just as smoothly as Meredith had promised. It was the first time I saw my attackers since that Friday. They did not want to look at me - which suited me. I did not really want to look at them either. Paul was in a wheelchair as both of his knees had been operated on and I guess I should have felt sorry for him. I just could not. The old judge was very blunt when he let those three heroes know what could have happened to them if they had gone to court. With a great possibility they would have been treated as adults. And even a nice prison is not a nice place for young guys. I think they finally got it.