Chapter 15: Everyone Has Baggage

It was Wednesday, and school had just gotten out, when Brandon banged into the locker next to me.

"What the hell is going on between you and my sister?" he asked. There was no malice in the question; it was a legitimate inquiry.

"Man, I have no idea," I replied. "She's been blowing me off since last Monday. She kind of flipped out after that thing with Mark in the gym, and has barely said two words to me since. To be honest, I don't even know if we're going out anymore."

"Chicks, man," he said. I just nodded. "Well, something needs to be done soon. She's being a total bitch at home, and my parents are about ready to pack her off to my aunt's house in Oklahoma."

"Hey, you got any ideas, I'm all ears man," I told him. "She isn't talking to me." I shut my locker.

"Well," he replied, "Something's gotta give. I don't want you fucking distracted this weekend. I'll talk to Kara." As we walked away from my locker, Brandon split off to head in his own direction. I was met moments later by Lexi, slipping in stride next to me silently.

After a few moments of silence, I broke it.

"Don't ask, I don't know."

"What?" she said, trying to play innocent.

"Don't give me that," I countered, "I know when you lie to me before you even do it."

She looked up at me, started to open her mouth, but then just shut it and kept on walking. We got to my truck, and I gave her a ride home.

I'd been sitting at the house Thursday night, in an unusual bit of pain. Most of the pain from my fight with Mark had dissipated by now, but in particular, my legs were just fucking killing me. I tried to remember doing something that would have strained them, but I'd been sticking to light workouts lately until I was sure I didn't harbor any long term effects from my throwdown. All I knew was they were throbbing like crazy, and I was doing anything I could think of to make it go away. I really didn't need this over the weekend.

I had been sitting on the couch downstairs in the media room, watching a replay of last week's Michigan State game, which I'd DVR'd, on the big screen. I had both legs iced up, a bag of chips, and an IBC, and I was vegging, when the doorbell rang. I ignored it. The bell rang again. "Dammit", I thought to myself. Finally, after a third ring, I picked up the intercom unit and just said, "It's open." Stupid, I suppose, but I figured thieves and muggers don't usually ring the doorbell.

I heard the door upstairs open and closed, then the click-clack of chunky-heeled shoes cross the floor. When that stopped, I knew my visitor had reached the soft padded carpet on the stairs, and sure enough, moments later I felt the presence of someone descending into my den. I laid my head back on the headrest of the leather recliner I was sitting in and looked over to the left, and to my surprise I saw Roxanne standing there.

"Hi," she said, meekly.

"Hi."

She stood by the stairway for a moment, seemingly reluctant to come any further.

"You gonna stand over there by yourself?" I asked. I wasn't gruff with her, but I wasn't all that warm either. She looked down at her feet for a moment, then approached me and sat on the footstool facing me. It was then that she noticed the condition I was in.

"What happened to you?" she asked, her eyes wide as she looked at the bags of ice sitting around my legs.

"My legs hurt. I do this all the time," I replied. "Why are you here?" I cut to the chase.

She sighed, and her shoulders slumped. "I came because I'm an idiot," she started. "I've been told so by almost every girl in the senior class, and most of them in the junior class as well." She paused for a moment, and then got an appalled look on her face. She looked up at me. "Did you know there really is a list on who gets a shot at you next?"

"No," I said, then, "Who's at the top?"

Her mouth dropped open at my comment, until I said, "Kidding. Go on."

"My freshman year, I went to a summer camp with my family. It was supposed to be a bonding experience. It was mostly a chance for mom and dad to hang out with their friends and not have to worry about what we'd be getting into," she said.

"While I was there, I met a boy. I was attracted to him, and he liked me." She paused a bit, wringing her hands before moving on. "He had a bit of a reputation as a fighter. He seemed to get in a lot of arguments with the other guys at the camp, and got in a lot of fights. At the time I didn't think much about it. He was the bad boy, and he liked me. We messed around a little bit. I thought it would be a fun summer romance for me."

"Two days before we left, he wanted to go further. We were probably never going to see each other again, and he wanted to have me before that happened. I wasn't ready for that, and told him. He pushed. I stood my ground, but he didn't want to take no for an answer. Finally I smacked him, when he wouldn't back off."

She looked up at me and I could see the tears beginning to form in her eyes. "And that's when he hit me."

She paused, to garner my reaction, I think. Myself, I was unsure. Do I say something now, or wait for her to go on. Thankfully, she made my decision.

"It didn't last very long," she continued. "Brandon happened to show up with the girl he was banging that week just as it was happening, and Brando kicked his ass." She wiped away a tear as it slowly rolled down her cheek. The she looked up at me with her glassy eyes. "I thought I was over it. I really did. Then I saw you do ... what you did in the gym, and it all came rushing back. I couldn't even think ... couldn't breathe ... all I saw was him and you and you were the same person ... I just couldn't stay."

I thought carefully about how to respond to her before speaking. "Rox, I'm not afraid of violence. I was on the receiving end more than a few times when I was younger, and smaller. I don't dish it out lightly. What I did I felt was the only way to accomplish what I needed to accomplish."

"I care a lot about you, and what happened to you was horrible, but what I did for Sandra I would do again. There is a famous quote I'm very fond of... 'the only way evil can exist is for good men to do nothing.' I couldn't do nothing, Rox, so I did the best thing I could think of. That's just who I am. I'm sorry if I'm not right for you."