Chapter 8: Cause and Effect

On Wednesday the school was awash with news. The gang bodies had been discovered by the police. I don't know how the news got to the students, but it seemed there were constant updates. First, the rumor mill was all about a gang war. By the end of the day, the leading theory was that Leonardo went crazy and killed the other two and then killed himself.

On Thursday the police finally announced that one boy killed the other two, then apparently died of natural causes. The rumors switched to a drug overdose. The Leo-going-crazy theory was maintained, but this time the drugs caused his insanity as well as a heart attack. The police would presumably wait for autopsies before making any conclusions, but I didn't think there would be any indications of bad dreams, dreams that were forced on awake people.

I did not feel bad about using my spells to kill. It was unfortunate that there was no other way to deal with the three, but I had killed Akaddian soldiers before. This was as much war as anything that had happened in my previous life, and at this particular point, I was the warrior.

I took the AP Biology test with a clear conscience and only a small amount of anxiety. The exam was pretty close to the textbook; there was only one answer that I was not sure about at the end of the 90 minutes. I handed the test to Mr. Oceano with a sense of relief.

I also handed in my book report to Ms. Yanith. I probably spent over fifty hours on the Honors History project, and wondered if I really wanted to take Honors History II. Nonetheless, Pamela and Linda would be taking it, and I wanted to be with them.

The following week was easy. There were no real classes, just meetings to discuss the test results, and to review next term's schedules as well as summer classes. There were no summer classes in the advanced or honors program, so I was not planning to take any.

Pamela, to no one's surprise, got all A's. Uncharacteristically, at least in my experience, she was celebrating.

"Whoo-hoo! A 4.0 average!" She was bouncing while hugging me, which did very interesting things to her breasts against my chest.

"Wonderful," I said, hugging back and enjoying the sensation. "Was there any doubt?"

"Of course there was! I could have muffed a test, although I didn't think I did. But the papers, especially the history one – the grading is very subjective. What if Ms. Yanith hadn't liked my report? It was worth 40%!"

I was actually pretty glad that it was worth so much. To my very distinct pleasure, I got an A on the final report, and an A- on for the entire term. I had a scattering of B's and A's this semester, the best grades I'd ever had.

"How did you do on the Biology exam?", Pamela asked.

"Not bad! I got 97%, which according to Mr. Oceano was the second highest score in the class. He already informed both the AP Chemistry teacher and Ms. Sidemore."

"Congratulations! That's pretty impressive, considering you never attended the class."

"Do you know how Linda did?"

Linda was now at home, and her parents had dropped off her history paper.

"Ms. Yanith wouldn't tell me her grade, except to say that Linda did well. I am so glad. It would have been awful to have worked so hard all semester and then fail, or get 'incomplete' because of those monsters!

"At least they won't bother her any more. I am not sorry they are dead. They've been awful to several girls, even before they went into raping and knifing. I hope you don't think I am too vicious, Martin. I thought I would never be happy about anybody's death, but those three shook my principles."

I could see Pamela wasn't happy. I gave her another hug and tried to reassure her.

"No, no, you are not vicious. They hurt your best friend, and worse than that, they threatened to hurt her in the future. They deserved what happened to them, and your feeling pleasure at their death is probably actually relief that they won't threaten or hurt anyone again."

Pamela tightened her arms around me and pressed her face against my chest. "You are so good to me, Martin. What did I do to deserve you?"

I thought a bit of lightening up would be in order. "Well, you were too well behaved to blow me off when I asked you out."

She chuckled, and all was good with my world.

While Linda was recuperating at home, Antonio was still in the hospital. I decided to visit him.

"So, do you know how much longer you'll be here?" I asked.

"The doctors say two more days, if I don't develop any problems. The knife nicked something inside, and they want to make sure I don't develop an infection or internal bleeding. It hurts to sit up but I can walk, slowly."

"So, you missed the finals. Are you going to have to retake them?"

"No, it's not bad. All but one have used my course work to give me a final grade. I didn't do so well in French, and was hoping for a better result on the exam. The teacher agreed to let me take a final in a couple of weeks, when I can drive again. I will have lots of time to prepare since there is nothing else to do. I missed getting a job with this wound, and I doubt Linda will want to do anything with me."

He sounded pretty morose. "What are you talking about? Linda feels guilty that you got hurt on her behalf. You need to reassure her, not break up with her!"

"I couldn't protect her, Martin. I know you wanted to go out with her, she told me. But she stuck with me, and got raped and beaten up because I couldn't do anything to protect my girl! She should have dropped me."

"What are you talking about? First, Linda's not the kind of girl to switch boyfriends on a whim. You two would have had to break up first. Second, what makes you think Diego and the Thugs wouldn't have attacked me, if she'd been with me? They certainly threatened me before.

"And Linda thinks you are a hero. You tried to defend her, even with a concussion, and got stabbed for that. There is no way some other boy would've done any better, not with three of them, and them willing to kill."

"But I couldn't. And she got hurt. And I was no hero, I was scared to death."

"Being scared is natural. I am telling you, trying to take on these guys after you had already been knocked down is not a sign of cowardice. Maybe you need to talk to somebody, like a therapist. I am pretty sure Linda is talking to one at school."

"Yeah, there is a guy here who talks to me – some sort of psychologist. Look, Martin, I appreciate what you are saying. But I didn't have much time to think during the attack. Now that I've been lying here, knowing how close I was to dying, I am terrified. It's not just guilt over Linda. I am afraid to go out. I don't know if I could defend myself, much less somebody else, if a kid says boo!

"I am such a wimp. Those guys could have gutted me like a fish, and I couldn't do anything. I didn't know karate, or have mace, or anything. Pathetic."

I sighed. "Look, Antonio, I am no therapist. You should really work with the one here, or the one they assign you in school – you have good reasons for your fear, but you need to get over it.

"But I will leave you with two thoughts. First Linda – she thinks you are a hero. And she feels she let you down. Even if you feel scared and weak, you've got to support that girl. She is a good woman who's also been dumped on, and deserves somebody to hold on to, even if it's just a facade. Even if you think you are not worthy – do you think some other horny boy will be?"

Antonio didn't say anything, but acknowledged my point by nodding slightly.

"And the second – life sometimes shits on you. With no justification. You got shat upon. But consider this – with any luck you will grow old, marry a girl, Linda or somebody else you'll meet. You will have children. You already have people who care for you. Do a good job and you'll die an old man with your family and friends mourning you."

He looked at me blankly.

"Diego, Carlos and Leo – they are dead before they are eighteen. They will never have wives, children. Maybe they have mothers who mourn them, but that's all. The school – most kids are happy they are gone. Their gang are probably annoyed that they overdosed and are not out selling drugs in school. They'll find a replacement for them soon.

"Next year, nobody will remember them. They're gone. Life's unfair, I agree, but sometimes there is justice. If you are good to others, others will try to help you. Those who deal in pain and fear, they don't get much help."

Antonio lay silent for a long minute. Finally he said, "All right. I think I see. It's more than just counting my blessings. Right?"

"Yeah. That's what I think, anyway. In the meantime, if you need my help, let me know."

"Thanks for coming, Martin. I appreciate your thoughts, even if I am not sure about some of them. See you around when I get out of here, I hope."

My parents were very impressed with my grades. It was clear to me that anything less than an A would have been a disappointment to Pamela's parents, but mine had never seen a report with A's and B's.

"Congratulations, son! I am proud of how far you've come in the last few weeks. I believed you were not really pushing your studies, but it's one thing to suspect, another to see my son improve his grades in three weeks!

"But you know, now that we know how you can study, we'll be expecting you to do even better next time!" My father was only partly joking.

"I know. And I intend to." I also told them of my biology results. My credit with my parents was pretty high.

I was finally able to find a summer job. It was part-time work at a drugstore. Not the most stimulating job, but one that left me with time to think, and paid better than flipping burgers, if only slightly.

There were still rumors about the deaths of the three gang members, but nobody seemed sorry to see them gone. Official news dried up a few days after the deaths. Unless the police should happen to discover something startling, the press, even the local web pages, were not interested in taking up space with speculation.

It was finally summer. No school until September, and my workday had few enough hours that I could take out Pamela during the week. She worked at her father's office but came home shortly after lunch, so we had nearly as many afternoons as during school. And no homework.

Pamela insisted on reviewing the assigned summer reading. As focused as I was on my studies, I was taking a break during the summer. Pamela's dedication was impressive. I could see why she had the highest GPA in her class.

Cathy came out with us about once a week, and I enjoyed her frank infatuation with me. Pamela learned to accept it, and was even amused by Cathy's constant flirting. I actually had fun talking to both sisters about my areas of interest. Pamela was wonderfully knowledgeable about history, including my favorite – ancient Mesopotamia.

Cathy was a prodigy in physics. She and I could talk about possible ways of interstellar propulsion for hours, at least until Pamela started coughing theatrically.

"What?!" Cathy asked, indignantly. "You talked about ancient Greece and the Persians yesterday. Why can't I talk to Martin about ramjets today?"

"I need to discuss something with Martin, my boyfriend, privately. In my room. If you don't mind." Pamela was smiling, but she meant it, just the same.

"All right, all right. Oh! You mean, er, in your room?"

"Yes, little sister. See you later – I'd appreciate if you gave us some time." Pamela took my hand and nearly dragged me to her room. She closed the door and stared at me.

I had an idea of what she wanted, but wasn't quite certain. I decided to go slow. I took Pamela's hand and kissed her knuckles. She looked a bit mystified, but indulgent. I kept kissing and licking her wrists, then her hand. Her sleeves were short and I was able to kiss and nibble my way to her shoulder. There was the faintest smell of sweat on her skin, but I really liked the way her skin smelled. Before I finished the first arm, her skin broke out in goose bumps. The room was warm, so it wasn't from the cold.

Then I switched to her other arm. In the process I saw two very large "goose bumps" on her chest. I grazed them with my hand, pretending it was an accident. I noticed the other arm was covered in goose bumps before I even got to her elbow. Pamela's breathing deepened. Before I finished, she pulled her arm out of my grasp, took a deep breath, and grabbed the bottom of her shirt, crossing her arms in front of her. With a jerk she pulled it up and off. As she twisted to one side to throw it towards a chair, her beautiful uncovered breasts swung with her rotation, and then back. For a few seconds I stared at her breasts. Almost unconsciously, I licked my lips.

Pamela was still breathing deeply, but now her face and neck were getting red. She lowered her hands and held them by her side, awkwardly, as though not sure what to do.

"You are gorgeous! Oh, I dreamed of seeing you topless, but this is better than I ever imagined." I gently palmed both breasts, and rubbed her nipples with the palms of my hands. Her skin was exquisitely soft and warm, softer than silk. Except for her nipples, which were engorged and hard, although they still gave slightly when I pressed my palms.

Pamela's blush subsided and she smiled. Her eyelids drooped slightly, giving her a sleepy appearance. Her breathing, still fast, belied any possibility of sleepiness, though.

I finally tasted her nipples. They begged to be sucked, and when I did Pamela arched, pushing the nipple deeper into my mouth and the other into my hand. She put her arms on my shoulders and moaned deep in her throat. I liked it, and so did my cock; it was already hard, but the moan stiffened it to a painful rigidity. I really liked that moan, and tried releasing her nipple and then sucking it in again. She moaned again! I liked that so much that I kept playing with making her moan – alternating short and long sucks, gentler and harder suction, to get more moans out of my girl.