The Scars of Qulin Moore

Chapter 14

Dianna had ample time to consider abandoning Lucas. It has torn away at her since she's sat down at her desk. So much so she was unable to complete a geography exam on time. She approached Mitch, her hands nervously flittering against her hips.

"Let's get out of here and check on Lucas," she said, a sense of urgency in her voice. Mitch ignored her plea. She grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Get off me," Mitch said, shoving her hand, not sharing in her anguish. He continued casually placing his books in the locker, committed to ignoring her. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing to worry about plus baseball practice was in a half hour. She was insane.

She persisted. "We shouldn't have let him go to Mr. Moore's on his own. I'm worried about him."

"Quit your moping. He's a big city-boy. He can handle himself. He's a tough guy. He threw the rock. That was his choice, now stop worrying so much. You're giving me a headache." He slammed the locker shut, and slung his backpack over his shoulders. "Plus, he's the one who dropped his phone."

Dianna cast a scolding glare at her inconsiderate brother, as peaceful appeal turned to anger. "We have to take some of the blame, Mitch, we did go to Old South TOGETHER, and we coaxed him into throwing that stone. If we didn't make him go, he wouldn't have lost his phone. Don't you feel any guilt?"

"No, correction," Mitch scoffed, "YOU made him throw the stone, Dianna. It's obvious he's got a crush on you. If anything, you shouldn't have lead him on. This is a YOU problem. I can't see how I should care about any of this."

She felt sick, infuriated by his pigheaded selfishness. If there weren't so many teachers around, she'd have smacked the smug from his face. It was all about his wants and needs while disregarding everyone else. She suddenly paled. In the same instance, as she scolded her brother, she realized she did act the same way.

She glanced over her shoulder, hoping this uncomfortable feeling would be swept away by the hordes of rushing kids, heading for their busses and cars. She used Lucas for her own wants, as well—Mitch was right. Was she as shallow? She had got what she wanted—a stupid glimpse at Mr. Moore's ugly face but at what cost? It never crossed her mind that things would go wrong. Inviting him along was supposed to be good thing, bring them closer while having fun. But Lucas lost his phone. She knew that phone was important to him. And now she was the reason it was gone, and worse, she'd be the reason he'd fall into more trouble with his mom. Guilt throbbed all over her like a terrible ache. What kind of friend was she? Lucas didn't hesitate when it came time to help with her wants, and when Lucas asked for hers, she bailed. The more the feeling sank in, the more she understood the danger of the situation. She remembered the furious, enraged look on Mr. Moore face—ready to tear them apart. Here she was back in a safe routine, about to head to her safe home, while Lucas could be nailed to a wall in Mr. Moore's house this very moment.

James joined them from the classroom across the hall. "Hey, did you guys make it to Old South? Was HE there?" He looked around the hallway, as if there was some void. "Where's Lucas?"

"We haven't seen him," Mitch quickly interjected. "And we decided not to go to Old South today. Isn't that right, Dianna?"

He shifted towards Dianna, subtly squeezing her elbow, just out of Jame's sight. She squirmed, startled. His eyes narrowed, lips furled caustically. A vein pulsed through his temple. She interpreted his aggressive posturing: DON'T SAY ANYTHING. Her eyes blinked rapidly, confounded as they met his. She felt his grip tighten, his eyes drilling deeper—DON'T TELL HIM, they scolded.

She turned to James, who was absolutely clueless to Mitch's guile. In her fragile state, her will fractured from the self-blame, any semblance of resistance to Mitch's overture vanished.