Crushes Over Papercuts- A Mid 90s Tale

Chapter 18

Cody solved for X. "Is everything okay? You know...since Saturday?"

I knew what he meant. Of course, I knew.

It was the first time anyone but the girls had asked me about Saturday. It hadn't even been a week but the distraction of school and the realization that I wouldn't have to see Mark made everything a little better.

"Yeah," I admitted. "I barely remember anything. It all kind of comes in pieces like scenes in a movie but I can't put it all together."

Cody chewed on his pencil eraser. "So...you feel fine and everything?"

I nodded.

"Good. We were worried about you."

We.

"But me and some of the guys had a talk with Mark and he won't be coming around anymore." He rotated his sheet for me to check his answer. "I don't mess with drugs. Never have. I'll have a few beers and shots on the weekends sometimes but that's as far as I go. I've seen what some of that shit does to my cousin and I want no part of it." He studied me as I checked his answer. "Most of us keep it clean." Cody shifted in his chair. "I feel a little responsible."

I turned the sheet back to him. "How could you have known?"

He leaned forward. "There's a reason Mark spent his lunch period with the guidance counselor instead of the lunch room. He got caught with drugs on campus last year and his coach begged to keep him from being suspended from school and baseball so suspension during lunch was the compromise they came up with." Cody's broken pencil eraser fell to the floor. "Mark's been supplying the school with drugs and getting away with crap for years. It finally caught up to him."

A bead of sweat dripped down his face. It was as if he was nervous to tell me the next part.

"A girl accused him of spiking her drink last year but he denied it and she left school so we didn't know the truth." Cody looked into my eyes. "I wish I had told you. I'm so sorry."

I knew something was off but I had ignored all of it.

I squeezed hard on the arms of my wooden chair. "I'm such a fool! A bunch of you knew about Mark but no one bothered to tell me," I snapped. My eyes narrowed. "Is that why you guys always took away the drinks that Mark gave me?"

Cody was looking down. "I didn't think you noticed that."

"But he was filling the drinks at your house," I said between gritted teeth though my voice was still loud enough that Ms. Fletcher surveyed our table. I softened my tone. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"We figured Mark had learned his lesson. He told us so and Courtney defended him against Kimberly's accusation. We assumed nothing would happen but we watched him anyway."

"You didn't watch him close enough."

"You're right." He shook his head. "It's like something changed to make Mark mess up like that." The pencil fell from his sweaty palm. "Can you forgive me?'

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm pissed that you didn't warn me but it's not your fault what happened to me. It's Mark's. Besides, I owe you and Ben for helping me that night."

"How are you?" a voice interrupted.

Ben stood on the opposite side of the thick wooden table next to Cody. I stared into his eyes and neither of us turned away. I had heard the library door open but was distracted by Cody's confession.

"Hey, you're early," Cody told him. "We've got seven minutes left."

"I didn't mean to interrupt but -," he continued to look at me. "Well, I guess I did intend to interrupt but I just wanted to make sure you're okay."