1000 Paper Cranes

Chapter 16 - 967

Thursday rolled around and I was ready to premiere my new and improved self. I prepared for our study group to arrive, a little bit nervous about seeming so vulnerable around them. But if that was what it took to get the Marc Fosters of the world to stop messing with me, I guess it was worth it.

"I don't know why you're even worried about him." Joanna had said a few days earlier. "He hasn't even figured out he can close his mouth and breathe through his nose."

I had laughed, but Joanna just didn't understand; she hadn't been on the receiving end of Marc's fist.

As the doorbell rang, I kicked my dad out of the kitchen and prepared to welcome everybody.

Robin and Joanna were the first to arrive. Joanna, who always brought baked goods, offered me a tray of perfectly frosted cupcakes. Robin smiled at me as she passed and the smell of her shampoo wafted to my nose.

In that moment, I wanted to kiss her more than I ever had. We had been dating a couple of weeks and we had been on a handful of dates, but the timing had never been right. I just wanted everything to be exactly perfect. It would be my first kiss, after all.

Or maybe I was scared. What if I was horrible at it?

Robin winked at me from across the room, bringing me back to reality. I opened my textbook and notes, ready for the night's questions.

The doorbell rang, again, and I ushered Tiffany, Amy, and Lauren in. They went immediately for the pizza. They had learned all too well that the jocks would eat everything if they didn't eat their fill first.

As they ate contentedly, the doorbell rang again. It was odd; the baseball guys were early.

Jon entered, a bucket of fried chicken in his hand. At his heels was Toby, carrying a bag of burritos. Only two? Odd.

"No Shane tonight?" I asked. Shane never missed study group. Ever. He was trying to go Ivy League for college and needed all the help he could get.

"He's coming," Jon said through a mouthful of Original Recipe. "He said he was going to pick somebody up. He has a friend who needed help in calc, I guess." He shrugged, indicating that was all the information he had.

That was the thing about Jonathan Johnson. He was a man of very little words. And by that, I mean his vocabulary was mostly made up of shrugs and nods and some kind of grunt language. When those all failed, he would resort to actual human words.

"I'm not saving him any pizza," Gothic Lauren laughed, grabbing a fourth slice. "Jordan, tell your parents that this combination is genius. What is it?"

I studied the pizza for a moment, recalling my dad's latest concoction.

"That's Cabana Steve's deep dish with pepper jack, extra sauce, pepperoni, banana peppers, and..." I had to pause a moment to think. "Oh, yeah. And pureed peaches. Or as I like to call it, Frankenpizza."

And then, the most amazing thing happened. Everybody laughed. The whole room. At Frankenpizza of all things. That wasn't my joke. That was totally off the cuff.

"Well, in the future," Lauren surveyed her pizza, laughing. "Don't tell me what's in the things I like."

We all laughed. It felt nice to laugh. I didn't do it nearly enough.

I checked my watch. It was starting to get late and we needed to start studying. But I didn't want to leave Shane and his friend behind. We had a test coming up and I wanted them to do well.

Just as I sat down to start, the doorbell rang. Joanna offered to answer it, but huffed, annoyed, as she opened the door.

"Well, Shane, you didn't tell me this was that kind of study group." A greasy voice drifted from the foyer. I felt my body tense, but I wasn't sure why.

"The hell's that supposed to mean?" Joanna snapped, defensively.

I rose to see what was going on. The greasy voice began talking again before I was able to get to Joanna.

"I think you know exactly what I mean. Been feeling lonely, lately, Joanna? I haven't heard from you in a while."

I rounded the corner to see a hand with a firm grip on Joanna's arm. Shane Summers stood, shocked and confused, trying to make sense of the scene before him. Attached to the strong hand on Joanna's arm was Marc Foster.

"Get your hand off me, you creep!" Joanna struggled to get free, eventually resorting to slapping Marc in the face.

I felt heat sneak up my face, burning much hotter than ever before. This was not embarrassment. This was not blush. This was anger. Pure, unadulterated hate springing to life and materializing on my face.

"Chill out, babe." Marc threw up his hands. "I was just joking. We had fun, babe. Just wondering why you haven't called me lately."

What was he talking about? Joanna would never call him; much less spend time with him. I felt myself marching my way toward him. What was I doing? It was like I was on autopilot.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded, feeling the urge to kill him rising up within me. I wasn't sure that I hated Marc Foster, exactly, but he definitely wasn't the first person I wanted to let into my house.

"Dammit, Shane, you didn't tell me this jackass was going to be here." Marc glared at me. Hate flickered in his eyes and a smile crossing his face.

"Uh, look, I'm sorry." Shane was at a loss for words. He clearly had not expected this to happen. "Marc, you said you needed some help in calc—"

"You probably misunderstood him, Shane." I interrupted. "He said he needed help with calculators."

"It's okay, Marcus," I spoke with the same voice I used with puppies and small children. "Calculators are hard. All those buttons. It must be so hard for you. Just press the button that says 'on.' Don't panic, I know it looks like it says 'no,' but it doesn't."

I heard snickering behind me and, for the first time, I remembered that we weren't alone. I turned to see the entire study group standing behind me, watching like they were at a boxing match.

I kept feeling angrier and angrier. Why was Marc at my house? Why hadn't he left, yet? I wasn't sure I had ever been so furious.

My mind raced a thousand miles an hour. I didn't want to let Marc in; he was clearly upsetting Joanna. But if he needed help, it was my obligation to help him. My parents had instilled that in me.

"Listen," I finally told Marc, obligation winning out. "If you want help in calculus, you may stay. But keep your mouth shut unless you have a question." My voice was stern—sterner than I thought possible—and my eyebrows were raised. It was clear that I was serious.

"I'm not sticking around for this bullshit," Marc spat then pulled Jo in close.

"Call me, sweetie, we had fun." He turned on a heel and left, Shane trailing behind.

Once they had left, I turned to Joanna. There were tears in her eyes and her nose was red. She was shuddering soundlessly.

Without a word, Joanna turned and made her way upstairs, her face streaked with tears. I took a step to chase after her, but felt Robin's hand on my arm.

"I'll go. You guys study; this test is going to be rough tomorrow." And with that, she disappeared.