Chapter Three

Sonny

Mondays are a suck fest. I get up with the hopes of going back to sleep. I float through the lessons under the radar except for an occasional 'yes' or 'no'. Even I know my face is screwed up a bit too intense. Honestly I do not know how else to look (or feel) as I am arranging my locker and checking out my time table.

Life is already messed up enough to worry about unfinished chemistry notes, angry teachers, or a chaotic locker. And oh, Robert is looking like life is a breeze.

His arm comes in full force making me bang against the locker. His football mates Matt, Reynold, and Tucker seem genuinely pleased with this senseless display of masculinity. He pats my back, more like firm slaps, and goes on to call me 'Lil' bro.

I have to shut my eyes to come back to a place where I do not have an attitude about what is currently taking place. "Three months, I am only three months younger than you, quit it." Or else I will prove a point, only if I have to.

He is not even listening to me instead he is poking me on the shoulder, "Tell them, Sonny. Rey thinks I am lying that we got robbed on Saturday!"

"We didn't get robbed so much as experienced a robbery in progress - not sure it is the same thing. Anyways this is me trying to move on from the tragedy." I grab my bag and shut my locker.

"Aw come on Sonny give us the 411. Did someone die?"

I am not doing this, I start walking.

For some reason Robert does not like to leave me alone during lunchtime. He says his 'see you later' and joins me down the corridors towards the cafeteria.

"You were supposed to go with my story. We got robbed not the spectator's approach crap. Do you have any idea how much credibility I have lost right now?"

I give him a head to toe look- "I thought wearing those football jackets was credibility enough. You also have to lie through your teeth? What a job."

He scoffs, "You used to be so much fun when we were kids. It is like uncle B went on and traded you or you had a body switch."

We walk in silence; I have absolutely nothing to say. He is right though. I remember when we would visit the beach house with his parents during the summer. We would talk about the places we would go surfing or jet skiing we would jump off the ledge and hide away from my mother calling time on our misadventures. But that was a long time ago. I have not been to the beach house or seen a beach since fifth grade. I hate traveling. I would still surf if I had the time. Overall it just seems all too far, way too far, another world altogether far.

"So what're you saying?" he asks leaning into the cafeteria.

Some students are chasing each other, a quartet singing in perfect harmony by the corner, dancing, paper planes flying, falling chairs (and students) - there is also a very abnormal normalness to this scenario I am coming to accept.

"Hmmh ?" I am a bit lost as to where Robert is taking this. We join the food queue.

"What do you say to living a little? Giving this place..." he spreads his hands out like he is showing me paradise, "...a chance. It is not like we get robbed every day."

"Yeah, I see that." I roll my eyes considering his humor for the first time.

"Your dad umh called me said to ask you if you are taking your pills."

And we are back to serious land.

Of course he would do such a thing coax Rob into coaxing me into taking pills I don't want to take anymore.

I move my tray to the next station, my blood heating up inside of me. Meanwhile Robert winks at any girls who happen to make eye contact with him. "Oh look. Wait. What was it I asked you about just now... Oh the pills? Are you?"

"Let it go Robert-seriously drop it. And let this moment set as a reminder for you to never bring it up." I can't control the edginess in my speech, I focus on my tray.

"Hey-" He whispers picking side glances at the crowd, "Fine. Can you chill for a minute? It's not like it's a big deal." He follows behind me holding his tray and acknowledging whoever acknowledges him first. This is one hell of a busy cafeteria. "I mean -" He continues with that annoying tone that gets on my nerves, "I can keep your secret, if you can keep mine and my secrets happen to be a lot especially this week I am drilling from the fact that I might have done it with downtown Shebby."

Miraculously we find a table; it's one of the small ones close to the windows, no worries of being gate crushed here. "I damn sure hope I didn't catch a case." He finishes contemplatively.

The weight of the tray, my body, my thoughts, anger goes down with me when I take a sit; it is like it has been the longest day of my life.

"Was there ever a time we did not talk? That hiatus between fifth grade and three weeks ago, congratulations, you have just swallowed it into complete oblivion." I take my burger.

"I'm serious Sonny. Matt needs a place to throw our first senior party and the first party since schools open. It looks like that son of a grenade-" He points to his right with pure sordid hatred. I am close to chuckling instead he stops and starts chuckling himself.

"What's so funny?" I ask taking my first bite more to cover my genuine disappointment.

"Umh that would be your nightmare-"

Well unless my douche bag older brother Karmen is here or my workaholic dad shows up then yes a nightmare is probable. Anything else hmmm I will take it in my stride. "I doubt that very much."

"Er yeah- the Dem- squad is back in business- as in school business."

I give him a blank, impatient look.

"The robbers? Last Saturday? That is Kelly Martins over there."

I get whiplash from turning my head towards the direction he is gawking at.

I do not know why he looks at them like he looks up to them... for being robbers! Shaking my head I turn again to the direction he is gazing.

I guess what I am most taken by is how they are at ease in their territory (far left table to where we are sitting), interacting with each other, joking around - having fun. Dressed in baggy get-ups and shiny jewels, this crew is just basically incredibly exceptional, authentic within their ethnicity, urban, sleek, parochial oblivious to the fact that they nearly caused not only one but a lot of people in a grocery store close to death panic. The anger blows up in my chest. The same anger I felt when they attacked the store, waving their guns mercilessly at everyone.

"How do you just sit here week after week knowing what they have done or do?"

Robert looks at me in complete confusion. "What?"

"You know what? Never mind. I came here to concentrate on my grades and get into a good college. All this is none of my business."

Robert is laughing the whole time. I do not care; I am used to him being a d*k and not taking anything seriously. He looks up at me swinging on his chair. "Why in the hell are you tipping in the school cafeteria?"

What? Wait.

I look down at the table - there is money next to my tray. Money I just put there like I am in a restaurant or something. Robert laughs at me while I collect the money, looking around for any spectators. Luckily- I am not that interesting. I turn back at a relaxed Rob and say, "If you need me I will be at the guidance councilor's office signing up for the tutoring program, something that comes in handy when applying for college ... Progress." I say the last word empathetically before I leave.