Breaking Their Hold

I strode into Danville High at 7:30 a.m. I stopped in the girls’ bathroom to check my hair and makeup. After brushing my wind-tousled blond hair back to perfection, I went to my locker.

"Jordan!" Tyler, captain of the football team, approached from the break area with a Mountain Dew in hand.

"Hi," I said, opening my locker and shoving my bookbag inside. "How was L.A.?"

"It kicked ass!" he enthused, leaning against the locker to the left of mine. "Too bad you couldn’t come with us. I would’ve loved watching you play beach volleyball."

I rolled my eyes. That was Tyler’s idea of a compliment, and he showered me with them daily.

When I’d first met him, I had wanted that desperately. We were freshmen then. I had been a nobody, while he had been the most popular kid in our class. I tried out for cheerleading to get his attention. I made the squad, but it wasn’t until our junior year that he noticed me. I was made cheerleading captain that year and as captain of the football team, he thought the head cheerleader would make the perfect girlfriend. So we started hanging out. Unfortunately for his idea of the perfect couple, the more I was around him, the less I was attracted to him.

Now, we were seniors. We were still friends and often flirted with each other, but I knew I’d never hook up with him. However, he still liked me.

"Can you believe we’re seniors!?" Tori, volleyball player and cheerleader, said, joining Tyler and me at my locker. "This is gonna be the year of our lives!"

Sam, captain of the basketball team, came up behind her. "What did you do while we were in L.A.?" he asked me.

"Not much," I replied. "Rick came for a visit and brought his new girlfriend."

"Was she a bitch like that last girl?" Tori wanted to know.

I shook my head. "No. She was kinda weird, though."

"Hey, Tori," Tyler piped up. "Tell Jordan about the belhop who was stalking me and Sam."

"Oh my God! He was totally cute, but he was SO gay!" Tori began.

I tuned her out. Sometimes it was hard being one of the popular kids because I was unlike them in so many ways. Their families had enough money for them to drive expensive cars, buy expensive clothes, and take trips to places such as Los Angeles.

My family, on the other hand, was neither rich nor poor. I drove a used Hyundai Accent. I saved for months to shop at the stores they considered their usuals. The reason I hadn’t gone to L.A. with them was that I couldn’t afford to go. I was the only one in our group who had a job and was paying for my own car.

I suddenly realized Tori wasn’t talking anymore. I looked at Tyler, Sam, and her. They were watching something. Tori’s face was etched with distaste. "Eeew."

"Freaks," Sam muttered.

Tyler’s eyes narrowed. "Losers."

Curious, I followed their gazes. It wasn’t hard to find what they were watching. Most of the kids in the hallway were watching the same thing. Whispers filled the air. I stared, feeling as though there wasn’t enough air to breathe.

Five guys I didn’t recognize were making their way down the crowded hall. I knew everyone at Danville High. It was a small school. So the five guys had to be new. But that wasn’t why they stood out.

They all wore baggy jeans with sleeveless shirts that showed off tattooed arms. Three of them had on black sunglasses. One of them had a black fedora pulled low over his face.

"Jordan?"

I forced my gaze away from the five guys. Tori was looking at me. "The bell just rang."

"Oh." I unzipped my bookbag and pulled out a notebook. I knew we wouldn’t do much on the first day of the school year.

"You spaced out," Tori commented, studying me closely. "Those guys, they were disgusting. Don’t you think?"

I slammed my locker shut, refusing to look at her. "Yeah. Disgusting."

It was a lie, of course. I didn’t think they were disgusting. I thought they were interesting. They were like nothing at Danville High. There were "different" kids at Danville, an entire group that dressed in black, had piercings, and listened to heavy metal. However, the new guys weren’t quite the same as those kids. They were unique and intriguing.

Tori, Sam, Tyler, and I filed into our pre-calculus classroom just as the tardy bell rang.

*****

I walked into my fourth period class. I was an aide for Mr. Wilson this period, which meant I got to do absolutely nothing for 55 minutes. I crossed the room to Mr. Wilson's desk. Feeling eyes on me, I glanced up. The five new guys were sitting at the back of the class. Two of them, eyes hidden behind black sunglasses, were looking at me. This made me inexplicably self-conscious. No one at Danville High could make me self-conscious. I was the one who got to make people uncomfortable, and it bothered me that the new guys could stir a reaction in me without even trying.

I tossed my blond hair over my shoulder and sat in the chair in front of Mr. Wilson's computer. I opened my pre-calculus book, intending to get what little homework I had done. But I couldn't concentrate. I found myself paying attention while Mr. Wilson took attendance.

"Zacky Baker?" Mr. Wilson said.

One of the new students glanced up and lifted a hand. He had jet-black hair that was long in the front. Both ears were pierced, as well as his lower lip and his septum. He was one of the two that had been watching me when I walked in.

The next few names were kids I already knew. "Brian Haner" was the next name I didn't know. Another of the new guys lifted his hand. I recognized him as the guy in the fedora. The fedora was now gone, leaving his face perfectly visible. His hair was black and just reached his shoulders. His eyes were big and dark, framed by long lashes. The left side of his nose was pierced. He had a bit of stubble along his chin. He was flipping through a guitar magazine. I wondered if he played. He pointed out something in the magazine to Zacky.

The other three new guys were Matt Sanders, Johnny Seward, and Jimmy Sullivan. Matt had short black hair, pierced ears, a pierced lip, and very muscular arms. Johnny had bleach blond hair, a pierced nose, and was short. He had removed the sunglasses he'd been wearing that morning. Jimmy was tall and skinny. He had longish black hair that was spiked up in the back. He was the other one that had watched me walk in.

I sneaked peeks at them all period and decided that Brian was the most attractive. When the bell rang at the end of class, I practically ran from the room. I couldn't stand being around a group of guys that made me uneasy. Unfortunately for me, they were in my next two classes.

It was a relief to get to seventh period. The class was athletics, which basically meant all the sports players and cheerleaders got to hang out in the gym, doing nothing. There was no way the new guys would be in athletics.

I changed into a tiny shirt and even tinier shorts, then emerged from the locker room. I went over to where Sam, Tori, and Tyler were gathered at the edge of the basketball court. We were soon joined by Jaimi, cheerleading co-captain, and Evan, another football player.

"Explain to me," Evan said, "what the hell THEY are doing in here."

Sam, Tori, Tyler, Jaimi, and I looked to the far side of the gym. The five new guys were situating themselves on the bleachers.

"They're checking out the cheerleaders," Sam guessed.

Tyler made a face. "Or us."

My gaze strayed to Brian. The fedora was back in place. His muscle shirt was a Guns N Roses tour shirt. He was talking to Johnny, who was unraveling his black fingerless glove.

"Let's shoot," Tyler suggested to Sam and Evan. I didn't trust the gleam in Tyler's eyes. He was up to something.

Sam retrieved a basketball from the storage room and walked out onto the court with Evan and Tyler.

"Jordan?" Tori's brow was furrowed with concern. "What's up with you today?"

"Nothing," I murmured. "I'm just tired."

Tori accepted that excuse and turned to Jaimi. They began chatting animatedly. I watched Sam, Tyler, and Evan, wondering what they were up to. For awhile, they just played a game: Evan and Tyler versus Sam. Then, Evan ran toward the new guys, holding up his hands to catch Tyler's pass.

"Oops!" Tyler yelled sarcastically, hurling the ball in a purposely wild pass.

I barely managed not to cry out. The ball sailed right at Brian. With amazingly quick reflexes, Jimmy caught the ball before it hit Brian. I let out the breath I'd been holding. Jimmy stood, scrutinized the distance to the net, and took his shot.

I involuntarily smiled when the ball sank cleanly through. Evan and Sam exchanged a surprised glance. Tyler was looking at Brian. Brian's lips were curved in an unnerving smirk, his eyes locked with Tyler's.

Jimmy didn't even acknowledge Evan, Sam, or Tyler. He merely sat back down and resumed his conversation with Matt. After a few seconds, Evan, Sam, and Tyler went back to their game. Brian said something to Zacky, who shook his head. I started listening to Tori and Jaimi.

"Evan is so hot!" Jaimi commented.

"He's cute," Tori said. "But Sam is hotter."

"And we all know who Jordan likes," Jaimi remarked.

"Rumor has it he likes her, too," Tori said. "In fact, he's supposed to ask her out for Friday night."

I looked at Tori. "This Friday?"

Tori nodded. "Isn't it great? You're finally gonna get Tyler after waiting three years!"

"Yeah, it's...great," I said, frowning.

"You are so lucky!" Jaimi cried.

I hadn't been able to tell Jaimi and Tori that I no longer liked Tyler. And now wasn't the time for that bit of news. "I've gotta go." I jumped to my feet and hurried to the locker room. I changed back into my tight jeans and white tanktop.

As I reached the parking lot , I heard male voices. The new guys were leaning against a black car. Zacky, Johnny, and Brian each held a lit cigarette.

"One day and I'm ready to go back to Cali," Johnny stated. "We have got to get wasted tonight."

"I heard about this place we should check out," Matt announced. "It's called The Pit. The preps and jocks won't go there, so it must be decent."

"Then we'll go there tonight," Zacky decided.

"And get totally trashed," Johnny added.

"Most definitely," Jimmy agreed. "Drinkin' is good."

I walked to my blue Hyundai Accent, thinking things I wasn't sure I liked.