In Case of Emergency, Dial 411

"You comin' to the game tonight" Dontae, one of Wilko's many friends I'd become quite cool with asked me as we sat down at a lunch table. Dontae was a sophomore that had a unique sense of humor. I enjoyed hanging with him during lunch and gym.

I pondered his offer momentarily before saying "Sure what time?"

"7:30" he answered before attacking his Nachos

"Didn't you say you were on your old school football team?" Wilko asked me

"Yeah, varsity. I was a running back" I shrugged. Honestly I was kinda glad to get out of playing sports for once. Ever since middle school, everyone always expected me play all the sports. I had fun doing it but after awhile it got boring and especially having to deal with all the fake people. Besides, I could definitely do without another baseball trophy or track medal. I left all those things back home for reason

"I could talk to coach about letting you on the team we could use another running back. Ours suck" Wilko said with his arm around Tasha, his girlfriend who had never seized to amaze me how skimpy she dressed every single day yet she never got accosted by the faulty from what I observed. I just nod and drink my juice.

"Grandma, me and some friends are going to watch the football game at school" I tell my grandmother who was sitting in front of the TV watching Wheel of Fortune.

"You're going to see William play" I nod. "When will you be back?" she asks

"Sometime tonight"

"Have fun and be safe"

I left and started walking towards my school. Thirty minutes later I'm standing in line with Dontae. The lines really long so I find myself looking all around. And that's when I saw her. I saw Blondie. It was strange to see her at the game considering she hadn't been in school the last few days. On my first day she was in a couple of my classes and we crossed paths a few times but that was it. She ignored me, so didn’t bother to speak to her.

"Brah, did you just gasp?" Dontae asked

"Huh, no way" I shook my head then looked over to Blondie again. She was wearing a highlighter vest and was helping park cars.

"What are you looking at?" Dontae turned around and followed my gaze

"Nothing" I say but he continues to search for watch I was looking at.

"Come on tell me" My friend nudges my side.

"The lines moving" I say. Dontae rolls his eyes from behind his brown framed glasses and waddles forward, (I say waddle because Dontae is the grandchamp at pant sagging). But keeps looking over in Blondie's direction "Is it the tight blue Mercedes over there?" I shake my head he sighs "Is it Siane?" He chuckled

"Siane?" I repeat. I like the way it sounds. I've never met anyone with that name.

Dontae nods, his long dreads bounce. "The girl over there? Yeah, she's my cousin"

"Oh, well has she been like sick or something? ‘Cause she hasn't been to school all week."

My friend shrugged his shoulder "I'm not my cousins keeper. Be careful around her though" he said dismissively

"Huh?"

"You've been here for a week and you haven't heard about her?" Dontae says in serious voice that almost scares me.

"Whatcha mean?" I cautiously

"I don't feel like repeating the stories" Dontae shrugged pulling up his shorts before they fall back to where there. The bottom of the supposed shorts touches his ankle. I didn't speak about Siane (its so weird not calling her blondie) for the rest of the time spent with Dontae and a few more of his waddling friends. Even though the way he said his cousins name and the way he warned me. It was unsettling. During halftime Dontae and his friends waddled next to me as walked to the concession stand. I had just received my nachos and Gatorade when a few familiar kids from some of classes showed up. They all wore some type of camo and boots.

"Aye, Jare" One camo guy called for me. Being the cousin of Wilko a bunch of people at Western Heights knew me already. I didn't like the nickname they gave me though. But since Wilko called me that so did everyone else

"What's up?" I answered

"You should come hang with us" the guy nodded over to preferred parking where all the trucks where. People parked there with the beds of their trucks facing the field. Even though the trucks were all different they essentially had the same qualities. A confederate flag, ridiculously jacked up, and larger than normal tires.

"Dontae?" I look over to my friend who's already shaking his head.

"I'll catch you later, man" he said before waddling away. I didn't want him to go, I enjoyed Dontae's company. I didn't even know these rednecks. The one that was chewing dip spit on the group before putting an arm around me and dragging me into their crowd

"So you can look like on of us" one redneck said putting his sweaty camo hat on my head.

They all hopped on the back of a truck. I sat on the toolbox I had to admit the view was better. Still I missed hanging with my penguin friend, Dontae. I tried enjoying my nachos while watching the game but then I remembered that Dontae had paid for half of so I felt guilty eating it all. I decided to pay him back Monday.

"Check this out!" The guy that gave me his hat said nudging his friends next to him. He ate the last few chips in his cool ranch Doritos bag and chugged the rest of his Gatorade just to toss it onto the ground. "Aye, nigger!" he shouted then whistled. I turned my head to see Blondie with her highlighter vest on picking up trash with one of those long poker sticks. Unbelievably there were some people on the truck laughing and giggling. I wanted to leave but I was frozen. She picked up the trash and started to walk away without looking back until another girl through her water bottle on the ground and yelled "you forgot sumthin!" More kids started doing the same thing. And I just sat there watching. Siane stood there and took it surprisingly. I
was wondering why she hadn't walked away. When she made eye contact with me, then her eyes went above mine, I realized she was starting at the hat I was wearing. Then, I saw it. A tear swelled up over her eyes and raced down her cheek then she ran away. Some kids kept laughing others "aww" in fake sympathy.

"That was so wrong" I heard someone say through laughter "Yeah, but it was so damn funny" I heard the reply. I got up, I couldn't associate myself with these people. "Where you going Jere?"

"I'm leaving" I said, but at the sametime Wilko scored the winning touchdown. Everyone stood up to cheer including the people of the trucks. Blocking my way "You're about to witness why why we call Wilko, Loco" one told me I watched Wilko go crazy in the endzone. Dancing and gaining applause by doing so making him go even more insane. I didn't want to stick around, I needed to find Siane. "Let me out" I said

"We just won against Dutchenburge! Celebrate with us."

"We are having a bonfire" another one said. I was done arguing with them. I hopped off the side.

"Why the rush?" One girl called out

"I have to find Blondie!" I yelled back and started running away.

Soon after the game, the place cleared out pretty quickly I suppose so everyone could to the bonfire. I was still on human search. But I didn't have have much luck. I asked all the other volunteers with the highlighter vest about her and they said didn't know where she could be.

The field was now completely empty. And was about to quit searching and head home for the night. Going to the bonfire didn't even cross my mind. When a bright reflective light caught my on top of the stadium where the game commentators sat in the box kept the scoreboard up . I walked up the stadium to investigate.

“GO AWAY!” I hear blondies voice scream, she was sitting on top of the commentators box and she was crying