Chapter Text
Lexi scanned the bulletin board, hoping someone would've hung fliers for a Book Club since Monday.
Nope. Shit outta luck. How was it that such a fancy school with hundreds of club options didn't even have a manga or comic club? There were few alternatives that sounded interesting, at the top of the pick was The Back to the Future Fan Club. Lexi didn't care much for science fiction, but she always liked those movies.
There wasn't a lot of information on the flyer. The only things listed were the time and place. 3 to 4PM, Room 77. Lexi frowned. You'd think that for Club Rush, they'd put a little more effort into it. No description, no "first day," no nothing.
Jeanette shrugged and tiptoed to yank the flyer off the board.
Lexi glanced around. "Are you sure we can—?"
"Relaaax Chickadee." Jeanette waved the flyer casually. "I'll bring it back! Let's just go and see if they're open today."
Since Lexi had no idea where Room 77 was, she followed Jeanette's lead, logging the information provided. Nicknamed "The Basement," apparently Room 77 was a fallout shelter accessed by a maintenance shack near the football field. The rumors were extensive: holding cells for missing persons, bodies buried under the cement, ghosts. Lexi snorted. Can you imagine?
As they got closer to the common area, the regular after school commotion was . . . too loud. Border-line ominous. People jeered, cackled, and high-fived each other. Uneasiness hammered at Lexi's heart, and it stopped when a sneaker rolled across the tiles.
A half-naked boy in his undergarments crawled after it. Skater kids were close behind, bouncing around him with his clothing. One of them jumped in front of him to kick the stray shoe away, then dangled a shirt within reach only to yank it away. Everyone burst into laughter, and it made Lexi feel sick to her stomach.
"Kookaburra!" Jeanette exclaimed.
Lexi looked at her so fast, she almost got whiplash. Her immediate thought was confirmed when Jeanette didn't have her signature smile; kookaburra was another bird. Mindlessly, Jeanette started toward the commotion. Lexi snagged her arm.
"Wait, wait—let's go to the principal's office."
Getting involved now would only make things worse. She had to know that, right? Jeanette's expression wasn't promising. She didn't take her eyes off him, eyes a mix of determination and concern. A realization seemed to strike and her eyes landed on Lexi's hoodie.
Shit. Lexi hated the idea of being exposed — in many ways, her hoodie was her armor — but that boy was more vulnerable than she'd ever been. He needed it more than she did. Lexi numbly dropped her bag. This was gonna suck big time. Shaky fingers pulled on the zipper, reminding her how even her scab-tipped fingers would be on display. She ignored the goosebumps forming from the chill, and held the hoodie out to Jeanette. "Here. I'll take your bag."
Her eyes glinted gratefully as they swapped. "Thanks Chickadee."
Then she turned to run.
Lexi fought a shiver while she picked up her bag. The odds were stacked against anyone who tried to help. Jeanette essentially put a target on her back. Getting an adult would've been better. Or was she crazy? But seeing how Jeanette dropped to her knees and draped her hoodie over Kookaburra brought a flurry of emotions that overtook the shame keeping her in the safety of the crowd.
Admiration, awe, esteem.
It culminated until Lexi couldn't bear the distance from Jeanette. Her feet moved on their own and as the taunting jerks neared Jeanette, Lexi had an out-of-body experience. She didn't feel pain when she dropped to her knees and slid in front of her and her friend. There was no hesitation when she placed a hand on his shoulder. The jerks made a few surprised What the fuck? comments before they regained their senses.
"Oh—another one? I think we underestimated him, Evan."
"I've never had two girls get on their knees for me."
Lexi's heart pounded defiantly. Why did boys always turn to that? Scowling, Lexi glared in the direction of the comment. "You two are disgusting."
"You two are disgusting," one of them parroted mockingly. A handful of snickers followed.
Lexi hoped they couldn't see how her legs were shaking. Was there anything she could say to get them to shut up? No. It didn't matter if she insulted them or tried to reason with them. Every word would be used against her.
"Back off." The edge in her voice was a nice surprise, but it didn't change the fact she wished she chose something stronger to say. "You already got what you wanted."
The one who was leaning the closest stood, jabbing a thumb in their direction. "Ey yo, who the fuck is this?!"
Another one clapped his friend on the shoulder and looked Lexi up and down. "I dunno, but it looks like she got her shit outta the thrift store." He turned the same appraising eye towards Jeanette. "And that one looks like a theater kid."
"Why the fuck should we listen to you?" one sneered at Lexi.
She didn't have a rebuttal. She hated how despite not knowing her, these assholes knew exactly what to say to make her throat tighten up. But she didn't want them to know that. So, she squared her shoulders and clenched her jaw, raising her chin to show that even if she couldn't fight back, she wasn't going to let herself get pushed around.
"Let's go," Jeannette said. Her eyes were glued on her friend, who was gripping onto Lexi's hoodie like a lifeline. When Jeanette glanced at her, the message was clear.
Forget the jerks. The boy needed to be the priority.
And in the grand scheme of things . . . yeah, she was right. They needed to get him away from these dipshits. They helped him up and walked away steadily. The shitheads tried hard to get a reaction out of them — spouting more insults, tossing clothes after them — but they started losing interest when no one gave in so they tossed the last of the clothes after them.
Lexi didn't acknowledge them. Jeanette didn't so much as spare them a glance. They didn't get the pleasure of any stooping, and despite everything, that gave Lexi a small sense of satisfaction.
The administrator at the front office told them someone had raided the Lost and Found just before they arrived. Kookaburra draped a random shirt over his lap, clutching Lexi's hoodie tighter around his shoulders. While Jeanette was on the phone with someone named "Goose"—can I really be surprised?—Lexi talked to the boy and learned his name was actually Chester. He was quite a chatterbox, a little habit that reminded her of Virgil.
She swallowed hard.
Chester ended up telling her how he really wanted to be upgraded to a falcon this year. Unfortunately Jeanette gave it to a Zeke Thompson during lunch at the start of the school year. "I mean, he just got here—well, not like here here, but at the table here. I even asked him if I could have it—"
"Okay, Kookaburra!" Jeanette hopped back, stuffing her phone into her patched tote.
Lexi slumped in the chair. The awkward smile dropped along with her posture. There was only so many mm-hmm's and oh yeah's she could say before mentally checking out. Jeanette reassured Chester her friend Goose would be coming by with an extra set of clothes, and that he'd let her know once he was outside.
"You're okay waiting here while we go check out a club real fast?" Lexi asked.
"Aw, yeah. Do your thing, no worries."
They left with the promise of being fast. Knees aching, Lexi shivered as they walked in the halls. It wasn't cold, but her body reacted to her hoodie's absence as though it had been stripped of something vital. The anemia sure as shit didn't help. She hugged her arms tightly.
Jeanette suddenly grabbed her. "Oh! I almost forgot to say thank you!"
Lexi looked at the floor. Jeanette's sincerity made her feel like a sack of shit. She didn't hesitate to act. "I didn't do anything."
"Are you kidding, Chickadee?!" Jeanette beamed. "You came in like a hero! It was so cool."
Lexi couldn't help the dorky smile. Looking back? Yeah, whatever that stunt was shouldn't have worked. The turns tables and her luck swung around in the nick of time.
"Ahhh, see!" Jeanette nudged her arm playfully.
"I don't know why that worked!" Lexi admitted sheepishly with a shrug.
"Well, it did and it was awesome."
Although they shared the laugh, it didn't erase the urge to make things right with her. "Well, next time, I promise I'll help you go with you. I won't leave you hanging."
Jeanette elbowed her gently. "Hey, you were the only one that helped me get him on his feet, so y'know. You didn't."
Lexi exchanged a gentle smile with her. As nice as it was to know they were still on good terms, she wanted to move on as quickly as possible, so she asked the first thing that came to mind. "So what was that about Chester being a falcon?"
Giggling, Jeanette waved a hand. "Ohhh, just Kookaburra being a little kooky."
"How long's he been asking for an upgrade?" Whatever that meant.
"Since he learned what kookaburras were. He doesn't like it. But he isn't kestrel material." Jeanette made a face. "They're sharp. Silent. Laser-focused. Like tiny murder falcons."
Lexi quirked an eyebrow. "That's what that Thompson kid's like?"
"Ohhh, ya." Jeanette nodded dramatically. "Silent but deadly. I can tell he's a big softie though."
Interesting. Have I shared a class with him? Lexi couldn't remember though, to be fair, she transferred to Summerton last year. Maybe she did have a class with him but didn't recognize the name. Lexi asked about Chester's moniker, the kookaburra, and in spite of knowing the kid for less than an hour, decided that it was a better match for him.
Jeanette pointed to a gray rusty shack. "Oh! There it is!"
The metal hinges squealed as the door was pulled open. Lexi's grip on her arms tightened while they descended into a cement corridor. The atmosphere was worse than it was back at the main building, too cold. Echoes bounced down the passageway. Lexi shared a glance with Jeanette; it seemed there was a club meeting scheduled that day.
"Awww! Dang it!" Someone yelled, followed by a loud clang.
. . . Okay, the voices confirmed they were all guys. Whatever game they were playing seemingly steered into a competition. Typical. Jeanette seemed to recognize one of the voices, hopping in excitement before she skipped to a—holy shit—ridiculously heavy-looking door. It looked like the entrance to a bank vault.
What in the Sam Hill?
Lexi entered the basement after Jeanette, right as called, "Not it!"
There were three boys leaning on . . . Is that a diving board for a pool? Paired with the vault door, Lexi began to think that the rumors Jeanette told her about weren't entirely horseshit. Maybe Headless Nick would float through a wall next.
That's when she spotted the boy with the dark hair. She could tell he didn't miss a single detail when he looked at her and Jeanette, and it made her so uneasy, her eyes darted to the ground. She stopped walking as Jeanette's feet came into view. Right when she looked up, her heart stopped completely.
Virgil.