We stepped out of the infirmary and into the hallway. We walked to the staircase, the sound of our sneakers squeaking on the marble-floored hallway. The corridors on the first floor were quiet, and the lighting was dim until we made it to the staircase on the left side of the hallway. I was halfway up the steps when I heard Barry's voice.
"Guys."
Keisha, Connor, and I turned around.
"Are we really gonna pull this off?"
Connor frowned, "Bro."
"What I'm just being realistic, this isn't the same as yesterday. Jackal will make what happened with Jess and Mark look like child's play."
Keisha narrowed her eyes, her voice sharp but steady.
"Then don't step on the court."
Barry blinked, "Huh?"
Keisha held her icily calm gaze, "You heard me, lover boy, if you don't believe we have a shot, then beat it!"
The stairwell echoed, then went quiet again. Not the peaceful quiet. The type of quiet that feels suffocating.
Connor rubbed the back of his neck, "She's not wrong, bro... but you're not going paranoid, either."
Barry beckoned his head toward the infirmary, "We should be with Stanlee; none of us is leaving that gym unscathed."
He trained his gaze on the floor. "I'm just saying, this isn't Wade. It took everything we had to even beat him. What chances do we have against Jackal?"
Jackal's name hung in the air rent-free, like it owned the space, like it belonged there for eternity.
"Let's say we beat him," Barry continued. "What happens next?"
I gripped the stairwell railing. "I know..."
The three of them looked at me. I kept my back facing them. "I gotta be strong for them. Barry's only saying this 'cuz he's worried about us. Who am I kidding? None of us wants to get crushed by Jack, Wade, and the rest."
"But," I started. Images of my mother, Jason, and Stanlee fluttered in my head. Jessica, Marcus, Keisha, and the twins, shining brightly like the sun. A single thundercloud. threatened to cover up that sunshine and strike the wall down.
I turned around to face him,"I didn't come all this way just to stop at the stairs. Jackal and I have unfinished business, Bare. You know this. I'm done running away."
Keisha smirked slightly, "Damn straight."
Connor nodded.
Barry stood there, shocked.
"If we don't stand up and fight now while one of us is hurt, then it's the end of us as a wall!" Keisha said.
She exhaled, "We have to show Jonas, Wade... and Jackal that we will always stand for one another even if we don't have Jason or Stanlee."
Barry clenched his fists, jaw tight. "You know what, Kevin, Keisha, I know y'all can handle yourselves."
He glanced at Connor, "But Connor-"
Connor's expression hardened, "Don't start."
Barry ignored him, his voice rising.
"I'm serious, bro. Have you even thought about how Mom might take this if you get hurt? We can walk away now and-"
"And leave them?" Connor cut in quietly.
Barry hesitated, then looked up.
"...I'm not trying to leave them. We are indeed one wall, but there are layers to my wall compared to y'all's wall. I'm trying to make sure none of us end up like Stanlee."
Silence.
The door creaked behind us. We all turned to see Officer Black. Had we not been so invested in our conversation, we would have heard him coming.
"Passes."
We all showed him our passes one by one.
He grunted, "Why are we standing around for? Get to class before I write y'all up for truancy."
He stood there, waiting for us to go.
With that, we all went up the steps to the second floor.
***
As we entered the second floor, quiet dominated the hallways. I led the way with Keisha and Connor close behind. Barry was farther behind. The hallway lighting was dark but flickered on as we walked by, each step louder than the last.
Before I knew it, there we were, right in front of the gym doors.
Connor glanced back at Barry. "You guys go on ahead; let me talk to him real quick."
Keisha and I nodded.
We pounded on the metallic gray doors. Coach K's voice boomed, "Alicia, go get that door."
Alicia arrived, opening the door. Her black hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Her brown eyes sparkled with a gleam of worry in her expression.
"Is it true?" Alicia choked out.
Keisha and I glanced at each other. "Who told you?"
"Wade and his group of assholes, he's been gloating ever since they stepped into the gym."
Alicia looked past us. "What's up with Barry?"
"We'll explain later, or better yet, you can go ask him yourself," Keisha said harshly as she held the door for me. Alicia, confused and hurt, went to Barry, who was leaning against the locker with Connor beside him, talking to him.
I stepped inside the interior corridor that leads to the gym. Coach K was sitting in a chair at the end of it. "Passes."
Keisha and I handed our blue passes over to him.
"Do the twins have passes as well?"
"Yeah, they do."
"Great, then let's get this game set up. Keisha, bring the twins and Alicia inside. I'd hate to have to call Officer Black at the end of the year."
Keisha threw her hands up and grumbled, "Sure, let me go get Mr. My walls have layers."
Coach K watched her storm back down the corridor. "What's up with her, pal?"
I ignored the coach and walked into the gym. I immediately scanned the room. I saw Luke and Margaret in our blue jerseys.
"It's about time you got here, pussy."
I turned my head to look at the other side of the gym for the first time. A sea of red jerseys is never a good sign. Wade was front and center. Jonas, to his right, spinning the rubber ball on his index finger. Carlos, to his left, grinned darkly. Jonas was . Manuel cracked his knuckles. Charlie sneered at my entrance.
WHAM!
My heart rate rose; this was the last sound anybody at Lyons wanted to hear. The collision of the rubber ball with the metallic bleachers echoed across the gym. Standing to the far right near the bleachers, His punk spiky hair multi-colored, his leather jacket tied around his waist. His skull dragon tattoo on his left arm, his biceps bulging as big as grapefruits.
Jackal Thompson.
His dodgeball rolled and stopped at my feet. He turned around, and we locked eyes.
At that moment, Keisha walked in, followed by Connor, Alicia, and Barry.
Wade cackles, " This is just perfect. All my haters in one place." He bumps Jonas ' arm, " This'll be even better than what we did to Jessica and Fat Albert. "
The whole red squad burst out laughing, except Jackal.
"Keep on talking, Wade, it's gonna make me feel so damn good when I slam this dodgeball in yo fucking face." Keisha roared.
Wade's laughter died down immediately.
Jonas snickered, "Me personally, I wouldn't take that from her."
Wade shot him a side eye,"Weren't you hiding behind me yesterday cuz you were scared of Jessica's tall ahh."
Snickers broke out on the red squad.
Wade turned back to face us. "That's big talk, Keisha better back it up."
"Oh, I intend to," Keisha retorted.
Wade turned his focus to me, "You better get your hoe in line."
My neck tremored with rage, "The only hoes I see here are you and anyone who took part in jumping Stanlee!"
BAM!
Jack punched the bleachers. He walked up to me until he was inches from my face. He glared, "Are you calling me a hoe, Kevi?"
I held his gaze, "Yes."
He smirked, "Good," he looked at Barry, the red ball had rolled over to be in front of his feet. "Gimme the ball, punk."
Barry bent down immediately as his hand reached for the dodgeball. Alicia grabbed his hand
"Barry, stop it now! He can't hurt you."
"You can't guarantee that, Alice. Now go on, pick it up," Jackal taunted.
Barry was sweating in fear. I was never close to the twins, as they were more Marcus and Stanlee's friends than mine. So this was my first time seeing Barry like this.
P-wang!
Connor kicked the dodgeball into the corridor entrance to the gym. He glared at Jackal,"Do it yourself, God gave you hands and feet for a reason."
Jackal grinned darkly,"I leave for a week and everybody starts acting bold? I like that."
Coach K, who was still in the corridor from earlier, walked into the gym with the dodgeball in hand and gave it back to Jack, "Back to your side, boy."
Jack shot him a dirty look that screamed, "I'll remember this," before returning his focus to us. "Today will be a reminder of where you all stand, especially for you two, Bartholomew and Conrad."
Coach K blew his whistle. "Team huddle! Since Stanlee, Jessica, Marcus, Loretta, Junior, and Jason are all not here yet or able to play today, we'll run a 7-on-7 matchup, no halftime."
Coach counted up both sides," No Maxie? Wade is your nephew here today?"
Wade nodded, "He'll pull up."
Coach nodded," Alrighty, Now go to your teams and strategize while I set up this 5-minute timer."
With that, he jogged off to his desk, set up the timer, and pulled out a bag of Doritos.
Luke and Margaret had the bin with the remaining blue jerseys. We each grabbed one, except Barry, who seemed zoned out.
"Earth to Barry! Hellooooo," Alicia said, waving her hands in front of his face.
Keisha shook her head. "Enough with lover boy. Kevin, what's the plan?"
"We'll run the same plan that won it for us yesterday. We stay back and let them waste all the dodgeballs they have on their side. Then we outgun 'em."
Luke itched his head, "That plan worked yesterday, but today's different. Won't they have figured out a counter to that plan?"
I nod, "I know, we'll have to adjust and improvise as we go on."
"We know Maxie and Manuel won't throw their balls after yesterday. They know they're the weak points in Stanlee's plan," Connor added, glancing at Barry.
I snapped my fingers. "In other words, today we have curveballs and fastballs to be worrying about. Guys, don't catch the ball unless you're 1000 percent sure you can catch and handle the brunt of the blow. I'm dead serious."
They all nod in unison.
I glance at Barry, who was still shaken from the earlier confrontation with Jackal. Alicia read my gaze.
Alicia crouches down beside him, "Barry, I know you're scared. But you aren't alone, Barry. Look at us; we're all here facing the same enemy as one wall.
Barry's expression hardened at the word "wall". Keisha, Connor, and I share worried glances. Barry opens his mouth to say something.
Except this time, I'm right beside you."
She took his hands in hers, and that shut his mouth instantly, "Connor, Keisha, and Kevin are right, you know. We've got to stand up for ourselves, especially when one of us gets hurt. Can you stand and fight with us? If not for us, then for our friends who aren't with us now."
Barry managed a smile," Let's do thi-"
BANG!
The metallic gym doors burst open, slamming against the brick wall.
We all glance down the hallway, and I recognize the silhouette. It was Jessica. She tripped and fell to her knees. I rushed over to her with Keisha hard on my heels.
I crouch down and take Jessica's good hand, "Jessica, what are you doing here?"
I see her face; her eyes were bloodshot, and her makeup was ruined from crying. Her brown eyes and brown hair were plastered onto her tan skin.
"It's Stanlee... he was taken to the ER."