A Dark and Stormy Night

Ok, so I was throwing this idea around. Figured I'd work on this in between my other one. Let me know if it's any good.

Copywrite: Aaron Dudenhefer

It was a calm and cool day. The sun was mostly blocked out by the clouds floating above. Gentle breezes came through every so often. It should have been a perfect day for feeling great. But it wasn’t for James. The weather reminded him too much of another day. A day not so long ago. Sitting on the bleachers around the football field, he hung his head low. He didn’t want any of the football players to see him upset. There wasn’t a doubt in James’ mind that they would use it as an excuse to pick on him some more. As he sat there, listening to the team as they got ready for the big game that night, he wondered why he still bothered to even manage for the team.

All he did each afternoon was make sure the team’s coolers were properly filled with water and that they had plenty of ice and to clean up their equipment when they were done. Not once was he ever thanked by any of the players for his diligent work. It seemed they just assumed that the little things got done all by themselves. But as rough as the work was, it was still something for James to do. Anything that kept him from thinking too much was a blessing. As long as it took his mind off of her.
James never claimed to be a pretty boy. He was average height with a very lean build. His muscles were slightly developed from the work he did for the team, but nothing no one would claim him to be a body builder. Shaggy brown hair ran down to his ears, and it was nearly impossible to keep under control. The skin on his face was thin, which gave him the appearance of being half dead. Which didn’t help him much due to his serious lack of a tan. Perhaps the only thing that James had going for him physically was his green/light brown eyes. But that didn’t seem to do him any good.

It certainly hadn’t stopped Clarissa from dumping him two weeks ago. He still didn’t know why she had done it. Right out of nowhere too, he had never seen it coming. The few times he had tried to call her had been dismal failures. She had never given him an answer for their breakup. He doubted that he ever would get one. And that’s what hurt him the most.

Sighing heavily, James saw one of the team coaches waving down to him. He had to get back to work. Wiping away the sadness from his eyes, James descended from his perch. Maybe the game tonight would be good for him. It would make him stop thinking, at least for a little while.

It was the usual business he had grown used to. The crowd slowly filtered in. The sun went down, as the last rays vanished, the stadium was packed. James just sat back and watched it all. Games didn’t mean anything to him anymore, you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. He watched the stupid routine of the flag and dance teams whip the crow into a frenzy just before the game began. How people could get so worked up over a stupid game, he didn’t know. James especially didn’t know why he still bothered to be part of this. The only answer that came to him was that it was better than spending his Friday nights on the couch watching television.

When the game did start, James had his back turned. He was too busy taking one of the coolers from the table just behind the lines and hauling it back to the field house to fill it up. When he got back, he saw that the team had scored the first touchdown. And he couldn’t have cared less.

He didn’t pay any attention to the points in the game where the team and the crowd were dangling on the edge. The only thing about the game that he did pay attention to was when halftime was announced. That was the part he hated the most, because he had to fill all of the coolers. So, while the team rested in the field house and the crowd mingled, he set about the laborious task that was appointed to him. Having done it so many times, he had the job done just halfway through the break. That gave him some free time to do whatever he wanted. Mainly get something to eat.

James went to the concession stand and ordered a hot dog and soda. A small nut bar was added to his order, just in case. With his hands full of his really bad dinner, James walked around to the back of the building, fully intent on eating his quick meal in peace. He should have known with how rotten his luck was going that that wasn’t going to happen. Rounding the corner, he ran smack dead into some one.

“Hey! Watch where you’re going!” a girl’s voice snapped at him. James jumped back to see who he had bumped into.

She wasn’t anyone he knew. Her face was slightly familiar, but only in the way that one saw a person passing by them every once and a while. Her white uniform told him that she was with the school band. James’ only interest in music was listening to it on a radio or headphones. She looked at a length of her left arm and her face tightened.

“Thanks a lot, you spilled your drink on my uniform.” She said in an almost pouting voice.

“You’ll live.” James growled, pushing past her. Ever since the agonizing escapade with Clarissa, he had grown an extreme dislike towards all women, and he had no problem showing it. As the rest of the crowd went about their business, James happily sat under the bleachers and scarfed down his sorry excuse for dinner. Loneness was bliss. Trying to work through his suffering through his friends was hopeless. They all had girlfriends of their own, and were of no real help. The last friend he had visited had been three days ago, and he had stormed out of the house less then a half hour after arriving. Seeing one of his buddies making out with his girl right in front of him had been just too much for James to bear.

If his pain wasn’t bad enough, it seemed every damn person in the world had someone. Maybe that’s why he had eaten lunch far away from the cafeteria for the last two weeks. He didn’t want anyone around him. He didn’t want anyone to talk to him like they knew how this gut wrenching emptiness felt. The absolute worst part of all of it was passing by Clarissa every day in the halls. Again, he had tried to talk to her for the first few days, and she had brushed him completely off like he didn’t even exist. The sudden change from the warmth to the bitter coldness in her eyes had sent him rushing into a bathroom stall to pour his sorrow out more than once. So he had just given up, and accepted that the once beautiful thing they had had together was dead. Just like his heart.

The five minute warning buzzed. Sighing, James wolfed down the last of the hotdog and slammed down the drink. Walking past the concession house, he toss the garbage into the can at the back of the building. And that’s when he saw her. Clarissa. She was dressed in her usual tight fitting jeans and low cut white shirt. But it wasn’t so much seeing her that bothered James, it was who she was with. Marcus Emmeric, a first line linebacker for the football team and a first rate ass who thought he was king shit of the world. Seeing the way he playfully had Clarissa pinned to the side wall of the field house was all the answer James ever needed. It suddenly became very painfully aware to him how very little he had really known Clarissa.

His chest might as well have been sliced open and a vat of salt poured inside when Clarissa finally noticed him. He saw her whisper something to Marcus. The large jock turned his head at him and smirked. He swung himself behind Clarissa and wrapped his arms around her in a very, very ‘friendly manner’. That was all James could take.
Deep redness flushing his face, James stormed away from the sight. He didn’t care if he had to haul a thousand water coolers, he just needed to get away from it all. James came up to the fence that separated the crowd area with the field. At that section, it was only waist high. Grabbing the top in a near vice like grip, he flung himself up and over the fence. Sticking his hands in his pockets, he casually walked over to the coolers, although his attitude was anything but casual. Once he was there, James set about his task of filling cups and water bottles for the team. He let his mind descend into the task to such an extent that he slipped into a near trance like state.

Thankfully, he was able to remain in the trance for quite some time. Until that was, an empty bottle was slammed down right between his hands. The loud bang snapped James into reality with a great startle. Adrenaline surged through him, and he lost his breath for a few moments. Looked up, he found himself almost face to face with Marcus. “Fill it up.” he said with smirk.

James would have told him to go to hell, there were plenty of other bottles that were completely full that he could get. But he had to fill requests by the players concerning water. If not, he could lose his job. James suddenly wondered if keeping it was worth going through this. He seriously doubted it. Yet he did as he was asked. When he handed the bottle to Marcus, the ass snatched it from him in such a show of machismo that James wanted to puke.

“No hard feelings right?” he asked. James knew damn good and well what he was talking about. He didn’t say anything.

“You had your fun, but you just weren’t good enough.” Marcus puffed up his large chest. “She needed a man, not a boy.”

James looked down at the table and gripped the edges so tightly that his fists turned white. Marcus, like the sinister predator he was, knew his had James by the throat. And he went for the kill.

“Don’t worry,” he snickered. “I’ll tell you Monday about all the buttons you didn’t know to push. That way you won’t fuck up next time. What do you think?”

James took a very long, deep breath. He then eased his hands from the table. With a deliberate slowness, he took one of the nearby cups in his hand. “I think…” he whispered, taking a sip from the cut. The ice cold water felt like acid rolling down his burning chest, but it quickly became very soothing.

James lowered the cup and lightly smacked his lips, appearing as if he didn’t have a care in the world. It was like Marcus hadn’t said anything to him at all. Then, in one blur of motion, he threw the icy contents right into Marcus’ face. The jock stumbled back, sputtering the frigid water from his mouth.

“Cool off.” James growled at him before sticking his hands in his pockets and casually backed away.

“You…you little…” Marcus fumed with rage, moving after him with the full intent of pumpling him into the ground. As he took the first few steps, a much harsher voice bellowed from the sidelines.

“Marcus! Get your head out of your ass boy! We just got an interception, get on the field!”

Marcus glared one last time a James. “I’m going to get you.” He said through clenched teeth as he stared James right in the eyes. It lasted for a few moments, then he threw on his helmet and rushed off.

James couldn’t help but smirk as he walked away from the field. To hell with the team, he didn’t have to put up with this bullshit. To hell with that ass Marcus. And to hell with Clarissa, that heartless bitch. Whistling slightly, James went into the field house. Finding a nice spot to lay on his back on one of the benches, he spent the remainder of the game just staring up at the ceiling. He knew he should have been scared of Marcus. Maybe any other time, he would have melted at the thought of provoking Mr. Chiseled face. But tonight, it had been just too much. And he was glade he had done it too.

In fact, when he exited the field house at the end of the game, and found out the team had lost because Marcus had missed a sure catch for a touchdown, James could have walked on air. Maybe he was crazy for this one night, but he certainly wasn’t stupid. He skirted around the back of the field house when the team entered to get yelled at by the coaches. James hoped Marcus would have a fun time doing triple workout tomorrow, like happened every Saturday after the team lost. Knowing how pissed Marcus was bound to be, James gladly waited under the stands as the crowd filtered out while the two teams bands battled each other. James gave those band geeks credit for one thing, they took their trade as serious as the football players. When the music war finally filtered down, most of the people were gone.

Humming tunes to himself, James went out to the side of the field to collect up the coolers. Many of them and the water bottles were scattered about on the ground, no doubt victims of a lot of testosterone driven ogres that couldn’t handle losing. Feeling very disgusted at their childish behavior, James set about cleaning up their mess.

“This is the last time.” He whispered to himself. “I’m not doing this again for those ingrates.”

Taking a pair of coolers, James walked back to the field house. He couldn’t help but breath a sigh of relief when he saw Marcus’ truck wasn’t there. Something in the back of his mind told him that Clarissa’s car probably wasn’t around either. Bitch.
Feeling the pain return, James set about his job of moving all the equipment back into the building. By the time he was almost done, assistant coach Roland bumped into him.

“Good effort tonight James, you really were on the ball.”

“Thanks.” he said in a very empty voice.

“Listen, the wife’s got an anniversary dinner planned for me, and I can’t be late. Is it alright if I give you the keys and you lock up tonight? You can just give them back to me Monday.”

“Sure.” James said in a pretty hollow voice. Roland smiled and handed him the keys before walking off. “Great.” he muttered to himself, bitterness clearly evident in his voice. “Another happy couple.”

Back in a foul mood, James set about putting the last of the teams’ things into the field house. As he was making his last trip back, the last few cars pulled away. Only the rustling of air and the chirping of crickets greeted him as the lights for the field were shut off, plunging him into darkness. The dim light of the moon helped guide him back to the entrance of the field house. It was too bad James was so used to doing his job in darkness like this, he just might have noticed the sound of feet rushing up behind him.

He was hit from behind by something large and powerful. The force of the blow sent him face first into the damp grass, shoveling several blades past his teeth. Spitting out the grass, he was roughly rolled over onto his back. Marcus loomed over him, and behind Marcus were three of his buddies. “Cool off huh?” he spat the words down at James.
Before James had a chance of reacting, Marcus decked him in his face, just below his left eye. Pain exploded on the left side of his face, and James’ eye instinctively shut. “Bet you thought that was really funny huh?” Marcus said, punching him again.
James felt a strong copper taste flood into his mouth. He wanted to hit Marcus back, but the jock had him pinned, and his friends looked posed to assist if there was the faintest chance that he couldn’t handle James. Unable to get up, James remained motionless as Marcus got off of him. He took two steps away, then turned around and kicked James hard just below the ribs. Air rushed from his lungs and he gasped for breath.

As he lay there, winded and helpless, Marcus nodded to two of his friends. They moved off into the shadows, and came back with something. James saw through his one good eye that it was one of the coolers. “Maybe you should cool off.” Marcus sneered.

He and another jock grabbed James around the arms and dragged him over to the cooler. James got a single glance to see that the container was filled to the top with ice water. Then next instant, his head was plunged into the freezing water. The coldness bit at his face like a thousand tiny daggers. It was agony. Marcus jerked his head back up, giving him a chance to draw a single quick breath before dunking him again.

He held his head under for a few more seconds, and then pulled him back up. “Tell me you’re sorry, and we’ll call it a night.” he hissed into James’ ear.

“Fuck you.” James cursed through his chattering teeth.

“Asshole.” Marcus growled, slamming James’ head down a third time. For the next few minutes, in the darkness of the field, James underwent the most painful and humiliating torture of his entire life. There were a few moments when he thought he was going to drown. No matter how much he struggled, he was just no match for four guys, each of them bigger than he was. After was felt like an eternity of suffering, Marcus seemed to grow bored with the ‘game’. He pulled James’ head out one last time and threw him into the grass like he was a pile of garbage.

“If I didn’t have a hot date tonight with your ex, I’d beat the living shit out of you.” Marcus let James look up weakly at him so he could show him that he was holding the keys to the field house. “But since I’m in a hurry, I’m going to give you a chance to think about being nicer to me from now on.”

Marcus motioned to his friends. “Get him.” Two of them grabbed his arms, the third his legs. Together they hauled him into the field house like he was some kind of damn fish. Laughing the whole time, they tossed him inside. James skidded across the floor for several feet, coming to a stop where he could look directly at the door. Marcus flashed the keys to him, a vicious smile was on his face.

“Now you’ll have plenty of time to cool off shit head. Have a nice night!” With that, he slammed the door shut. James clearly heard the clicking of the door’s lock. Growling, he scrambled to his feet and hurled himself at the door. His smaller body slammed into it to no avail, it remained solid as a rock.

Cursing under his breath, James grasped the knob with both hands and shook it as hard as he could. It didn’t budge an inch. He searched the door for the inside lock, and remembered that the coaches had installed new ones at the beginning of the year. They could only be opened with a key, whether inside or out. A furious cry bellowing from his clenched teeth, James pounded his fist on the door. “Marcus, damn you! Open the door, you son-of-a-bitch!”

The only answer he got was a bunch of laughs and the sound of truck peeling away. James raced to the far end of the field house and glanced through a window that was only large enough to see through. The only thing his good eye caught was the red orbs of tail lights disappearing into the darkness. Fuming, he marched into the head coach’s office to use the phone, when he picked it up, all he got was a dead tone. Then he remembered that the phone line was outside. Of course Marcus had used the key to open the box and turn the power off. James regretfully realized that the prick wasn’t as stupid as he had once thought. Hanging his head low in defeat, James slowly dragged himself out into the front locker room.

No one was going to be back until at least ten in the morning the following day. He was going to have to spend the whole night in this stinky, miserable place. Hell of a way to spend your last day on the job. Sighing, he flopped onto one of the benches and placed his head in his hands. As he was letting himself descend into familiar misery, since that was all he seemed to have left, the sound of a door opening caught his attention.
He heard footsteps approaching, and he lifted his head. He was just in time to see her walk around the corner. She looked his way. And they both froze.

It was her. The girl he had bumped into behind the concession house. She was still wearing her white band outfit. A clump of brown paper towels was scrunched in her right hand, which she held over her left forearm. In the bizarre stillness between them, James sized her up. She wasn’t what anyone would call skinny. Kind of fat, actually he corrected himself, because that seemed kind of mean to him, even in his angry state. She was slightly hefty, but her size fit her proportions perfectly. The best way James could describe her was ‘cute cubby’. She had straight black hair that flowed around her barely round face came to a rest around her shoulders. She stared at him with eyes that were exactly the color of an Almond. This was the kind of girl that wouldn’t win a beauty pageant, but she could turn heads if she wore the right clothing, which she definitely wasn’t doing right now.

For who knew how long, neither of them said anything, they just looked at each other.

Finally, she broke the silence. “What happened to you?”

“What do you care?” James asked bitterly, looking away from her.

The girl frowned and brushed a clump of her raven black hair from her face. “Fine, sorry for asking.” she said in a very sarcastic voice. She tossed the paper into a nearby garbage bin and walked into the locker room to get her bag, which had her marching hat on top of it.

“What are you doing in here?” he asked as she picked up her bag.

“Cleaning my uniform, the one you stained.” she grunted. Flinging her bag over her back, she started moving towards the front door.

“Hey girl.” James called after her. She stopped suddenly and glared over her shoulder at him.

“I have a name you know.”

James rolled his eyes. This was all he needed. How could things get any lower? “Alright, what’s your name?”

“Katlyn.” she told him before heading once more to the front door.

“Well, Katlyn,” James forced her name out like it was a curse word, “don’t bother. You can’t leave.”

Katlyn turned to him, the expression on her face suggesting that she was pissed. “What did you say?”

James couldn’t help but chuckle to himself very softly. Sighing, he leaded back into a locker at looked at her through both of his eyes, thankful that his left wasn’t swelling badly. Smiling like some kind of lunatic, he ran a hand through his brown hair. “Katlyn,” he spoke, first looking at the ceiling, then rolling his eyes towards her, “I’ve got some bad news.”

Yep. It was confirmed, the night had just gotten a whole lot worse.