Finding an Angel (3 page)

Not long later he was arriving. Just like every time before, I answer him. But this time as we talk afterward, he changes. Something in him changes. Something in
me
changes. It is almost like a physical and audible click between the two of us. It is that alone that pushes me further than I ever thought I’d go and I hold his face gently in my hands, telling him – no urging him – to understand that hurting him… well, it hurt me too.

The shock on his face the whole time I touched him told me that he never expected me to do that. It only cements more to me on how much I can trust him. There just can’t be a time limit on this kind of friendship… Could there?

Present time…

Smiling fondly, she didn’t touch me again until a couple years later, but that day when she did… God, I felt like I could fly. Her beautiful eyes looking so intensely into mine and she spoke so passionately, I think I fell in love with her that day. Of course at the age of ten, I didn’t know what love was. Looking back on it now though, I think… No, I know, I loved her then.

There iasn’t a moment I didn’t think about her. Whenever I was at school, she was on my mind. What was she doing while I was studying subjects I just couldn’t stand? Though I made friends pretty easily, I quickly realized why Jessa was so scared of people. Not only that, but I saw first-hand why she was homeschooled and why the distance between her and people was so great.

It was because of one incident that I realized exactly how huge of a step she took when she came over and begged my parents to be friends with her parents. Seeing her cry, even at age seven, killed me. But she did what Jessa always did, put others before herself. Even if it scared the crap out of her, she would do whatever she could to make someone smile, or fix what she
thinks
she did wrong. It was when we were thirteen that she showed me exactly what our friendship meant to her, even though it lead us to a point I thought I was going to lose her.

Thirteen years old…

“Ma!” I shout the minute I jump out of Lyle’s parents’ car.

“What is it?” Mom asks as she comes out drying her hands with a dish rag.

“Can Lyle stay for a little bit while his mom goes to the store?”

“Of course,” Mom says as she makes her way over to the car to talk to Mrs. Willard.

Lyle jumps out of the car and rushes over to me. He looks around at all the property and at our house. Smiling big, he rubs his hands together.

“Oh, we are going to have fun Drewy boy.”

“Stop calling me that,” I growl.

Then his head turns to Jessa’s house. I see the question in his eyes before he asks it.

“That’s Jessa’s house. She’s one of my best friends. I’ll introduce you a little later. Let’s go play some games. Jessa’s probably still doing work,” I say as I shake my head.

She was already doing some college work even at our ages. As often as I can I tell her how incredibly smart she is. Per her normal, she turns it around on me and asks me about school. Smiling, I miss her when I don’t see her.

“Why are you smiling?”

“Oh, uh,” I blush. “Just thinking about something.”

“Let’s go meet her now,” Lyle says, but something in his voice makes me edgy.

Waving my hand in fake dismissal in her house’s direction, “Nah, let’s go play some games. I got that new fighting one.”

Little did I know at the time that Jessa was standing outside watching us the whole time.

“Really?! Well, what are we waiting for then. Let’s go,” Lyle runs eagerly toward my house.

Taking one last look at her house, I smile and hope that I see her today before heading inside and taking Lyle up to my room. We sat in front of my television playing the game for an hour or so before my mom told me that I needed to get some air and off the game for a while.

Lyle jumps up and claps his hands. “Let’s go see this neighbor of yours,” he grins.

Unable to put it off any longer, I stand. It’s not that I was embarrassed to know her, but I didn’t want to share her with anyone else. No matter how much I begged my mom to be homeschooled, she wouldn’t do it. She said it was her breathing time and time to catch up on all the stuff I wreck when I get home.

We walk down the stairs from the porch and he’s almost running in the direction of her house.

“Stop, Lyle. You have to understand she don’t know you. She doesn’t trust people. Hell, we’ve been friends for six years and I’m still earning her trust. Please, let me lead this,” I plead.

“What is she some kind of freak?” Though he’s asking it something in his voice tells me he already thinks that of her.

Before I can turn us around and not introduce them, we make it to her property line and she comes running like she does every day. Smiling, I’ve missed her. Seeing her so excited to see me every day makes my day no matter how crappy it was.

“Drew! Drew! I missed…” her voice trails off as she comes to an abrupt stop when she sees Lyle standing there. She hugs the doll I’d gotten her for her birthday a few years back. She wore a flowered dress and had a halo of flowers in her hair. It just seemed more her than her Miss Molly doll that was falling apart. She calls this one Miss Lily.

Stepping as close as she’ll let me to her, I smile brightly at her. “Hey Jessa. Missed you while I was at school. Did you do anything fun today?”

Her wary eyes never leave Lyle’s. “Mom says I need to pick up a hobby, but I already have one. She said I can’t do that all the time. Maybe you can help me figure something out,” she asks finally meeting my eyes.

Smiling even bigger, “I’d love to. I want you to meet a friend of mine. His name is Lyle. He came over to hang out with me for a little while. Lyle, this is my best friend Jessa that I keep talking about.”

Ignoring what I told him earlier he does two things right away that make her move away from me quickly, sticks his hand out to shake hers and steps closer to her. Quickly, I move in front of him and put my hand on his chest holding him back.

Lyle starts laughing. “You are the freak that the whole town talks about. I knew it! Dude, you know she’s retarded? Why are you even friends with this freak show? When the guys hear about this, you’ll be a laughing stock.”

Shoving Lyle back, he stumbles a few steps further away. “She is
none
of those things. She’s incredible and if that’s the way you are going to talk about her, don’t come around me anymore.”

“It’s okay Drew. This is what I mean. The bad people find me. They try to hurt me all the time. They’re everywhere.”

“Yeah because you’re a psycho bitch who should have never been born,” Lyle hisses. “You bring down everyone around you. Just like you’re doing Drew now.”

I go rigidly straight. Through clenched teeth and keeping my back to her, I say, “Go home Jessa. I’ll be over in a little bit.”

“Drew…” she starts.

“Please Jessa… Go home.”

I didn’t want her to see what I was about to do. She’d be scared of me and I can’t have that. It’d kill me if she didn’t want to be around me. I’d be lost without her. But Lyle needs to be taught a lesson and I’m going to teach it to him.

“Yes, lil retard, scurry on home. Please do the world a favor and never come out again,” Lyle hisses.

Before I think twice about it, I swing and nail Lyle right in the jaw. He stumbles backwards and I follow him. I punch him again and he falls to the ground. Straddling him, I wail on him and the whole time I’m yelling at him for hurting Jessa.

Suddenly, a loud piercing scream breaks through my rage. I jump off Lyle and turn in time to find Jessa falling to the ground. Lyle forgotten, I run to Jessa and lift her from the ground.

“Please be okay, Jess. Please.” I kiss her forehead before I bolt in the direction of her house.

Her father is just pulling in the drive as I carry a limp Jessa in my arms. My heart is beating rapidly and I’m fighting tears because of the fear that something terrible might have happened to her and it’ll be my fault.

Jumping from his car, he runs the remaining distance to me. “What happened?”

As I hand her over, I explain to him what happened and feel ashamed and rage pouring through me as I recall the events of what just went on. I didn’t want her to see this. When you move as often as we had, you learn how to fight to protect yourself. Thankfully this was our final move and I’m glad it is too. My life would not be complete without my best friend.

“Go on home, Drew. I’ll call you when she wakes up.” He pauses a minute. “It’s very stupid what you did, but thank you for standing up for her. No one does.”

With that he hurries inside and all I can do is stare after them. My eyes never leave the house until I hear my name being called behind me.

“Hunter Andrew Sandean! Get your butt over here right this minute.”

Turning, I see my mom standing next to a very messed up Lyle. Glaring at him the whole time I walk over to them, I stop in front of my mom not taking my eyes off Lyle.

“Yes, Ma’am?”

“What is this,” she asks as she points to Lyle.

“Lyle started attacking Jessa. I stood up for her. Not my fault he’s a pussy,” I growl.

“You were attacking little Jessa,” my mom questions Lyle.

“She’s a retard,” he slurs through his swollen and bloody face.

“That’s quite enough from you. I’m calling your mother. You’re no longer allowed over to our house anymore,” she starts to turn and my dad pulls in.

I groan because I just know he’s going to lay into me for this.

“What the heck happened here,” he asks shocked looking over Lyle.

“Your son beat him up for attacking Jessa,” my mom states before walking off and going inside.

“You did this to him,” my father asks.

Closing my eyes, I wait for it. “Yes, Sir. No one hurts Jessa while I’m around or ever,” I hiss looking at Lyle.

“We’ll talk later, son,” his tone is clip and I can’t tell what emotion he’s holding in.

Sighing, we all walk inside and wait for Mrs. Willard to show up. When she sees her son, my mom and her start getting in an argument over what happened to Lyle while we sit around the dining room table. Mrs. Willard condones her son’s comments and says she agrees with them wholeheartedly.

“Then you’re both idiots!” I yell.

“Hunter,” my father warns, but I don’t take the hint.

“Jessa is an incredible person. She brightens my days no matter how crappy they’ve been. Just being around her makes them better. She’s incredibly smart. At thirteen, she’s doing college work. Your son is barely passing and was suspended today for telling a teacher to suck him.”

Mrs. Willard gasps as she looks down at her son.

“Jessa is the strongest, smartest, most talented, loving, beautiful soul I’ve ever met. She did not deserve the treatment she received from your son nor the horrible thoughts from you,” I glare at Lyle’s mom. “Maybe you should take a look at your own life before you insult other people. Because your husband is sleeping with the teacher that Lyle told to suck him. Your family is far from perfect,” I say wanting them to feel the pain that I know Jessa feels all day and night long. Childish behavior maybe, but at this point, I just don’t care. “At least that’s what Lyle tells me. So, as my mom and Dad always tell me. People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. No one is perfect or better than someone else just because they live a different way. We’re different for a reason. She’s not a freak, but you
are
close minded if you can’t open your eyes and see what she is capable of.”