Chapter Two--Devotion = Real Friendship---Angels Among Us/The blessing

Chapter 2

Devotion=Real Friendship

When Mike next opened his eyes, he saw a blinding light and then, as his eyes came into focus, Vanessa’s face. She looked more scared than Mike had ever seen someone.
“Vanessa?? Are you all right?”
Mike tried to sit up, but felt a sharp pain travel up his neck and to his head. He sank back down and Vanessa took his hand.
“Mike, I’m fine-.”
But Mike cut her off,
“Chad didn’t hurt you?”
“Settle down, Mike! No, Chad didn’t hurt me. Just kinda scared me, that’s all.”
Mike took a deep breath. As long as Chad hadn’t hurt Vanessa, he could relax. Vanessa continued,
“But I have been more scared for you. You were beat up really, really bad. Even after you went unconscious, Max kept on punching you. Then, he pulled out a-”
“A what?”
“A p-pocket knife. And...”
Vanessa gently lifted up his left arm, the one that she had been holding. Mike saw that it was thickly bandaged. Vanessa just looked at it and whispered,
“Mike, I am so sorry. As if you haven’t been through enough as it is.”
Mike shook his head slightly,
“Vanessa, it wasn’t your fault.”
The next thing that Mike saw caught him completely off guard. A small, delicate tear was slipping down Vanessa’s cheek. Summoning up all the strength that he had left, Mike reached up with his good hand and wiped it away. Vanessa looked up and smiled. Mike smiled too and, closing his eyes, he fell asleep.
The gashes on Mike’s wrist took 150 stitches to close. The future use of his wrist was unknown; the damage had been that horrendous. His face had several large bruises on it. Max had certainly done a job on him. But then, one day, Mike heard Vanessa talking to someone outside his room. He recognized the other voice almost immediately,
“Vanessa, why the heck are we here?”
It was Chad. And Mike saw the silhouette of Max through the curtains on the windows,
“Because there is someone that you have to meet.”
With that, Vanessa opened the door and Chad and Max shuffled in. When their eyes fell on Mike, a strange expression crossed their faces. Vanessa went up to them and folded her arms across her chest.
“See?” She asked. “See what you did to him? You had no idea the damage done, did you?”
Max and Chad just shook their heads, still staring at Mike. Then, Chad turned toward Vanessa,
“I have a quick question for you. While Max was doing his business, you were begging him to stop. You said that Mike was going through enough anyway. What did you mean?” Vanessa gulped and shot a nervous glance at Mike. But Mike nodded slightly and Vanessa knew that it would be okay to tell them. However, she had a little difficulty getting it out,
“Chad, last year Mike was... he was–”
Mike finished the sentence, “I was hit by a car.” Chad and Max stared at him and then left. Vanessa was obviously embarrassed and turned to apologize to Mike, but he stopped her.
“Don’t worry, Vanessa.” Vanessa closed her mouth.

Mike went back to school the next week in a wheelchair. The doctor was going to put him on crutches, but then, they remembered his hand and decided that crutches were out of the question. Vanessa was incredibly supportive and the day before Mike went back to school, she came over. Mike’s mom opened the door,
“Oh, hi Vanessa!”
“Hello, is Mike there?”
“Yes, come in.” Vanessa stepped in and saw Mike’s black Schipperke, Sparky, running up to her on its stubby little legs. Vanessa smiled and knelt down,
“Here, Sparky! Here, boy!” While Vanessa was playing with Sparky, Mike came up. But when he saw Vanessa playing with his dog, he stopped and watched them. Sparky jumped into Vanessa’s arms and licked her face. Then, Vanessa did something that Mike had never heard her do before; she giggled. Like a little girl going to her friend’s birthday party in a pretty little dress. She laughed and laughed and Mike smiled. She looked up and saw him. Immediately, she stood up, holding Sparky in her arms. She was still smiling,
“Mike, I want to take him home!” Mike laughed,
“Sorry, Vanessa, but I want to keep him. And anyway, at your house, he would probably die from all the love and kisses.” Vanessa laughed and sat down on the sofa with Sparky,
“Is that really that bad? If he would die from all the love?”
They sat in silence for a while, Vanessa scratching Sparky behind the ears and Mike just watching.
“Vanessa?”
Vanessa looked up,
“Yes, Mike?”
“Why are you here?”
Vanessa looked deep in thought. Then, she looked at Mike,
“I really don’t know, now that I think about it. I just wanted to make sure you were doing all right. And I wanted to see Sparky.”
She added, petting Sparky.
“Um, Vanessa. I have to ask you about something.”
“Yes?”
Mike waited for Vanessa to look up,
“Is what you said true?”
“What?”
“The day I was beat up, Chad asked you to the Snowflake Ball. You said no, but you also said that you would go with me if I asked you.”
Vanessa looked at the floor, embarrassed. But Mike placed a hand under her chin and lifted up.
“Yes. Ever since I saw you at the beginning of the school year, I have wanted to get to know you. But you looked really unsure of yourself. Now, I know why. And I was unsure of myself too.”
“Why?”
“I lost my Mom last summer,” Vanessa said, choking back tears, “And I didn’t know anyone at school.”
And then, instead of single tears falling down her cheeks, Vanessa put her head in her hands and just started crying. Mike was startled at first and then, he put an arm around her. She turned and cried onto his shoulder. He hugged her and they sat there.

Chapter One--The Fight---Angels Among Us/The Blessing

Chapter 1

The fight

Vanessa Walters was the one girl Mike Fowler ever wanted. She was pretty, smart and talented. The only problem was that he was different. Vanessa would never like a cripple. Not a beautiful girl like her.
A driver didn’t have the sense to not look where he was going when Mike was crossing the street. That had been a year ago. It had ruined his right leg and the damage had been extreme. Even though he had gone through seven surgeries, three to minimize scarring, he had an obvious limp that he felt everyone could see. At night, when he took off the leg brace, all he saw were scars.
One night, as he stared remorsefully at his leg, Vanessa’s gorgeous image drifted into his mind; with her long mahogany hair, green eyes and long legs. No man deserved her. And as Mike thought about her, another face came into his head. It was the face of the head quarter back. All the girls wanted Chad, but he was only interested in one. However, Vanessa wasn’t interested in Chad. Chad constantly tried getting Vanessa’s attention in various ways, including ways that weren’t right. But Vanessa just walked away.
The Snowflake Ball was coming up and Mike really wanted to ask Vanessa out. But, ever since the accident, he was plagued by his leg; as well as hitting his body, the car hit is pride, and he was left with no self-confidence. Lately, he had realized that lately she had been paying him some attention. However, it was impossible for him to approach her. She was always in the midst of a group of friends.

Six weeks before the dance, he was sitting in the cafeteria and reading when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Startled, he looked around and saw Vanessa. He was utterly speechless, but she started the conversation,
“Hi, you’re Mike, right?”
All Mike could do was nod. Vanessa continued,
“Since you are in my math class, I was wondering if you could help me with the parabolas that Mrs. Smith taught. Math isn’t my strong subject.”
It took a while for Mike to comprehend that Vanessa actually wanted his help. His wildest dreams had come true.
Quickly, he moved over and made room for her to sit. However, he moved too quickly and bumped his injured leg against the table leg. He winced and Vanessa looked startled.
“Mike, are you all right?” she asked in a concerned voice. He nodded, but Vanessa didn’t seem very convinced.
“Mike, I have a question to ask you. Did something happen to your leg? You limp really badly and now you just winced.”
While Mike was thinking what to say, Vanessa got the feeling that it was personal.
“Sorry! I didn’t mean to be nosy....”
Mike quickly made up his mind and shook his head,
“Oh, no. Don’t worry, it’s all right. It’s just that, well, last year, I was, um, hit by a car.”

Vanessa’s face had the look of pure shock, which quickly turned to a look of sympathy.
“Oh my gosh! I-I’m so sorry, Mike! I….I....”
Just then, Chad walked up, surrounded by his usual group of friends. When he saw Vanessa talking to Mike, he rolled his eyes,
“Yo, Vanessa! What are you doing talking to this loser? You should come and hang out with us.”
Vanessa didn’t even have to turn around. She knew that it was Chad. And, again, she just ignored it. She went on talking to Mike.
“If you ever need any help, with anything....”
Yet again, however, Chad cut into their conversation,
“Vanessa, hey, are you even listening to me?”
And he nudged her. She turned her head around quickly, swiping Chad in the head with her hair. As she did so, three of Chad's friends approached Mike.
“Chad, what do you want?” Vanessa asked in an exasperated tone of voice.
“Yo, Vanessa, all I want is for you to come and hang out with me and my friends, that’s all.”
“No thank you,” Vanessa replied. Chad leaned over and put his elbow on the table,
“Would you come and hang with us if I asked you to the Snowflake Ball?”

Mike’s heart sank. He knew that, if she said no, she had probably already been asked. And as he had thought, her reply was,
“No.”

Then, Chad asked the most shocking question,
“What if Mr. Loser here would ask you? Would you go with him?”
Mike just closed his eyes. He knew that she would say that she would rather go with Chad than him. Then, Mike heard Vanessa’s answer,
“Chad, you just asked me out and I said no. But, if Mike here would ask me, I would say yes.” Mike’s mind was screaming, ‘Oh, my, gosh. Vanessa so did not just say that.’ But, as he looked up into Vanessa’s green eyes, he realized that she was not kidding. However, Chad didn’t look so happy. He pulled his friends aside and whispered something to them. Then, he turned back and stared Vanessa down. She rose to her feet and stared back at Cad, unblinkingly.
“Well, then,” Chad said in a voice that expressed disgust, “if that’s how it is going to be, then we will just have to cause some trouble then, won’t we?” His face matched his voice.
Chad’s friends grinned evilly and then approached Mike. Max, Chad’s friend from football, loomed above Mike, picked him up by his slender shoulders and slammed him onto the hard flooring. Dazed, Mike opened his eyes and saw Max standing over him. That was when Mike got really scared. There was a stabbing pain going up his right leg and he knew that, if Max did that one more time, the pain would be unbearable. Then, suddenly he realized that Vanessa had stepped in front of Max, a pleading look in her eyes,
“Please, Max...no! He has gone through enough already!”
But Max didn’t seem to hear her. To him, all she was only a nuisance; someone getting in the way while he was taking care of business. He shoved her aside and she stumbled into Chad’s arms. He grabbed her and held her close. Mike struggled to his feet, ignoring the pain in his leg. All his mind was focused on was that Vanessa would not get hurt. However, as soon as he got up, Max picked him back up and slammed him down again. Now he knew that he would not be able to get back up. He saw Vanessa’s eyes and they were scared. Whether for herself or for Mike, he did not know. Before he had time to think, however, a fist landed hard on Mike’s jaw. He tasted blood and, again, struggled to get back up. He lifted his head and felt the fist again. About the seventh time the fist hit him, Mike seemed to be spiraling into darkness and the last thing that he remembered was the pleading cry of Vanessa.
Vanessa knew that she would never forget that sight, a friend, lying there, helpless, while time and time again, Chad and Max beat him mercilessly. What Max did next would officially end the fight. The possession of a knife in school was prohibited, and, most of the time, results in major punishment. However, the use of a knife is a whole other thing. Technically, both Max and Chad would’ve been expelled. In this case, however, only Max was.
After the first stab to Mike’s wrist, Vanessa couldn’t take anymore and she couldn’t watch. The first had been bad enough. It seemed as if once Max got started, he wasn’t able to stop himself. Time and time again, the knife would sink deep into the wrist, severing tendons and slicing through skin and muscle.

A Story!

I have been writing a story that past year and here it is! One chapter a week.

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UPDATES!!!

It seems like ages since I wrote, but life has been keeping me busy. Major updates must be performed.
On the topic of football season, we lost the rest of the games. But our shows were good.
Parades, we played in the Christmas parade and were voted the best bad in the parade. Now, Q has a large trophy to show off.
Symphonic Band, we had a fall concert and our Christmas concert is next Monday.
JH, is writing a new drum line thing. You can hear him all the way in the band room cursing the computer

Introducing a new person, D, in this blog. He is a friend from band, marching band, and homeroom, and picks me up occasionally. He doesn't know, but I really like him.

My birthday is coming up soon. 16!!!! Argh, there is no way that I am going to be 16 already!! I'm not prepared for that!

Have to go and do math homework. Polynomials...yuck!

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