Chapter 11 – My First Friend – Holly Hayfield

Sam wanted me to help her get up to the rooftop. Yet she was the one leading me. The bell for lunch rang at the worst possible time. We were in a tight hallway just as the lunch rush began. As students filled the halls the two of us began drifting apart. For a moment I was swept away by the waves of people. So many people marched around me that I no longer had sight of Sam.

Sam came back for me. She took me by the hand and pulled me to her side, sweeping aside anyone that might threaten to separate us. She then wrapped an arm around me. She held me so close that we functioned like a four-legged body. I was mesmerized by her assertiveness. It was in this instance that the trip to the rooftop became more than just a convenient diversion. It became a quest we were on together.

Neither of us knew how to get up to the rooftop, but we were sure there had to be a way. The area of the roof Sam pointed out was fenced in. The fencing was part of an enclosure that they didn’t want anyone to fall from. Furthermore I had heard someone talking about being up there before. The catch here was that it was very off-limits to go there. I told Sam as much but she didn’t care. She didn’t even contemplate it before shrugging it off.

Truth be told, I was glad that she didn’t care. I was happy to go with her. This was fun, unlike my search for a place to hide at lunch. So I let her spirit me away as she frantically searched the school. Even as she searched in areas that I knew were wrong I let her be. I couldn’t bring myself to stop her. She had an adventurous, childlike spirit in a good way. The smile she had never left her face.

“Holly, where does this staircase lead to?” She asked.

She was pointing at a staircase I had never seen before. It was easy to miss. The entire area surrounding the staircase was dark. The only lightsource was a small shaft of light shooting down the staircase. The staircase was blocked with desks, chairs, an overturned table, and janitorial equipment. The only thing missing to complete the image was a ‘Do not cross’ sign. The staff obviously didn’t want anyone going up there. That didn’t stop Sam. She was already moving things out of the way before I could answer her question.

“I don’t know. I’ve never been here before, which is strange. I’ve walked past here several times while looking for a place to eat lunch.”

“Look at how much stuff is in the way. This has to be it.”

“Are you sure you want to go through with this? We could get into a lot of trouble.”

She stopped moving things away and looked at me.

“I don’t care, but if you are worried about being punished then…”

“Forget what I said. I’m not afraid. I only thought that since this is your first day you might want to keep a lower profile.”

“Ha! I’m not a low profile type of person. I guess that means we’ll just have to be fast, huh?”

She winked at me before returning to work. She certainly was charming. Disregarding the rules normally wasn’t my style. With Sam I felt like the risk would be well worth the reward. It probably wasn’t okay for me to have such faith in a new student.

The thought made me ask myself a question. When was the last time I could put faith in anyone at this school? Sam started moving the overturned table out of the way. I stepped in to help her. She gave me a reassuring nod as we began working together. I had this fuzzy feeling in my chest that made me believe things would be okay.

The climb up the stairs together was filled with anticipation. We didn’t know what to expect. We were hoping this led to the roof but it was possible it was another dead end. Roughly halfway up the stairs we could see the top of the staircase. The light shining down the staircase was from a window.

The window was part of a door at the top of the staircase. We presumed this door led to the roof. We agreed on this in an exchanged look when we saw the door. We both stopped and stared at it when we reached the top of the stairs. Sam placed a gentle hand onto my back to encourage me forward, allowing me to be the one to open this door. I turned the handle, but we took the first step outside together.

We were greeted by a great bloom of light as the sun surfaced from behind a veil of clouds. The way the sunlight hit the rooftop enclosure made every surface sparkle and glimmer in the light. The rooftop enclosure was comparable to a rooftop terrace with white tile flooring. The fencing for the enclosure mirrored the fencing that lined the school perimeter, decorative black iron fencing atop a brick foundation. There were three long, empty garden boxes that lined the fenced areas. Two smaller garden boxes lined against the school building, flanking each side of the door.

We had the perfect weather for this lovely view. I stood still to take in the sights, but not for long. Sam took me by the hand and pulled me with her. I made the mistake of walking when she wanted to run. She dragged me forward faster and faster until the fencing forcibly killed our momentum. That’s when we saw a sight even more beautiful.

The bird’s-eye view of the school property with all its Victorian-esque architecture, open grassland areas, and densely wooded areas was mesmerizing. I was seeing the school in a whole new light. Sam and I looked at each other and laughed. We had actually managed to do it. We actually found the hidden passage to the rooftop.

Then reality reared its ugly head when the stairway door SLAMMED shut behind us. We both turned around quickly to see what happened. Two slimy looking girls with thuggish postures were standing there. I immediately recognized them from Black Brittney’s gang. The tall, black-haired one was Tia. The shorter, brown-haired girl was Mariah.

So they had come looking for me today too. They must’ve followed us when we were searching for the stairway. For me this wasn’t out of the ordinary. For Sam this would be a bad thing to get tangled up in. It was for Sam’s sake that I’d go along with whatever Black Brittney wanted.

“Come here Holly. Brittney wants to talk to you about what happened to Candace yesterday. She’s waiting for you behind the school.”

That sounded like the prompt to another ambush. What choice did I have? Even if I resisted they could just take me by force. The unknown factor here was Sam. If she tried to defend me and got beat up because of it I’d feel horrible. This was her first day of school and I didn’t want it to end up like mine.

Meekly, I began to inch my way towards them. It was difficult to be brave when I knew what awaited me behind the school. I was rarely so brave, given my small size, but with another person involved it was more complicated. Sam put her arm out in front of me to stop me in my tracks. Tia glared at her.

“Let her go, new girl. There’s something going on here that you don’t understand. We just want to talk to her somewhere private.”

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Sam let out a half-hearted laugh.

“No. I think I understand the situation just fine. If you have something to say to her then you can say it right here. Otherwise get lost.”

Mariah laughed and stepped forward.

“Don’t be stupid. Just let her come with us. I’d hate it if we had to break such a pretty face. All of your newfound fan girls would hate us.”

“Like I said, get lost! Holly’s with me now.”

Tia laughed.

“Listen to you. What are you, her knight in shining armor? You hardly even know her. What is she to you? Don’t tell me… Is she your new play thing?”

Sam looked at me. I stared back at her with equal interest. There was no need for her to defend me. She could have just walked away and left me to my fate. Sam’s deep blue eyes softened as she stared at me. She rested a hand on my head and stroked my hair. It had been so long since someone had treated me with such compassion. I didn’t know how to react other than to watch her pat me quietly.

“She’s the first friend I’ve made here,” Sam said before turning back to them, “Anyone that wants to hurt her has to go through me.”

“Fine, if that’s how you’re going to be about it. It looks like we have no choice.” Tia said.

Tia flexed her fingers and rolled her shoulders as she walked towards Sam. Sam pushed me back to give her some space. What was I expecting next? Did Sam know how to fight? Maybe she’d square up and try to stand her ground against Tia? What if Maria joined in?

Would I be able to help Sam if she needed it? I was so scrawny compared to the three of them that I’d probably just make a fool of myself. What happened next wasn’t what I would’ve guessed. Sam took a martial arts stance. It looked like something out of an old karate movie. Tia and Maria both laughed.

“Wow, that’s the bluff of the century right there,” Tia said while laughing, “Step aside and I won’t have to rearrange your face.”

“Come put your theory to the test.” Sam demanded.

Tia stopped smiling. Sam looked like a martial artist whereas Tia looked more like a street boxer. The two of them circled around for a bit, with Tia trying to see if she could make Sam break her pose. Sam didn’t flinch at any of Tia’s attempts to bait out an attack. It was then that I began to believe that Sam wasn’t bluffing.

Suddenly Tia went in for the kill with a powerful right hook. Sam caught Tia’s right hook with her own arm and followed up with an immediate palm jab in the face. Sam hit her so hard that Tia was knocked to the ground. Tia rolled around on the ground holding her now bleeding nose. In a single move Tia had been completely disabled. Sam stretched her arms out without concern.

“What do you think about my karate? Did your theory hold any weight?” Sam asked.

“You bitch!” Mariah shouted.

Sam turned to face Mariah.

“I might not be a black belt but I imagine I’m a better fighter than most girls that go here.” Sam asked.

Mariah reached into her pocket and withdrew a small pocket knife.

“Then I’m not going to fight fair.”

“Have you ever used that thing in a fight before? What if your opponent was able to disarm you?” Sam asked.

“I’d like to see you try!”

Mariah dashed at Sam. She raised the knife high above her head to bring it down at Sam. Sam caught her wrist before she could. Sam twisted Mariah’s wrist so hard that the knife fell out of her hand. Sam picked up the knife while still holding onto Mariah’s wrist. Mariah fought to break loose, but her punches were so weak that Sam continued as if nothing were happening. Sam put the knife to Mariah’s arm and Mariah froze.

“I’m sorry!” Mariah said, “I wasn’t really going to use it! I was just going to threaten you with it, I swear! Please, I’m sorry!”

“Pathetic,” Sam said. “You should’ve really thought more about the consequences of bringing a knife into a fight. You’re not very smart, are you?”

“I’m sorry! Please just let me go!”

“You’ll leave Holly alone from now on?”

“Yes! I’m sorry! Please let me go!”

Sam pocketed the knife and tossed Mariah into Tia who was just starting to get up.

“I’ll let you two go because I want you to send ‘Brittney’ a message. Tell her that if she goes after Holly, I’ll come after her personally. Also, don’t forget to tell her about the little gift you just gave me.” Sam said, slapping her thigh where she had just pocketed the knife.

The two of them were too scared to give a proper response. They both nodded sporadically before turning away. They nearly tripped over each other as they got up and ran. Sam turned back to me and smiled her sparkling white teeth. Now I understood what those girls in my morning classes were talking about. Sam was more prince than princess. Blood rushed to my face. I felt a sense of security that I hadn’t felt here before.

I immediately threw myself into her so hard that she nearly felt over. Tears were coming down my face as I buried myself into her. It was embarrassing to cry so openly like this. I was just so relieved. It was one thing for her to stand up for me, but she took it to the next level. In terms of physical skill she was like Val without all the sociopathic traits. She was someone I could trust.

“Whoa! What’s up Holly?”

“I can’t believe you stood up for me.”

“Why is that so hard to believe?”

“I’m sorry, I… I shouldn’t have said all those things about you earlier when we first met. It turns out that I know nothing about you.”

“Don’t sweat it. Besides, your first impression wasn’t entirely off. I guess it’s like you said, I don’t exactly belong here.”

“What do you mean?”

“Until recently I was a normal private school girl. For as long as I can remember I’ve been working to fit the mold my parents shaped for me. Now I don’t even know who I really am without using that mold. What I’m trying to say is that I’ve got a lot to learn here. After my fallout with my family I’m on my own now. We’re in a similar situation, aren’t we?”

“I’m not sure I follow. You’re cool. I’m sure anyone would be happy to have you as their friend. I, on the other hand, I’m an untouchable.”

“That’s not the situation I was talking about. I mean we both don’t belong here.”

She looked down on me with a sly smile. It had just occurred to me that I was still hanging onto her like a monkey clinging to a tree. I let go and took a step back. There was something I wanted to tell her but I wasn’t sure if I had the courage. I nervously rubbed my left elbow.

“I may not be as rough as the rest of them but I certainly belong here. I can’t go back to my old school. Not after what I’ve done.”

The fact that she stood up for me unconditionally seemed to be proof that she was trustworthy. I kneeled down to lower my sock. Sam watched me curiously. When she saw the device around my ankle she kneeled down to get a better look. Her expression was wide-eyed, but otherwise blank.

She was outright gawking at it as if this was a massive revelation. Just like my impression of her had been rectified, her image of me was also transforming. She reached out to touch it, like she couldn’t even believe it was real. I pulled my sock back up before that could happen. She looked back up at me, her jaw still dropped.

“You can’t tell anyone.” I said.

“Holy shit, what did you do?”

“I hurt someone. Well, I guess you could say I hurt a lot of people. My intentions were good… I think. The courtroom couldn’t decide what my intentions were. That’s why I’m here.”

“Who exactly did you hurt, and why?”

“That’s a long story. One I don’t want to talk about. Amongst the people I hurt I ended up hurting my two best friends, my mother, and the teacher that I used to look up to. I disappointed all of them.”

“Maybe you can talk to me about it once we get to know each other better?”

“I don’t know. I feel incredibly guilty about everything. I feel especially guilty about putting my mother through all of this. We had to relocate so that I could attend this school. Meanwhile she still supports me like nothing even happened. It pains me to think about. All my troubles at school are secondary to that painful feeling. Worst of all, I’ve been alone here since the very beginning.”

Sam put her hands on my shoulders. She stood up, lifting me up with her. She pulled me into the same spot on her chest that I was hugging earlier. Hugging her back came easily. The way she held me while stroking my hair felt natural. It felt comforting. For now, with her here holding me like this, I was able to let my guard down and relax a little.

“You’re not alone. Not anymore. Like I told those two girls from before, you’re my first friend here.”

“And you’re mine.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that. It looks like I’ll need you to fill me in on a few things here after all.”

That was true. Black Brittney wasn’t going to let this slide easily. Also there was Val. How would Sam react to meeting Val and vice versa? There were several things Sam needed to be up to speed with. The only problem with that was the fact that lunch was almost over. There wasn’t enough time to tell her everything she needed to know. Then it hit me.

“Hey, how are you planning to get home after school?” I asked.

“Someone’s going to be picking me up.”

“Do you think you can stay for about an hour or so after school?”

“Sure, what’s up?”

“There are some people I want you to meet. Lilith, Naomi, and I are supposed to be searching for something after school.”

“What are you searching for?”

“The Killing Cat.”