She Is Beautiful

Eight

Eight
Walk

"Hey, pig. Tell us how you bug those eyes out!"

"When are you gonna wear leggings again? Gross."

On ordinary days, Alona could hear them. They make her ears bleed, they pierce her self-esteem. But today, she could not. She was adrift to the memory of last night, and all she could hear were the screams from last night's film.

Charles so close to her, his shoulders touching hers, it made her feel uneasy. It sent shivers all over her bones. The way he closed his eyes from time to time at ghastly scenes and unconsciously gripped her wrist, her heart turned soft, delicate, warm.

"Holler, Eusebio!"

"What did you bring for our lunch?"

If Alona was the girls' punchbags, Eusebio was the boys'. He had cerebral palsy. Teased, hit, served as their footman.

Mr. Higgins' class ended just right in time for the rain to spill. From the hallways to the school's side entrance closest to their room, Alona slipped her way into the barbed wire leading to the school's abandoned storehouse. She wasn't bothered by the rain. Past the wire and the muddy creek, Alona sprinted towards the building, but then braked abruptly at what was in front of her. Eusebio was being slammed against the storehouse's brick walls. Alona counted. Twelve times. Each by twelve different students. Five of the boys Alona recognized as her classmates. The rest, if not from another class, were from another school.

"What are you doing here?"

There was suddenly a blast of wind. It allied with the downpour, slapping Alona's face very hard, but she managed to look quickly at the person. It was. Again. Henry.

Alona refused to answer. She was out to read the books she had hidden there last year in preparation for her brother's return. Lawrence would not spare her the time of her own to watch or read, that was for sure. He would monitor if she was studying or if she was cleaning. Instead of answering, Alona pointed to the storehouse. "Stop them."

Henry glanced over Alona's shoulders then back at her. "Leave them be."

"What?" Alona could not believe her ears. No one ever before had tried to intervene, but what they were witnessing at the moment was too cruel. The boys, after the slamming, were now forcing Eusebio to crawl  between their legs while they sat on him and pretended that they were riding a horse. Alona could not take it anymore. Fingers curled in a fist, she tramped towards them, but Henry was quick enough to grab her wrist.

"We have nothing to do with them. "

Alona felt confused. Astonished. She could not understand Henry. He was looking at her so seriously. He started dragging her the opposite way, but Alona pulled back. After a long struggle, she broke out and was about to charge headlong at the group of boys when someone else from the side got there first.

The downpour wasn't showing any sign of abating, but Alona saw who it was. Charles. He dropped his guitar and punched the nearest boy in the stomach. Then like a crazy street fight from a movie, his fists and feet and knees were landing everywhere.

Alona took out her phone, remembering late that she had Mr. Higgins' office number. A bystander they were, Alona stood there, with Henry holding her hand. They waited till Mr. Higgins and two of the security guards came to stop them.

Alona would have been in heaven during that very brief period of time. Henry holding her hand, even hung his padded jacket over her shoulders. But she wasn't. With what Henry did, like she did, an spectator, she stopped liking him. Alona's first love ended just like that. One single piffling act. It maybe trivial, but it wasn't for Alona. It was the most important.

The next day, Alona waited for Charles after class. Charles was suspicious at first. All the while, Alona had never swerved from her daily routine of treating him as invisible. She never approached him first. Now was the second time she did that.

"Are you gonna study? Can we go together?"

Alona shook her head. She was getting used to Charles' speaking of the you.

"Gonna watch another movie?"

"Yes!" The excitement in her voice was evident. "Alone," she added quickly before Charles could ask if he can join her, not that she was hoping he would, not that she thought he would, it was just that, even if it was a below-zero possibility, he still might.

Charles nodded, slowing down to match Alona's pace. "Got some plans this Sunday?"

"Yeah," Alona muttered under her breath, the cold air choking her throat. She looked at Charles. "Words could have solved it."

Charles met her remark with a puzzled look. "What do. . ." he trailed away, realizing what she was referring to. She must have heard from the other students. It was all over the school this morning. How he was in a fight, beat up everyone and was sent directly to the principal's office. He did not quite like the fact that Alona heard those.

"They won't," Charles argued. "Eye for an eye. Punches for punches. Those tossers won't learn with dozy words."

"I was told to respond to acts of hate with acts of love." Though I have not really been practicing that, she finished in her mind.

Charle grimaced. "I don't know about that, dawg. Who told you?"

"Sander." Alona regretted telling. It wasn't like Charles knew him.

"You must like him enough that you believe him."

"He's a good guy."

"So you like him," Charles whispered. So softly that Alona didn't even hear him. "Thought it was Henry."

Alona was telling him now about Sander. In case he wanted to know. She was saying Sander was a nice person, a university student, in business, girls she would date would be too fortunate. Charles interrupted her before she could finish bragging about the guy. The way Alona spoke high and mighty of him, all that whole talk about him, it irked Charles.

That next morning, Sanda was outside again, yelling that it's the end of the world. Alona wasn't asleep yet. She timed it. Sanda screamed for ten minutes without a single break.