Page 12 of Intercept My Heart

“You’re welcome. Don’t make me have to come in here and get you tonight.” She flipped me off, then turned to walk back to her station. A part of me didn’t want to leave, but I wouldn’t be able to do much if I didn’t have my car. I glanced over in her direction, and we locked eyes. I didn’t know what this feeling was, but I knew I wanted to learn more about her.

“Dirty ass bitch,”one of Brielle’s other little minions Navy uttered when I walked past. Ever since the incident in the cafeteria, I gained even more haters than I originally had. I never bothered anyone, so for the life of me, I didn’t get it. Instead of entertaining them, I rolled my eyes, continuing on to head to gym class. I hated gym with a passion, and having it with boys and girls made it worse.

I tried to avoid eye contact, whispers, and smirks as I stepped into the locker room to change. Coach Hammer took off points on our grades when we didn’t wear gym clothes, but the shorts were entirely too short. I spent the majority of my time yanking on them in between whatever game we were participating in.

Today, we were playing dodgeball, and I already planned to stand in the back. The boys were way too aggressive, and the girls stood together and targeted individuals they didn’t like. I chose to avoid them all by staying hidden for as long as I could. Sometimes, I purposely got out early to sit on the sidelines for the remainder of the game. I was sure the coach knew it, but she never commented on it.

Coach Hammer had us count off to see which team we would be on, and the moment I saw that I was on the same team as Nadia and Navy, I rolled my eyes. At least I wouldn’t have toworry about them trying to hit me with the balls. Coach blew the whistle, and everyone got in formation. We were mixed with juniors and seniors, but it surprised me to see Dre and Dinero here because this wasn’t one of their electives.

“We have a couple of students who asked to play since they have study hall this period. Dinero, you can go over to team A, and Dreis, you can head over to team B.” Unlike the rest of us, they were still in their school uniforms. As usual, Dinero looked good as he got on the front line.

I was bummed that he wasn’t on my team, but at least I would get to watch him in action.

When the game started, most of the boys were in the front, blasting anyone within their direct sight. The teams went from sixteen on each side to nine in a matter of seconds. I stayed in the back, thinking I would be free from the line of fire, but coach yelled for me to move up. Nadia and Navy whispered amongst each other when I stepped up. Dodgeballs were flying over my head, so I ducked a few times to keep from getting hit.

As I stood there, the feeling of a ball smacking me in the face caught me off guard, and I realized that it wasn’t from the opposing team. When I turned to face them, Navy laughed while holding her stomach. I wanted to beat her ass, but I couldn’t afford another write-up.

“My bad, it slipped.” Nadia shrugged her shoulders as if she hadn’t done it on purpose. I never understood what people got out of picking on someone else, but they had to have been miserable in life. Before I could respond, I got hit with another ball. This time, it actually belonged to the other team, so I dropped my ball and sat on the sidelines.

While taking my seat, I locked eyes with Dinero, and he seemed to be deep in thought. I focused my attention on him as the teams continued to battle back-and-forth. The next person he took out was Asia, one of Brielle’s friends. Normally, the boyswent after each other because they were the most competitive, but Dinero seemed to be focused on that particular group of girls. After her, he took out Meena, Aire, and Navy, leaving Nadia by herself. He then turned his attention toward the other boys on our team until there were only three people left on each side.

Nadia faded into the background because the boys were focused on getting each other out, but I noticed a shift once it was only two on each side. Dre took out the second to last player on Team A’s side, leaving only Dinero. I assumed Dre would be focused on trying to take out the last standing player, but when he smirked at Dinero before allowing himself to get out with little effort, I knew something was up.

The girls cheered for Nadia to win, while the fellas cheered for Dinero. While this might only be a game, the fear in Nadia’s eyes made me smile. They tossed a few balls at each other, missing each other. Dinero played this game with skill, waiting for the right moment to strike. Nadia didn’t have any more balls, so she stepped back to grab one. Dinero jerked forward, causing her to take off running. She must not have been paying attention because she stepped on a dodgeball and lost her balance. It all happened so fast, and as she began to fall, Dinero fired both of the balls in his hand, hitting her in the back of her head before she crashed to the ground.

Coach blew the whistle and then ran over to check on Nadia, followed by the mean girl crew. Dre and Dinero dapped hands while Dinero smirked. He never even glanced back to look at the girls.

Nadia ended up being taken to the nurse’s office for rolling her ankle. I was sure she milked it in order to hide her embarrassment. We played another round of dodgeball until coach finally dismissed us to go change our clothes for the next period. Hurriedly, I raced in first to get dressed to avoid thosebitches because I assumed they would be ready to resume their bullshit.

After I finished, I tossed my book bag over my shoulder and headed out through the side exit since everyone else usually congregated at the other door.

“Aye, wait up,” a voice called out to me, and I noticed Antonio Perry jogging toward me. We were in a few classes together, but he never spoke to me directly.

“Hey,” I said above a whisper. At first, I thought maybe he had confused me with someone else, so I stood there awkwardly.

“You’re in my calculus class, right?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“So, what’s up with you? I see you around, but I mainly see you chilling alone.”

“Oh, well, I don’t have many friends, so I stay out of the way.” While he may have been attractive, the acne on his face distracted me from what he was saying. I found myself playing connect the dots in my mind.

“You’re really pretty, and I’ve wanted to holler at you for a minute.” I froze because no boy had ever told me that. I mean, the men in the neighborhood complimented me often, but the boys in my grade normally chased after the pretty girls with nice clothes.

“Thank you.”

“Listen, Coach Hammer usually goes out for a smoke break during this period since she doesn’t have a class. Since we both have study hall next period, maybe you could come and chill with me.”

Mrs. Shaw never took attendance, so most of the students did whatever they wanted. She never cared because she liked to sneak off and talk to her man in prison. Antonio’s eyes were filled with lust, and it caused me to pause. We knew nothing about one another for him to try to go there with me.

“N-no, thank you.”

“Aww, come on. We can go into the locker room real quick. I promise I won’t tell anyone.” This time, he stepped forward, backing me into a corner. This exit had no other classrooms. It was nothing more than an empty hallway with a few windows.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea. Besides, I have homework I need to work on.” My voice trembled, and I grew nervous because my words didn’t seem to register to him.

“I know enough about girls to know when they say no, they really mean yes. Don’t be nervous. I do this all the time. All you’ve got to do is trust me.” My fight or flight senses began to kick in when I realized he wasn’t gonna stop. His body towered over mine, but I raised my hands to push him back.

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