Chapter 4
“Collins, you’re next!” Coach Martell barked while looking at his clipboard.
Chad swallowed hard and looked first at the balding man in the blue and black jumpsuit that held his future in his hands. Chad stepped up to the rope, beads of sweat on his brow. Chad bent his head back following the length of the rope with his eyes to the very top to were the green tape was taunting him like so many times before. This was his last chance to finally make it, or get the only “D” on his otherwise perfect report card. If you gave him a problem to solve in calculus; to write an essay for English, or any other subject in school; Chad would’ve pass it without any problem.
“Move it Collins,” the whole class chastised him this time. Chad jumped up and grabbed on with both hands while at the same time crossing his legs and digging his tennis shoes into the thick rope. Chad shimmied with all his strength towards the top of the rope. He kept telling himself not to look down, not to let the sweat on his forehead keep him from reaching his goal. It took two long weeks to get to this point; two long weeks of all the guys in class making fun of him because he was the only one left that couldn’t climb the rope all the way to the top. This was his chance to prove all of them wrong, but also to impress Amber.
Chad’s muscles strained with each movement of his arms and legs working together in concert towards the crescendo of his ascent. Finally, and with all his body straining to keep his place, Chad reached out his fingers which were just inches away from the coveted green piece of tape. Chad swallowed hard and for a minute took in the surroundings below. He had the best view in the gym. He could see the girls’ class at the far end of the gym and there she was, Amber. She wasn’t like most girls he’d dated before. The first time Chad had his mom meet Amber, it was very awkward. Here he was introducing his mom to this girl with short cropped black hair, dark brown eyes, black finger nails and lipstick. She looked more like a vampire than the girl next door. But after they talked for a few minutes, his mom realized that Amber was a very intelligent girl and that the way she was dressed had nothing to do with who she was.
“Collins!” Coach Martell barked again. It startled Chad so much so that he almost forgot where he was for a second and nearly let go of the rope. Chad quickly recovered and with one last effort touched the tape with the tip of his fingers. He’d finally made it! Just as Chad tried to savor his victory, the class bell rang. He suddenly started to slip and the rope became too hard to hold onto anymore. Chad slid down the rope. The friction burned at the flesh of his hands, arms and legs without any remorse. Chad cried and let go of the rope when he was still a few feet off the ground. He landed hard on the padded mat with a loud, painful groan. An explosion of laughter erupted from the group as Chad withered on the mat with his hands tucked in his armpits trying to sooth the pain. Amber saw what had happened and rushed over. She shoved the boys out of the way, gave the coach a sharp look for just standing there too, and then knelt beside Chad. Amber helped Chad to his feet and walked him to the nurses’ office.
“Thanks,” Chad said.
“I was impressed,” Amber answered. “Until you crashed and burned.”
“Burned is right,” Chad replied looking at his hands. They were red and felt like they were on fire.
“Maybe this will make you feel better,” Amber said. She looked around first making sure they were alone and kissed him. Her lips tasted like black licorice. Chad forgot his pain for a minute.
“Better?” Amber asked when their lips drew apart.
“Yeah,” Chad answered as they stopped in front of the nurses’ office.
Amber walked him inside and after explaining the situation to the nurse; she left to go back to class. The nurse had Chad sit down and took a look at his hands. She got some antibiotic cream and gauze from the cabinet. The moment the cream touched the flesh of his hands, the pain instantly went away. The nurse wrapped his hands.
“I have to call your mom,” she picked up the phone.
“Oh great.” Chad lamented.
Chad looked in the mirror, but it wasn’t the reflection he was use to. The young man in the mirror wore dark clothes and looked very Goth. Chad moved his head to the side to check out his newly pierced ear. Amber gave him a crucifix as his first earring. He picked up and opened the gift wrapped box that was sitting on the edge of the sink. Inside was a pair of fangs. Chad snapped them into place. Chad left the bathroom and walked down the hallway to his room. Today was his eighteenth birthday and Amber was going to take him out to celebrate. She told him to dress Goth because they were going to a special place tonight where she’d planned on giving him an exceptional birthday gift. Chad hoped Amber would approve.
Just as he turned off the lights, the door bell rang. Chad knew it was Amber and flew down the stairs to answer it. When he opened the door, Amber immediately smiled with approval.
“You two have fun,” Nedra said brushing wisps of grayish blonde hair from her face as she walked into the front room. She’d just gotten home and was still in her nurses’ uniform.
“Thanks mom,” Chad replied.
They said their goodbyes and were on their way.
A full moon was rising as Amber and Chad walked towards the abandoned building at the end of the long gravel driveway. They weren’t alone; Amber’s brother Seth and his girlfriend Gabriel, along with his friend Jazz and girlfriend Melissa were with them.
“You sure this is okay,” Chad asked. He’d just noticed the ‘no trespassing’ sign.
“Yeah it’s okay,” Seth answered. His hair was thick and black and he had several earrings in his left ear with a beaded chain running to one in his nose.
“Look what we hav’ here,” Jazz teased Chad and Amber as he flashed his fangs. He went on, “A couple uv baby bats.” He was a thin, tall kid with frizzy black hair. His eyes looked more like holes in his head because of the dark eye shadow he wore.
“Knock it off Jazz,” Melissa yelled at him. She had more of a Victorian look but still wore the black makeup and hair like the rest.
“Just teasin’ that’s all,” Jazz answered.
“And will you quit using that dumb accent,” Seth warned raising his fist like he was going to punch Jazz.
“Okay, okay,” Jazz grumbled. He liked the accent.
The six teenagers stood in front of a formable looking wood door. Chad wondered how they were going to get inside. That’s when Seth produced a homemade lock pick from his trench coat pocket. They all watched as he easily slid the pick into the archaic lock and with a couple of turns had the door open. Seth put the pick back in his pocket and gave the door a shove. The creaking it made upon opening, reminded Chad of all those old horror movies he’d watched on late night TV. He also remembered that no good came from the people going inside those haunted places either.
The entrance way was very dark, so Seth took his lighter and flicked it on so they could see. Jazz, Melissa, Gabriel and Amber did the same.
The first thing that caught Chad’s attention was this painting of a nude woman on the wall next to the stairs leading to the second floor. She was breathtakingly beautiful with her cascading layers of golden blonde hair, and very sensuous with her perfect form. The more Chad stared at it, the more he swore she could’ve stepped off the wall and joined them. Chad felt it belonged in an art gallery in New York.
“They keep trying to cover the damn thing up,” Jazz said all the while copping a feel of the woman’s breasts. “They painted over it, sanded it, and used paint remover on it. But it keeps reappearing. How is weird is that?”