Slow Dance in Purgatory(25)

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On Wednesday morning, Maggie didn't go to school early. Instead, she found Malia Jasper passed out on the back porch, dressed in a flimsy red negligee and towering purple heels. Malia came to after Aunt Irene slapped her sallow cheeks a little and coaxed a cup of hot coffee down her throat. Malia then tried to wheedle a little money out of Irene, but when Irene refused she got ugly and foul mouthed and left on foot. When Maggie left for school she heard Aunt Irene on the phone with Gus, discussing his daughter in low tones.

By Wednesday afternoon, it seemed half of the town and most of the high school student body had either seen or heard about Malia Jasper’s appearance on Main that morning in all her glory. Some of the boys from the football team jeered at Shad when he and Maggie walked down the senior hallway after school. Apparently, the boys had seen Shad’s mother in her sweet nothings walking the street and had pulled over for further investigation.

"What's your momma been up to, Shadrach?" One tall kid in a lettermen jacket and acne scarred cheeks called out to Shad. His friends laughed loudly. "Trevor and I saw her this morning, struttin’ her stuff down Main, didn’t we Trevor?”

“We sure did, Derek. Not too bad for an old lady, Shadrach!” The boy named Trevor quipped.

“So Trevor and I, we pulled over for a sample." The big jerk waggled his eyebrows and licked his lips. "Not too bad, and cheap, too. It just cost me my lunch money." At that, his friends whooped and cheered and high fives were shared all around.

Shad just walked on by like he hadn't heard, but his eyes filled with tears and his lips quivered. Maggie swallowed the ugly words that threatened to spill out, knowing that Shad wouldn't want to prolong the encounter. She reached her hand down and held his tightly as they turned the corner and left the howls behind them. Shad dropped her hand and ran for the exit as soon as they were out of sight of the group of boys, and Maggie's rage bubbled over. Pivoting, she strode back to where the boys were still huddled around their open lockers. Swinging her backpack as hard as she could, she caught the ring leader in his mid-section, and he doubled over with a startled "OOF!"

"Don't you ever say another word to Shadrach Jasper about his mother again, do you hear me?" Maggie hissed, swinging her bag again, whacking the doubled over jock in the side of his stupid head. One of his friends intercepted the next swing, and her bag fell to the ground as the boy named Trevor bear-hugged her from behind, lifting her slim form off the ground. Maggie kicked her legs, trying to free herself from his brawny arms.

"We got a wild one here, guys!" Derek had recovered from the body blow Maggie had delivered and was trying to save face.

"Maybe she'll give me a quick kiss just like Shad’s momma." His friends responded enthusiastically, jostling each other and slapping his back.

"Come here, blue eyes, you’ll enjoy this." The arms around her tightened, and Derek grabbed at her legs so she wouldn't kick him as he leaned into her with his tongue hanging out theatrically.

Suddenly, all the lockers lining the hall flew open, and books and paper started flying about like a windstorm had erupted inside the school. Locker doors crashed shut only to reopen and slam again. The sound was deafening, and the boys cried out, shielding their heads from projectiles and covering their ears with their hands. Maggie was abruptly dropped as her captor ducked to protect himself. The sudden release sent her to her hands and knees, and in amazement, she watched the bedlam unfold around her.

From start to finish, it could only have lasted seconds, and just as suddenly as it had started, all was still. The cowering boys looked around, dazed. Their arms slowly fell to their sides as they straightened and stared, flabbergasted, at their strewn belongings. The handful of other students that had been in the hallway during the microburst seemed shell shocked as well. After several seconds of stunned silence, everyone began talking at once.

“Holy Shit!”

“What was that?”

“My locker door is dented in – “

“Was that an earthquake?”

“Ow! Something nailed me in the head!”

“Somebody call 911!”

“Oh man! Look at my math book! This thing is shredded!”

“Has anyone seen my lunch?”

“Damn it, whose peanut butter sandwich is this? It’s all over my jacket!”

“I can’t find my homework – help me dig through these papers….”



The cacophony of excited voices layered over each other as Maggie gathered her things and rose tentatively to her feet. Her glasses had fallen off when Derek’s friend grabbed her. She groaned when she saw the big crack in the left lens. She shoved them angrily into her front pocket. She wondered if the school’s disaster insurance would cover their replacement. She snorted out loud. She was pretty sure about what had just happened, and it wasn’t a natural disaster.

And then she saw him. Maggie’s heart galloped loudly in her ears; Johnny stood at the far end of the corridor. No one else seemed to notice him. His hands were clenched by his sides, his stance aggressive; he stood directly in the center of the hallway. A girl walked past him so closely that his shoulder brushed her hair. Her hair rose with static, but she didn’t even lift her head as she continued walking, texting, and popping her gum.

Maggie approached him slowly, fearful that he would vanish like a mirage before her eyes. He watched her come, and his face softened noticeably as she halted a few feet in front of him.