Sophomore Freak (Reject High: A Young Adult Science Fiction Series Book 2) by Brian Thompson
Authors: Brian Thompson
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The corked bottle wasn’t far from her grasp. She swished the reddish brown liquid around and sipped it.
I froze, unsure what to do or say. For every second the alarm beeped, my heart beat two or three times. I waved, hoping Joyce didn’t have a gun in her robe. I really couldn’t handle being shot at again.
She tipped her glass and examined the contents. “So, you are. . . the boyfriend. . .or the videographer?” she slurred.
“Boyfriend,” I said.
“The last one. . .he was both.” Joyce let out a tiny belch. “Have a name. . . Boyfriend?”
The alarm kept beeping – I had, maybe thirty, forty-five seconds tops before it reset? Was she going to let me out? “Jason Champion.”
“Jason Champion.” S he said it like my name was impressive. “Did you have fun?”
I pretended not to hear that. “Sorry?”
“I hear my husband likes blondes with legs. Do you like. . .blondes. . . with legs?”
Not blondes, really, but I did appreciate girls with nice legs. “No,” I lied.
Joyce pointed her glass to the back door, which was a good fifty feet away. “If you leave here. . .my daughter. . .you come back to her. . .”
“Mom!” Sasha yelled from the staircase. Wearing a Hello Kitty bathrobe, she ran down the stairs and turned off the alarm just before it reset and locked me in.
“Sasha!” Joyce said merrily. “I was just telling the boy about some things.”
Sasha took the liquor bottle to the kitchen, uncorked it, and emptied it out in the sink. When she finished she wrestled the glass from her mother’s hand until it spilled. Joyce giggled and finished off what was left.
I met her in the kitchen. “I’m sorry.”
“That’s a. . .$200 bottle of brandy, young lady!” Joyce yelled at us, laughing.
Sasha refused to look at me. “Sorry for what, leaving me? Or my dad leaving me holding the vomit bucket and moving to Portland?”
Sadly, all of this was familiar. “I know how that feels.”
She touched my right hand. “She’s a joke. All her friends call her ‘Corky’ because she drinks too much,” she said, trying to hold back tears. “I’ll deal. Wherever you’re going, go. She’ll cuss me out in the morning for pouring out her top shelf brandy again and she’ll forget you were even here. ”
“Are you sure?” I asked. “I’ll stay.”
Sasha held her hands to her mouth and let a sniffle escape. “Truth? We’d be upstairs asleep if you were going to stay.”
It wasn’t a fight I was going to win. I kissed her on the cheek and exited through the back door. Her intruder spotlight shined in my eyes. I walked out of its range and jumped away.
From the sky I could see that the area around Reject High was pitch black. It made sense that Rhapsody would try to meet me here. It’s where we first met. Until I landed, I’d have to trust my instincts were right and I’d be in the right spot.
Sure enough, when my feet hit the pavement I was at the front door. The building had been stripped of everything important, including the security system. The place was a wreck. According to the news, the heating and air conditioning units had exploded because of a gas leak, not six super-humans fighting each other.
I felt around for the door handle and pulled it open. My cell phone cast enough light for me to see a couple of feet ahead.
I leaned against the wall and waited near where the metal detectors would have been. I sniffed the air for Rhapsody’s perfume and tried not to cough when I inhaled dust instead. Was I wrong? Maybe she meant the gym – I saved her there. Or the cafeteria, that’s where she kissed me. It couldn’t be the dungeon, in its condition.
The light to my cell phone dropped out. Right when I positioned my index finger to restart it, a hand gently covered mine and squeezed.
“Don’t bother,” Rhapsody said. “I’m here.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
we make a plan
Without lights I couldn’t tell if Rhapsody was visible again or not. She hugged me and
I froze, unsure what to do or say. For every second the alarm beeped, my heart beat two or three times. I waved, hoping Joyce didn’t have a gun in her robe. I really couldn’t handle being shot at again.
She tipped her glass and examined the contents. “So, you are. . . the boyfriend. . .or the videographer?” she slurred.
“Boyfriend,” I said.
“The last one. . .he was both.” Joyce let out a tiny belch. “Have a name. . . Boyfriend?”
The alarm kept beeping – I had, maybe thirty, forty-five seconds tops before it reset? Was she going to let me out? “Jason Champion.”
“Jason Champion.” S he said it like my name was impressive. “Did you have fun?”
I pretended not to hear that. “Sorry?”
“I hear my husband likes blondes with legs. Do you like. . .blondes. . . with legs?”
Not blondes, really, but I did appreciate girls with nice legs. “No,” I lied.
Joyce pointed her glass to the back door, which was a good fifty feet away. “If you leave here. . .my daughter. . .you come back to her. . .”
“Mom!” Sasha yelled from the staircase. Wearing a Hello Kitty bathrobe, she ran down the stairs and turned off the alarm just before it reset and locked me in.
“Sasha!” Joyce said merrily. “I was just telling the boy about some things.”
Sasha took the liquor bottle to the kitchen, uncorked it, and emptied it out in the sink. When she finished she wrestled the glass from her mother’s hand until it spilled. Joyce giggled and finished off what was left.
I met her in the kitchen. “I’m sorry.”
“That’s a. . .$200 bottle of brandy, young lady!” Joyce yelled at us, laughing.
Sasha refused to look at me. “Sorry for what, leaving me? Or my dad leaving me holding the vomit bucket and moving to Portland?”
Sadly, all of this was familiar. “I know how that feels.”
She touched my right hand. “She’s a joke. All her friends call her ‘Corky’ because she drinks too much,” she said, trying to hold back tears. “I’ll deal. Wherever you’re going, go. She’ll cuss me out in the morning for pouring out her top shelf brandy again and she’ll forget you were even here. ”
“Are you sure?” I asked. “I’ll stay.”
Sasha held her hands to her mouth and let a sniffle escape. “Truth? We’d be upstairs asleep if you were going to stay.”
It wasn’t a fight I was going to win. I kissed her on the cheek and exited through the back door. Her intruder spotlight shined in my eyes. I walked out of its range and jumped away.
From the sky I could see that the area around Reject High was pitch black. It made sense that Rhapsody would try to meet me here. It’s where we first met. Until I landed, I’d have to trust my instincts were right and I’d be in the right spot.
Sure enough, when my feet hit the pavement I was at the front door. The building had been stripped of everything important, including the security system. The place was a wreck. According to the news, the heating and air conditioning units had exploded because of a gas leak, not six super-humans fighting each other.
I felt around for the door handle and pulled it open. My cell phone cast enough light for me to see a couple of feet ahead.
I leaned against the wall and waited near where the metal detectors would have been. I sniffed the air for Rhapsody’s perfume and tried not to cough when I inhaled dust instead. Was I wrong? Maybe she meant the gym – I saved her there. Or the cafeteria, that’s where she kissed me. It couldn’t be the dungeon, in its condition.
The light to my cell phone dropped out. Right when I positioned my index finger to restart it, a hand gently covered mine and squeezed.
“Don’t bother,” Rhapsody said. “I’m here.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
we make a plan
Without lights I couldn’t tell if Rhapsody was visible again or not. She hugged me and
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