Chapter 25

After he got in and put on his seatbelt, Gabby slowly pulled away. She was either still crying or had just stopped as the tears were still visible on her cheeks.

“Do you need to go home now?” she asked, wiping away tears with the back of her hand.

“Not really,” Lucky answered.

“Would you like to go for a ride?”

“I guess,” he answered, again wondering if that was a good idea.

They rolled the windows down and slowly drove out of town, the cool air feeling good as it circulated through the car. It was a beautiful, clear night, with the stars twinkling brightly overhead.

“Look how big the moon looks,” Gabby mentioned, sticking her head out the window.

Lucky looked at the full moon, so bright and clear that it looked closer and bigger than ever.

“It’s a full moon,” she added. “It’s supposed to bring out all the crazy people.”

Lucky wondered if that was what happened to D.J., but did not voice that thought.

As they got out in the country, Lucky stuck his head out the window to look at the stars. He was nervous, being this close to Gabby and alone with her, but at the same time liked it.

He pulled his head back into the car and looked at her. The tears seemed to have stopped but it pulled at his heart to see her hurting. He had only seen her when she was happy and Lucky liked that version much better.

“I’m sorry about what happened,” Lucky said. “I guess I should’ve minded my business.”

Gabby turned the car to the right, leading it down the road to Pine Tree Lake. He saw the outline of the huge pines as they drove down the narrow, twisting road. There was not enough here tonight, but Lucky loved to come to the lake and listen to the wind whipping through the trees. When he was young, his mother brought him to the lake and they looked for pinecones, seeing who could find the biggest one.

“I’m glad you did,” she responded, trying to smile. “I thought it was quite, I don’t know, noble, I guess.”

Noble? Lucky had been called many things in his life, but that was a first.

They continued down the winding, twisting roads, going slow to avoid driving off in a ditch. The speed limit was only 25 and there was a reason.

There was a parking lot by the swimming area and the dock at the lake. This was a popular spot in the summer, usually filled with children swimming and diving off the dock. The parents sat back in the shade at picnic tables, visiting with friends and family.

She pulled up in the parking lot and pulled her car to a stop.

“Want to go down to the dock?” she asked.

Lucky nodded, again wondering about this. This would not look good if the wrong person came along.

They got out of the car and made the short walk down the path to the dock. It was even cooler out here at the lake, and a small breeze was blowing, whistling through the pines. They sat down at the edge of the dock, looking out over the lake.

It was a man-made lake, built back in the 1930s, courtesy of the federal government desperate to get people working and restore an economy devastated by the depression. It was simply the most beautiful thing Lucky ever saw, the image of the moon on the lake, shining back up in the sky, along with the trees hugging the coast line.

There was a walking trail around the lake. It was a good five miles and would test anyone, even those in the best condition. Lucky had done it several times, always pausing on the far side at one opening in a small inlet that opened up to give a view of the whole lake. There was another swimming area on the far side, complete with a sandy beach.

“It’s so peaceful here,” she sighed. “Do you come here much?”

“We used to camp here a lot,” Lucky answered, remembering how much fun it was when he was small. This swimming area was where his mother taught him to swim. They used to camp at a spot just above the swimming area.

“Do you not camp anymore?”

“No, not since it’s just me and my dad.”

“Do you guys go anywhere else, like for vacation?”

“Not usually. We usually just work most of the summer and maybe go see a baseball game.”

She nodded and then leaned over to touch the water and look at her reflection.

“It’s cool,” she reported, then turned to look at him. “I’m sorry for how D.J. acted. I don’t know what’s gotten into him but he hasn’t been himself. Ever since he started hanging around with some of the older guys his attitude has really gotten bad. All he talks about is what he’s gonna do with them. He doesn’t seem to want to have anything to do with me or you guys any more.”

“He’s never acted like that before,” Lucky added.

“I thought you guys were going to get into a fight. I’ve never had anybody take up for me before, except for my brother. That was sweet.”

Lucky shrugged. “It just didn’t seem right.”

The waves splashed up against the dock and on to the shore. The wind picked up, making the tops of the trees bend to the side.

“I think I made a mistake,” she admitted.

“How?” Lucky asked. He was starting to feel cool and saw she was starting to shiver.

“Dating D.J.,” Gabby suggested. “I’ve never dated anybody before and thought he was so cool. I wanted to fit in, being at a new school and everything. I liked him but never really felt comfortable with him. You and I talked more tonight than D.J. and I ever did. I feel nervous around him. I’ll say something and he’ll look at me like he was mad that I talked.”

“What did you guys get into it about tonight?”

“He wanted to go ride around with some of his older friends and then meet me at the dance. I told him he was more than welcome to go ride around with his friends but not to expect to find me waiting at the dance.”

“He’s always been my friend,” Lucky mentioned. “We’ve known each other forever.”

They sat for several minutes, listening to the waves and the wind. They never heard the truck pull into the parking lot or the footsteps from behind.

“I expected you to be here,” said a voice coming from behind them.

They both jumped before turning around to see D.J. and Garrett standing at the edge of the dock, looking like they were blocking the exit.

“But I figured you would be alone,” D.J. added.

“That’s not much of a friend,” Garrett added. “You turn your back and he’s out here trying to steal your chick.”

“That’s not what is happening,” Lucky fired back.

“Looks that way to me,” D.J. stated.

“Me, too,” added Garrett.

“I asked him to come out here,” Gabby told them.

“Well, he shouldn’t have come,” Garrett muttered.

“He knew we were dating,” D.J. added.

“Yeah, and I knew you treated her bad,” Lucky argued.

Garrett and D.J. looked at each other, then back at Lucky. Garrett usually acted this way, but tonight was the first time D.J. acted like this way and Lucky figured it was probably because of the company he had been keeping.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time,” Garrett muttered as he started walking toward Lucky.

“I don’t want to fight you,” Lucky responded.

“Are you scared?” D.J. asked. “Gonna go hide behind your daddy?”

“No, I’m not scared. I don’t have to hide behind anybody.”

“Then get up and let’s go,” Garrett urged, bowing his chest out.

Lucky rose to his feet. Gabby also stood and tried to get between them.

“Don’t do this,” she begged. “Nothing’s happened.”

“Get outta the way,” Garrett yelled, moving closer.

Lucky moved her to the side. As Garrett approached, he expected to see fear in Lucky’s eyes. He was a lot bigger, older and had been fighting most of his life. The smile on Lucky’s face bothered him.

“I’m gonna wipe that smile off your face,” Garrett stated.

Lucky wasn’t even aware of a smile, although it was humorous to see this big ape strutting toward him. He shrugged and waited for the assault. He had not had a fight in years, but was taught at a young age how to defend himself by his father, lessons Lucky knew well.

His father told him to never start a fight, but always finish it.

Lucky took a deep breath and watched as Garrett rushed him. The word quick was not an accurate description of Garrett. He wanted to grab hold of Lucky and throw him to the dock. By the time he got there, Lucky had stepped aside.

This just made Garrett angrier. He threw a wild punch, followed by another. They missed badly as Lucky easily stepped away. The frustration started to grow. Garrett lunged forward and grabbed Lucky, only to be stunned by several punches thrown so quick he never saw them coming.

Garrett staggered back, nearly falling into the lake before catching himself. He rubbed his nose and looked at the back of his hand, surprised to see the blood. This almost made Garrett blow a fuse. He growled and rushed at Lucky again.

This time he grabbed Lucky by the waist, trying to tackle him. Lucky kept his balance and started popping him in the side of the face, rapid punches that made Garrett’s head go back and forth like he was a bobblehead.

Lucky had nearly beaten Garrett off when a blow came to the side of his head. Lucky saw stars and staggered to the dock, seeing D.J. standing above him with his fists clenched.

It was the realization that D.J. sucker-punched him that hurt more than anything. Lucky was down on his knees and Garrett took advantage, finally landing a pair of punches. Lucky finally collapsed under the weight of the punches, along with a kick to the side from D.J.

Gabby was crying and trying to drag D.J. away.

There were more footsteps coming and they turned to see Derwin Lane running toward them.

“Uh, oh,” Garrett said, moving back from Lucky.

“That’s real big,” Derwin hollered, grabbed D.J. and threw him aside like a rag doll. He pushed Garrett back hard, almost sending him into the lake. “Two against one’s pretty good odds.”

“We don’t have no problem with you,” Garrett stuttered.

“Yeah, actually you do. If you don’t get out of here now, both of you will wish you’d never been born.”

Garrett and D.J. looked at each other. There was no way either of them wanted any part of Derwin, even if it was two against one. He was the baddest guy around and would tear them apart.

“He was trying to steal D.J.’s girlfriend,” Garrett stated, trying to justify his actions.

“No, he wasn’t,” protested Gabby.

“I told you to get outta here,” Derwin ordered. He gave them one final menacing glare that sent Garrett and D.J. bounding up the steps and to the parking lot.

Derwin leaned down close to Lucky, checking for damage. He wasn’t a real close friend or anything, but Derwin still liked him, respected him as a person, and could not stand to see two people beat up one. Especially when the person getting pounded was the quarterback of his football team.

“You okay?” he asked. Derwin saw a big knot above Lucky’s left eye and blood coming from a gash under the eye.

Lucky nodded. Breathing was an agony and his head hurt.

Derwin and Gabby helped him to his feet.

“Thanks,” Lucky managed to say.

“No problem,” answered Derwin, who was now glad he bypassed the dance to go for a ride with his girlfriend. They had pulled up in the parking lot, saw what was happening and he quickly rushed to the dock. This was not what he expected, but had to be better than the dance.

Derwin bid his farewells after deciding everything was okay and started climbing the steps back to the parking lot.

Lucky was extremely grateful to his teammate, knowing things would have really gotten bad if Derwin had not shown up when he did. They also walked back up the steps to the parking lot. Gabby helped Lucky, who could make it on his own but wasn’t going to refuse her assistance. They finally made it to the parking lot and got in her car.

He looked over and saw she was crying. Her face was barely visible in the moonlight sneaking into the car and the tears seemed to glisten.

She slammed her hands on the steering wheel and turned to him.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, brushing away tears. “This is all my fault.”

“It’s okay,” Lucky assured her. “I can’t think of anybody I’d rather get beaten up over.”

Gabby wiped away the tears and looked at Lucky in a different way. She wanted to ask what he meant by that, but decided this was not a good time to find out.

She started the car, revved up the motor and headed back to Petros. Every pothole they hit sent a blast of pain through his side, making it feeling like somebody was jabbing him with a knife.

They slowly drove through town, surprised at the lack of traffic, then decided it was because of the dance. Lucky was not used to being out at this time of night and was surprised the highway was empty of vehicles.

When they arrived at his house, Gabby helped him up to the front door. The lights were on and Lucky dreaded this. He opened the door and saw his father and brother in the family room, watching film and talking.

Lloyd was in the middle of a sentence when they looked up and saw Lucky. Their mouths dropped open as they got up and rushed to him. Cole and Lloyd inspected Lucky, taking extra time with the knot on his head.

“Go get a wet rag,” Cole ordered. Lloyd rushed away down the hall to one of the bathrooms.

“Is there anything else wrong?” Cole asked.

“His side is hurt,” Gabby reported.

Cole raised the shirt, exposing a big bruise covering a large part of the side. Lloyd came back and also looked at the red mark, already the size of a softball, a nasty purple color as the blood was already spreading under the skin.

Lloyd touched the bruise and gently felt around to see if anything felt wrong.

“I don’t think anything’s broke,” he declared.

“No, it’s just a bad bruise,” Cole added. “Wipe that rag on the cut under his eye, then go get some ice in a bag and we’ll put it on his eye.”

He and Gabby escorted Lucky to the couch and helped him sit down.

Lloyd handed his father a sandwich bag filled with ice cubs. Cole put it on the knot above the eye, trying to bring down the swelling. It was nasty, but Cole did not think the cut needed stitches. It was not serious but would probably give his youngest son a bad headache.

Deciding that Lucky was okay, Cole decided to get to the bottom of this.

“Did you win?” Cole asked. “I sure don’t remember seeing you looking like this when you left the locker room.”

Lucky shook his head.

“What happened?” Lloyd asked.

Lucky again shook his head, not wanting to tell them what happened.

“Don’t even think about doing this,” Cole stated, his anger growing. “You will tell us what happened.”

Lucky lowered his head, not wanting to answer. Seeing this, Cole turned to Gabby.

She started telling the story, not leaving out any details.

“You didn’t do anything to provoke this?” Cole asked.

Lucky shook his head, wishing this night never happened.

Lloyd stood up and started walking toward the door.

“Where are you going?” Cole asked.

“I’m gonna go take care of some business,” he fired back.

“No, Lloyd,” Lucky protested. “I’ll take care of this.”

“Sit down, Lloyd,” Cole ordered, wishing his oldest son would settle this, but also knowing that was not right. “You can’t go out and beat up a bunch of high school kids. Then you’d wind up in trouble.”

“I’ll take care of this,” Lucky pleaded again. “I don’t want either of you to do anything about it.”

Cole sat down beside his son. He wanted to do something about this also, but knew that was out of the question. Plus, the good book said to turn the other cheek. Until he gave his life to the Lord, Cole would have been out the door and cleaning up without a second thought.

Garrett had never been one of Cole’s favorite players and his status had just dropped. But he was most disappointed in D.J. He could not count the number of times D.J. spent the night, came over to play and sat on this same couch. D.J. had always been such a good kid.

For Lucky, the physical pain was bad, but the mental hurt even more. He could not believe his friend did this to him. For D.J. to sneak up from behind and sucker punch him hurt more than any punch or kick did.

“Dad, I’ve gotta do something about this,” Lloyd said. “You always told me that we’ve got to stick together and not let anybody hurt us. My little brother’s hurt and I can’t let them get away with it.”

“No!” Lucky shouted. “I don’t need anybody to fight my fights.”

Lucky knew he was hurting less than Gabby. She was still crying and it looked like the waterworks would not dry up soon.

Lloyd eventually gave up on revenging his brother and retreated back to his bedroom. Cole also decided to hit the sack, feeling like he was the third wheel on a two-wheeled bike.

“I don’t know what I should do,” Gabby admitted. “I’ve made a terrible mistake and got you involved in something you didn’t need to be a part of and I got your friend…”

“I don’t know if you could classify him as my friend right now,” Lucky interrupted, trying to smile and lighten the mood.

It was the first time Gabby had smiled in quite a while. They sat beside each other on the couch for a little longer until Gabby saw it was time to get home. Her parents had set a curfew of midnight and they expected her home by then.

Gabby wanted to do something for Lucky, she just felt so bad. She had to do something to try and right the wrong, but did not know what to do until she started walking toward the door, Lucky trailing slowly behind.

“I feel terrible about what happened,” she said. “I want to make this up to you. Can I take you to a movie tomorrow night?”

“You don’t have to do that,” Lucky responded, not trying to be too persuasive.

“Okay, maybe some other time.”

“I guess tomorrow would work,” he decided. “I just didn’t want you to feel like you had to do that because of tonight.”

“I don’t,” Gabby admitted. “I want to do it.”

Chapter 26