Chapter 16
A Gold Chained Messenger
Slam. Suzette had shut her locker with more force than she intended, startling Louie, who had been hiding behind her open door.
"Oh!" He stood up a little straighter, causing his slight pot belly to jiggle. "Hiya, Suzette. I was just about to come around."
"Hi Louie. Why were you hiding behind my locker?" Suzette shuffled her notebooks in her arms, frazzled.
"At lunch today, you were lookin' over at our table." Louie fidgeted with the gold chain around his neck. He was nervous. This was his first official conversation with Suzette, after all.
"I was." Suzette agreed. "Did you interpret that as an invitation to my locker?"
"Uh, not really." Louie scratched his head. "Smith said you were at the fight club on Saturday."
"Well, I was invited." Suzette said.
"I know. I remember the conference room fiasco. The thing is, no one expected you to actually show up." Louie shrugged.
"Right. Well, I did. Were you there?" She asked.
"Nope." Louie replied. "If I'd been there, I would've defiantly been the one to greet you." He flashed a smile. "I only fight a coupla times a month."
"Harmony took on your role in your absence then, I guess." Suzette said.
"Of course she did." Louie nodded. "Harmony always has to be in other people's business."
"Right." Suzette glanced at the clock. "Look, I don't mean to be snotty here, but I really need to get to class. Is there a point to this conversation?"
"Yeah, there is. Sorry to keep you waiting." Louie shuffled his feet. "Reed doesn't want you coming back."
"Reed doesn't want me back at the fight club?" Suzette felt a little hurt.
"Reed's an okay guy, but he's also kinda mean." Louie said in a matter of fact tone. "He thinks you're a distraction or something like that. A nuisance."
Suzette rolled her eyes. "Message received. Will you do something for me, Louie?"
Louie's eyes brightened like a puppy's. "Sure Suzette."
Suzette leaned in close. "Tell Reed right back atcha." She turned on the heel of her red faux leather riding boots and marched into Art class just as the bell rang. She sat down behind her pine wood easel, which was right across from Ivy's.
Suzette tore a corner off of the sheet of sketching paper pinned up in front of her. She dug around in her North Face back pack until her favorite worn ball point pen emerged. Quickly, she scribbled Ivy a note:
Ivy-
Looks like your wish will be granted. We are going to the fight club on Saturday. Wear sensible shoes.
-S
Suzette folded it carefully and nudged the nerdy freshman boy hunched over in the stool next to her. "Tell them to keep passing it until it gets to Ivy Terrance."
The boy nodded and took Suzette's note carefully, as if it were an egg. Suzette watched as the note went from fist to fist until it was lightly tossed into Ivy's lap. Ivy brushed the stray hairs out of her eyes and un folded the note, reading it once, and then twice. She finally looked up and locked eyes with Suzette. A looked of uncertainty and excitement masked Ivy's face. Suzette simply nodded and then pantomimed a paper ripping motion.
Ivy took the hint and sliced the paper into a few tiny segments. Suzette felt relieved. If her teacher got a hold of that note and read the contents, Suzette and Ivy both would be in deep. After getting up to throw the remains of the note in the recycling bin, Ivy looked at Suzette once more.
Slowly, Ivy mouthed: "Are you sure?"
Suzette was quick to mouth back: "Positive."
YOU ARE READING
Punch!
Teen FictionIt all started with curiosity. But as Suzette Kimberly soon learns, curiosity killed the cat. When she bursts into a suspicious after school meeting between four teenage boys, she wants nothing more than to know what they're up to. But when she disc...
