Sacrifices of the Soul, Chapter Eight
 

Theresa went up to the door that said ‘Registrar’ on it. She opened it, and found a bevy of activity swarming around. The room was full, and people were in line, and she saw nearly everyone arguing with everyone of the ladies at a computer. There was one lady who was walking around, and directing people as to where they should go. She came up to Theresa.

" May I help you?"

" I hope so. I’m here to register for class."

" Do you know which ones? Have you gotten all the financial aid straightened out and the proper papers from there?"

" Financial Aid?"

" Well, we won’t register anyone until they either have a voucher from the Financial Aid office, or a receipt from the Bursar’s office."

" I’m new at this. I don’t know what I’m doing."

The woman looked at Theresa and then leaned in. " This place is a zoo. If you want some help, you need to come back between 2:30 and 3:00. It’s always slow, and you just come back and look for me, and I’ll get you on the right path."

Theresa smiled and told the lady, "Thank you.", and went on her way to her job. She would just take her lunch hour during that time.
 

Chad is loading up the buckets with rivets, ready to deliver them to the men on the beams, when he hears,

" Yo Harris! You got a visitor."

Chad looks over and sees Kay standing there. He shrugs his shoulders and walks over to the Foreman and Kay.

" Kay, I’m at work. I don’t have time for games. I’ll see you later." He looks at his Foreman with pleading eyes.

" Games? You think I’m here about GAMES? I’m here about your SISTER! You think SHE’S a GAME?"

Chad looked at Kay, and saw that she was deadly serious. Upon hearing that it was ‘family’ oriented, the Foreman motioned Chad towards the bench at the end of the site, and gave him the signal for 10 minutes.

Kay and Chad get over to the bench and sit down. Chad begins,

" So, what’s wrong with Whitney?"

" Whitney? Why does it ALWAYS have to be about Whitney?"

" Well, you said my sister, and…"

" Excuse me, Chad. But, in case you forgot, you have TWO sisters. And, since when am I a messenger for Whitney Russell?"

" I’m sorry, Kay. Of course, you’d be here about Simone. What’s wrong?"

" What’s WRONG? What’s WRONG? I’ll tell you what’s WRONG…EVERYTHING is wrong! Simone is slipping away, and nobody seems to give a damn but me!"

" Kay, come on. Stop being so melodramatic."

" Melodramatic? You’re calling me melodramatic, and I’m telling you that your little sister is in danger."

" Danger. What? Is she in the hospital?"

" No. Not yet. There are all kinds of dangers, Chad. Simone is fast slipping out of control, and going down the wrong road. "

" Wrong road?"

" Are you stupid? I thought you were from ‘the street’. Don’t you understand what I’m saying?"

" No, I don’t. So, spill it."

" If something doesn’t happen, it’s very possible that Simone’s going to wind up on ‘the street’."

Chad chuckled. " Come on, Kay. Get serious. Ain’t no way that Simone’s gonna wind up ‘on the street’. "

" Under regular times, no, she wouldn’t. But, do you realize what has happened to Simone over the course of the past 6 – 9 months? Do you? Well let me spell it out for you.

1. She fell in love with you.
2. You dump her for her sister. Not only does that hurt like hell, but, you dump her for the sister who treated you like crap. Once again, Simone comes up short, when compared to the Perfect, #1 Daughter Whitney.
3. Not only does she fall for you, and is still nursing a crush on you, she learns that she can’t have you, not because you’re not in love with her, but, also because you’re HER BROTHER! Simone had never felt anything really romantic for ANY guy, before you. You stirred feelings in her that she never experienced before. Not only did you set her hormones out of whack, but, she finds out that all those feelings were WRONG, according to every law, natural and manmade.
4. Her ‘Perfect’ Family crumbles as a result of this. Simone loved her family. Whatever little security that she had, was based on it. Do you know that her father has banished Dr. Russell from even being mentioned in the house? That he got rid of all her pictures, and that Simone has to hide a picture of her mother in her nightstand?
5. Dr. Russell not only falls from the pedestal that Simone had placed her on, but, she totally disappears. "

" Disappears?"

" Yes. Simone has been trying to get in contact with her for MONTHS. Do you know that Simone goes by the Harmony Hotel EVERY morning  and EVERY afternoon to and from school? Do you know that she leaves a message for Dr. Russell? And, not ONCE has Dr. Russell been in contact with Simone?"

" Yeah….well, maybe Dr. Russell realizes that Simone is better off without her.", Chad says bitterly.

" Oh, that is SO not true. Do you know how isolated Simone feels? Sure, she was mad at her mother for awhile, after the truth came out, but, she loves YOUR mother, Chad. She needs her. Lord knows that’s the only way she’ll get any attention paid to her. "

" Attention? Coach Russell is there."

" Oh, Puleeze. TELL ME, that you aren’t that blind. Tell me that you didn’t notice, that even in the good times, Whitney is, has been and ALWAYS will be, the first priority for Coach Russell. I’m not saying that he doesn’t love Simone, but, she’s the ‘also ran’ in his heart. And, that was during the GOOD TIMES. Since the bust up of his marriage, all he can think about is: how Whitney feels…how to get Whitney through ‘this’…how to keep Whitney safe. Simone comes up short…WAY SHORT. "

" I haven’t been around Simone…I didn’t notice."

" No, you haven’t been around Simone. The rest of the year, Simone could sort of deal with it, because she had school and activities and all. In the summer, though, you could see Coach Russell’s tunnelvision when it came to Whitney. They spent nearly every waking moment together..him, Whitney and ‘their tennis’. You know Simone doesn’t play on purpose, don’t you? She hates tennis. She can’t intrude upon their little world. Which is why the Summer was always the special time for her and her mom. I didn’t get it at first, but, then, I began to realize that every summer Dr. Russell would organize one activity, if not two activities that only she and Simone would do together. One summer they took dance together. Another Summer, they got into horseback riding. Then it was photography, painting, sculpting, French lessons, training for a mini-triathalon. Simone may not be a size 2, but, she’s totally in shape. Dr. Russell got Simone’s mind off of Coach Russell and Whitney, by having her look forward to their special time together."

" Uh-huh."

" But, now, she’s gone, and Simone feels like a third wheel. She used to feel comfortable, when things got bad for her and her Whitney insecurities kicked in,  that she could hang out at my house. But, since my parents are totally down on Dr. Russell, she doesn’t feel comfortable. She has all these feelings, and she doesn’t know what to do with them. And, then comes along that asshole."

" Asshole?"

" Yes. Some asshole creep named Hakim that she met. He’s totally bad news."

" Kay, just cause your best friend is spending time with a guy and not you don’t make him bad."

" Will you stop patronizing me? UGH! I don’t know WHY I came to you. You obviously don’t take me seriously. I don’t need this shit. I’ll save Simone on my own." Kay gets up to walk away, but, Chad takes hold of her arm.

" Whoah, Kay. Hold up. I didn’t mean to make light of what you’re trying to tell me. I thought maybe it was the typical teen thing..now that I see your reaction, I know it’s not. Come on. Sit down. Tell me."

Kay stared at him, and then sat down. " Ok. But, only if you take me seriously. I’m tired of people just brushing me off. "

" I’m NOT brushing you off."

" Well, Hakim is bad news. I’m not from the streets, Chad, but he screams everything that our parents warn us about. I remember Dr. Russell lecturing Simone and I dozens of times about how we have to be with the ‘right’ sort of boys. Though I pretended not to really hear, and be bored, I heard her. She’s right. There are all sorts of losers out there, and they look for naïve girls to take advantage of them. "

" Simone isn’t worldy, but, she’s not stupid. She wouldn’t fall for one of these creeps."

" Under normal circumstances, no, she wouldn’t. But, she believes everything her mother ever told her was a lie. What do you do when you’ve been betrayed? When the foundation of your entire life evaporates? I think she might even listen to Dr. Russell, but, she can’t even find her. She thinks her mother abandoned her, her father loves her when it’s convenient, Whitney’s no good, because she’s so self-absorbed and wrapped up in her problems, and she feels like a freak that she had romantic feelings for her own BROTHER. The other adults  that she once could count on, my mom and dad, aren’t exactly open to any discussion about Eve Russell, and here comes along this smooth-talking, semi-romantic playa who makes Simone feel like she can have some control. She can’t control anything else in her life, but, she can control if she’s in this relationship. This guy who doesn’t look at Whitney first. This guy who tells her that she’s beautiful. This guy who tells her that he can help her forget the pain."

" You mean…"

" Yeah..drugs! I don’t know which kind, but, I know that he’s given her some. I’ve seen her high a couple of times. I don’t think that it’s been anything stronger than grass, but, you and I BOTH know that it won’t stay ‘just grass’ for long. And, he can get it on."

" Haven’t you tried talking to Simone?"

" Well, DUH! The only thing worse than a parent trying to lecture a child who’s out of control, is a friend trying to do it. The friend automatically becomes ‘BORING..A LOSER…and soon…an EX-FRIEND’. I tread carefully. As is, Simone barely speaks me to me these days. If I push about Hakim, while he’s the one whispering sweet nothings all the time, she’ll cut me out entirely. "

All throughout this, Kay had become more and more excited, waiving her hands, and getting more agitated with everyword. Soon, she just burst into waves of sobs.

" Simone and I have known one another since we were babies. She’s my best friend, and in a lot of ways, my sister. You don’t know how wonderful she is. I love her. What I’ve always loved most about her is her heart. It’s so big and full. But, that makes her vulnerable. And, see, I’m tough. I’m the hard one. I’ve always looked out for Simone and protected her. I’m scared, Chad. I’ve read enough of those horror articles in teen magazines, to know that sometimes, bad things happen to good people. Bad things that can’t be changed, or taken back. Hakim is bad news….drugs I know, and I can’t be too sure if sex hasn’t already happened. A lot of girls use sex to dull pain too, you know? I’m someone who takes action. I’ve always been the one with the plan. But, I don’t have a plan now. I feel helpless and scared. I HATE feeling this way. You don’t know how wonderful she is….." Kay stops because she’s overcome by sobs once again.

Chad took her hand. " You’re wrong Kay. I DO know how terrific Simone is. And, you don’t have to worry. I’m here."

Kay looked into his eyes. " So, you’ll help Simone?"

" Yeah. I’ll help her. We’re gonna have to work together. I don’t have a plan right now, but, I’ll begin thinking about one. I don’t have all the answers, but, between us, we’ll find some, OK?"

Kay nodded. " Ok."

" Well, I gotta go. I’m going to begin now."

" How?"

" I don’t know. Can I have your cellphone number? We’ll need to be in contact." Kay gives him hers, and she takes his.

" Thanks for telling me this, Kay. Simone’s gonna be OK. I promise you that I won’t stop helping her until she’s OK."

" Thanks Chad."

Chad walked away, leaving Kay on the bench. He went over to the Foreman.

" Hey. I need to take a break."

" You just took one."

" You heard her. It’s about my sister. Family. I gotta take care of it."

" Ok, Harris, but, I’m docking you."

" Fine by me.", and Chad walks off the construction site.
 

Kay is sitting on the bench, crying still, and going through her purse, trying to find something to wipe her eyes with, when all of a sudden, a handkerchief is placed in front of her. Kay looks up and sees,

" Miguel?"

" Hey Kay."

" What are you doing here?"

" I work here. I just started a few weeks ago."

" You did? I didn’t even know."

" Yeah, well, that’s not the only thing that’s my fault."

" Huh?"

" Kay, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry that  you’ve been going through all of this alone."

" You heard…..my talk with Chad?"

" Yeah. I’m sorry. Usually, I don’t eavesdrop on other people’s conversations, but, you looked so upset, and I couldn’t help myself. You’re my best friend Kay. I had to know what bothered you so. And, now I realize that I’m part of the problem."

" Huh? Why would you say that, Miguel?"

" Because, I could see it on your face, Kay. You’ve had the weight of the world on your shoulders, and there’s no excuse for it being this way. I know why you came to Chad, but, you should have had someone else there for you, helping you. It should have been me."

" You?"

" Yeah, Kay. It wasn’t just ‘Kay and Miguel’ all those years. It was the THREE Musketeers of Kay, Miguel and Simone. Nearly every sporting team that we belonged to, Simone was there: either as a team manager, or a team cheerleader. She almost never missed a game, did she?"

" No. Simone was always there for us."

" Yes, she was. And, in theory, I knew that things were bad for her. Chad lives at my house. But, I’m ashamed to say that I’ve been so wrapped up in my own life,  that I’ve not had any time to think about anyone else. I’ve neglected so much in my personal life, just thinking, arrogantly I might add, that you would just always be there for me. That everything would just stay there as I liked it, so I could bop in and out, whenever I wanted to, in between time with Charity. I used to look at people who dropped their friends when they fell in love, and I said that it would never happen to me. But, it DID happen to me, didn’t it, Kay?"

Kay looked hard at Miguel and softly nodded, " Yes, Miguel. You did. You let it happen."

" I know. I know what I’ve done, and I apologize. You were right going to Chad, Kay. He will try and do his best to help Simone. But, Chad doesn’t know Simone like we do. And, it looks like Simone is going to need all the help that she can get right now."

Kay took a deep breath and exhaled. And, in a very worried voice, " Miguel, I’m scared for Simone. She’s out of control, and everything I seem to do just makes it worse. I’m trying!"

Miguel took Kay’s hand. " I know you are. But, you’re only one person. I think that it will take TWO Musketeers to save the other one."

" You’re willing to help me, Miguel?", Kay asks.

" You bet, Kay. I’m making a promise to you right now. You and I are going to figure out a way to keep Simone Ok. I don’t know what it is just yet, but, between us, we can do it, don’t you think? The team of Miguel and Kay has always worked before……and, it will work now."

Kay smiled. " Miguel, hearing you say it, I almost believe it. "

Miguel let go of Kay’s hand, and she had to cover her disappointment. " I have to go back to work now, but I’m going to continue to think about Simone and how we can help her. We’ll do it Kay. I’ll see you later."

" Bye, Miguel."

Kay sat there on the bench, as he walked back to the construction site. She loved Miguel so much. In her dreams, she couldn’t have thought of anything like this. She and Miguel will spend time trying to save Simone, and in the process, of course, he will realize that he loves HER, not Charity. And, they would save Simone too. She’d have her best friend, and her man….for the first time in a LONG time, Kay Bennett had her energy back.  Things were FINALLY looking up for her.