The 'Cousins'

Part 97(Delta): Jess's Latest Plan

Chapter Ninety Seven (Delta)

Jess's Latest Plan.

'That's it! Beating Silvers tonight has changed everything. I can control things for myself.'

Jess's pulled the comforter over his head and lay in bed on his right side as his mind raced over the evening's main event ; the warm glow of triumph coursing through his body. 'Silvers, Silvers the crazy who's never lost a fight. I beat him! I beat him!'

The glow intensified with the thought he had won his first grown-up fight, and against a renowned brawler in the school.

The warm glow diminished rapidly with his next thought. 'But how did I do it? I don't remember doing anything.' Jess rolled over onto his left side to contemplate the encounter. His fingertips traced the swelling pad of bruised flesh on his forehead where it had battered Silver's nose and face. 'Silvers will be after me to get even and he won't wait.' A cold shudder passed through him and his legs twitched in fear. Jess now regretted the bravado with which he warned off Silvers after the fight. 'Would Silver's take that as a challenge. Will he be after his retribution from me tonight? What do I do if he comes for me? How do I repeat what I did before if I don't know what I did to drop him?'

Jess had rushed back to the schoolhouse from Harry's awash with elation. Most of the dormitory boys had gone home for the weekend. The few remaining overnight were mostly those playing in a football match tomorrow and were out on the town. When Jess entered, Ethan Cartwright was the only person in the room, sitting at one of the small tables inside the door and engrossed in a girlie magazine.

"You're back early, what's up? Did your boyfriend kick y'out?" Cartwright's teasing laugh choked off when he noticed Jess's reddened and swelling forehead and pointed a finger at the bruise. "Holy shit what happened to you?"

Jess played it cool and felt the thrill of blasé pass through him as he touched his forehead. "Oh this. That's nothing. Silvers got out of line, that's all. I had to take care of him."

"Silvers? ...  You ... took care of Silvers?" Cartwright rose up on his feet in surprise, but Jess was already walking down the aisle towards his own bed-space. He was about to ask if Ethan minded if he switched off the headlights at his end of the aisle. Then a mischievous thought appealed to him. He stopped and turned around to face Cartwright to assert in a low, threatening voice. "I'm switching off the headlights at my end. I've got a big day tomorrow and need an early night. No problem for you is it Cartwright?"

"No ... No problem at all ... You ...  you took care of ... Silvers?"

"That's right. You can ask him about it, G'night."

Jess switched off the headlights and walked down to his bed space with the thrill of increased self-confidence bordering on over confidence tingling through his body. He didn't risk going to the bathroom, however, in case he met up with Silvers cleaning his wounds there. Jess had no wish for a second encounter with the bruiser that night. After stripping to his underwear and a brief wipe down on a towel he got into bed and settled himself under his comforter seeking the oblivion of slumber.

Sleep escaped him since his brain insisted on running over and over the evening's events, as if spooling on a continuous loop: Felix keeping him under the close escort to ensure he couldn't get away or change his mind about the shoot on Sunday; Silver's lewd suggestions, and Felix's insinuations about Greg's ulterior motives - made plausible by the expiry of his B-1 visa in September.

Then over them all rose Dr. Armstrong's pressing ultimatum for him to have a credible debt repayment plan to offer on Monday morning.

An hour later he still lay awake and heard the town hall clock striking eleven. The shuddering of his body stopped as he fought to control himself. He rolled over on his right side and thought through the fight several times as he could best remember it until he recalled, as near as possible, what actually had happened. 'Silvers pulled me towards him, I lost my balance and dived into him landing with my head on his nose.' He smiled, folding the comforter down from his face and spoke quietly to himself.