Someone's In My Head (WATTYS AWARD WINNER 2015)

Chapter Seventeen

"What if Tanya's right and this is a trap?" He asked himself silently. "What if Lenny had a troop of men, all clad in balaclavas, posed readily around the school's perimeter, ordered to block off any possible exits once I pull up at the front entrance?

"No. The Lenny I know would never attempt such treachery." Phil decided, confidently. But deep down, he knew the confidence was forced―mainly to convince himself that he had not driven this far to fall for a deliberate and obvious trap.

Then, before he could succumb to his qualms, Phil took a deep breath and drove on. As his car emerged from the alleyway―the sole obstacle that made his arrival less conspicuous―Phil braced himself for a sudden attack. A ferocious assault of armed men. An ambush, whatever. But nothing came.

Instead, standing placidly beside the Lincoln statue, with his right arm rested comfortably on Lincoln's left foot and his legs crossed as he stood, was Phil's best friend from 15 years ago, Lenny. Donned in an immaculate white suit, Lenny looked tall and commanding, but not too arrogant in the way that might suggest hostility.

To Phil, it was definitely a sight for sore eyes. Not that he wasn't glad to be arriving safely at the rendezvous point instead of having an AK-47 rifle shoved roughly down his mouth, but Phil also felt a strong wave of nostalgia surging up his chest, barely inundating him. It has been so long since Phil last saw his best friend stand under the shade of the statue, waving him over to join as they proceeded to recite the lines from their homemade Manifesto.

(To briefly explain the 'homemade Manifesto' part, it's basically a self-established version of the Bible, which explains the way of life in excruciating detail. This book happened to be the 'highly-accomplished' handiwork of both Phil and Lenny during their schooling days, based on Phil's memory, although I seriously doubt it is any less preposterous than those StopMasturbationNow websites that you see online.)

"But again," Phil gave himself a mental punch. "He's the one who started this mess. If it wasn't for Lenny, Tanya would never have to spend ten precious years of her life rotting inside a cell of a mental prison. Don't be hoodwinked by his friendly façade."

Phil parked the car by the sidewalk and got out with Tanya. Lenny was already gliding over to them in long, smooth strides.

"It's good seeing you again, Phil." Lenny held out a hand. Phil ignored it, choosing to reply with a stare indeed. And not any casual 'what-are-you-doing' stare, but a serious, no-nonsense 'you-better-tell-me-what-have-you-done-before-I-kick-your-ass' glare.

Lenny was clearly disarmed by Phil's sudden coldness. The guy was probably thinking, 'How could a man who sounded perfectly normal in the phone just a few hours ago become so unfriendly now?' Oh, but no, I don't think so. If Lenny was indeed the mastermind behind all this, his seemingly uncomfortable and uncertain expression is merely an act. And a pretty convincing one, I must say.

Lenny cleared his throat, shifting his focus to Tanya. "And you must be Tanya!" Again, another handshake offer. "It's nice to finally meet you in―"

At this point, Lenny broke of mid-speech, probably because he wasn't getting any response from both Phil and Tanya.

Tanya, like her husband, was also giving Lenny the silent treatment. However, in Tanya's case, it was slightly different. Phil, being completely focused on the most hated man on his 'People I Hate' list, did not notice it, but I caught Tanya's expression from the peripheral view of my eyes. She seemed uneasy; her eyes were blinking rapidly and feverishly, and for some reason she was afraid to look at Lenny in the eye. She kept averting her gaze whenever possible. And that was like, every five seconds.

Well, judging by the fact that Lenny is likely the person that got her sentenced (sentenced seems like a harsh word) to ten years in asylum, I couldn't see why she wouldn't be nervous. I mean, which victim would stand there, all cool, as if nothing's happening when their attacker is standing like, five feet away from them?