CAUGHT OFF GAURD

CAUGHT OFF GUARD: CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

I was out like a light in seconds.

Something didn't feel right. I got up and went to the bathroom, in just my briefs, feeling awkward and numb. I peed and went to the sink to wash up. As I turned the water on, I glanced in the mirror and saw a large gaping hole in my chest.

"When did that happen?" I asked myself out loud. I looked again and saw that it was where my heart should be-- and that I had no pulse-- and I panicked. I turned my head to yell, keeping my eyes on the mirror and the hole in my chest,

"MOM! Have you seen my heart?"

No response. I stepped over and opened the door to yell again. It opened into the shower room of the gym at Cole's house, and there he was, standing naked under one of the sprays, with his back to me, busy doing something. I walked toward him to see what he was doing. He glanced around at me and turned himself so he'd remain facing away,

"I'll be done in a minute, Khalil. Go work out or something-- you're so fat."

"I don't have time, I'm looking for my heart. What're you doing?" I just knew I should see what it was he was doing.

"Oh, just washing this clean," he kept angling away from me.

"Washing what clean?"

"It's nothing, Khalil . Would you tell my mom I'll be done in a minute?"

"What are you washing, Cole?" I reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling myself around in front of him and saw my still beating heart in his hands. He was washing the blood off of it.

"It's nothing, Khalil, just your heart." He sounded annoyed that I was bothering him.

"H-how did you get it?"

"You gave it to me, don't you remember?" He had sarcasm in his voice, and a smug look on his face as he looked at me out of the corner of his eye.

"But you didn't want it!" I said with tears running down my face.

"There you go again, Khalil, always crying! You're such a fucking baby!" he said with contempt as he turned away from me again. I watched his back muscles ripple with his movements and wondered,

'What's going on here?' I slid myself around on the tiles in front of him again and tried to grab my heart out of his hands,

"Give it back! I need it!"

He held it up out of reach, "Mom! Khalil's trying to take his heart back!"

Mrs. Manning came in the shower room, dressed to impress, in stiletto heels and a knockout jacket and skirt combo in icy brown to match her eyes. 

She had stopped walking just  before she hit the falling water from the shower head. She was staring me down with a horrible gaze that made my blood freeze cold. I felt myself shrink to four feet tall.

"Khalil! Why do you insist on making trouble? What's your DEEP SEATED PROBLEM?!" She asked, in an almost hysterical voice.