Now And Then

Then

Things weren’t the same with Matt gone. Mary didn’t show up at school for a few days, and Jennifer wasn’t herself. Stephanie seemed to be taking it worse than any of us, which didn’t make any sense, but it wasn’t my business. The news spread quickly to a few people, but most of them wondered where he was. When he didn’t show up for two weeks straight, they stopped asking me. They knew.

            Mary started showing up again, but she was distant, like she wasn’t all there. I can’t blame her. Everything was ten times duller, there was no one to make really really really bad jokes or anything like that. That was always Matt’s self-appointed duty, to keep all our spirits lightened while all this shit with Vietnam and everything was happening. With him gone, it was like, well, there’s nothing to really compare it too. It was what it was, our best friend was gone, possibly forever.

            It was a Friday, I think, when I saved Mary. I was leaving school late; why, I don’t remember, but it’s sure good that I did. I was walking out to the parking lot when I heard her talking around the corner. “Just leave me alone.”

            “Come on, Mary, there’s no reason you can’t…” The guy, who I realized was a douchebag by the name of Jason, said.

            “Jason, I said no.” I heard her try to walk away. “Let go of me!” I heard a hand connect with a face, and I knew it wasn’t hers. I dropped everything I was carrying and ran around the corner, to the sight of Mary clutching her cheek and Jason grabbing onto her arm.

            “Jason, I think we both heard her. Just scram.”

            “Make me, Kevin.”

            “I don’t wanna fight you, Jason, I really don’t like fighting.”

            He burst into laughter, I guess because he was so much bigger than me. “Try it, pal.”

            I sighed. “I didn’t want to have to do this.” I grabbed the necklace around my neck, which had a peace medallion fastened on the end, and tossed it to the ground. Charging at Jason, I let all of my rage flow through me. My rage at Vietnam, my rage at Kennedy, my rage at losing Matt, my rage at everything. Jason caught my arm mid-punch and brought his knee into my stomach. I fell to the ground and he continued kicking me, while Mary begged him to stop. He muttered something about us before he left.

            Mary ran over to me, panicking, asking if I was alright, saying she was gonna call the police. I told her I was fine as I managed to pull myself up into a sitting position. She sat down next to me.

            “Are you sure you’re okay?”

            “Yeah.”

            “Kevin…” She said. “Thank you.”

            “Of course. Do you need a lift home?”

            She nodded and we stood up. “Could we go somewhere first? I… I don’t wanna go home right now.”

            “Sure,” I said. “Where do you wanna go?”

            She shrugged. “I don’t care. Somewhere away from people, away from… all this.”

            I nodded and we got in the car. I hung the necklace over the rearview mirror. It dangled as I started the engine, and the medallion looked like it was barely hanging on, like it would give up and fall into the void at any moment.

            Just like us.