Nor (Wattpad Featured Story, WriteAffair finalist)

Chapter 33: Break

The next day, after the last class, one of my former band-mates, a very small girl named Mia, comes up to talk to me. "Lovell's been asking about you," she nags. "Where've you been?"

"I'm quitting the band, Mia."

"Quitting! You can't quit."

"I already have."

"But … but what about Mr. Lovell?"

"Mr. Lovell?"

"Yeah."

I pause in the middle of the hall, smiling sweetly at this first-chair flutist I never knew at all. "OK. If he asks, give him this message, OK?"

"What message?"

"'Up yours'."

Her jaw drops. I can't help smirking over her expression as I walk away. Maybe Paul was wrong after all.

I trot out to my car, driving it to Glenn's house. A few honks don't draw him out, so I check his uncle's boxing ring. Sure enough, his bike is parked at the curb, a helmet of blue fire on the seat.

I've never actually gone inside the place before, but I feel confident about checking it out today. Striding through the front door, it's pretty much what I expected inside – hot, stuffy, smelly. Pure testosterone, through and through. A guy comes up to me, mumbling in Spanish. "Glenn?" I ask uncertainly.

"Glenn? Ah, si. Glenn!" he yells, and someone on the floor doing sit-ups with an older man looks up.

"Nora?" He nods at the man, who must be his uncle, and walks over to me. His hair is threaded with sweat, his chest bare in front of me. Not that it's anything I'm unfamiliar with …. "What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you."

"Really? That's weird."

"Weird? Why?"

"You usually only come looking for me at night."

"I didn't know you were making a pattern of it."

He chuckles.

"Can you get away?"

"Well, I kind of just got here."

"It's important."

He stares at me, thinking.

"At least give me a few minutes."

"OK." He starts towards the door, but I stop him.

"Can you do me a favor and shower first?"

"I was going to shower later."

"Oh, come on, please?"

"But – "

"Please!"

"Oh, my God. Fine." He ambles off, muttering exaggeratedly and making me laugh. I decide to sit outside on the curb and wait for him. The wind is cold, but I like how it wakes my skin. A car goes by, filled with young Hispanic men, and I wonder if they would want to be Watchers. Hey, maybe they already are. Man, I hope this plan of mine works.

Glenn shows up quickly, taking a place beside me. I'm suddenly reminded of the first time we met. He leans over and presses his mouth to mine, giving me a kiss that is soft and warm. He smells a million times better now, and I cling to him for a while, not caring that people are watching us, little girls giggling. Finally, he pulls back, a half-grin on his face that startles me because it reminds me of Wes. "OK. So what's going on?"

"Um. Yeah, about that."

"Yes?"

"Look. I need to ask you something."

"No, I'm not going to marry you, Nora."

Even though I know it's a joke, I can't help feeling a little annoyed. "OK, I'll remember that."

"Mmhmm."

"I never really asked you this, but what do you think about the Watchers?"

He blinks. "The Watchers?"

"Yeah."

"You came down, made me take a shower and dragged me out here to ask me about the Watchers?"

"I know it doesn't sound important, but trust me, it is. Seriously, I need to know what you think. "

He shakes his head, the expression on his face saying it all: Man, this girl. "What do I think of them? I guess they're OK."

"OK?"

"Yeah."

"That's it?"

"Yeah."

"What about your friends? Do you guys ever talk about it?"

"Sometimes, I guess. Why?"

"Well, you know about the Watchers getting arrested, right?"

"What about those guys who made the burning eyes on Felton Lane and Eighth Avenue?"

Guys! People just have to assume that it was a bunch of guys who did that. Yeesh. Oh, sexism be gone! "Yeah, well, we don't really know for sure who did those."

"Nora, are you going somewhere with this?"

"Yeah. Don't you think it's sad that so many of them were caught?"

"I suppose so. Hey, wait. I thought someone told me that there was a Sullivan with them. Some guy. Isn't he your – "

"Cousin."

"Right." Suddenly, his chocolate eyes melt. "Oh, Nora. So that's what happened. You must be upset." He reaches for me, but I snap my hand up.

"No, I'm not upset about that. He got off and he's not going to jail or anything, so he's OK."

"So what's this about then?"

"The Watchers! They were doing so much for this city, but now they're gone."

"So?"

"So doesn't that bother you? Don't you want to do anything about it?"

"Like what?"

"Come on. You're a boxer. Your friends are boxers. You live on a tough street, and you've got a brother and sister to worry about. You've got to get out and and do something if you really want to change things – "

"I don't have a clue what you're talking about."

"I'm talking about you being a part of the Watchers."

He turns away for a second, looking stunned. "Nora. I don't know what gave you this idea, but that's crazy."

"Why? Why is it crazy?"

"Well, I've got better things to do than go fighting every cop that walks through here."

"That's not what I'm saying, and besides, what do you mean by 'better things'? You spend all your time here, and for what? "

He glares at me now, flushing red the way my cousin would. He gets to his feet stiffly, taking a short breath. "I'm going inside now."

"Yeah. Go. And stay there."

He marches off without an answer, and I march off too. Crazy. He called being a a part of the Watchers crazy. Fine. I guess that's what I am then.