"Send it to this email address," Regina Morris instructed, scribbling down the address on a notepad page. She ripped it from the yellow pad and slid it over the table toward Julian. "I'll print it off our computers."
Julian retrieved his phone from the Sherriff and set to work, taking a screenshot of the message. He went to his email next and uploaded the screenshot, typing in the recipient email address. While he did so, Regina Morris engaged Gabriel in conversation, disseminating her plan concocted only the evening before.
"It's probably asking a lot," she offered in understanding, leaving the door open in case Gabriel decided he would rather not pursue the plan and put himself in greater danger.
"It's not," Gabriel replied. "You're right. If I don't at least do something, who knows how long this will persist. Things are hard enough right now. Let's not give S.A. more reason to make my life any more miserable."
"So, you'll do it?"
"Of course," he affirmed. "It's not like you're asking me to do anything too complicated. Just reintegrate myself among my friends. Though I suppose," he paused, thinking about how different his life in Shaw was now compared to before. "Not many people at school like me much anymore, so that might present a challenge. But I'm up for it. If it means catching this son of a bitch."
"It's sent," Julian interrupted their conversation. Regina inclined her head and went to the computer, pulling up her work email account and finding the new message in the inbox. She hit 'Print' and sent it to the printer.
Neither Julian nor Gabriel made a move to leave until Regina returned from the printer with the new piece of evidence. She disappeared into her office for a minutes, shuffled around her desk, moving papers around until she spotted Gabriel's file. She took it and returned to where the boys were at the front desk and slipped the printed text message into the plain, yellow coloured folder.
"This is everything we have on the case," she informed, tapping her finger on top of the folder that was labelled:
CASE TYPE: STALKING
CASE NO.: 04072201
"Unfortunately, catching stalkers is more difficult than you would think and there isn't much to go on. That's why we need to go out on a limb to catch this guy," she explained.
"Does my dad know about this?" Gabriel wondered aloud. "I can't see him going along to this willingly."
"I haven't run it by him," Regina confessed. She straightened her pony tail and let out a deep sigh. "Since you're the one S.A. is targeting, I thought I'd hear your opinion first. I can always run it by your dad, tonight. Over the phone. I'm on shift all night."
"That'd be a good idea."
**
The young man was quickly approaching his limit. He had had enough of Nico Hoffman and his goons: Rod Maxime, Coby Becker, and Lyssa Isaacs. There were a few more, both from the soccer team and outside but they were not as important as the others.
He was fed up with seeing how they mistreated Gabriel. His sweet Gabriel and he would do just about anything to protect him. Gabriel did not deserve any of this and as much as the young man was tired of seeing it, part of him wanted to punish Gabriel.
No matter what he did it was never enough to capture Gabriel's attention. It was all about Julian. Always was Julian Stroup, always had been, and probably always will be unless he had something to say or do about it.
He had every intention of waiting it out. He had waited for five years for Gabriel to take notice of him and his feelings, and he might be able to wait longer. But the urge, that itch to possess Gabriel, to make him his and only his was beginning to grow stronger. It irked him, his jealousy mounting to dangerous heights whenever Julian's name fell from Gabriel's lips, or just seeing them together sent the young man into a blinding fury.
But he was a master at control. He had learned to hone his anger and let that pain he felt, the pain of rejection fuel his actions, and guide him accordingly.
Today, however, Nico Hoffman and his goons had crossed a line.
The young man had watched as they'd chased Gabriel out of the school compound and something in him had just snapped. He had left the school compound, turning the corner, and once out of sight, he'd burst into a light jog to prevent losing sight of the gang.
He had tailed them all afternoon.
Tailed them as they followed Gabriel, and he watched as the object of his desire ducked into a small family-owned coffee shop that served the some of the best coffee and cakes in all of Shaw. The coffee there gave the one served at Angie's Grill a run for its money but couldn't beat the coffee and cakes served at its direct competitor – Mildred's. But it was a close second.
He had watched from a distance, completely invisible to the group, as they lingered and loitered outside the shop, never once going in. Then, after about five minutes, they had left the front of the shop and disappeared down Seventh Street. The young man had kept watch, staying put and for more than an hour, he'd remained sitting out on the veranda overlooking the afternoon crowd of working adults and highschoolers bustle up and down, buzzing in and out of the shops. He had even ordered himself something to munch on lightly, watching the shop's entrance every few seconds for when Gabriel would exit.
At half past five, Gabriel finally did. He had looked left and right, obviously searching for Nico and his gang before turning and disappearing around the corner of the street down Seventh Street.
The young man remembered that Nico's gang had disappeared in that direction too. So, he followed. At a distance, and completely submerged by the bustling bodies around him, he followed Gabriel down Sixth Avenue and paused, ducking behind the low-hanging branches of a tree from someone's front yard as Gabriel suddenly stopped and hesitated to push on further.
The young man knew why. Nico Hoffman and his goons were higher up the street, and no sooner that Gabriel had been turning around to flee in the direction he had come from, or perhaps take another route, Rod Maxime's bellow alerted the entire group to Gabriel's presence.
A chase had ensued causing the young man to squish himself into the wooden fence, face turned the other way to avoid detection. Though, he would admit, in the frenzy Gabriel was in, and the adrenaline pumping through Nico and his gang, he highly doubted any of them saw him.
Still, he had to be careful.
He followed at a light jog, breathing easily until Gabriel crossed the intersecting streets that was the start of his neighbourhood. Nico Hoffman and his clan of bullies had stopped in their pursuit, but Gabriel continued to run to the end of the street where he paused, looked back, and then disappeared around the corner.
Nico Hoffman and his goons came strolling back up the street after about five minutes had gone by. He was still standing where he had stopped, under the shade of one of those bus stop benches with a roof over the top to protect against sun and rain. None of them took notice of him as they strolled by, and it was for the better anyhow.
As they passed by, they talked about how Gabriel had gotten away this time, and that come Monday, he would not be so lucky. They just had to teach the homo a lesson. Then they dropped the subject, and started talking about a party that was being held later on that night at one of their friends' houses.
The young man thought to himself that Nico Hoffman just did not know when to quit. It was obvious, that even though Gabriel was not afraid of them, he just as much wanted nothing to do with them. The young man had heard of those beatings. He knew what a person looked like when they were concealing bruises, marks of abuse. He recognized the winces and grimaces of pain on Gabriel's face. He recognized that strange way of walking when there was an injury to the leg that resulted in a limp. He recognized that sharp and sudden intake of harsh breath when pain rippled through a person's side, one so severe that it blinded them for a heartbeat, forcing them to stop everything and focus on breathing to avoid passing out.
He recognized it well.
And he certainly did not want another incident to pass where Nico Hoffman and his cronies put their hands – their filthy, abusive hands – on his sweet, wonderful Gabriel.
He would do something. And he knew just what.
For all the pain Nico Hoffman and his cronies imposed on Gabriel, the young man had made up his mind to dish out a modicum of that. And he knew where to begin. He did not know how he might do it yet, but the opportunity was there, already waiting for him to just seize it.
The young man left the bench and returned to the school.
The soccer team had been training rigorously all week, without a day off since last Saturday. Coach Freidman had given the team the Friday afternoon and evening off, giving the boys a strict lecture about staying out too late. The team would be having an away game the very next day.
But even though the team was not at school this afternoon, the cheerleading squad was. They would be going with the soccer team to the away game, and they were staying back late to practice their cheer routines and chants. It had worked so well in the young man's favour as he walked through the halls, invisible to the students who lingered behind late for club activities. Nobody paid attention to him as he moved along to the gymnasium where, before he even set foot through the slightly ajar doors, he heard the cheerleaders' voices chanting in unison, sneakers scuffing the polished wood floor as they flipped, somersaulted, and practiced their routines.
Pushing open the doors, he saw the cheerleaders gathered at the center of the court, in formation. Two girls were doing a series of cartwheels at the front of the group while another girl was climbing up a pyramid formation.
There she was. The girl he had set his sights on.
Pretty and blonde, and an attractive face and hot bod, it was no surprise that several boys of Shaw Public High School fancied her attention. It was no surprise that a blockheaded jerk like Nico Hoffman had taken her to be his girlfriend. They were the perfect fit. He, a blockheaded idiot who relied on brute strength and condescending words to push others into subservience. She, a spiteful bitch who lacked all substance beyond that pretty face and smile.
The bully and his queen. Nico Hoffman and Lyssa Isaacs.
The young man left the gymnasium, but he loitered nearby until half-past six had arrived and he could hear the cheerleaders wrapping up their routines, calling it a day, and then he heard Lyssa Isaac's voice calling out over the gymnasium, reminding the girls to give their best tomorrow because the soccer team would need their team spirits to be higher in enemy territory and up against one of the tournament's toughest teams.
As the girls filed out, carrying their schoolbags, and drenched in sweat, many of them wiping their wet faces with rags, he waited until finally Lyssa Isaacs stepped out. She was the last person to do so, pulling the gymnasium doors shut and turning the key into the lock. The other girls up ahead turned around the corner that took them out of sight and then he stepped from the shadows and approached Lyssa.
"Hey, Lyssa."
Lyssa Isaacs gasped and whipped around, her hand flying to her chest. She relaxed instantly, however, laughing as she caught the familiar face.
"Don't do that! You scared me."
The young man laughed. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to. Hey, do you have a minute? There's something I wanted to ask you about."
Lyssa adjusted the bag strap on her shoulder, frowning as she looked at him. She tilted her head. "Sure. What about?" She then gestured for him to walk with her. "Do you mind multitasking? I'm a little late for something with my parents."
"Not a problem."
As they walked, the young man's eyes scanned the classrooms they passed. It was uncommon that the janitors would lock the classroom doors. Nothing ever happened in the quiet, little town of Shaw. Not even burglary. And especially not at a school.
"So, what was that thing –"
Lyssa's eyes went wide as fear devoured her, engulfing her entire body. The keys slipped from her grip and her bag slipped from her shoulder as the young man's hand covered her mouth, cutting off her supply of air and muffling her screams. His other hand yanked on her hair and turned her to face him.
Lyssa screamed in terror at the dark eyes staring back, eyes that were unlike those any person she had seen before. They were so full of hatred, and so full of anger that it stole her breath. Those eyes were crazed and immobilized her efforts of fight as fear paralyzed her limbs.
A scream caught in her throat as the young man lashed out, a fist to her face. Lyssa fell to the floor as the young man turned around and threw open the nearest classroom door. Her brain started to work again realizing what he intended.
Sobs tumbled out of her lips as she dragged herself away by her elbows, a desperate cry of mercy escaping her as his footsteps, calm and cool approached from behind. His hands yanked on her hair, and she fought his grip, screams falling from her mouth.
"Shut up, you stupid bitch!" he shouted, dragging her into the open classroom. He yanked her hair hard and threw her inside, shutting the door behind him. Lyssa wept bitterly, pleas of mercy falling from her tongue as she scooted as far back away from him but far away wasn't good enough. For every inch she scooted away in the opposite direction, he followed, closing the distance between them.
It was his slow approach, and the anger in his eyes that frightened her but not nearly as much as the calmness of his body language and that he, in some way, seemed to be enjoying this hunt.
"Please...why..."
"I said shut up!"
"I'm sorry!" she wept, her sobs coming harder and uncontrolled as her back hit the teacher's desk. "Please! Why are you doing this?"
Lyssa screamed a heart-wrenching scream as the young man lunged forward, grabbing her by the hair once more. He smiled sadistically, the sight scaring her even more. Clumps of her hair had come loose and fallen from his palm as he released her, chucking her into the first row of student desks.
"Why? You've got some nerve when you take joy in making others miserable."
The young man lifted his foot and rammed the toe of his shoe into her side. Lyssa screamed as agony rippled through her middle section. Her eyes grew wide, and her screams seemed to start suffocating her as the young man pushed her shoulder with his foot, pinning her to the floor. He straddled her, peering down maliciously into her terrified face, their faces only inches apart.
"I'm just taking out the trash so Gabriel can have a happier life."
And then, he started to hit her. He continued to hit her, and he did not stop until her face was bloodied, bruised, almost unrecognizable, and she did not seem to be breathing.
The young man finally got off of Lyssa Isaac's still body, turning over his hands and watching the blood that coated his knuckles with a strange type of fascination. He felt no remorse. At least, not at first.
But as the rage bubbling within started to lift like a morning fog, he came to his senses and fear assailed him.
"Shit!" he cursed, running to check the halls. Nobody was coming, and nobody was there. He returned to the classroom and crouched by Lyssa's body, tears stinging his eyes as regret gripped him tight. He'd gone too far.
The young man shook her body, but she did not respond even as he called her name, begging her to wake up and be alright. He pushed his ear to her chest, listening for a heartbeat, his own beating haywire when he heard nothing. And then he checked her for breath, pushing his cheek close to her nose and mouth.
Nothing.
Not a single breath. Her chest wasn't moving either.
She was gone.
"Fuck! What do I do?" The young man got to his feet and started to pace up and down, his mind running a million miles per second.
He took a steadying breath.
No, he would not panic. This was no different than all the times he had sent those letters to Gabriel. It was no different than getting rid of his SIM card after receiving that spontaneous call from Julian Stroup. It was no different than that time he had slashed all four tyres of Julian's car in the parking lot of the bowling alley.
He had been calculated; he had been calm. He knew exactly what to do. This was no different.
Taking another gulp of air, he began to move. He dragged her body to the back of the classroom and then went out into the hallway, collected her belongings, and placed it with her body, hidden in the classroom.