Chapter XXV

Alice could sense the stares of her fellow students as she walked down the halls, holding the hand of her boyfriend, but she did her best to try and ignore them. She knew that rumors surrounding what happened to her had spread around the school so she was fairly confident that they were surprised to see her back so suddenly. At first, she had intended to stay home through the week despite having finals just around the corner. She had wanted to let it blow over and she knew her parents had been talking with the school and trying to work something out. However, when she received the call from Vinny the previous night telling her to come back the next day, she decided to trust him and do so. He had seemed adamant that she was now safe and that she shouldn’t need to worry anymore. So, despite how on edge her parents were, she told them that she wanted to try going back so she didn’t miss any more school and they reluctantly obliged.

When she arrived at school that morning, she met up with Vinny in the courtyard and he proceeded to explain everything he and the rest of the club had learned during her absence and, frankly, it had made her want to break into tears. Rina had been one of the ones responsible for it and had even personally defiled her locker. Despite knowing they hadn’t been friends in years and that Rina probably still resented her, she never thought her old friend would stoop to that level. Vinny also told her that it was more or less as they expected—that Evan and Rina were more going after him than her. However, he assured her that he had taken care of the situation and that they wouldn’t go near her again, though he remained quite vague on what he actually did to put a stop to them. Yet, she was grateful nonetheless to know that Vinny cared about her that much to spend all week trying to protect her. It was a good feeling to know that she had people that were looking out for her.

“Alright, I’ll see you later,” Vinny said with a grin.

She smiled up at him and nodded. “Yeah, I’ll talk to you tonight, Vinny. Have fun at the club.”

She noticed a brief flash of hesitation in his eyes but, before she could question him, he merely chuckled and pulled her into a quick hug. Then, he waved her goodbye and began making his way toward the staircase that would lead him up to the third floor. She watched him go for a moment, suddenly feeling a little nervous. She had noticed the club members giving Vinny weird looks all throughout the day and not once did they try to talk to him. There seemed to be an odd distance between them, and Alice feared that, if she wasn’t just imagining things, something happened while she was gone. She couldn’t help but worry that if there was a problem among them then it was caused because of her and that was something she wanted. She didn’t want to become a wedge between Vinny and the others.

Alice sighed, straightening her backpack and turning to continue toward the staircase so she could go down to the first floor. She had a shift at Ralph’s that day so, despite wanting to go to the clubroom with him and thank the others for their help, she had no choice but to begin making her way toward the school’s front entrance. Although, she did take some pleasure knowing that she wouldn’t have to walk home alone.

When she arrived out in the courtyard, she smiled when she saw Jay sitting at one of the tables, idly watching the crowds of students trying to make their way home. She hadn’t seen him for much of the day since she hadn’t been able to find him at lunch, and he had left class before she got the chance to talk to him. Vinny had told her that he had been a huge help in dealing with Rina and Evan and so she knew she needed to personally thank him.

When he saw her approaching, he raised his head slightly but, much to her surprise, he didn’t smile nor did he even wave. Instead, he seemed almost uncomfortable and she immediately sensed that something was wrong with him. It made her feel like he might have been avoiding her all day on purpose.

“Hey,” he greeted softly, rising to his feet.

“Hi, Jay,” she replied, trying to hide her suspicions and not wanting to call him on anything just yet. “Where’ve you been all day? I really wanted to talk to you.”

He grimaced, shoving his pockets into his uniform pants as he did so.

“Uh, I’ve been around,” he muttered. “Just busy with stuff. I’m glad you’re back though. I was really worried about you, Alice.”

She forced a smile despite becoming more certain that something was wrong with every word he said.

“Well, I did want to tell you that I really appreciated what you did for me,” she told him, taking note of the brief flinch at her words. “Vinny told me you backed him up and I know that couldn’t have been easy for you given everything that...happened with Rina. So thank you, Jay. I owe you one.”

He swallowed nervously. “Uh, no, you don’t owe me anything,” he stuttered. “And uh, did Mickelson tell you anything about how he dealt with the problem?”

Jay was eyeing her with his breath held and she found herself wondering what Vinny could have done. If her boyfriend was unwilling to get into details and Jay was as nervous as he was, she couldn’t help but to feel that something bad had happened.

“No,” she replied, her tone turning slightly more serious. “Why? Is it something I shouldn’t know about?”

Jay quickly shook his head. “Uh, no, of course not. I was just curious, is all. It’s just...um, since you and Rina were friends, I told him it might be better not to give you all the details, you know? We did have to do some arm twisting to get her to back down.”

“Arm twisting like what?” she pressed.

She recalled seeing Vinny approach Eric in first period for a brief moment and so, she had been under the impression that the club did something with The Switch in order to stop Rina and Evan, though she had no proof of that. Although she had no way to know how they used that stone to their advantage, she was pretty confident that it was used. That was even further backed up by the fact that neither Rina nor Evan had been at school that day. Most likely, the reveal of magic had shaken them up. So, Jay’s nervous demeanor put her on edge.

What did they do with that thing? she asked herself.

“Uh, well,” Jay said weakly. “I’ll tell you about it later. Anyway, I have to go.”

Throwing her completely through a loop, Jay grabbed his bag from off the bench beside him and turned to leave, looking anxious to get away from her as fast as he could.

“Wait, Jay!” she quickly protested. “Where are you going? Aren’t we going to Ralph’s?”

He stopped in his tracks and slowly glanced over his shoulder. “Uh, sorry, Alice. I can’t. I have to, uh, study for finals, you know? I’m way too busy right now.”

“Uh, but—!”

She tried to protest further, but Jay wasted no time turning and hurrying off toward the front gates, leaving her standing there alone, staring after him. She had been really excited to walk to work with him like they always did so seeing him so eager to get away from her made her stomach twist up in a knot.

What was wrong with him? Did I do something to him?

She slowly turned and looked back at the school building, specifically up at the third floor windows. Her thoughts shifted to the members of the magic club and the magical little stone that had gotten her caught up with them in the first place. At first, she had been content just trusting in her boyfriend, but after speaking with Jay, she couldn’t help but to feel a little doubt. After all, she knew her old friend was absolutely lying to her when he claimed that what happened to Rina and Evan wasn’t a big deal. So if Jay was lying to her, then she did have a reason to press Vinny for details.

Or maybe...I could talk to Rina myself.”

***

Jay felt like he was about to puke as he rushed down the neighborhoods and away from both the school and downtown as fast as he could. Just being in Alice’s presence was enough to make him so overwhelmingly guilty that he hated himself. After all, if Alice knew what Vinny did to Rina, and what he helped Vinny do, then she would hate them both. After all, Vinny stole Rina’s body and then took nude pictures of her right in front of her, and against her will. It was evil. It was cruel. Yet, it was Vinny’s way of ensuring that Rina would be so terrified of them that she would never hurt Alice again. It was the price of saving Alice and was now the burden Jay had to bear.

He knew he should just be honest with Alice and confess what they did, but he knew that would be the last straw. Alice would be so revolted by them that she would leave both him and Vinny, which he couldn’t allow to happen. Vinny was willing to do whatever he needed to in order to protect Alice—things Jay couldn’t do. Vinny was the person she needed, whether she liked it or not and so, Jay couldn’t allow her to cut ties with him. He needed her to have Vinny.

But me? She doesn’t need me anymore. With Vinny, Lilly, and the club by her side, I no longer need to be there for her. She can finally leave me behind like the baggage I am. Finally, after all this time, she can be free of me.

That’s the way it was supposed to be.

***

As much as he felt guilty lying to her, Vinny did what needed to be done. Naturally, he had no interest in going to the clubroom considering the events of the previous day. Even if Liz hadn’t told him that she intended to skip out to give Damien his space, he still probably wouldn’t have gone. He went against the wishes of Lilly, Eric, and Damien and so, knew there was no reason to go to the clubroom with them there. Liz had the right idea. It would be best to give them their space. However, he didn’t want Alice to realize that there was tension in the club. If she did, she might blame herself for what happened and he didn’t want that. Instead, Vinny decided that he would patch things up behind her back and then, she would never have to know what went on while she was gone. All she would know was that Rina and Evan were dealt with. So, instead of being on the third floor of the school building, he was walking down the same forest path he had jumped Evan on the day before.

As he had expected, neither Rina nor Evan came to school that day, probably because of how scared they were of him. It was something he reveled in, glad to know they were both suffering for what they did. He still had the nude pictures of Rina on his phone and was prepared to follow through with his threat if she did anything. However, he had no intention of looking at them since that would be a betrayal to Alice. So, they were tucked carefully away in his phone’s hidden folder where he wouldn’t have to see them.

Well, what’s done is done. Once I work things out with the club, everything can go back to normal. We can put this whole mess behind us.

However, just as the words went through his mind, Vinny stopped, his eyes wide. Moments later, his expression turned stern and he knew that there was no way he could turn and leave. He was going to stand his ground no matter what.

“So, did you sprint out here to get ahead of me?” Vinny asked, masking his anger in the facade of a joking tone.

Damien narrowed his eyes, pushing himself off of the tree he had been leaning on to face Vinny directly, standing a few yards down the path.

“You avoided us all day,” he stated.

Vinny smirked. “That I did, dear Damien. After all, I’m smart enough to know when somebody is pissed at me. Though I will admit, your anger is fair. However, if you’re out here looking for an apology then you won’t get one. I did the right thing.”

“An apology, huh?” Damien growled. “You think I want an apology? Don’t get me wrong, Vinny. I know exactly who stole the stone and it wasn’t you.”

“So Liz told you,” the blonde boy replied. “Must’ve been quite the surprise to find out that the two of you weren’t in it together.”

Damien narrowed his eyes. “I don’t want to talk about Liz. That’s a personal matter that we’ll deal with privately. No, I want to know what you did to Rina and Evan. Eric said he and Lilly didn’t know and when I talked to Jay, the guy looked so sick that I thought he was going to throw up.”

Vinny scowled. That guy better keep his mouth shut! I don’t need the rest of the club on my ass because of this. I know they wouldn’t approve of the photos and I don’t need them telling me that on a daily basis!

“So I know,” Damien continued, taking a few steps forward as if trying to intimidate him. “Just from Jay’s reaction, I know you did something that you don’t want us knowing about. I want to know what it was. I want to know what you did to Rina and Evan.”

Vinny merely shrugged, not feeling threatened in the slightest. “Who cares? All that matters is that neither of them are going to hurt Alice again. It’s over, Damien, and I’m the one who fixed it. I gave the stone back when I was done. How I did it all doesn’t matter. It’s the result we should be talking about.”

“Like hell, Vinny!” Damien snapped. “The method does matter! Who gives a shit about what you accomplished if it meant you had to do something terrible to get there!”

For a moment, the blonde boy feared Damien did know what he did to Rina and was simply trying to get him to willingly admit it. However, he quickly realized that Damien was just making assumptions based on how Jay must’ve reacted when they talked. So, he decided to keep playing it cool and refused to back down.

“And tell me, friendo,” Vinny growled. “Do you trust me so little that you think I would do something bad?”

Damien scoffed, taking a few more steps toward him so they were both within arm’s length. “Don’t put words in my mouth, Vinny. Of course I don’t think you’re some scumbag. However, I know you. And because I know you, I know how passionately angry you can get when it comes to bullying. If you think somebody deserves to be punished then I know you have no qualms about punishing them yourself...regardless of what that punishment is.”

“And what?” Vinny growled. “Are you saying Rina and Evan deserved to be treated with respect? Are you saying they didn’t deserve to be hurt if it meant helping Alice? Because they certainly didn’t care about her well being.”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” he snapped. “The problem should never be dealt with by stooping to the level of bad people! Don’t become like them in an effort to stop them!’

“Like hell that’s how it works!” Vinny retorted. “Those who take the high road are doomed to get walked all over, tormented, and treated like shit! I would know! I tried doing that and the bullying only got worse! Trust me, Damien! If I had taken the high road, Alice would still be getting those death threats from Evan and Rina! By giving them a taste of their own medicine, I helped her! Who would I have helped by doing what you’re suggesting?”

“Maybe nobody,” Damien admitted. “But it’s better than becoming like them. No matter the circumstances, you can’t become like them.”

Vinny scoffed. He knew he shouldn’t have said what he did next yet, at that moment, he found Damien’s words so painfully stupid that he couldn’t help himself.

“That’s rich coming from the infamous Damien Clark,” he snarled.

The sudden look of hurt on his friend’s face gave him pause, but Vinny quickly pushed it back down, shoving past Damien so he could continue on his way home.

“I’m not telling you a damn thing so don’t bother asking,” Vinny called back.

He partially expected Damien to come rushing after him, demanding to know what he did but, thankfully, he stayed right where he was, never speaking another word to him. That was something Vinny was okay with. They were never going to agree on the circumstances surrounding Alice but, to him, it didn’t matter. His plan worked and Alice was safe.

That was all that mattered to him...

...Damien be damned.

***

Even after Vinny was long gone, Damien still stood on that pathway in silence, staring blankly at the dirt path below him. Vinny’s words were all echoing in his head, making him sick to his stomach, but what really stuck with him was what his friend said right before leaving.

“That’s rich coming from the infamous Damien Clark!”

Those words had given him a moment of hesitation as he realized the truth in them. He was berating and lecturing his friend about stooping to the levels of Evan and Rina to stop them when he was once the type of person who may have stooped even lower. Even if that was long in the past, he couldn’t help but wonder that, if Eric hadn’t extended a hand to him, would he have wound up even worse than Vinny? Could there have been a version of him that might have supported what Vinny wanted to do?

I mean, after all, even Liz believed in Vinny enough to go behind my back, he told himself. Was I wrong? I didn’t think so but...both Liz and Vinny thought I was and they took steps to make sure they could act without me getting in the way. I can’t help but wonder if I made the wrong choice or not.

He sighed, knowing that despite his hesitation, he wouldn’t have changed his answer even if he could relive that conversation the previous afternoon. Regardless of his feelings about Alice, the gem was still an unknown entity that he knew they should fear. He knew that refraining from using it as often as possible was the right idea yet, he also knew there was some truth to Vinny’s words. If Vinny hadn’t acted, Alice would still be in a bad situation.

But...what did he do? How did he use the stone to so thoroughly clean this mess up? What did he do that would have Jay so unsettled?

He clenched his teeth, wishing he could call up Liz and ask her for advice but, for the first time in a few years, that wasn’t an option. Instead, he was left standing in the cold, in the middle of the woods, alone with his thoughts for a long while after that.