Good Enough/Crossroads Chapter 14
#17 of Crossroads
Remember to check out Lupine Catastrophe for Zack's side
Crossroads--Chapter 14--Space Entering school on Monday, Chance walked with purpose and determination, weaving through the crowds of students and faculty to reach the cafeteria. The fox was waiting for him patiently just outside the cafeteria as promised, his usual entourage out-of-sight and out-of-mind. Junior looked up with an unreadable expression and pocketed his phone.
"You wanted to talk?"
"Yeah, but I'll keep it short and sweet," Junior said. "Only got so much time before class."
"This is about Zack, isn't it?" Chance inquired. Junior nodded. "Is this about what happened between you two?" Junior nodded again. "You're finally going to tell me?"
"Well, it's a pretty simple enough story to tell," Junior remarked, "and I'll just stick to the high points." Junior took a deep breath. "Zack and I were dating. We hadn't been dating for very long, only a few months, but we were getting pretty close. We had gone out to dinner at Red's Steakhouse and--"
"The one by the school?" Chance questioned. Something in his mind stirred. He remembered when he had brought it up on their date--Zack had been opposed to the steakhouse.
"Yeah," Junior said. "Our waiter was a guy that I knew. We had been friends for so long. And Zack got jealous. One thing led to another and eventually the two of them ended up in an altercation."
"A fight? Why?"
"Because Zack got jealous," Junior explained. "Honestly, he's really possessive. And kind of dangerous when he's upset."
"... I see... But I think I can handle--"
"If it was just jealousy, I wouldn't be warning you," Junior interrupted. "Let me finish the story." Chance nodded. "I don't remember who threw the first punch. It could've been my friend, it could've been Zack. I tried to stop them then Zack hit me. Really hard." Junior rubbed his cheek and Chance figured it was the spot where Zack's fist had connected.
"... I see..." Chance murmured. "I... I need to talk to him about this."
"Don't believe me?" Junior asked almost teasingly.
"No, I believe you, but there's two sides to every story," Chance answered.
"Alright, just... If you need someone to talk to, I'm here," Junior offered. "But I gotta go, Lexi and Ben are waiting on me."
Chance nodded and Junior offered his paw. Chance hesitated before shaking his paw and watching him walk away. Hurriedly, he made his way through the school to Zack's locker, somewhat surprised to see the jackal so frazzled and agitated already.
"Zack, we need to ta--What's that smell?" Chance gasped, catching the sour stench radiating off Zack.
Zack looked over and gave a slightly apologetic look. "Tristan spilled his milk on my stuff. Did you need something?"
Remembering why he'd come up here in the first place, Chance regained his composure. "We need to talk."
"Can it wait until later?" Zack asked and Chance noted how impatient and frustrated he sounded, not unlike the angry tone he'd used in the bathroom. "I'm really kind of tired--"
"Junior told me about what happened between you two," Chance interjected. He had to say it now before he lost his nerve. He hadn't meant to say it so bluntly, so forcefully, but it needed to be spoken aloud.
He flinched as Zack's locker door was slammed shut, the sound causing nearby conversations to pause and many other students to hurry away from them.
"And what did he say to you exactly?" Zack demanded.
"He said you two had a date at a steakhouse, the one you didn't like," Chance managed, trying to hold onto what remained of his courage. "And then when he started talking to a friend, you got jealous and punched him!"
Zack let out a heavy breath before speaking, trying to keep his voice calm. The effort to do so looked strenuous and Chance almost feel the rage radiating off the jackal's tense body. "That is not what happened. He went and invited that stupid buck to something that we were supposed to do together. Just me and him. No one else."
"And so you punched him?" Chance gasped, nothing the lack of any kind of denial. "Isn't that a bit extreme? Why not just talk to him?"
"We're beyond that," Zack blazed. "And he won't listen. He's too much of a bitch!"
"What does that even mean?!" Chance demanded. "You're the one who acted up because he wouldn't give you enough attention! It sounds to me like you were the bitch!" Zack's eyes narrowed in his fury and Chance saw his fists clench. Perhaps he'd taken things a bit too far, said too much.
"What the fuck?!" Zack raged. "You're siding with him?!"
"W-well... yeah," Chance managed to say. He shook his head and managed to glare back with a new kind of vigor. "He was talking to a friend, that's all! What's wrong with having friends?!"
"Nothing! He--"
"He what, Zack?! He did nothing wrong; you just overreacted! How I do know this won't happen to us?!"
Zack's anger seemed to break and his jaw dropped slightly. "What? I'd never hurt you."
"You say that, but look at what happened with Junior," Chance said. "And remember how you blew up at Jamie? That's just a stone's throw away from violence!"
"I would never--"
"You keep saying that, but if it's true, why is the whole school afraid of you? It's like everyone expects you to lash at them or something. What'd you do?"
"Charlie--"
"Don't 'Charlie' me! Are you a bully?!"
"I--"
"Or is this yet another thing you won't tell me?" Chance scoffed, his anger resurfacing, replacing his reserved demeanor. Zack's mouth opened as if to speak, but he soon closed it, saying nothing.
Of course, Chance thought, you don't want to say anything that'll make you look bad.
"Fine. You know what, forget it."
"Charlie, wait--" Zack reached for him but Chance stepped back, out of his reach and slapped his paw away.
"No, leave me alone. I need some space."
"What does that mean?"
"It means I need time for myself," Chance answered in exasperation. "If this is how you're going to be, then I don't want to be around you. Don't talk to me unless you're ready to tell me the truth."
But who am I kidding? You'll never tell me the truth, will you?
He turned and walked off, doing his utmost to tune out the sound of Zack calling his name.
"Hey, can I sit here?" he asked shyly at lunch, having approaching Jamie's table. Already seated were his two friends, Brandon and Lonny, and Chance was positive that Sylvia would be joining them shortly.
"You don't have to ask, dude," Brandon said. "Take a seat." Chance sat down and looked sadly at his food. "Bad day?"
Chance nodded, his body feeling strangely tired. He had spent the majority of the day consumed by thoughts of Zack and Junior and had scarcely managed to take any notes. His attention had ebbed so completely that he had no idea if he had any homework and, in gym class, he had only kept his eyes on where Zack was, just enough to keep his distance away.
"Guys, have you ever heard of Zack actually hurting somebody?" he questioned. "Like, has he actually beat someone up?"
"Well, I heard he knocked out a teacher for giving him an F," Brandon supplied.
"That was just a rumor," Jaime interjected.
"What was?" asked Sylvia as she seated herself.
"That Zack Bailey beat up a teacher because of an F," Jaime explained.
Sylvia looked from Jaime to Chance and sighed. "Yeah, that's just a rumor," she assured Chance.
"Are you sure?" Chance questioned.
"Yes... Speaking of which, you two weren't talking at all in gym," Jamie noted. "Are you two fighting?"
"You could say that," Chance answered. He didn't want to go into detail about what was going on between them. "It's some drama with his ex, mostly."
"Is that his ex?" Lonny asked, pointing.
Chance looked; Junior was following Zack out of the cafeteria and Chance felt his intrigue rising.
"Is he cheating on you?" Sylvia gasped.
"No, they hate each other," Chance said confidently. Or, at least, I think they do...
"You might want to go see what that's about," Jaime suggested. "For all we know, they might be secretly... You know..."
"No, they aren't," Chance said uncertainly, rising from his seat.
"Maybe you should double-check," Brandon said suspiciously. "I can already see the headline: BAD BOY CHEATS ON BOYFRIEND, SLEEPS WITH EX."
"That's too long for a headline," Jaime admonished.
"And that might not be true," Lonny added. "We can't publish an untrue story."
"Are you okay?" Sylvia asked Chance as Jaime launched into a discussion with his friends.
"I don't know," Chance confessed. "I just want to get through today."
"Are you okay?" Michelle questioned as Chance got into the passenger seat. She started to pull away from the school but kept glancing at the wolf beside her.
"I'm alright, I think," Chance answered.
"Trouble in paradise?"
"Kind of," Chance admitted. He exhaled sharply, organizing his thoughts before daring to speak. "Can I ask you a hypothetical question?"
"What kind of hypothetical question?"
"Would you hold something Dad did in a previous relationship against him? Like maybe something that happened between him and my mom for example?"
She sucked in a breath and hesitated before replying. "Is something happening between you and Zack? Did you meet on of his exes?"
"Well, I already knew his ex," Chance explained. "But they had a sort of issue..."
"What kind of issue?" she wondered suspiciously.
"Well, let's say that Zack has a few... jealous habits," Chance explained, "and sometimes he gets too jealous and does something--"
"Is Zack violent?" she interrupted, sounding angry.
"Not that I've seen!" Chance said hurriedly. True, he hadn't seen Zack do anything violent besides hitting a punching bag. But the rumors and Junior and Jamie... And Zack didn't even deny hitting Junior... "I've never seen or known him to be violent, just... jealous sometimes."
"Is he possessive?" she ventured, a little placated.
"Kind of."
"Chance, be careful around possessive guys," Michelle said warningly. "They're sweet and kind sometimes, but jealousy could make them dangerous and controlling. I just want you to be aware that it could be a bad situation to be in."
"I know, but Zack's not like that," Chance countered. "He's never been controlling. He's not a bad guy, just... emotional."
"And it's good that he's got emotions and he's not a psychopath, but just be aware of every red flag that comes your way."
"Okay..."
"Sorry, didn't mean to sound so depressing," she said. "I'll make it up to you. Frozen yogurt?"
"Sure... but can I ask you not to tell Dad?"
She looked unsure but said, "Okay. It'll be our secret. I like these little talks. Makes me feel like you're warming up to me."
"Yeah, I appreciate the advice," Chance said with the small shadow of a smile.
"I think she's got a point," Elaine stated simply.
Chance sighed into the phone. It was Thursday and dreary and he felt like crap. Avoiding Zack had been difficult, especially since Zack had tried (more than once) to get his attention. He had managed to keep his distance from Zack in gym class and he was probably the only person in all of Briarwood High to have the gall to ignore Zack Bailey.
But the jackal, he noticed, wasn't looking his normal self either. Zack's attitude had been depressed at best. He no longer held his head upwards in the same confident way, no longer had the same swagger to his walk. The halls still parted to let him through and still, nobody dared to cross him. But there was a certain softness to Zack that Chance had noticed from afar. It was clear to him that the jackal was hurting. And feeling like the source of Zack's downer left Chance feeling similarly.
"I see," Chance murmured to his mother. He had just finished telling his mother about Michelle's advice.
"Chance, is he a good boyfriend?" Elaine wondered and Chance could hear the worry in her voice.
"He tries his hardest to be," Chance replied. "He's not perfect but he does his best. I think he's just really stressed. His parents are constantly working and he's looking after his two baby brothers."
"Poor guy," Elaine said sympathetically. "Must be really difficult. But a difficult life isn't an excuse for bad behavior. Chance, if he ever lays a paw on you, call the police and have him arrested."
"It'll never come to that!" Chance insisted. "I just... I'm worried about him. I like him a lot, I just don't know if I love him. And after hearing about what happened with his ex-boyfriend--"
"You're talking around the issue, honey," Elaine noted. "Why don't you tell me what happened?"
"Because I feel like if I do, you'll tell Dad and he'll ban me from seeing Zack again."
"If it's something that bad, you don't need to be seeing him anyway."
"Ma, you trust my judgment, right?"
"Sweetie, I trust you wholeheartedly, but I don't trust other people," she said. "I trust you to make the right decisions when the time comes. But I don't want you to be in a situation you can't walk away from. I want you to be aware that things happen. You don't fully know this Zack Bailey yet. He may be a great guy. He could be a horrible boyfriend. But you don't know him enough to make that call yet. If you want to keep seeing him, I suggest you do it someplace public where there'll be someone to help you if anything happens."
"Yes, ma'am."
"I love you, Chance. My little Charlie," she said lovingly.
"I love you too, Ma. When am I going to see you again?"
She didn't answer right away. "We'll see. Hopefully soon."
"Okay... I gotta go, dinner's ready."
"Alright. I love you."
"Love you too."
The line went dead and Chance sighed. Always such a lukewarm response...
"Charlie?"
Chance jerked in surprise, his paws hooked on his gym shorts to take them off. He had done his absolute best to be the first in (and first out) of the locker room on Friday. He had practically raced across the gymnasium and hadn't even glanced back, but he was pretty sure that Zack wasn't so close behind him. Or perhaps he'd simply pushed his way through.
Chance sighed heavily and looked back at the jackal, still dressed in his gym uniform--he hadn't even stopped by his own locker to change. And somehow, standing shirtless in front of Zack, Chance felt exposed and shy, holding his gym shirt between them as if it was a barrier.
"Hi," Chance murmured nervously.
"Can we talk?"
"I'd rather get to lunch," Chance said, looking downward.
"Then I'll make this quick," Zack suggested. "I just... I just want to talk about what happened. What was said..."
Chance took a deep breath. "Alright. Are you going to tell me that Junior was lying?"
Zack shook his head. "No, I admit I did get angry and I did lose control. And I admit that I did hit him and..." He sighed. "I'm not saying that I was right for it. But... I just..."
"Just what?" Chance demanded. Zack didn't answer and Chance let out a heavy sigh.
"I'm sorry for what I did and I've tried to apologise to Junior, to make things right," Zack explained, "but he just won't listen to me. Charlie, I admit I have some anger issues, but I'm doing my best to work on it."
"How do I know you won't suddenly turn on me?" Chance inquired.
"I promise I won't!" Zack insisted loudly and Chance glanced around. Several other students were listening in, watching the exchange with intrigue. He doubted that any of them would've ever heard Zack sound so persistent, almost desperate. And if Zack noticed, he didn't seem to care. "Listen, just give me one more chance."
"Well, I..." Chance began. "I... You're still coming over for dinner tonight, right?"
Zack beamed. "Yeah, my parents are really looking forward to it. Tristan's been excited to see you again."
Chance grinned. "Okay, then I guess I'll see you tonight. And we'll go from there."
Zack reached forward rapidly and Chance didn't even have time to flinch as he was pulled into a tight embrace. Chance was still, shocked for a moment, before he hugged back, putting his arms around Zack. He had missed this feeling of warmth and he could feel his tail wagging happily.
"What about your reputation?" Chance ventured.
"We'll see," Zack answered, pulling away. He glanced over at the onlookers and cleared his throat. Many of them turned away, Chance noticed, but they didn't scatter like he'd seen them do before. Zack frowned.
"They're still scared of you," Chance said.
"Sorry," Zack grumbled and Chance wasn't sure if he truly was sorry. "I gotta go change, but I'll see you tonight?"
"Yeah. Looking forward to it," Chance answered with a smile.
"What've you been doing in here?" David demanded as he threw open his son's bedroom door. He glanced around the room and his eyes widened in irritation. "This room's a pigsty!"
Chance, standing in front of his mirror, turned and glanced around. He had tossed several of his clothes around the room looking for something suitable to wear. His mind raced as he tried on one outfit after another and he had only just barely decided on the shirt he was wearing when his father had come in. Now, he just needed to choose some pants.
"Sorry, just trying to look my best," Chance confessed.
"Throw on some pants and clean up your room before they get here," David ordered. "Or you'll be grounded for a week."
"Okay! But... blue or black pants?"
David's eyes narrowed. "Black. Now clean up your room. And for the love of God, take that damn hat off!" Chance reached up to take the beanie off his head. "And ask Michelle to do something with that mop you call hair."
"I'll brush it out."
David nodded and withdrew.
Ten minutes later, with his clothes thrown haphazardly into their drawers or his closet, Chance hurried into the living room where his father was straightening a framed picture on the wall. Chance approached hesitantly and winced. He recognized that photo--he had been wearing a tuxedo to his Aunt Jane's wedding. His smile had been forced and lopsided and, despite his father standing beside him in the photo, he looked uncomfortable.
"Can we take that down for tonight?" he asked. "I look like a socially awkward penguin."
"You are a socially awkward penguin," David said teasingly. He looked over his son. "Why aren't you wearing a belt?"
Chance grabbed his pants, hanging awkwardly off his hips. "Sorry, I--"
"Charles, you need to calm down," David stated. "You're far too nervous about this. Be yourself and take a deep breath." Chance took a deep breath and exhaled. "Go put on a belt."
Chance nodded and returned to his bedroom, snatching a belt from his floor. He fastened it in place and looked at himself in the mirror. Good, he thought. Not too casual. Just need to brush my hair a bit and--
DING-DONG
Chance winced at the sound of the doorbell. "Here we go..."