Forsaken Love

Chapter 10

Jim never got the chance to meet Ben beforehand, and was, despite Evelyn’s descriptions, quite surprised by his appearance when he met with Evelyn and Ben at the park downtown for pre-dance pictures.  Ben was short and skinny like a twig. His red hair curled below his ears. He spoke with a soft voice. He genuinely seemed like the least threatening person Jim would ever meet. Evelyn’s descriptions seemed contrary to his appearance. 

Jim volunteered to take all the pictures of just the couple, disinterested in being in a picture himself as a third wheel. Evelyn however convinced him otherwise, and for a few shots switched places with Ben in front of the fountain. After Evelyn called off the photoshoot, the trio walked the rest of the way to the school grounds. 

Jim took the duration of the walk as an opportunity to know Ben more beyond what Evelyn had told him. “So, Ben. Evelyn tells me you are a wrestler.”

Evelyn took a back seat, walking slightly behind them, as she let Jim question her date. 

“Yes. I have been wrestling for about 5 years now,” Ben answered, looking at Jim.

“Win any competitions?”

“A few actually,” Ben turned his attention to the crosswalk, waiting for a safe moment to cross.  “I train and work out everyday, except the weekends when I am in the ring.” 

“What got you interested in wrestling?” Jim kept his gaze on Ben, paying little attention to the street, but alerted of the safe crossing as soon Ben moved. 

“My appearance mostly. People always assumed I was weak and couldn’t fend for myself. So I sought to prove them wrong.”

“And did you? Prove them wrong?”

“Well…”

“Look!” Evelyn interrupted. When Jim turned around, he followed Evelyn’s gaze and pointed finger. In the distance he saw two figures walking toward them. He could barely identify them. Had they not been dressed for the dance, he probably never would have. 

“Hey Phil! Hey Lily!” Jim shouted. 

They waved back, and nodded as they caught up. They only exchanged a few words with the trio as they walked by. “You’re all looking sharp,” Lily noticed.

“Lily! What are you wearing? That’s so beautiful!” Evelyn commented.

Lily smiled. “Not as beautiful as yours.”

Jim saw Evelyn’s cheeks redden. “You’re too kind,” she replied.

“I guess we’ll see you all at the dance!” Phil said as they continued walking further away.

The three nodded in response, and when they arrived at the school, Jim realized he never got an answer from Ben. 

A sizable crowd had already formed by the time they arrived, music already blaring through the halls. Evelyn, Jim and Ben waited in an extensive line outside to confirm their statuses as students of the school. Fifteen minutes later, the officials permitted them entry. 

Jim at least admired the favorable 70s and 80s music that played, preferring that genre over the modern rap or dance pop he feared they would play. He could at least count on the music keeping him satisfied and occupied, and it made him consider dancing after all, even if it were by himself.

A lover of dance, Evelyn walked onto the floor with Ben immediately and revealed her moves. Jim took a back seat, leaning against the wall near the concessions as he watched. Evelyn clearly knew what she was doing, and seeing her happy made Jim smile, even if he himself grew bored. Evelyn stood out from the crowd, exhausting more energy for her dances than everyone else, who all mostly jumped up and down and rarely moved around the floor. Then suddenly Jim’s visions kicked in to keep him occupied.

As “Y.M.C.A” played through the gymnasium, the dance floor transformed from its modern strobe lit appearance to that of a disco ball lit room. The outfits of the dancers changed from their tuxedos, dress shirts, and dresses to colorful exuberant attire of various creative styles. 

Evelyn herself wore a sparkly purple dress with a matching headband. The style of her dance in Jim’s vision varied greatly from her dance styles previously, though both shared similarities. Evelyn now moved with even more energy, the rest of the crowd also more enthusiastic with their dances. Before the transformation, Evelyn seemed to just be moving randomly. Now she moved in patterns, patterns that the rest of the crowd somehow recognized, Jim observed, as he noticed the positioning of the dancers. Evelyn led the crowd. And everyone danced in perfect unison. It was like watching a musical except without the singing. 

By the time the song finished, the dance floor had transformed back to its modern appearance. The dancing had ceased, and Jim could not see Evelyn nor Ben anywhere.

“Jim?” 

He heard a voice in the distance, though as he regained focus, the voice seemed closer. 

“Are you okay?”

Jim finally turned his head toward the source. Sydney looked at him a few feet away. “Yeah. I’m sorry. What’s up?”

“They called for us. It’s our turn to take over the dance floor.”

“Of course. Sorry.” He took Sydney’s hand so they could walk onto the floor together. Jim remembered the lessons Evelyn’s gave him on slow dancing, placing his hands on Sydney’s hip and pacing his feet in a square-like pattern. For the duration of the next five minutes, the room remained near completely quiet outside of the accompanying music. Jim and Sydney stared into each other’s eyes. 

This feels nice, Jim thought. Surprisingly comfortable. 

The seniors started a chant, “Kiss her! Kiss her!” 

Jim looked around and immediately realized they were talking to him. He hesitated to comply, both because of his nerves, and also because he did not feel anything towards Sydney and wanted his first ever kiss to be special. 

However, due to Jim’s hesitation, Sydney reacted instead by kissing Jim on the cheeks. The cheers from the crowd signalled their content with the display. Then they joined the Court on the dance floor for more slow dancing. At the end of the next song, Jim and Sydney dispersed, Sydney likely returning to her date and Jim returning to his former spot on the wall. When he looked around the room, he still could not find Evelyn anywhere. His reason for being at the dance had passed, and while he did enjoy the little dancing he did with Sydney, he’d prefer not to dance alone. So he took the opportunity to wander the halls of the school. 

Silence has always been a friend of Jim’s, one of his best friends. A friend he could rely on comforting him during big events and while amid large crowds. A friend he regularly sought out to avoid any drama or unwanted attention. He searched for this same silence at the dance, but found a different one entirely.

Jim walked by the music room and stopped at the door when he saw a plaque display, names of those awarded with the “Louis Armstrong Jazz Award,” from various years throughout the school’s history. He didn’t know any of the names, of course, but then he looked toward the bottom right of the display and found an empty space. As he kept looking, he saw his own name materialize on the empty space. Jim lightly slid his finger across the new imprint. Seconds later, it disappeared again. 

I’ll be on here someday, he promised himself. A scream interrupted his thoughts. 

He believed the scream came from only a few rooms down the hall, but the hall contained so many rooms that it was still difficult to pinpoint the exact location. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on the situation, the screaming continued, and as Jim inched closer to the source, he could hear words spoken between the screams. 

“Stop!” the voice begged. “Stop, you’re hurting me!”

He recognized the voice. All the lights remained off in every room in the hall, but Jim stopped in front of a door he guessed her voice came from. He twisted the handle gently and found it unlocked. He rushed in, turned the light on, and found Ben pushing Evelyn against the wall. They both simultaneously turned toward Jim.

“Jim!” Evelyn called out. “Leave! Run!”

Jim stood still, looking back and forth between Evelyn, the bruised and helpless victim, and Ben, the combat trained harasser. Instinctively, Jim acted immediately. He marched up to Ben, who had already let go of Evelyn in preparation for Jim’s attack. Jim swung his arm, but Ben caught it, twisting it and spinning Jim around before pushing him face first into the tiled floor below. 

“You do not want to get involved,” Ben warned. 

Jim stood back up immediately. “Yes I do.” He charged for Ben again. 

Again Ben caught his arm, only this time Ben held Jim’s arm in place as he used his free hand to punch Jim in the gut. Jim staggered back. As Ben fought with Jim, Evelyn leaped onto his shoulders, wrapping her arms tight around his neck. She held on only for a little bit before Ben pulled her arms apart and forced her back onto the ground. Then to delay her next interference, Ben slapped her across the face. Evelyn fell down hard into a desk, blood trickling down her face. She didn’t move. 

“Evelyn!” Jim called out. 

“You did this,” Ben replied. “If you hadn’t shown up, she wouldn’t have gotten so hurt.” He points at Jim. “You did this.”

I have to save her. He’s stronger than me. But I have no choice. Jim charged straight for Ben, never stopping, this time not prepping for a punch. Instead, he prepped for a tackle, leaping at him. They clashed and both fell to the ground, with Jim on top. Jim saw a slight advantage now, throwing a few punches where he could. But even in this state, Ben endured the attack. Still, Jim managed to make him bleed a little.

Ben quickly regained control of the fight. He flipped Jim around to claim his spot on top, then retaliated with his own punches, punches that Jim could not fend off. Jim shielded his face with his hands, but even that failed to protect him. He saw only one other option. 

In one swift motion, Jim slammed his knee into Ben’s crotch. Ben instantly tumbled aside. Jim did not hesitate to stand up, kick Ben a few times to prevent his pursuit, and drag Evelyn out of the room. He checked her pulse. She’s still alive.

Jim didn’t want to return to the dance room in his current state, but he knew he needed help, Evelyn even more. He didn’t think any of the other rooms in the school would be occupied and he carefully rested the unconscious Evelyn against the wall in a room near the dance hall. Then he walked back into the hall and approached the first teacher he set his eyes on, Mrs. Fields. 

He tapped her on the shoulder, and beckoned her to follow him, not feeling in the mood to yell over the blaring music. As soon as they reached a comfortable enough range away from the music, Mrs. Fields asked, “What’s wrong Jim? Why are you bleeding?” 

“It was Ben Speyers. He attacked us.”

“Us?” They walked into the room where Jim hid Evelyn. “Oh my word! Is she dead?”

“No. But she needs immediate medical attention,” he responded. 

“Oh of course!” Mrs. Fields reached into her pocket, then handed Jim her phone. “You call 911. I’ll take care of her here.”

Jim nodded and retreated into the hall to make his call. “Hello?” He spoke into the phone. “My friend is hurt, she needs an ambulance.”

“What is your location?” The feminine voice on the other end asked. 

“Three Rivers High School.”

“What is the problem?”

“Another student attacked her. She is bleeding a lot and is unconscious. A teacher is tending to her now but she needs medical assistance.”

“Alright. Help is on the way.”

“Thank you.”

Jim swiftly returned to Evelyn’s side. “Help is on the way.” He handed the phone back to Mrs. Fields. “She’ll be okay, won’t she?” 

Mrs. Fields did not answer immediately, and when she did reply, she did not answer the question. “I think it’s best for you to wait outside Jim so you can escort the medics to this room when they arrive.”

Though not thrilled with leaving Evelyn’s side, he knew Mrs. Fields had a point. He could not be of much help here anymore anyway. So he took her suggestion and rushed to the school’s front doors. 

He found it difficult to concentrate. Images of black suits and black dresses flashed through his mind. Images of men carrying a coffin past tombstones, of tears flooding the cemetery’s fields on a sunny day, of flowers tossed onto the coffin now resting underground. 

The sirens returned his attention to the present day, and Jim nearly slapped himself for even thinking of such things. She’ll be fine, he had to reassure himself. The ambulance and cop cars pulled right up to the front doors, and Jim did not hesitate to lead them to Evelyn. 

“Where is the attacker?” One of the officers asked. 

“His name is Ben Speyers,” Jim answered. “He was in the Chemistry lab.” 

“Show us to him.”

Jim complied, leaving Evelyn’s side once again, but this time to return to the chemistry lab. “I knocked him down right there before running away.” Jim pointed toward a couple desks away from the one Evelyn impacted. 

“Alright.” The cop walked over there, inspecting the area for a few minutes before returning to Jim. “We are going to have to ask you a few questions.” 

Jim nodded. “Of course.” He heard the sirens blaring again. He rushed to the window to watch the ambulance speed away toward the hospital. And that’s when the visions worsened.