Free Solitary: A Novel by Travis Thrasher Page B

Chris."
    "What do you mean?"
    "Just trust me. She's changed. She's different. But she's also ... I don't know. She carries sadness with her like it's her child. Like it's her duty to have it. I can't explain it. I try to help, but I just can't. She's been with some winners, I tell ya. I could tell stories. Every man in her life has treated her the same-horribly. And I just want-I want her to have fun. I want her to actually have a little fun."
    I don't know what to say.
    "Look-just think about it."
    I don't have to think about anything.
    I don't have to because I know who I'll be thinking about later.
    The same person I've been thinking about ever since meeting her.
    "I'll go," I say.
    "Thank you, Chris. I know that she likes you. I can tell."
    "Oh, yeah. She's madly in love."
    "You're different. She knows that."
    "How do you know I'm not like those other guys?"
    "I just know, Chris. I'm a good judge of character. Poe and Joss-they're good girls. They're quality. You'll find that out. I mean, Jocelyn is drop-dead gorgeous. So is Poe, minus the whole darkness thing going on. But underneath you'll find some pretty amazing girls."
    I want to say something else, but I can't.
    "Just find me tomorrow-find us. Don't mind Joss either. She'll surely be a little reserved. A little guarded. That's just her, okay?"
    "And she knows about this? You sure she knows about this?"
    "Yes."
    "You're not playing matchmaker?"
    Rachel laughs. "Oh, I'm sorta playing it, but Joss knows. She said it would be fine to go to the dance. For me."
    "Okay."
    Not the reason I'm wishing for, but I'll take it.
    When I get off the phone, Mom looks at me from the sofa.
    "What was that about?" she asks.
    "I don't know. Girls. Hard to figure out."
    "They always will be."
    "Yeah."
    I head to the stairs.
    "Chris?"
    "Yeah?"
    "If you want to talk ... about anything ... I'm here. At least I'm trying to be."
    "I know."
    "Girls included."
    I laugh and say goodnight.
    Even though sleep won't come for quite a long while. I already know that.
    I'm too excited to sleep.

I discover that my locker is empty.
    Not like I had a thousand mementos and memories stored inside, but I do need the books and notebooks that I left in there.
    I head to the main office and explain my problem to a young lady at the main desk. She guides me to the small waiting area outside the principal's office. When the door opens I go inside to see Miss Harking.
    "Good morning."
    I nod and say the same, even though it's not really a particularly good morning for me.
    "We changed your locker. We gave you one on the south side, the new lockers just installed a year ago. That way you'll have one that nobody will be able to get into. With some of the older lockers, we've had issues of people knowing their combinations."
    I nod again.
    "Of course, you have to understand our concerns when something like this occurs."
    "Yeah."
    "Did Deputy Ross come by to interview you yesterday?"
    "No."
    "He didn't? Did anybody?"
    "No."
    She jots a note on her desk. "Tell me something, Chris. Do you know who did this to you?"
    "Not a clue."
    "But you have any ideas? Do you think it might have been Gus or one of his friends?"
    "I don't know. I know he's been after me. So, yeah, if I had to guess one person, it would be Gus."
    "We spoke to him. He said he had nothing to do with it."
    I nod.
    Did they think he'd admit it?
    "We'll keep our eyes open. If anything happens today, I'm just down the hall. My door is always open."
    I leave with a slip of paper telling me the locker number and combination.
    Three lockers down from mine, I see him. The little guy named Newt.
    "You're back," he says, his eyes looking massive behind glasses three sizes too big for him.
    "Hey."
    "That your locker?"
    "They gave me a new one."
    "I thought you were expelled."
    "Not yet," I say.
    Newt appears to be using his locker door as a shield. He looks as if he wants to sneak inside the locker and shut the door.
    "You're Newt, right?"
    "Yeah."
    I make small