Tuct Side - 9. Chapter 7

Wednesday, July 25th, 2012

Neil’s voice remained inside West’s head for the better part into next week.

Through a few more football practices, drives through town, basketball matches at Bradvons Park, and a few fifty more photos of Tuct Side taken by his new camera, the rough and slightly raspy tones of his “rival” haunted his mind.

Even when he got the news of an impromptu open house at Patriot High, that husky timbre was not too far from his mind. He suspected the open house had to do with the displaced Wildwood students. Those suspicions were confirmed when he found Kaspar, Finn, and himself, his new camera around his neck, in the school main lobby, along with other top athletes from each sport, wearing their blue team jackets.

Justin was surprisingly absent, and they weren’t the only ones who noticed.

Principal Joseph Murray was a tall, bald middle-aged man who was far from the usual sourpuss instructor stereotype that sucked the fun out of everything. He was a genuine upstanding town resident with a calm, lax attitude even during school hours. At the most, the troublemakers got a stern frown and long lecture, but if anyone knew how to give the man an ulcer, it was the Shoemaker boy.

Murray marched by, coming back from a third round of doing attendance, and grimly surveyed the lacking group. “Still not here?”

“Nope,” Kaspar replied gruffly.

“Texted him,” West glanced at his phone. “No reply, sir.”

“I’ve tried calling him, sir,” Finn answered solemnly, poking nervously at the drawstring of his gray hoodie. “He hasn’t answered, yet.”

Murray pursed his lips tightly as if fighting to utter a curse, before exhaling and pinching the bridge of his long nose. “You know, this was kind of out of the blue, so I understand a bit. Still doesn’t lessen the headache, though.”

West stepped forward. “I can drive up to his house and see what’s going on. I’ll be back in-”

Just right then, one of the entrance doors swung open to reveal Justin Shoemaker, untroubled inside and out. Not a curly, brown hair was out of place and his team jacket, pink polo shirt, and khaki shorts smelled of a floral fragrance. To top it all off, the brunette graced everyone with a shit-eating grin, which sobered up quickly when he locked eyes with Principal Murray.

“Mr. Shoemaker-”

“I’m terribly sorry, sir,” Justin clasped his hands together. “And I mean that. I was supposed to be watching my sisters today, but my mom had trouble rearranging things. It came at such short notice.”

The mock apology on the teen’s face would have been laughed at if it weren’t for the presence of their principal, who shockingly sighed in resignation and waved a dismissive hand. “I… apologize for this inconvenience, Mr. Shoemaker. The only thing that matters now is that you’re here. No repercussions for your actions today.”

Justin nodded frantically, imitating a bobblehead. “Thank you, sir. May I hug you in thanks?”

“Just stay in sight, Justin,” the man shook his head and sauntered into the gymnasium next door.

“Right.”

Five seconds of silence between the group went by before they busted into hysterics. A tear or two even escaped West’s eye.

“May I hug you?” Kaspar mimicked. “Dude, one of these days, he’s gonna clock you for some shit. I swear.”

Justin grinned widely at that. “One of my new goals in life.”

After the amusement settled, Finn leaned toward Justin and took a whiff of his shoulder. “You smell like flowers. Since when do you wear your mom’s perfume?”

“Since a little of…” he fished inside his shorts’ pockets to pull out what looked like a tiny piece of rolled-up paper, burnt at the tip, “this.”

West blinked twice at the object. “That’s…”

“It’s only w-” he stopped before darting his eyes around for unwanted attention, specifically a certain principal or other loitering authority figures. “It’s only weed.”

“Why do you have it?” Finn questioned immediately.

“And where did you get it?” West asked right after.

“And how the fuck do you even have it at all?” Kaspar glared at him. “Your folks are like Nazis for Christ and all that shit.”

Justin raised both of his hands, but promptly hid them in his pockets. “Chill! I only smoke to take off the edge. You know how the ‘rents are always on my ass. It helps to take off the edge.”

West could attest to the “strict parents.” Justin was allowed to bring only one friend once every week. And even then, there was barely anything to do since they were under stringent supervision. The blond knew his brunette teammate was out of the house a lot unless he wanted to be with his little sisters.

“It’s still bad for you, J,” Finn gazed at the boy with worry.

Justin attempted to placate him by wrapping an arm around the ebony-haired boy’s shoulders and bringing him in close, making the latter blush. “No need to worry, Finnehugs. I don’t do it every single day. I save the getting really fucked up for the upcoming parties. Er, sorry. Get-togethers.”

It sounded like someone else West knew very well, and he opened his mouth when he spotted one of his classmates glancing expectedly at him.

“Hey, Jaylin!” he waved the girl over. “Over here!”

Jaylin Martin smiled sweetly as she ambled over to his space. She was a very attractive junior, with glowing, coffee skin, a large afro, and a lovely, helpful personality. West had a small crush on the girl, but he knew Kaspar was enamored, which would explain why he was currently staring down at the floor, trying to appear in thought while hiding a crimson face.

“Hey, West! Is everything alright?”

“Just fine,” West chuckled as he lifted the camera strap from around his neck and handed the device to Jaylin. “Again, thanks for doing this.”

Jaylin nodded eagerly. “No problem. It’s not every day an athlete joins the photography club, much less a famous one, but with you onboard, we might be able to make some waves.”

Before West could respond, the middle gymnasium door opened and Principal Murray took one step out, stern brown eyes assessing each athlete as he addressed the lobby. “Alright, students! We’re about ready to start. It’s pretty simple. When your group is called, walk down in a single-file line. Mrs. Shannon will lead you where to go and stand. You represent the school…”

West chose that time to tune Murray out and turned back to Jaylin, whispering, “I’ve been wanting in for some time now. You don’t have to do much. Just film what you feel is important. And you can stop whenever you want.”

“Don’t worry,” Jaylin waved down the concerns, brimming with confidence. “I’ve been doing this for a while, too. I know how to get the good shots.”

“That’s good. Thanks, Jaylin.”

By then, Murray was already back inside, continuing his speech for the assemblage of new parents and students. Jaylin snuck in, West’s camera already aimed at the principal and recording.

“You’re joining the photography club?” Kaspar muttered, his cheeks still flushed.

“Yep. Made a spot for myself as soon as I got here.”

“Ah. So, a little quid pro quo action on the side, eh?” Justin smirked as he poked at the blond’s side.

West’s face scrunched as he swiped at the brunette. “No! Nothing like that. Your head’s in the gutter, man. Get it out.”

His cousin let out an indignant snort. “Don’t let Wildwood hear you say that word.”

The team captain sighed internally. He had realized some time ago that his redheaded relative’s dislike of those on the western side was more of a prejudice culminated by narrow-minded preconceptions rather than the typical rival-like aversion. In his mind, they made up the druggies, wife beaters, and future jail cell occupants. He was going to have to discuss these notions with him sometime soon.

Especially since West’s interest in a particular boy with eyes of lightning had skyrocketed.

He gave his cousin a pointed look. “If we see them, play nice.”

The basketball team was the fourth sports team to be introduced to the masses. With Wildwood making up the majority of the audience, West prepared himself for an awkward reception. However, and shockingly, the crowd seemed to explode as the Jiving Four made their appearance, their cheers still shaking the room even as Principal Murray announced them individually. Only a quad of the most talented athletes of each team represented the sport as a whole – which might have been planned to keep the Jiving Four together – but Murray brought up the other teams they were a part of as well.

West for football and lacrosse

Kaspar for lacrosse.

Justin for football and wrestling.

And Finn for hockey and boys’ volleyball.

They really were at the top of the ladder despite being incoming sophomores. West had a distinct feeling Murray was showing off.

After blowing the school’s horn for half an hour, lunch was offered in the cafeteria while tours were given out for the families serious about attending. Patriot High was an enormous school, well-heeled people and their money backing up the system.

Of course, the kids huddled around the Jiving Four, scrambling for an autograph and a picture with the boys. Only a few brought up the unfinished match between West and Neil, and the former could only shrug.

Though, speaking of the latter, after sneaking away from the gymnasium, the four, or rather just West, searched high and low for the team captain’s rival. The hunt’s results came up empty concerning the lightning-eyed boy, but instead of him, they found his friends. Nora and Shaun were at a corner table in the cafeteria, sitting next to each other, eating and laughing. Across from them were the remaining half, the short, stocky boy who he recalled went by the name of “Enzo” and his sister, both of who were doing the same.

West felt a bit disappointed at Neil’s absence, but the opportunity to build a bridge between Patriot High and Wildwood and welcome new Pioneers to the school made him feel optimistic. His legs led him toward the group, but a hard hand tightly grasped his shoulder and pulled him back. The blond spun around to glare at Kaspar, who scowled back.

“I know what you’re thinking, dude, and I don’t think so.”

“Kas! You can’t just-”

“I, uh,” Justin leaned in near West, his eyes darting around the shuffling mass, “I gotta side with Kasleo on this one, bro.”

“Wait, what?” That was new. Justin was the daring one of the four, yet he would object to this. “What do you mean?”

“West,” Kaspar sighed as he placed both hands on his cousin’s shoulders and connected eyes with him, “the last time you saw, no, spoke to them, they looked like they wanted to cut you up and dump your body in a lake. Well, all of them except Nora. And you were nice to them. They’re the type of people who hate receiving handouts. Who hate receiving help from ‘rich bitches’ like us. I bet you millions they’re at their threshold for having their school closed down and being forced to come here and would love nothing more than to make Patriot High look bad.”

West absorbed all that his relative said. He wanted to believe it was just Kaspar’s prejudice talking, but he could not deny that an argument would more than likely be stricken up if he went over there right now.

A small part of him still combing for credence, he turned toward his small forward. “Finn. You’ve known them for a while. Is this true, man?”

The ebony-haired boy gave him an apologetic look. “I… hate to say it, but most likely. The whole us-against-them mentality runs deep in Wildwood. Expect for some shit to go down the first few weeks of school.”

“And we’re not starting that shit now,” Kaspar nodded. “You hear me, man?”

“I-”

“Yo! West, bro!”

The quartet’s attention shifted to the tension breaker. West immediately recognized the jovial face as Jorge Rabellino and felt his discontent fade.

“Jorge! What’s up, dude?” He moved away from Kaspar to shake the ex-Wildwood player’s hand.

Meanwhile, Kaspar was stupefied, Finn had a half-smile on his face, and Justin’s jaw was closing in on the floor.

“You’re-”

“And the rest of the gang, too. Don’t tell me your names! Let me guess!”

Jorge reached for the stunned brunette first. “Shoe… Shoemaker? Justin Shoemaker?”

“Y-Yeah…”

He chuckled before turning to the Pioneers’ small forward with a knowing gleam. “Finn Casbald. Also known as Fish Finns, my boy! I know you! Of course, I know you!” he ruffled the teen’s black hair. “I haven’t seen you in a while, son! How are you?”

Finn laughed shyly. “I’m well, Jorge. It’s good to see you.”

“Good shit. And last but not least,” Jorge’s eyes connected with a pair of suspicious brown ones, “Kaspar Dedekind, right? Hopefully, you’re as friendly as the ghost?”

The redhead was still for a few seconds, assessing the guy in front of him head to toe, before reaching out and shaking his hand, gracing him with a smile that did not quite reach his face. “When I need to be, Hangman. Never on the court, though.”

Jorge’s grin widened at hearing his nickname. “That’s what I wanted to hear! Amazing to finally meet you all!”

“You, too!” West said, then he had to ask, “Hey, is Neil here, by any chance?”

His cousin’s glare was on him yet again.

“Nah. I tried to get ‘im to come, but dude wasn’t havin’ it. He’s been a little… tight recently. He is coming here. I wonder if that’s got him so wound up.” The ex-Wildwood player rotated to observe the people walking, conversing, and eating around them, his eyes glazing over with suppressed amazement. “I mean, nothing personal, but back then, I would’ve thought hell had frozen over if something like this happened back then. Pioneers and Warthogs were… are like water and oil.”

Justin hummed in agreement. “I heard it was a school shooting threat or something.”

“Something like that. Honestly, I’m kinda glad this happened,” Jorge spun back around and beamed at the four, looking at each of them individually. “It’s about time the two halves bury the hatchet, yeah? Based on your guys’ little cup tie, I feel like this year’s basketball team’s gonna be unstoppable.”

“Shit, yeah! A clean sweep with this guy at the helm!” Justin patted West on the shoulder.

Internally, the blond wanted to bring up Neil and his singing. He wanted to know more about the angry boy’s talent. A flair that nobody would have ever initially guessed. Kaspar must have seen his pensive expression because, shockingly, he voiced his cousin’s inner thoughts after sighing.

“So, I’ve heard your cousin’s a singer. Heard him playing around the block when we went out for a stroll. He’s pretty good.”

West gaped at him while listening raptly for the answer.

"Fuck, yeah, he is! My dude’s branching out from basketball, but I really think he and his boys are gonna make it. I think they’re online. Look up Untold on YouTube. They have some great shit on there.”

”Will do,” West nodded. He glanced at Kaspar and mouthed a “thanks,” making the redhead roll his eyes and huff.

He could hug Kaspar in front of all these people and not care.

The five continued their conversation as they stuffed themselves with food. In the midst of their lunch, Jaylin had found West and returned his camera. Not only did she record the sports representation, but the academic presentations and a school tour as well.

It was more than he asked for, which was more than perfect.

Later that night, when West had the time to review the footage before he went to bed, he had caught something rather… odd.

The gymnasium was a wide expanse with a balcony above the bottom level bleachers. Jaylin did a wonderful job capturing everything during a few slow peruses before focusing on the main parts.

However, in one of those moments during the sports presentation portion of the open house, there was a lone figure in the far back row seats of the balcony. Even zooming in, the person was nearly impossible to make out, but judging by the shoulder length and slouched sitting position, it was most likely a male. The unknown man sat there until the footage progressed into the middle of the academic segment. The departure hadn’t been caught on camera.

When it panned back over to the balcony, he was gone.

Sunday, August 12th, 2012

It was the last day before school began. Not only the last day before slamming lockers, slumping in desks, and listening to adults drone on, but before a battle between rivals began. With Wildwood integrated into the Pioneers’ student body, things at Patriot High were bound to get hectic, and West felt as if it was the calm before the storm. A war he wanted no part of.

So, to ease his mind, he opted to spend the entire day with his boys, joyriding around Tuct Side.

“So, you’re actually doing this,” Finn asked from the passengers’ seat. “Making a… documentary?”

“Yeah. I figured I’d start off with something simple like my hometown. Not many people know Tuct Side exists.”

Well, he hoped that was true. He had managed to convince his family, more so his parents, that it was a project for school. Everyone knew Friedrich Kuttner IV wouldn’t let his son slack off from becoming a true star in basketball. Not after the firstborn slipped from his fingers.

“I’m sure you’re bound to make it interesting,” Kaspar piped up behind his cousin.

West blinked, glancing at the redhead through the rearview mirror in surprise. “You don’t say?”

“Yeah. I mean, the rumors of hidden cameras. The sudden influx of marriages. Even Hangman fucking Rabellino. Hell, throw us in there. Tuct Side’s an interesting place. You just gotta live here to get it.”

“Never figured for a fan of this place, man,” the blond had to grin.

Justin shook his head from his relaxed, horizontal position in the farthest back seat. “Nah. You only get used to it.”

“I’m pretty grateful,” Finn shrugged. “I would have never been kind-of famous, get into b-ball, and befriend you guys if I hadn’t moved here.”

“That’s right. And Mr. and Mrs. Casbald deserve all the credit.”

“You’re just jealous your ‘rents keep you in a cage,” Kaspar threw back at the brunette.

“Yours don’t and they’re Catholic, too! You know, my mom talked shit about your dad.”

It was no secret that Justin’s parents were distancing themselves from their friend group – the rest of the Jiving Four’s folks. They were delving past Catholicism to straight-up fundamentalism.

“Hold on. What!?” the redhead exclaimed as he twisted back, fists clenched in growing anger. “The fuck did she say?”

West wasn’t even shocked. As he came upon a red light, he quickly pulled out his phone, logged on to his YouTube account, and typed in Untold. The first search result showed a cover of Send the Pain Below by Chevelle. It had over thirty thousand views despite being uploaded a week ago.

So, it’s a rock band.

He smiled to himself as he hurriedly snagged earphones from the center console, put them on, and connected it to the phone. Luckily, West happened to love rock music, so he was bound to enjoy whatever they put out. He clicked the video at the same time the lights went green and let himself be absorbed in his rival’s husky vocals.

“It’s nothing bad,” Justin crossed his arms behind his head. “She saw him wearing a rainbow shirt and got all uptight about it.”

Hearing that, Kaspar strangely deflated, spinning back around and slouching in his seat. “Denmark got gay marriage legal a couple of months ago and my parents support that even though they’re Catholic. I dunno. It’s kind of weird.”

“Are you sure they’re Catholic,” Finn seemed nervous when he asked.

“Well, yeah, but I mean-” the redhead cut off when he noticed his cousin banging his blond head to some music only he could hear as he drove. “What are you listening to on your phone?”

West froze. “Nothing. Just-”

“Untold, eh?” Finn, who leaned over to peer at his captain’s phone, smirked. “Never heard of them before.”

Kaspar groaned as he stared at his cousin. “You. Are so. Obsessed, man.”

“It’s a little suspicious, you know?” Justin said.

West’s eyes narrowed at that, pausing the video before staring his tall friend down. “Suspicious, how? What do you even mean?”

The brunette suddenly appeared a bit tense, as if not knowing how to phrase his next statement. “I mean… it’s a bit…” his sight went out the window in search of a distraction, “Hey, look! Construction!”

It wasn’t a trick. The construction site was in an empty expanse of grass and dirt, located at what seemed like the corner of the entire town. From the looks of it, it was going to be a large farmhouse, which was an unusual establishment in western Tuct Side. Seeing as there wasn’t any traffic right now, West stopped on the side of the street to watch as men in lime safety vests trudged around the half-completed building.

“What do you think they’re building?” Finn broke the silence.

Justin sat upright and clapped his hands. “That, my boys, is the western side orphanage. A sister home to the Tuct-In institute.”

“You serious?” Kaspar titled his head in confusion. “I swear there’s one nearby in the next town over.”

West shrugged. “I mean, the more homes, the less homeless children, right? I see nothing wrong with it.”

“Yeah, yeah,” his cousin rolled his eyes. “I’m a terrible person. So, we’re still going with Tuct-In, correct?”

The blond chuckled. “Shut up. And we’re gonna have to. It’s closer to school.”

“You know, orphanages aren’t supposed to exist in America anymore,” Justin said. “There’s only foster care and adoptions.”

“What? No shit?” Kaspar swiveled between the brunette and the construction site.

“No shit. These orphanages-” he promptly stopped. “No, sorry. Children’s homes seem a bit… suspicious.”

“You’re telling me. Just look at those guys over there. They’re all dressed the same way.”

Their attention went to three tall, buff individuals standing near the road, inspecting the site as well while the biggest of them spoke with a worker holding a clipboard. The trio wore similar outfits – dark jeans or sweats, beanies, and black bomber jackets that had a purple diamond-like shape with what resembled the cylinder of a revolver in its center and an “x” in the middle of that.

“Don’t look like no caretakers to me,” Justin snorted.

West felt his fingers twitch. “They’re probably just security.”

He leaned back to allow Finn more space, who inclined forward to get a better look. His brown eyes widened just a tad when he caught on to the symbols on their jackets. “That symbol on the back. I swear I’ve seen that somewhere before.”

“Come on.”

West turned to look at Kaspar. “What?”

“Take a picture or a video or whatever. You wanna make your documentary exciting? Get this on tape.”

“You brought your camera?” Justin quirked an eyebrow.

The blond answered by reaching over in front of Finn to open and dig inside his glove compartment, making Kaspar laugh out loud.

“Ach du großer Gott! I fucking knew you had it somewhere!”

West wasted no time powering his camera on to take a video, focusing on the shady triad more than anything. “I have never seen that symbol before.”

“So, not security?” Justin spoke.

The three then finished their conversation with the builder and began moving down the sidewalk, still across the street from the car. West stilled has he locked eyes with the shortest of the trio, who browsed the vehicle dispassionately before facing forward to follow his associates.

“Definitely not.”

And so ends the summer saga of this tale.

Once again, I apologize if it came out as disjointed and sporadic with the time jumps. Everything you have read so far, I believe, is imperative to the narrative as a whole.

So, I guess, keep the faith.

From here on out, things get much stranger and chaotic that it almost feels like a ghost hunting story. I can’t deny those times of traipsing around town looking for anything amiss with my guys were some of the most exciting times of my life.

I just hate what we found. Or rather, what was given to us.

But how else would I have disclosed all of this to you?