The Icebreaker's Impasse

Chapter 2: Timing

Luci

I’ve always had horrible timing. Not just with my focus and disorganization issues, but like the universe arranging events in my life. I woke up late this morning after setting my alarm wrong. The coffee shop we stop at for breakfast some mornings was packed which set me back an extra ten minutes.

I am a glutton for routine. Partly because it helps me stay on track and also because boring is comforting. Growing up in foster care, you had to worry about being moved around suddenly. Until I moved in with Janet when I was eight, I moved at least three or four times a year. So doing the same old thing every day works for me just fine.

I'm letting the song lyrics roll through my head as I desperately try to remember the name of the actual song. I should just look it up, but I can only catch one word out of ten each time I hear it. It takes me a minute to realize the girl behind the counter is calling to me.

"Oh, sorry. I'd like a Chai latte and a blueberry muffin."

"Sorry, we just sold the last blueberry muffin to the guy in front of you. How about something else?"

More proof my timing sucks. Great!

I hurry to look into the case. I was really craving a blueberry muffin. One with plump juicy berries and extra streusel topping…

FOCUS LUCI! I shout at myself.

"Umm, how about a cheese Danish then."

"And we're out of Chai to make the lattes."

Double great.

"Just a regular vanilla latte then." I say with disappointment.

I walk back to my car nibbling on the danish I didn't want and sip my coffee. It's more acceptable than the danish. That stupid song tume begins dancing in my head again.

After my first class, I call my boss and see if anyone has inquired about me working for them. Mrs. Simpson sighs and tells me it's been very slow lately but she’s hopeful something will turn up soon.

I hang up with her. I can wait a few more weeks before I really need to be working. I have enough saved to survive easily for another two months. But I don't like to leave that up to chance or get too close to being broke. Unlike a lot of my peers here, I have no one to fall back on if that happens.

I walk into my third class of the day and slither to a halt right inside the door. Usually I get to this class early enough I can get to the seats in the back. But somehow the two football players and the hockey team have shown up way early today.

I take a quick breath and focus on moving to the steps on the side. With luck, I'll walk right past them. But as I pass the second row, I feel the tug on my backpack and barely manage to stay upright.

"It's the curse. Did you guys know she was in here? Maybe we should tell the professor we won't sit in class with such bad luck."

I glare at Deacon White, the wide receiver for the football team. He loves to verbally tease me. Julian, the quarterback is here too. He glares at me with hatred. He thinks he has reason.

I stand still and stare at a spot on the wall before me. Class will start soon enough and they’ll release me. I used to pop off with snide rejoinders but it had no effect and seemed to put a bigger target on my back. My silence has honestly allowed them to mostly ignore me unless they are bored.

"Hey Reed, you seen the curse in here before?" Deacon taunts. In my periphery I spot the four kings.

"I don't look for mice usually." One of the other hockey team members, Maxton Porter calls out mockingly. "She could be fun to hunt though. You'd like that wouldn't you little mouse? If we hunted you. Not that the catch would be anything you enjoyed. We could exorcise the curse finally."

I stepped on his foot a few weeks ago and made him spill his drink on himself. He was flirting with two girls who laughed at him and took off. Since then, he’s been especially hateful.

I see even Deacon raise an eyebrow to that. That sounds dark and disgusting. Kind of like a walking sewer trap that guy. Before I can stop it, my brain is swirling around seeing some tall green goo covered guy that smells like rotting eggs chasing me like in the old Scooby Doo cartoons Barrett watches some afternoons.

"Hey, don't ignore me, you filthy little b***h! You should be glad I even noticed you." A vice-like grip descends on my wrist and my neck. I yelp in pain and fall, but the grip doesn't lessen. Deacon is on his feet.

"I didn't mean for you to touch her man!"

Maxton is staring down at me, his eyes blazing. Suddenly, another hand clamps down on the one holding my wrist. It swallows his and even wraps around my hand a little.

"Release her now! You took it too far, Maxton." Becker Reed's angry voice permeates my fear. "Coach will have your ass if she presses charges."

"Be ready, little mouse. Your time is coming. Press charges, and I'll make sure you really don't enjoy it." He snarls as he stomps away.

Becker holds his hand out to help me up, but I shy away before using the wall to stand up. I'm going to have a set of bruises on my wrist and neck.

"Does your wrist feel broken?" He asks quietly.

"Would it matter?"

I stomp up the stairs to my seat away from them, refusing to cry. I hate this school and the athletic departments. The football and hockey coaches are brothers. Nothing would happen if I complained. They rule the school and then the Reed family rules the city. If I didn't have a full scholarship here, I'd leave in a heartbeat.

Julian scoffs. "I think I'll bounce today. Will tell Coach Humphries she's in this class when I go hit the gym.” He raises his eyebrows at me as he smirks.

I slump down in my seat and make it through class, hardly daydreaming because I'm so angry. My wrist is throbbing too. I need to ice it. I let them leave first, not even moving for almost five minutes after they walk. I do see Becker stare up at me for a few seconds. He's probably worried I'll call campus security and have his teammate benched.

I walk into my next class and take a seat. Before it begins, I see one of the campus clinic nurses walk in. She looks around and then points to me. "Luci Forrester?"

I nod. She hands me an ice pack that can be velcroed around my wrist. "I was told to deliver that by the hockey coach."

I take it wishing I could throw it in Maxton's face instead.

"Thank you." She smiles and walks away.

I leave my last class and decide I will stop and get an iced coffee as a treat for this awful day. I'm almost to the coffee shop when I hear a car going way too fast for this curvy one-lane campus road. I see a young blonde boy stepping off the sidewalk to cross the street. The car isn’t slowing down and I spot why. The driver is holding his phone up at eye level. That boy will be crushed.

"LOOK OUT!" I scream and my feet move of their own volition. I make it to him in time to grab him and throw us both to the ground. I managed to land with him mostly on top of me to avoid scraping him up. Ignoring the pain from sliding across the concrete, I hurry to wrap him up with as much of my body as I can.

The car clips two others racing straight through the spot the little boy was frozen in. He hits a tree not far from us, and I hear other people screaming.

One lady comes up and helps me to my feet. "I saw the whole thing. It's a good thing you were paying attention at that very minute."

More like a miracle I wasn't chasing a heffalump or something similar with my scatterbrain I think. I don't express that.

I crouch down, holding my hand out to him. "Hey. My name's Luci. Can you move your arms and legs, sweetie?"

He nods with tears in his eyes. "Do you hurt anywhere?"

"My knee." I glance at it to see the slight scrape.

"We'll get that all taken care of once the ambulance arrives. What's your name?" A small crowd has formed, but I ignore them and focus on him.

"Co...Cole." He stammers out. His teeth are chattering, and I realize he could be going into shock from the scare. I struggle to focus and remember he needs to stay warm. Quickly, I tug the hoodie over my head and slip it on him.

"Here sweetie, we need to keep you warm. Talk to me ok. What were you doing out here by yourself?"

"My nanny left me. She's mean and she wanted coffee. I didn't want to go. She was mad mad and went inside. I was sposed to wait over there. But the wind took my paper. I chased it.”

My anger spikes at that.

"Cole, how old are you?" The woman who helped me stands listening. I think she's recording it with her phone, but I don't really care.

"Four."

Fucking i***t is my first thought along with needing to take a pair of pliers and a blowtorch to her sorry ass. She left a four year old by himself.

"Do you know her name?"

He nods slowly. "Madison."

The woman next to me scoffs. "She'll show up and be all concerned in a minute. You mark my words."

Before she could though, an ambulance's sirens make their presence known.

"Cole, the ambulance is coming. We'll see about calling your parents. Can you..."

"OH MY GOD! COLE? COLE?" A tall redhead comes running in, screaming her head off.

The woman next to me mutters, "Well, she makes quite an entrance." She clears her throat. "Are you the infamous Madison who abandoned your ward?"

"Shut up lady! COLE!" She runs toward the car. I glance down at Cole who is trying to hide his face in my hoodie. I smile at him.

"It's ok sweetie. You can hide in there. I won't tell her where you are until we get you near the ambulance."

Two of them park along with a fire truck and a few police cars. The lady with me is very helpful. She asks me for my name and number. I rattle it off watching Cole the entire time. She texts me something.

"I am Mary. I sent you my name and the video." Mary begins waving the paramedics our way.

"Was someone hurt here?"

"This brave young woman pulled that little boy out of the path of the car. They landed hard on the sidewalk. Might need to be checked over." I appreciate her taking charge.

"Miss, is he your son?"

"No, this is Cole. We just met." I smile at him, and he pokes his head out of the hoodie.

"Hi Cole, I'm Warner. Did you get hurt?" He crouches down beside me.

"My knee burns. My shoulder hurts." He says in a small voice.

"I tried to let him land on top of me. He may have bumped his shoulder." I say with regret.

"You did more than enough getting him out of the road, Miss..."

"Luci, Luci Forrester."

"Miss Forrester. Cole, can we put you on the stretcher in the ambulance to take you to the hospital? We'll bandage your knee first."

He shies away and stares at me. "Can Luci come with me?"

Warner stares at me. "Sure I can. Come on sweetie. I'll carry you." I lift him up, and that horrid screaming starts again.

"OH COLE! THANK GOD YOU'RE OK!" A blur of red hair moves in next to us and she yanks on Cole trying to take him from me.

He grips my neck tight, crying. "NO! NO! WANT LUCI! NO!"

"COLE! Don't be silly. Come to Madison." She tugs on him again almost pulling us down.

Warner touches her arm at that. "Miss, you'll need to let him go. He doesn't want to go with you. Who are you?"

Two police officers have now come to our side.

"I'm his nanny. He's being ridiculous." She scoffs.

"Cole, I'm Officer Perkins. Is she your nanny?" His voice is gentle and calm.

"Yes, but she left me!" He sobs into my neck, and I sway him back and forth.

"Could we put him in the ambulance so they can bandage his knee and then answer questions?" I ask softly.

They all agree except Madison. Mary shows the officers the video while we get Cole bandaged up. Officer Perkins comes back over.

"Ok, Cole. You don't have to go with Madison to the hospital. We'll get her to call your family so they can be there." He throws Madison a dirty look.

"And Luci can come with me?" He asks in that small voice.

"She can if she has time." I nod at the officer.

"Great. I'll meet you there. Good thing you were here when it happened, Luci."

I silently agree. Maybe my timing is looking better after all to some people.