Wednesday, October 9, 2002

Danny

So, I did something kind of weird today. It involves this kid Danny.

Danny Medeiros and I weren't friends the first time around in high school. I was barely aware of his existence, but I guess I did know him. He was the same age as me (which makes him the same age as Jessa) but kind of a runt, only hitting his growth spurt in the summer before Grade 12. So right now he's as tall as I am as Jessa.

I remember he always got picked on. He was kind of annoying, trying to get in with this group or that, really hanging with people who weren't interested in him. I don't know if he was deluded or what, but it was like he didn't really have friends.

He was one of the few people to hang around Lakeville after high school, like me, so we got to know each other better later, and he got me my last job -- the one I was just finishing up with when I entered this whole crazy time travelling-body swapping deal. He's not my absolute favourite person in the world, but I would say I consider him a friend and I definitely owe him for helping me out. Since I've been here, he's one of the people I've kind of made a point to watch from a distance, along with my old self, my friends and... some others.

So I'm walking out of the bathroom yesterday and I see him getting harassed by this guy I barely remember, this older kid who is a white guy gangsta wannabe, with all this phony hip hop bling (you guys have that word here in '02, right? It means jewelry, diamonds etc.) Homeboy has Danny in an actual noogie and I can't take the sight of it, so I step toward him.

"Hey," I say, trying to make my voice sound as commanding as a 15-year-old girl's can get. He looks up at me. "Are you gonna buy him dinner?"

"What?"

"I mean, that's a real intimate position. You want to touch him and rub him and everything, what's in it for him?"

Now, calling someone "gay" is not cool, but it is a good way to push some fake thug's buttons, so it's kind of a wash for me.

He lets Danny go and steps toward me.

I'm feeling nervous because this guy is huge and I'm not (I mean, relative to him...) He's looming over me and for a second I'm worried we're about to fight. I'm almost forgetting that I'm a girl and wondering if that even matters at this point.

He gets as close as he can without touching me. I stand my ground, trying to keep from pissing myself and stay assured that this supposed badass wouldn't really hit a girl.

I speak: "Just like, leave him alone, okay? He's not worth it."

Big guy has no answer for that and just kind of slinks away. I think he muttered "Pussy" to Danny as he passed, I guess making fun of him for needing a girl to protect him.

Danny and I just kind of share this look. I think he was embarrassed because he looked like a punk. He's frozen and doesn't know what to do, so I just gave him this wave of "See you around" and went on my way.

Later, I couldn't believe what had happened. I don't know where that came from. I really got involved there. I was doing so well at not interacting with people besides Jessa's pre-existing friends, I'm worried about the ramifications. That was way outside my comfort zone. I kind of regret it and I kind of don't and now... I guess we'll see what happens.

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