24

JAWAHIR

Jawahir prays, as she always does, for the violence to end, but never has it been so close, so loud, so real.

Jawahir waits under the table, closing her eyes against the awful sounds, until she feels Rodney’s hand grab hers. “Let’s go!” Rodney shouts. She crawls out shaking, but starts crying when she sees Rodney’s condition. His head is bleeding, as is his chest. His shirt is ripped wide open, while his pants have a huge hole in the right leg that blood pours far too quickly.

Jawahir looks past Rodney to see the carnage of wounded warriors behind him.

“Now!”

Jawahir scrambles to her feet, but before leaving with Rodney she grabs the tablecloth. As they run for the exit—Rodney more limping than running—Jawahir tries to rip the cloth into bandages. They exit the gym through a side door into the school. Like that first day they kissed, they announce themselves by opening a security door. The sirens of the door can’t match those of the police cars and ambulances Rodney hears pulling up in front of the school. The flashing lights color the night as red as the blood spilled on the gym floor.

“What are we doing to do?” Jawahir asks.

Rodney motions for her to sit with him against the wall. “I’ll call Larry to come get us.”

“You should go to a hospital,” Jawahir begs.

Rodney shakes his head. “No, they ask too many questions.”

Jawahir starts wiping away the blood from Rodney’s face. “What did you do?”

Rodney says nothing. He just breathes heavy and lets Jawahir attend to him. She wraps a makeshift bandage around his forehead. She reaches for his hurt leg, but he pulls away in pain. “I’m fine.”

“Let me see it.”

Rodney rolls his pants up. A massive bleeding gash runs from his ankle to his knee. As Jawahir does her best to stop the bleeding, Rodney’s on his phone with Larry. They speak quickly, mostly Rodney agreeing to whatever Larry says to him. “He’ll meet us a couple blocks away. We’ve got to go.”

“Can you walk a few blocks?”

“What, you won’t carry me?” Rodney cracks, but Jawahir’s too scared to laugh or smile. “Look, tonight I’ll lean on you and another night, you’ll lean on me. And we’ll do that—”

“Forever.” Jawahir helps Rodney to his feet and helps him stand, then walk. “And ever.”