It was nearly halftime when I realized that I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a conversation with anyone that lasted longer than fifteen minutes.
I was at the first football game of the new season. Freshmen colored paper bags with markers and taped words like “GO MARINERS” across the tops. The students on the sidelines were in full school spirit mode, chanting and cheering.
Kyle had dragged me to this game, but I’d almost forgotten I was supposed to play the role of boyfriend and cheer his team when he was handed a beer.
He brought me to the game early to find a seat in the bleachers after buying and guzzling the game’s entire supply of Coors Light. Through narrowed eyes I tried to sneak a peek at his ticket, but my peripheral vision was inadequate and any hope of an angle I might avoid detection died shortly after my mid-twenties.
I chatted with his friend Adam. He was obviously into me, to the point that he took to motioning me to follow him to a closed-down area behind the bleachers.
I glanced around, confused as to where he was taking me, when I caught sight of another of Kyle’s friends. We’d never met, but he waved at us and blew a kiss. Kyle grabbed my hand and led his friends to us.
The one with the falafel in hand looked me up and down, his face glaring with malice. I was intensely uncomfortable as he approached me, my eyes darting between his face and the envelope of coins he held.
“Hey El,” Kyle said as he extended his hand. “How have you been?”
“Jon,” I said. “How are you?”
“Good,” he replied.
I shook his hand and his fingers slid down my palm, sweaty and fragrant, as I clamored his grip. He released me and I tried in vain to rub the sensation out of my hand.
“Glad you could make it,” Kyle said. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Work has been pretty busy.”
I struggled to remember where Kyle worked. I’d never been to his job, or really heard him talk about it, and it seemed kind of odd that that was the role he’d be playing. I knew that we both lived in the city, but I had no idea where he worked.
I remembered we’d met at a party a few months prior, but Kyle had only recently talked about his job. He said that he was one of the only rookies in the computer room worked on.
“He’s not working now,” he said. “All the systems are down from the virus.”
I wondered briefly if it was just a virus, or if there was some other agent I should know about.
Adam stood in front of us, his hands placed firmly on his hips. The curious, furrowed-browed look he wore from earlier made him look even more intimidating.
“I have a question,” he said. “How come Kyle never took you to a game before?”
My breath caught as Kyle said quickly, “Didn’t want to until now. Guess I’m coming out of my shell.”
Adam’s eyes roamed my face, and I held my breath.
“I’ve never went one before,” I said. “I usually stick around the office.”
“Well,” Kyle said. “I’m glad you’re here now.” He turned to me with a smile. “We don’t have to stay, right?”
“Um,” Adam said. “She hasn’t started to play yet.”
“I don’t remember her cold calling any of us,” Kyle said. “You want to risk it and not get a ticket for the next game?”
“I can’t miss another game,” Adam said. His chest deflated a bit and he stood straight. “You go ahead. I’ll catch up later.”
Kyle nodded and placed his hand on my lower back. “Let me know if you want to go.”
I nodded and allowed him to lead me to the field.
As we walked to the seats, Kyle made small talk. He had never been here before, and said he was still trying to get used to sports. He said that the season was shorter than he expected. He said he’d planned on staying until graduation, playing baseball, and attending UC Berkeley.
“I’m surprised you didn’t follow your friend Adam,” I said. “He’s been going to these games for years.”
“Oh,” Kyle said. “Gave up on that when he moved away, I guess. With the job and all.”
“Sucks,” I said. “He’s a cool guy. You should get to know him again.”
Kyle nodded and took hold of my hand. I tried to force a smile and hide my anxiety, as we waited for the bell to ring.
As the first whistle blared, I scanned the field for his best friend, Adam. A wave of misplaced panicking went over me. Where was he? Where had he gone? If he didn’t want to do this, why had he asked us to come here? I shouldn’t have even come to this game. I should have just stayed at the office, and played some games with my co-workers.
“So,” Kyle said. “What are you going to do next?”
“Oh,” I said. “Um. I don’t know.”
“I’ve got my job at Corsair,” Kyle said.
“I’ve taken over a few of the accounting responsibilities,” I said.
“That’s cool,” he said. “We should go out sometime.”
“Sure,” I said, though my mind raced.
My eyes continued to scan the crowd, and I was now certain it was imperative to find Adam. I shouldn’t have come at all.
I shuddered when the crowd erupted in cheer. Kyle squeezed my hand. I tried to push myself up, but I couldn’t move.
“I-I need to use the bathroom,” I said.
he didn’t let go of my hand as he said, "You just have to tap your foot and be 'moral' with this little guy, right?"
And then, as I was pushed to the corner by the enormous freshman, I realized that this was how there was so much manure in my cubicle everyday.
I pushed myself away from the kid and pulled a can of cherry soda from my bag. I wasn’t looking where I was going, and it all fell to the ground, scattering in every direction.
I trotted to the bathroom and locked the door.
I was supposed to be there to find out that Adam had hacked into the system and infected all the computers at Corsair with a virus, causing the computers to slightly shift.
Bells rang as I turned on the sink and splashed my face. I smiled in the mirror, but it faded as I glanced at my reflection and noticed that the mark on my forehead had grown significantly. There were small black forms sprouting up from the edges of it. If I were to shave my head, my scalp would be infested will dangerous and defective wires that could overload at any moment.
The bell rang again, and I was going to be late for my plan to talk to Adam before play started. Where could he possibly be?
I swung out of the bathroom and returned to the bleachers, looking for anyone sporting a uniform similar to Adam’s.
As I scanned the crowd, I told myself that this was a bad idea. That this was an unbelievably evil idea. I should just go back to my cubicle, and no one would get hurt.
I should just get back to my cubicle, and Adam and I could just talk about him hacking into the system.
“There you are!” I heard someone say. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere!”
I turned around, and there he was. Adam. My smile returned, and I dropped my bag and crossed the bleachers in an instant.
I reached a hand out for him to shake, but he only put an arm around my shoulder.
Before I could speak, he whispered in my ear, “I shouldn’t have invited you. I should have just turned you in to the authorities.”
I stumbled backward and he started to run. I stepped on one of the can of cherries that had fallen to the bleacher, and there was a spark through it into the metal and my leg. Smoke rose from the foot and I fell to the floor.
I stood, but I could hear the crowd running around on their feet.
“I have to save you,” I said aloud.
The bleachers started to scratch and shake. I fell to the ground and propped myself up on my elbows.
The sky grew dark and it started to rain.
There were people running in every direction, and there was the sound of glass breaking.
Kyle walked past me, but he only said one thing: “No.”
I reached to grab him, but his hand slipped out of my grasp.
“No,” he repeated. He started to run away. “This is my fault. I’m the one who started this and—“
Lightning struck the bleachers, causing one of the aluminum beams above me to snap. It fell to the ground, crashing on top of me and nearly crushing my rib cage.
I reached for my knife, but it wasn’t there.
“Adam!” Kyle yelled.
I looked up, and he was gone.
“It was all my fault,” I said. “I should have stopped him. I should have known…”
“Jacob!” I looked up, and Adam was there, running towards the bleachers.
I returned the knife to where it belonged, and held my arm out to him.
“You’re not going to be late anymore,” he said. He took hold of my hand and he walked, hand in hand, to the victorious stands.
Somewhere inside the computer room, Kyle’s breathing stopped.
“Adam,” he said. “I guess he did that to me. I was in the office, and he was in the field, and he—“
“Shh,” said Dr. Mitchell. “Take a deep breath. Try to relax. He’s gone.”
Kyle stared at the computer monitor as it played the video again for him.
Every time he saw it, he could see his mother’s eyes. Every time he heard her voice. He could hear her tell him to hold her hand in the rain.
That was when Kyle realized what he had to do to make it all right.
He wiped the tears from his cheeks with his sleeves and did as he promised his mother. He strengthened his grip, and held on until the rain had passed.