Off Limits Read online

  Glen Robins

  Off Limits

  An Off Series Novella

  Copyright © 2021 by Glen Robins

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

  This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

  Glen Robins asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

  First edition

  This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy

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  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Before You Go

  Off Limits

  An Off Series Novella

  By Glen Robins

  www.glenrobinsbooks.com

  Copyright 2021

  Chapter One

  Freshman Year, Week 3—Collin

  Edison High School

  Huntington Beach, California

  Most high school freshmen, especially ones that have yet to mature, would never dream of taking on guys that are two years older and a foot taller. But Collin Cook was no ordinary freshman. A kid with undeveloped muscles doesn’t usually go after one who takes great pride in his physique, just to teach him a lesson. But that’s what Collin did. His righteous indignation was unleashed one day on Rick Magliano, a kid that outweighed him by at least seventy pounds. That didn’t matter to Collin. Magliano had crossed a line and Collin felt the need to put him in his place.

  Unlike many his age, Collin exuded a quiet confidence and self-awareness not often found in fourteen-year-old boys. He had won the respect of his peers in middle school because he had been taught to see the good in the world, in other people, and in himself. He was a friend to all—or tried to be. Affable, witty, intelligent, and possessed by a strong sense of right and wrong, Collin was never afraid to do the right thing. Even when it put him in situations where the odds were clearly not in his favor.

  Collin was not immune to the added pressures and stresses of a new situation. High school can be rough, rougher sometimes than middle school, even for kids like Collin who always seemed at ease. Despite his own internal apprehensions, Collin tried to focus on ensuring that his friends, especially his crippled friend Darrell Greely, were adjusting well to high school life. But he felt that he was falling short. By his own standards, he was not doing enough to aid in Darrell’s assimilation.

  Higher academic expectations, increased pressure from peers to conform, the awkwardness of adolescence, and the need to have a place to fit in created angst for all, but especially during those first days in a new to the environment. As a result, Collin felt more self-absorbed than ever and that brought a sense of guilt for not paying more attention to Darrell.

  He vowed to do better.

  School was back in session and had been for three weeks, so all the high schoolers at Edison High in Huntington Beach were settling into the routine. The freshmen, like Collin and his friends, had become accustomed to the new schedule, had learned their way around campus, and were otherwise acclimating to their new surroundings in the secondary educational program. The weather in Huntington Beach felt more summerlike than it did in June. Afternoon temperatures hovered in the low 90’s Fahrenheit and without air conditioning, classrooms grew stuffy and unpleasant, especially in those rooms where teachers were unwilling to leave the doors open.

  After the final bell and after collecting their books from their lockers, Collin and his neighbor made their way through the student parking lot toward the corner of Magnolia and Atlanta. Collin wiped the sweat from his brow and squinted into the glare reflecting off the rows of windshields. He and Darrell Greely stopped to allow a car to exit the lot. Collin glanced around, looking for his best friend Rob Howell, finally spotting him a few yards behind with a group of girls. Typical Rob. Collin wanted to join him but couldn’t leave Darrell. He would never forgive himself if something happened to Darrell and he wasn’t there. Rob caught Collin’s eye and signaled with a toss of his head for Collin to go on, he would catch up soon.

  The car turned left onto Magnolia and a throng of teenagers surged past the two of them, jostling and bumping Darrell as he labored to bring one foot in front of the next as rapidly as he could on his bent and twisted legs. A congenital defect at birth caused malformations of his joints, among other more serious health problems, which made it impossible for his hips to swivel properly and for his knees to extend fully. In fact, they were perpetually locked in what looked like a skier’s position. Add to that the fact that his ankles had only fifty percent range of motion, which forced him to walk on the balls of his feet. This combination made his gait awkward and stilted. And slow. It also brought stares. Some were sympathetic, others were less compassionate.

  Because his elbows were similarly locked so his arms could not extend, the mean kids often called him “T-Rex.” “Quasimodo” was another commonly used nickname. Collin was painfully aware of the judgements of his peers and how they liked to group people into segments. Collin had been able to rise above the criticisms and cruelty in middle school, but this was high school. He had no reputation to fall back on with most of these kids. Overcoming the weak-minded put-downs they would hurl at him was just another adolescent obstacle he would have to overcome according to his parents. “Character building” and “a real test of your inner convictions” are the words his dad often threw out there if Collin ever dared utter any sort of complaint or worry.

  His parents instilled in him an empathetic heart and a desire to treat others the way he would want to be treated.

  Most of the time, he relished the challenge of defending Darrell and showing others how to be kind to someone who was “different.” Other times, especially since starting at Edison High, he found it burdensome, difficult, and tiring.

  But he knew it was wrong to feel that way.

  Collin wanted to be in the group where Rob was. He was thronged with cute girls and cool guys, none of whom wanted to be too closely associated with a freak like Darrell Greely.

  As Collin and Darrell approached the bus stop just beyond the north end of the lot, they were now behind the main pack by a wide margin. Several other smaller groups were behind, and others loitered near the parking lot.

  Darrell’s backpack was more loaded with books than usual and he struggled, but Collin didn’t help him. Darrell hated that. He wanted more than anything to be independent and self-sufficient. For the most part, he was. When it came to math, science, and computers, Darrell was lightyears ahead of everyone in their class, except Lukas Mueller, Collin’s other best friend. He and Darrell and a girl named Evelyn Carlucci were neck and neck and neck for top student honors all through middle school. No doubt that competition would continue through high school.

  In most respects, Darrell was a model student. Unfortunately, chemistry and Spanish classes were in upstairs classrooms, so Darrell was late nearly every day for third and sixth periods despite the fact that he never stopped to socialize or retrieve books from hi
s locker.

  Collin admired Darrell’s pluck and determination. Having grown up in the same neighborhood, they had been friends since elementary school. Along with Lukas, Darrell was determined to help the ever-gregarious Collin succeed in school and pass all of his classes, despite his tendencies to spend his spare time surfing or playing video games.

  With a Herculean effort, Darrell made his way through the crowd at the bus stop, so Collin stopped to check if Rob was coming. Rob called to him and waved him over. Collin, noting the throng of girls, smiled and took a few steps in Rob’s direction.

  That’s when he heard the condescending mockery coming from Rick Magliano.

  Magliano was a seventeen-year-old junior, stood well over six feet tall, and shaved. His blond hair covered his turned-up collar in the back and was spiked three inches high in the front, making him look taller and meaner while accentuating his tanned and chiseled face. Rippled biceps bulged out of the sleeves of his white polo shirt. He leaned against his pimped out pick-up truck, parked just beyond the red-painted curb for the bus, with his arms crossed, surrounded by a group of his obnoxious preppy friends. They wore their standard expression: disdainful, mocking scowls and upturned lips. Why he and these other chumps were so popular had been a mystery to Collin since he was in sixth grade and Magliano was in eighth.

  “Watch where you’re going, loser.”

  Collin’s head snapped around to locate Darrell. Just as he suspected, Magliano and his look-alike goon squad were blocking Darrell’s forward progress.

  “You still haven’t learned how to walk, Freak?” he bellowed as he shoved Darrell with such force that he came off his feet and landed on his over-stuffed backpack, looking as helpless as an overturned turtle.

  Roars of laughter erupted from Magliano’s group as he did his best imitation of Darrell’s labored walk. The girls in the crowd gasped at first, then giggled as Magliano hammed it up with his elbows held against his chest and his hands flapping like an injured bird. He pranced tauntingly around Darrell as he struggled to regain his feet.

  Before he had a chance to think things through, Collin dropped his own backpack and launched all ninety-seven pounds of his five-foot-three-inch frame shoulder-first into Magliano’s midsection. Magliano hardly budged an inch. Instead, he practically tossed Collin aside, landing him on his hands and knees a few feet away. Collin immediately bounced back to his feet and readied himself for another try.

  Out of nowhere, a fist came flying and met his face. Collin staggered backward, his eyes instantly tearing from the sting of being hit in the nose. Blood gushed from his nostrils, streaming over his mouth and down to his chin. From there, it dripped onto his shirt and the sidewalk below like a broken faucet. Collin wiped his eyes on the shoulders of his new button-up shirt and bolted forward once more toward the loathsome bully. Two steps into his assault, a pair of onlookers moved into his path and caught him, pulling him away from another beating.

  “It’s not worth it,” one of them said.

  “Magliano’s an idiot. Everyone knows it. Nothing you can do about it,” said the other. “Just let it go.”

  Collin continued to exert himself against the restraints of the two vaguely familiar boys while Magliano ridiculed Collin’s feeble attempts to challenge him. One of them, John Robinson, he recognized from his History class. The other he had seen around campus, hanging out with John and his group. He slackened when he saw others helping Darrell to his feet and Darrell emerging from the swarm of people who had moved into the space between Collin and Magliano. The look on Darrell’s face expressed a mixture of emotions: shame, sadness, and the ever-present resolve of one who has been down this road many, many times and is determined to not let it get to him. But most of all, Collin could see gratitude and amazement in Darrell’s eyes.

  There was plenty of chatter from the crowd, some of it angry and accusatory, directed at Magliano; some of it surprised and approving coming from people who approached Collin with appreciation for what he had done. His mind was too muddled from the blow he had taken, and he felt a bit too woozy to focus on what they were saying.

  Magliano and his friends jeered and sneered at Collin and Darrell, mocking Collin for his misguided attempt at retribution. Amidst the clamor, however, one voice, a female voice, rose above the others. The voice had a tough, hard-edged quality to it. It also exuded confidence which belied its years. “Listen, you jerk. You should be ashamed of yourself. All of you. What kind of lowlife bullies a disabled kid? Can’t you see he didn’t choose this? Didn’t your parents teach you better than that?”

  She was indignant, bold, and undaunted. Though not more than five foot six inches and maybe a hundred fifteen pounds, this girl had no problem standing up to Magliano.

  Collin was stunned, speechless.

  So was Magliano.

  A moment later, that same voice, much softer now, was talking directly to Collin, asking if he was OK. He could barely hear her over the commotion around them. This girl had caused quite a stir, giving the onlookers even more to talk about.

  The two boys who had stepped in to Collin added their voices to hers and could be heard above the din.

  “You’re real tough, Magliano. Picking on Freshmen. Real tough,” said John with a sneer. John was a lot bigger than Collin, but not as big as Magliano. He had a no-nonsense approach to life and a disdain for all things the popular kids liked or did. It was as if he had waited for a moment like this to verbalize it. “She’s right, you privileged piece of trash.”

  The pretty girl produced a handful of tissues that she thrust toward Collin. He wiped blood from his upper lip and nose as the adrenaline faded into the background and the instinct to fight began to subside. His whole body shook, and his eyes stung, tears pooling. Collin didn’t want her to see it, so he turned his face and buried it in the wad of tissues. He didn’t understand what was happening physically, but he didn’t want to convey fear. Fear had nothing to do with how he felt at the moment. Rage and indignation maybe, but not fear. The girl moved closer to him. Using her hand to turn his face toward her, she looked intently at his nose.

  “I hope your nose isn’t broken. You should put some ice on it when you get home to keep the swelling down.”

  Her voice had a sultry, grainy quality to it at lower volume and Collin felt something start to melt inside. It was a strange reaction to a voice and a smile, but he couldn’t help himself. At the same time, he took note of the intensity of her steel-blue eyes and the gentleness of her touch as she used her hand to turn his face to one side, then the other as she examined his nose. “That was very brave what you did,” she said, somewhat absently. Her focus was now on his eyes. She seemed to be looking through them and not into them. It was an inspection more than it was an emotional connection. Collin felt the need to concentrate on not letting his knees buckle. It was strange how she made him feel brave and weak at the same time. Stranger still was the way his insides froze, then warmed. This girl had a strange and powerful effect on him. Was this love at first sight? he wondered. He couldn’t be sure about that, but he knew he liked the way she made him feel.

  Rob Howell pushed his way through the crowd, disrupting the moment. “Hey, you OK Collin?” he said breathlessly. “I mean, what the hell were you thinking? That animal could have killed you.”

  Blocking out the noise and commotion of the crowd, Collin felt an immediate lift to his spirits when he saw Rob.

  Collin shook his head. “Not a chance. I had him,” he said with a forced grin. He knew he had to try to impress this beautiful girl next to him.

  “Well, then, Magliano should be glad they stopped you,” said Rob.

  Turning away from Collin, Rob continued. “Darrell, buddy, you all right?”

  Darrell nodded sheepishly.

  “Listen, man, whatever you do, don’t let Magliano’s insecurities get to you, OK? He’s an idiot. You’re a genius.”

  Rob pulled Darrell into the huddle around Collin. As he did, his eyes widene
d when he noticed the girl. “That was bold. Way to go.”

  A war of words between Magliano and his flunkies and the other boys in the scrum was erupting. Tensions were boiling within the crowd. Magliano should have been put in his place, but his wounded pride would not let him back down. Robinson was on a roll with the taunts and insults. He wasn’t backing down, either. It seemed he would finish what Collin had started.

  Just as Magliano was starting to taunt Collin again, a car pulled up to the curb. Horns blared as cars maneuvered around the silver Mazda. A girl that Collin recognized as a senior stuck her head out the passenger’s window and told him and Darrell to hop in. The beautiful girl with the blue eyes ushered the two freshmen into the back seat and told them to get out of there. Rob joined them, since he lived two doors down from Collin and there seemed to be plenty of room in the back.

  As the car pulled away from the curb, Collin whipped his head around to peer out the back window. The blue-eyed girl stood at the curb watching them drive off. He huffed as he turned back to face the front. He was mad that he didn’t get a chance to tell her thank you or good-bye or to ask her name.

  The little silver Mazda sped off and the girl in the passenger’s seat spun around to face Collin, Darrell, and Rob, asking if they were alright and expressing admiration for the way Collin had defended his friend. The girl driving was also a senior that Collin recognized. She asked, “Aren’t you Megan Cook’s little brother?”

  Sirens blared in the background, growing closer.

  Collin nodded at the driver but was confused. It must have shown on his face.

  “She and I had Econ together last year. She helped me—a lot. She’s super sweet and super smart. I don’t think I could have passed that class without her.”

  Collin continued to nod slowly, wondering how his painfully shy bookworm of a sister had managed to reach beyond herself to help another human being. That never happened. “Oh,” he said absently. “That’s pretty cool.”