Chapter Twenty-Three

Nate

Well, at least the cops didn’t put me in cuffs. When they showed up I was pretty sure my day was ruined. But they were cool about it. I’m sure they’d seen a lot worse.

Vice Principal Bean was right behind them, shaking his head. He shot me a quick glance that I was pretty sure sealed my fate. It was a look like I was something dirty on the bottom of his shoe and he couldn’t scrape it off.

Looking around at all the gawkers, the Vice Principal asked if the police could take our statements inside.

“Besides,” he added, “You have to wait for their parents.” I could tell that his number one priority was maintaining some kind of order and getting the school back to operating normally.

The lead policeman shrugged his shoulder.

The Vice Principal commandeered some empty classerooms. They separated us and put each individual into their own classroom with a cop standing guard outside the door. Elle shot me a quick look that I couldn’t begin to untangle. It was a cross between a hurt, painful expression mixed with sorrow and apology.

The look tore at my insides. Just like every day for the last two weeks, my world was screwed up.

Eventually, a policeman came in and took my statement. Because I was eighteen, they didn’t have to wait for my Uncle Jake.

I was honest and up front. No way was I keeping anything back to protect Joe and his idiot friends.

The cop finished writing everything down then stopped and looked up at me.

“How much trouble am I in?” I asked. This was going to mess up my plans I just knew it.

He looked at me for a long second and smiled. “I wouldn’t worry about it. If your story checks out. It was self-defense, cut and dried. Plus, I gather this Tom kid doesn’t even go to this school anymore.”

My shoulders slumped with relief. “Of course,” he continued. “That is the law enforcement side of things. The school may look at it differently.”

I nodded. That meant Vice Principal Bean. Well, he’d given me a warning. I was pretty sure this went over the line.

Eventually, after the cop left, the nurse came in and patched me up. Shining a light in my eye, checking for a concussion, broken bones, etc.

“You should probably get that stitched up,” she said, indicating the cut under my eye.

I shrugged my shoulders and said I would. A small lie to make things go easier. As she was leaving, I reached out and held her back for a second.

“Have them check Joe’s spleen,” I said. “I hit him pretty hard and he wasn’t braced.”

She gave me a strange look for a second, then nodded her head and left.

Me? I sat there. Alone. Waiting. All I could think about was Elle and the way she had looked when Joe held her. The fear and anger in her eyes. The thought sent cold shivers down my back. Nothing. I mean nothing in this world, was ever allowed to affect her like that. I had wanted to kill the guy. I mean literally. I wanted to end his life.

The feeling still sat deep inside of me, scaring me. It had been close. I had almost killed a person today.

After a long hour of silence, the classroom door opened and the school secretary stuck her head in.

“The Vice Principal is ready for you,” she said with a sad smile. Like she was delivering a last meal to a condemned man.

When I got to his office, I was surprised to see Elle, Jimmy, and their mom sitting to the side. My heart relaxed when Elle gave me a small smile. She was okay. Both her and Jimmy. That was all that really mattered.

Uncle Jake was there as well, looking at me like I’d failed again. His glance instinctively went to the cuts and bruises, making a professional assessment, then shaking his head.

My insides turned over. This was going to suck on so many levels. It was bad enough facing this, but to have Elle see it. Not good. So not good.

“Take a seat,” Mr. Bean said. “I believe you know everyone.”

I quickly nodded a greeting and slipped into the last remaining chair directly in front of the Vice Principal. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Ms. Watson with a strange frown. I didn’t know which was worse, Uncle Jake’s disappointment, or her disapproval.

Mr. Bean shuffled some papers on his desk. I could tell he was using the moment to gather his thoughts. Then he sighed heavily and said, “I’ve read the police reports. Words a Vice Principal never wants to say, I might add.”

I swallowed hard and shot Elle a quick look. She smiled slightly and looked back like she didn’t hate me. The soft pleading in her eyes was asking me something. Before I could figure it out, Mr. Bean coughed, pulling my attention back to him.

“While the police must follow their procedures. The school's procedures are quite different. As I told you before, the school has zero tolerance for fighting. Like I said, I’ve read the reports.” Then he paused again as he pulled over a folder, flipping it open. His eyes grew a big as he read.

“It says here, Mr. Clark, that you’ve applied to San Jose State. The ROTC program?”

“Yes sir, I got accepted two days ago, I hadn’t told the counselor yet.”

“What?” Elle gasped next to me. Her mom reached over and put a restraining hand on her arm.

“You didn’t tell me,” Uncle Jake said with a strange frown. A sharp guilt passed through me. I should have told him. But I hadn’t wanted to say anything. Not yet. Not until I figured everything out. Now it sort of seemed mute. No way would the ROTC program accept me if I was expelled from high school.

“I see here,” Mr. Bean continued. “A letter of recommendation from a Colonel Jones, at the Pentagon?”

“Yes, Sir, my father’s former commanding officer. We’ve stayed in touch over the years.”

Mr. Bean slowly read the letter and smiled. “The man knows how to write. Basically, according to this, you can walk on water and raise the dead. All while finding lost puppies.”

I kept quiet, how do you answer something like that.

The Vice Principal continued to flip through the folder.

“Mr. Bean,” Elle’s mom interrupted. “Am I to understand that the person attacking my son is not a student here?”

The Vice Principals face turned a lighter shade of pale. He knew a lawyer when he saw one and this one looked like she wanted someone’s skin for her wall.

“Yes, Ms. Watson,” he said. “It appears that he snuck onto school grounds somehow.”

“Joe McCain helped him,” Elle said with a firm tone to her voice. Like mother, like daughter.

Mr. Bean glanced back and forth between Elle and her mother. Then shrugged and said, “perhaps.”

Elle’s mom raised an eyebrow. “You’re telling me that this school is not secure. That just anyone can waltz in here off the street and attack a student? Attack my son?” Her voice rose with each word.

Mr. Bean swallowed hard.

“Come,” she said to her children as she stood up, gathering her coat and her purse, “We are done here.”

Elle looked at her mom with disbelief. Jimmy slumped into his chair like he wished the world would just go away.

“You too Nate,” she said with a soft smile. “We are done.”

My world shifted. What was going on? And why was Ms. Watson smiling at me?

“Ms. Watson,” Vice Principal Bean said as he stood up from behind his desk. “We are not finished. The school policy …”

She turned and looked at him for a long moment. Then gave him a smile that would have made a great white shark envious.

“Mr. Bean. You have been repeatedly warned that my son was being bullied. If not for Nate, he would have been seriously hurt today. It is only because of the courageous and swift action of this young man that my son is not in the hospital. Now then, you have a choice. Either write a report that these three are at no fault. Or prepare to explain to the school board why they are being sued. And when you lose the case, as I am sure you will, prepare to explain to any potential employer why you cost the school system millions and millions of dollars.”

Both Jimmy and Elle looked at their mom with wide eyes and open shock. All I could do was admire a full-grown lioness in action.

Nothing, absolutely nothing was allowed to threaten her children. And for just a brief moment, I felt included in that group.

She held out her hand, indicating we should all leave. I looked back at Mr. Bean who was staring at Ms. Watson like an oncoming wave of death. At last, his shoulders slumped in defeat. I took that as my cue to get out of there. Standing, I shot Uncle Jake a questioning glance. He shrugged his shoulders. It was up to me.

Giving the Vice Principal a quick smile I turned and followed the Watson clan out the door. You didn’t have to tell me twice. I saw my chance and took it.

Once we were all out of the office, Ms. Watson set her chin and marched out of the school like a queen. Head held high, back straight. Both Jimmy and Elle followed close behind. Elle, shooting me looks every so often that turned my insides over.

I had no idea what she was thinking. It was like ever since we broke up, I’d lost the ability to read her. Did she hate me for upsetting her mom? Or, did she hate me for making Jimmy mad at her? If I’d handled things differently, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.

As soon as we cleared the front doors of the school, Ms. Watson turned to her two children. “That is more than enough excitement for today. You two, wait for me in the car please,” she said to them. “I need to talk to Nate.”

My guts tightened up into a ball like they did when I knew I was going to get punched. Elle stared at me with big eyes that held more than a little fear. At least, that I could read. She was obviously worried that her mom was going to yell at me.

I tried smiling back at her, reassuring her that I could take it. But I’m not too sure the message got through.

Jimmy continued to refuse to meet me with a direct look. It was as if his eyes could not hold mine. Instead, he looked down, his fingers constantly tapping at his pant leg, like he was trying to work something out.

The poor kid was ashamed at getting jumped, mad at the world that he had to go through that and mortified that his sister had seen it all and he hadn’t been able to protect her. Of course, he was a fool for looking at it that way. But he was thirteen. What do you expect.

“Go on,” Ms. Watson said, giving her children a quick mother stare. I almost smiled. I’d seen that look on Elle’s face more than once.

Elle gave me a last glance before heading to their car. After a few steps, she turned back and mouthed the words ‘Thank you’.

I gave her a quick nod and turned to face Ms. Watson.

“I’ll meet you at home, boy,” Uncle Jake said. As he patted me on the back. My stomach fell, my uncle was abandoning me at my moment of need. I raised an eyebrow at him. He smirked and shook his head. You’re on your own for this one, his eyes told me.

“Mr. Tanner,” Ms. Watson said as she held out her hand to him. “It was very nice meeting you. I do wish it had been under different circumstances.”

He shook her hand, gave me another smirk, then headed for his car. Leaving me alone with the lioness.

She stared at me for a long moment, her brow creased with thought. As I stood there waiting, she reached up and took my chin, gently turning my face back and forth, examining my cuts and bruises. As she looked at me, her eyes grew misty as a tear formed at the corner and threatened to spill over and roll down her cheek.

“Thank you,” she said with a tenderness that surprised me. I started to tell her it was no big deal, but she stopped me with a quick shake of her head. She needed to get this out, so I bit down and shut up for a change.

“Thank you,” she repeated. “All I’ve been able to do all day is wonder what would have happened if Elle had never asked for your help. You, sir, are a good and honorable man. And I am sorry for misjudging you.”

She had no sooner uttered the words when she shocked me by pulling me into a deep hug.

“Thank you, Nate.” She said as she squeezed.

It must not have been easy for her. I don’t imagine she was wrong very often.

I stood there and soaked up her motherly hug until she was finished and stepped back. She smiled as she quickly wiped at her eyes, then turned and walked to her car. All I could do was stand there confused and totally bewildered. Just when you think you’ve got someone figured out. They completely change your mind.