Chapter 6
Eddie
My phone vibrated in my pocket. I watched Mr. Wilson walking up and down the aisle as he made sure everyone was doing what they were supposed to.
His back was turned to me, and he was clear across the room, so I slid my phone halfway out of my pocket and swiped my thumb over the screen and sent the message in seconds. Michael messaged me back immediately.
Is Leo in detention with you? he wanted to know.
No, he’s in group two with Mrs. Snyder.
Lucky him, Michael responded.
I almost laughed, but held it in, my phone in the shadows of the desk now, my right hand holding a pencil to my paper as if I was thinking.
What do I do about Leo? When detention is over, he says he’s going to kick my ass.
You have to fight back, or something. I mean, you can’t just roll over and play dead. Leo isn’t that dumb.
This time, a laugh escaped me, but I covered it with a cough. I caught Mr. Wilson looking at me, so I wrote a few words on my paper until he went back to walking up and down the aisles.
I’m not going to fight him. That’s stupid. I thought he was going to get expelled, but they keep giving him more chances. It’s not fair.
“Mr. Beauchamp, there are no phones in detention.”
I jumped, shocked to see Mr. Wilson right beside me. “I’m sorry,” I stammered. “I was, um—”
“Give it here.”
I handed the phone over and did my best to look ashamed. Looking into his eyes like a lost puppy, I whispered, “I was just talking to my friend about how to deal with a bully without getting violent. That’s why I’m in here, because Leo won’t leave me alone, and I lost my cool.”
Mr. Wilson sighed. “You can have it back at the end of the day. I wouldn’t worry about Leo. I don’t see him completing the program any time soon. He’s already been given two more days of ISS.”
“That’s awful,” I lied, as if I cared. “I hope he gets the help he needs.”
“You’re a good kid, Eddie. Don’t let this little setback derail everything else you’ve accomplished this year. You’ll be back in class tomorrow, and I’m sure by next week, we’ll all be rid of Leo Reed." He handed me back the phone, sly as hell, then winked at me. “Keep it out of sight this time,” he said.
I nodded. There were definitely perks to being a good kid.
***
My dad was at the curb when they let us out of ISS, group one first, then group two, then the rest of the school. As soon as Mr. Wilson said we were dismissed, I hauled butt out the door so I wouldn’t get caught outside the school by Leo.
“How was your day?” my dad asked,
“You do remember I had ISS, right?”
“I do, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make the best of things, right?”
“You seem really happy today. Did you have a good date?”
“I did.”
“I thought so, since you were out so late.”
“You were already in bed. I didn’t want to disturb you.”
I shrugged. “ISS is earlier than I’m used to. I was so tired I couldn’t keep my eyes open.”
He nodded, patting my leg affectionately, and risking a glance away from the road to smile at me. He was so safety-conscious it was almost unbearable, but my dad was a good guy, and I knew not everyone was as lucky as me.
“You’ve done a really good job making the best of this mess. I don’t agree with you being punished, but the policy is what it is. We have to follow the rules—”
“And what we don’t like, we change,” I said, interrupting him.
He laughed and ran his fingers through his hair. “I guess I’ve said that a few times.”
“Just a couple,” I teased. “Enough about school, ’cause I’m sick of ISS and I can’t wait to go back to class tomorrow, but how was the date? Like, not just, it was good or bad. Did you have fun? Where did you go?”
He pulled into the driveway and we got out together. Dad slowed his steps so I could keep up, and I shook my head. “I’m not a little kid anymore. You can walk your normal pace.”
“I know, but I like these moments.”
I ducked my head and smiled at him. He put his arm around my shoulders and gave me a side hug, like he always did. “I like them, too,” I admitted.
His eyes got shiny, and I looked away. “I know it’s normal to think your parents are cool, but I’m lucky, and I know that.”
“I’m the lucky one,” Jonas said, then sighed. “He didn’t share much, but Arthur is having so many problems with his son. I can see it in his eyes. He’s at a loss, and all I could think the entire time was how lucky I am that you’re such a good kid. You always have been, and it makes me realize that some good parents still have difficult kids.”
I didn’t have to fake surprise; I was shocked. “Are you telling me that you’re not judging a parent for the actions of their kid?" I walked into the house ahead of him and felt his forehead with the back of my hand. “We should get you to a hospital. You must be sick.”
“Stop it,” he laughed. “It’s not that. Arthur is just such a nice, affectionate man, and I know that he’s a good dad. I can hear it in the way he talks about his son.”
“You kissed him, didn’t you?”
My dad blushed, and my mouth dropped open. “I hope you didn’t put out yet.”
“Eddie Beauchamp!” he said.
“What? You’re always telling me to respect myself. You haven’t even had, like, a real weekend date. Wait, are you seeing him again?”
“Yes.”
“This weekend?”
“Saturday.”
“Wow, that’s got to be some kind of record. He must be something special. I can’t believe you haven’t found a million reasons to drop him yet.”
“I’m trying to do this right,” he said. “I told you I was going to make an effort not to be so judgmental, but with Arthur, it’s easy. I feel so different around him.”
“Different how?”
“I don’t know … mellow. It’s like the world outside us doesn’t exist, and there’s so much freedom in that.”
“Is that why you didn’t call to check on me twenty times?” I asked.
His mouth dropped open, and then he laughed and shook his head. “I hadn’t even realized that I didn’t check on you once.”
“See? I told you I could handle you being gone for a few hours.”
He took in a huge breath and let it out, looking at me with the same expression that was in all my baby pictures. I shifted uncomfortably, wondering if I’d set myself up for a bear hug, but then he laughed and playfully punched my arm.
“I guess you are growing up. What do you say to flying solo on Saturday again?”
“I say hell yes!”
“Language.”
“My dad, always following the rules." I motioned toward the calendar we kept hanging in the kitchen. “What about Hopeway House? I need some more volunteer hours.”
“Sunday?”
“Are you going to be able to get up in the morning?”
“Good point,” he said.
“Are you blushing?”
He shook his head. “What about Saturday morning? My date isn’t until after dinner.”
“That sounds good. Then we can both have Sunday to recover." I gave him a wicked grin. “I just hope you’re here when I wake up.”
“You are too much,” he said, then he opened up the fridge and started fixing dinner.
Jonas
I let Eddie get away with things I normally wouldn’t, teasing me about my new relationship. It was so strange to look at this young man and see the baby he used to be. I knew it embarrassed him when I brought it up, but I couldn’t help it. Even parents with easy kids struggled.
I was vigilant for signs that he was hiding his feelings about ISS, and everything that was going on at school, but unlike Monday, he was open, and it was clear that he’d made peace with what had happened. He jumped in to help me make dinner, cutting the vegetables like a pro as I started the base for my spaghetti sauce.
I watched him from the corner of my eye, stepping to the side when he added ingredients to the pan as I’d taught him. “You’re going to make someone a fine partner someday.”
He laughed. “I think I’ll pass on that. Dating is too much drama.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” I said. “At least for now. Someday, I’m sure I’ll want grandkids.”
He smiled at me, shaking his head. “Keep dreaming.”
I took a deep breath, not sure what I had to say next was going to go over well. “What’s your plan for tomorrow?”
“What do you mean?”
“You said you were in a different group than the bully, but isn’t he getting out tomorrow, too?”
“Nope. He already messed up, and he’s in ISS until Monday." He looked up at me, his expression placid. “I think he’s going to end up at your school. Hopefully, you can turn him around.”
“Alternative school is the last chance before they’re kicked out. I hope he straightens out before then. I wonder if Principal Moss has called in some resources for his parents.”
“Parent,” Eddie corrected me. “He doesn’t have a mom.”
“That’s not surprising. When one parent is absent, it’s usually hard for a troubled kid to adjust.”
“Like me?”
“Not like you. You have regular contact with aunts and uncles, and your grandparents. Plus, it’s not like you’re missing a parent.”
“Right. I was just a donor egg grown in a surrogate." He scoffed. “Of course, I turned out fine.”
“Eddie, are you feeling like you need to talk to someone about your birth story?”
“God, Dad, no. I’m saying that sometimes, maybe a kid has everything they need and they’re still jerks, and some of us have an odd beginning and we manage just fine. Maybe you shouldn’t assume that his home life sucks. Maybe his dad is awesome like you, and he’s just a troublemaker.”
“Most troubled kids come from troubled homes. I know you don’t want to believe that, but I see this every day. Kids don’t get better unless we make sure the parents have support, too. The whole family has to be healed, or they come right back.”
“Just because you’ve seen it a hundred times doesn’t mean that this guy, this one bully, isn’t just a bully. Why can’t you see that?”
“I can’t see anything if you won’t tell me who he is.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Why?”
“Because I just don’t want to, okay? I don’t want you rushing in and dealing with it, and becoming his friend and helping him through this mess so that he won’t be mean to me. I’ve seen how you are with those kids, and it’s great. But maybe, just this once, you could be on my side for a change and let someone else deal with the troubled kid.”
His words were like a gut punch. “That’s not what’s happening, and I would never choose another kid over you.”
“I know that, but it’s the way to do it. You make friends with them, and you find out what makes them hurt, then you fix it.
“I don’t want to have pity on him. I just don’t. He’s awful, and he makes my life a living hell, and I hope he gets kicked out and I never have to see him again.”
Eddie’s eyes were filled with rage and pain, his chest was heaving with every breath, and he looked like he couldn’t decide whether to run up to his room or stand his ground.
I held up my hands. “I get it. I won’t get involved, and if I get his case, I’ll send it to someone else for conflict of interest.”
“Thank you,” he said, still heaving. “But I’m still not telling you his name. I know you’ll be tempted to check up on him. It’s just better if you don’t know.”
“All right, I hear you. Just, please, if he becomes a bigger problem, promise me that you will tell me so I can help you.”
“I promise, Dad. I really do." He looked a little sheepish. “I know I’m not supposed to eat dinner upstairs, but I haven’t had a minute alone since seven this morning. Do you think—”
I waved him off. “Go, have some alone time. I think I’m going to veg out downstairs, then call it a night. You weren’t the only one who had to get up an hour early this morning.”
I waited until he was upstairs and the door was closed, then grabbed my phone and went into the den and closed the door. My stomach fluttered and I found myself smiling as I went through the text messages Arthur and I had exchanged since the cooking class.
I finished my spaghetti quickly, then watched a little tv, not sure if it would be too much to text him now. “We just had a date last night,” I muttered to myself. Before I could decide, my phone vibrated and a message from Arthur came through.
Thank you for the advice, it said. I put an ad out for an employee so I can devote more time to being a parent. Are we still on for Saturday?
Absolutely, I replied.
I hope you like art, he responded. I already know you like wine.
The little winking emoji he added at the end made me laugh. We were in our thirties, with teenage sons, and here we were, like two lovesick school boys. I couldn’t believe my luck.
He was everything I didn’t know I needed, and it was hard to hold back my excitement. I wanted to see him now, not in a few days. But I was going to have to wait, and like a fine wine, Arthur was well worth it.