Chapter 8
Jonas
My heart sank when my phone range and I recognized the number. I looked around the office, glad that Dave had a home visit scheduled. I picked up the phone, ready for the worst. It was Eddie.
“Dad, I need you to come get me.”
“What happened?”
“I couldn’t help it, Dad. He called you the f word.”
I knew which word he meant, but I couldn’t believe it all the same. “Did you hit him?”
“I did. I’m tired of him bullying me, Dad. He talks crap about you all the time, and I just can’t take it anymore.”
“We don’t fight our battles with our fists, son.”
“I know that, but other people started teasing me too because I just sat there and took it. They called me names, and said things I can’t even repeat, Dad. Please, come get me.”
There was a bit of jostling, and then Principal Moss was on the line. “You’ll need to come in quickly. I don’t want to have another altercation on my hands.”
“I will be there as quick as I can,” I said, but she’d already hung up.
I went down the hall and stopped in front of the boss’s door. “I have to take a week off,” I said.
“Take all the time you need.”
I nodded, then I was gone, running to my car and wishing that I could fix all this so Eddie didn’t have to deal with it.
I pulled into the parking lot and went straight to the office, and when I saw Eddie’s face, I stopped. “What the hell? Why isn’t he being seen by a paramedic or something.”
“I’m fine,” Eddie said, putting the bag of ice wrapped in rough paper towel from the bathroom back on his eye. “You should see the other guy.” He laughed.
“This isn’t funny,” the principal and I said in unison.
“I’m sure you know, Jonas, that we can’t tolerate fighting at the school, no matter how justified Eddie might be.”
I was shocked, but I nodded my understanding. Principal Moss was on my side, and Eddie’s, but her hands were tied. “Why is this boy still in school? It seems like he’s had plenty of chances.”
“Nothing has been physical between Eddie and the other boy, until now.”
“Hasn’t he been in previous altercations, though? Several, if I remember correctly.”
She sighed. “He has, but no one witnessed anything physical, and none of the boys from either side would tell on the other. I didn’t have any proof.”
“But you have proof this time?”
“There were plenty of witnesses this time. Plus, Eddie admits that he hit the other boy.”
“Because I’m not a liar,” Eddie muttered under his breath.
“Yes, Eddie was honest about what happened. The other boy’s going to alternative school once the approval goes through, but Eddie’s fate is up in the air right now. I can’t have him making an example out of a bully.”
“He’ll write a formal letter of apology,” I said.
“No, I won’t. Dad, I’m not sorry I hit him. I can’t let him say those things about our family.”
“Eddie, please be quiet,” I snapped. Eddie’s mouth snapped shut, his anger boiling beneath the surface. I turned to the principal. “There’s got to be another way.”
“Both boys are suspended all of next week. Full suspension, not ISS.” Eddie looked crushed.
“What about their homework?”
“I’ll ask the teachers to email it, but I have to be honest—most of the teachers aren’t going to do it, because a suspension like this usually leads to alternative school. The curriculum is different, as you know, so they won’t waste their time when they think the student isn’t coming back.”
“But Eddie isn’t going to the alternative school, right?”
“I don’t know." She had some paperwork in her hands. “There is one way that he might be able to avoid going to alternative school, once the suspension is complete.”
“What is that?”
“There’s a new program encouraging troubled teens to volunteer their time in order to build a sense of community. If Eddie can complete ten hours of service by next Friday, I can submit it to the board for review.”
“That’s great. Eddie is already volunteering at Hopeway House once a month. We can just up his hours so he can show that he’s willing to work on himself.”
“That would be a start. Make sure they fill this out, and it needs to be as detailed as possible. They want to see growth and dedication.”
I took the papers and looked at Eddie. “Let’s go. We have a lot to talk about.”
Eddie knew better than to argue with me. He jumped up and looked at Principal Moss, then down at the ground. “I’m sorry for disappointing you,” he said.
She nodded, but didn’t say a word. Eddie and I left, going straight home. When we got home, Eddie started to get out of the car, but I stopped him. “Pack up your video games and bring them to my room.”
“That’s not fair, Dad!” he said.
“It’s not fair that I had to take a week off work to deal with this. Eddie, you should’ve come to me about this. You can’t let someone calling me names affect you like that. You’re better than this.”
“No, you’re better than this. I’m mad, Dad. I don’t ever want to hear that word again, and you always told me to stand up for what I believe in. I stood up, and now you’re punishing me. I thought you were on my side.”
He started to run off, but I grabbed his arm and held him tight. “If I have to come up there and pack it up myself, it’s going straight in the trash. For now, you’re only grounded from your games until I see some marked improvement in your behavior. Don’t push me, Eddie. You won’t like the outcome.”
Eddie pulled his arm out of my grasp and glared at me. “Fine, but I’m going to my room when I’m done. Maybe if I starve to death, you’ll care what I think.”
He slammed the front door on his way in. I walked slowly, giving him some room so I didn’t get swept into Hurricane Eddie. It was rare that he lost his cool like this, but when he did, it was intense. I was too mad to risk feeding off his rage, and the truth was, I wasn’t too sure he wouldn’t throw the video games at my head if I walked in right away.
It was nearly ten minutes later when I finally went inside, and the box of his things was already in front of my bedroom door. I put them in my closet and went to the kitchen to make us both dinner.
I left his food in a thermal container on the table near his door, then knocked softly and told him dinner was ready. Something hit the other side of the door. I nearly opened it, frustrated by his misplaced anger, but turned and walked away instead.
We could both use some room to cool off, and I needed to make a call. I needed to see if Gina was available after all, because there was no way I could leave Eddie home alone, knowing that he was going to extremes like he had that day. Maybe I’d pushed him too hard, let him grow up too fast.
But two things were clear: I wasn’t going to miss my date, and Eddie wasn’t going to be home alone until he was acting like himself again.
Arthur
My hands were shaking when I finally pulled into the parking lot. I parked in the fire lane, too upset to care about parking rules. It wasn’t like I was taking up a handicap spot.
I ran in through the front doors, but when I stopped to get my visitor badge, the woman waved me on through.
Leo was sitting in the chair, an ice pack on his face, his fists bruised.
“What did you do?” I asked before I could stop myself.
“I did what needed to be done,” Leo responded.
“He’s suspended,” Principal Moss said. “I’m sure that goes without saying.”
“What were you thinking?” I asked. “You knew you could be suspended.”
“Like staying home from this hell hole is a punishment,” he said.
“Leo, you apologize right now.”
He leaned forward, looking me dead in the eye. “Make me.”
Principal Moss flew around the desk before I could say a word. She was in Leo’s face in an instant, her face terrifying even from where I sat. “You might get away with that at home, but in my school, you’ll respect your father. Are we clear?”
Leo was tense, obviously intimidated by the show of force, but I felt her frustration, and I didn’t know what else to do. Leo looked like he was going to argue, then he lowered his eyes and looked at the floor.
She backed up then, but stayed within arm’s reach. “I’m waiting,” she said.
“I’m sorry, Dad.”
“It’s all right,” I said on impulse.
The principal glared at me. Then she returned to her seat, pushing a stack of papers across the desk. “If he doesn’t do something to show that he’s willing to make some changes, he’s going to be transferred to the alternative school once his suspension is up.”
“What does that mean?"
“A new program is being tested to see if the outcome is better than the alternative school. He’ll have to log ten hours of community service a week for as long as he’s in the program.”
“How long will that be?” I asked, looking at the empty lines on the form.
“For now, a week. I hate to say this about any kid, but I’m not sure he can last that long.”
“I wish you wouldn’t say that in front of him.”
“I know you want to be Leo’s friend, but I think he needs to hear the truth." She leaned forward and looked directly at Leo.
“This is your last chance. If you mess this up, I can’t protect you, and neither can your dad.
“The alternative school runs like a bootcamp. If you mess up there, they make things uncomfortable until you straighten up. You don’t want to go there if you can help it.
“If you like people getting in your face, and showing up for school at six in the morning, then by all means, screw this up. But if you want a chance to stay here, I suggest you change your tune.”
“Whatever,” he said, arms crossed, clearly on the verge of tears, though he hid it well.
I shot a desperate look at the principal.
She nodded, then sighed. “I want you to know, Leo, I want you to succeed. You might think that all I care about is punishing you. But the truth is, you are an amazing young man, and I want nothing more than to see you live up to your potential.”
He sat there for so long I thought he was going to say something that would make us both believe he was going to make it over this hurdle. But then he looked at me and held out his hand. “Keys.”
“We’re not done talking,” Principal Moss said.
“You might not be, but that little fa—” he stopped. “That little wuss busted my head. I can’t listen to you two talk anymore.”
I handed him the keys, and he left.
“Maybe he needs you to quit enabling him,” the principal said. “He called that other boy a faggot. More than once. You’re not doing him any favors coddling him like you are.”
I winced when she said the word, but pressed on. Leo needed my support. We would talk about the word he’d used later. “You said that. Listen, you don’t know what he’s been through.”
“And you’ve said that,” she countered. “I’m not interested in his past. I’m interested in his future, as you should be.
“I didn’t want to tell him this, so I guess it’s good that he left the room. Part of this is going to be contingent on Leo and the other boy being able to work together."
She wrote an address and a phone number on a piece of paper. “This is Hopeway House. You’ll need to call the volunteer coordinator to set up a time.”
“Do you think that’s wise? That boy is obviously a huge trigger for Leo, and it sounds like he baited him.”
“If Leo and this boy cannot work things out, there’s no way I can have them both at this school. Leo has been bullying him mercilessly.”
“Please don’t label him like that.”
“You can call it what you want, but your son is lucky that all that boy did was punch him. You can only push people so far.”
“And if we don’t volunteer?”
“If he doesn’t log ten hours by Friday, then he’s going to alternative school. And I mean that he has to log the hours. You can’t help him, and you can’t work in his place.”
“This seems like so much to ask of a fifteen-year-old.”
“That’s the idea. He needs something big to knock him out of this funk. If we can’t get him through this, the alternatives are scary.
“Your son is going down a path that most people don’t survive. He could end up in jail or worse. As much as you don’t like this, he needs you to follow through on this.”
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll call today and set up times.”
“Good. Tell him you’re doing the school program, and they’ll give you the hours you need to show up. The more hours he works, the better.”
“I understand,” I said. “Thank you for all your help.”
“I wish I could do more, but I have a thousand kids to take care of. You’re going to have to be hard on him, and love him enough to make things uncomfortable. I guarantee his other options are much worse.”
I thanked her again and left the building. Leo was in my car, the radio so loud that the car was vibrating. So much for his headache.
When I opened the door, he scowled at me. “I see you’ve removed your lips from the principal’s ass,” he said.
I didn’t say a word, and remained silent until we got home. Once we arrived, I went into the house, grabbed a box of heavy-duty landscaping bags, and went straight into his room, closing and locking the door behind me.
Leo pounded on the door, cursing at me, then screaming at the top of his lungs until his voice cracked, and I could tell he was crying. I kept at it, and when I was finished bagging everything of his up, all that was left was his bed and his clothes.
I walked out of the room, dragging the two heavy bags behind me. “What do you think you’re doing?” he hissed, his eyes red.
“You’re going to learn some humility, and you’re going to learn that you have more than most people have. If I have to take everything you own and make you earn it back one thing at a time, so be it.”
“You can’t do that,” he said, eyes welling with tears.
I didn’t taunt him, like some of the parents I’d seen on the internet. I didn’t insert a clever comeback to make myself feel better. I just walked away, took everything he owned, and locked it in my closet.
I made dinner, but Leo didn’t come down. When I’d finished eating and was turning out the lights for the night, I saw him standing on the landing above. He looked at me, his eyes showing his hurt, his ego wounded to the core.
When he caught me looking, he flipped me off and went back into his room, slamming the door as he did. But he didn’t yell, and he didn’t fight.
And for once, he didn’t laugh in my face and tell me that my discipline was pathetic, or that being suspended from school wasn’t a real punishment. He just went into his room, and a few moments later, he turned out the lights.
Emotionally spent, I went to my own room and put some essential oils in the diffuser, then crawled into bed and begged the universe to help me set my world back in balance again. I needed my son to be happy, but more than that, I needed him to be whole.