“I am pleased to meet you, Miss Wilson. Come in, please.” He showed me into his office and motioned for me to sit at the conference table.
“Thank you so much for meeting with me. I’m a friend of the McShanes and the boys’ brother, Aaron, asked me to come and talk to you about what happened over the weekend. He also asked that we call him on a conference line so he can speak with you.”
“Of course, Miss Wilson. Can I ask why he wasn’t able to come in person?”
I exhaled and said, “Because he’s home with a broken knee and Peter is home with a broken nose and bruised ribs.”
Any hesitation he had to helping me was gone. He asked me for Aaron’s number and dialed it.
Aaron answered and he said, “Aaron? This is Vince San Juan, from Hayward Catholic? I’m so sorry to hear you are injured.”
Aaron cleared his throat and said, “Thanks for calling, Vince. Stevie will tell you the story, if that’s ok. I’m a little groggy.”
I gave him all the gory details, including information about the party and the police investigation, as Aaron and I had agreed. He listened intently and when I was finished, he looked grim.
“Aaron, this is terrible. I am so sorry. And with your parents gone, I know this is a tremendous strain on you.” Vince’s eyes met mine and he shook his head.
“Well, my miracle is sitting right there in front of you. I’d be more of a mess if it weren’t for her.”
I felt myself blushing and Vince laughed.
“Ah, I see. Well, I hope you are being a good patient.”
Aaron grumbled, I giggled, and Vince gave me a knowing smile. “What can I do on this end to help?”
Aaron asked him to keep an eye on Patrick and to have the teachers email Peter his work so he didn’t fall behind. “And if there’s anything you can send with Stevie, that would be great. I’m assuming Peter will miss the next couple of weeks of Water Polo, for sure. I’ll talk to Coach Hammond about that.”
Vince assured Aaron he would do all he could. After we hung up, Vince turned to me and blew out a frustrated breath.
“I am so sorry this has all happened. The boys involved in the case are not students here, but they have friends that attend. I will let their teachers know. This is a highly sensitive case and I have to be careful about confidentiality, but I can tell you that the twins were incredibly brave and it pisses me off that they are receiving any sort of backlash for saving this girl. Any kids who mess with them will face expulsion and arrest. We don’t tolerate bullying of any kind.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Thank you. I’ll be staying with them so if there’s anything I can do, please let me know. I know Aaron is planning to tell his parents today what happened, but he doesn’t want them to come home. I’m worried about that, but it’s his decision.”
Vince shook his head. “I’ve known Aaron since we were students here together. He’s stubborn, but he is a very good man. I know he’ll do the best for his brothers. Thank you for coming in today.”
I gave him my phone number and he promised to have the teachers get in touch with Peter.
I drove Mr. McShane’s truck back to the house and pulled up alongside my ruined car. It looked a lot worse during the day. I knew it could be fixed, but I couldn’t help but feel like it was an omen of things to come.
Aaron
I was just finishing up on the phone with the alarm company when Stevie came in. She smiled at me, looking concerned. I opened my arms to her and she came in for a big hug.
“I called the guy who handles our alarm system at the shop and he cut me a deal. He’s going to have his workers out this afternoon to install the alarm system. I also talked to Mom. She was shocked, angry, worried, but agreed to stay there when I told them you were taking care of us. So thank you. A thousand times thank you, love.”
She kissed the top of my head, getting tickled by the few hairs that were starting to grow in. “I’m glad I’m here. I’d say it feels good, but I hate the circumstances.” She was quiet for a minute, and then spoke in a hesitant voice.
“Did you talk to the DA? Did you tell your folks about the case?” She stepped back and walked over to grab a drink from the fridge.
“I left a message for the D.A. And yes, I told Mom we heard there was a chance the case was going to trial. I may not have mentioned that the two things were connected, but you were right. I needed to tell them. And as soon as she tells Pops he’ll put two and two together. I just hope they don’t have to come home.”
She handed me a glass of water and stepped behind me. Her talented hands went to work on my shoulders and neck.
“Mmmmmm, that feels so good.”
She worked on a few tight areas for quite a while. I was starting to get sleepy again when Peter came grunting down the stairs.
“I never knew just how important your ribs are. I can’t do anything without it hurting. Dammit. Hey Asshole, want me to help you shower? You look like shit.”
I laughed and looked at him.
“I don’t think you’ll be helping me with anything, but thanks. Stevie talked to Mr. San Juan. He’s going to have your teachers email you so keep checking, alright?”
He nodded. “Thanks, Stevie.”
He walked over and gave her an awkward hug, which she returned with a surprised smile.
“You’re welcome, Peter. And if you need any help, I’ll be here, ok? I know I’m not a teacher right now, but I have done it for about six years. I know a little.”
“That’s right! At Palo Alto High School?”
She nodded, smiling. “Yep. But not anymore. And I’m not sure if I’ll go back to teaching for a while. I’m kind of enjoying writing. Which reminds me… Aaron, is there a computer in the house I can use? I need to message Maryland.”
“You can use my laptop,” Peter offered. “We have a desktop in our room I can use for my homework.”
He winced a little and Stevie raised an eyebrow at him. “Did you take any medicine yet?”
He shook his head. She handed him some ibuprofen and he grabbed a sports drink from the fridge. “I’m going to go do some reading for World Lit.”
“Oh yeah,” she asked. “What are you reading?” He told her Othello. She got a dreamy expression. “I love that play. My students really like discussing it. Let me know what you think.”
He nodded at her, kind of looking confused.
I laughed. “He’s probably worried you’ll know if he only reads the Spark notes. Nicely played.”
She gave me a silly bow and then yawned. “Baby? What do you say we get you upstairs and nap for a little while before the alarm guys get here? I gotta think you didn’t sleep great in that chair.”
She was so right. My back was all kinked up and my hip was killing me on top of the ache from my leg. Her shoulder massage loosened up my neck, thankfully.
“That sounds good, as long as you promise to lay down with me. I know from experience that the couch sucks to sleep on.”
She grinned and brought me my crutches.
It took us awhile to get up the stairs and I was huffing and puffing when I reached the top. I had to sit on my ass and pull myself up the stairs backwards. Thankfully, it was only my leg. If I would have had sore ribs like Peter, I never could have done it. Stevie looked worried the whole time, but I assured her it was good for me to move around like this, even if it did hurt like a bitch.
We went in the bathroom first and she helped me get undressed. She made good on the offer of a sponge bath and we quickly discovered an area that wasn’t adversely affected by this whole disaster. She promised that as soon as I was feeling better she’d take care of me and I laughed.
“You are taking care of me. He can wait.”
Stevie shaved my face and even my head, giggling the whole time.
“This is so much fun! You have to let me do this even when you’re better.”
I chuckled at her joke, but in reality I was starting to get a little too comfortable thinking about our
future together. Part of me was sure we weren’t out of the woods yet, that any minute she was going to run for the hills, despite her promises to me. I tried not to think about it, but it was there. It hurt so bad last time, I wasn’t sure I could take it again.
Once Stevie finished with me, she took a quick shower while I watched. It almost made me forget my broken fucking leg. It was that incredible. She stepped out when she was done and wrapped herself up in a towel and handed me Pops’ bathrobe.
“You’ll look quite Hugh Heffner-esque, lover.”
I rolled my eyes and let her help me into the sleeves and loosely tie the belt. I made it to the bed and she helped me get my leg rested in an elevated position. She dressed in yoga pants and a tank, during which I pouted dramatically, and then curled up next to me. We were out in seconds.
Stevie
Aaron and I took a much-needed nap and I woke refreshed. I helped him into some basketball shorts and a t-shirt so he could take care of things with the alarm company. I checked on Peter and found him sleeping soundly. That left the housework. I quickly discovered that Aaron had been the only one doing laundry and the twins had a shit-ton of dirty clothes spilling out of the hamper and all over the corner of their room. I collected it all in three trips and carried it downstairs to the laundry room behind the kitchen. I did the boys’ and Aaron’s over the course of the next two days.
Patrick said school was uneventful. He came home restless, though, and asked if he could go into work.
“Schroeder’s got it, little man. Why don’t you just go up and work out?”
He shrugged and went out back. I hated to see him so down in the dumps so I followed him out and asked him if there was something special he wanted for dinner.
“Do you know how to make any Mexican food? We haven’t had that in a long time. Peter really likes it.”
He was not making it easy to get to know him.
“Sure, I can do that, but I wondered if there was anything I could do for you?”
He looked at me with soulful eyes and I felt his pain. “You’re taking care of my brothers, that’s all I need.” He turned and quickly climbed the steps to Aaron’s apartment and went inside. Crap.
The alarm guys worked into the evening and Aaron sat with Peter in the living room figuring out how to use the security cameras with the laptop and Aaron’s iPhone. They were really cute geeking out like that. I fixed chicken enchiladas and received thanks from both of the boys and Aaron. Dinner was quiet. Both Aaron and Peter were still in a lot of pain. After dinner the boys went up to their room with the intention of playing computer games. I was taking some laundry up to their room when I heard them arguing.
“I don’t give a shit, Peter! If he says anything else about you I’m going to kick his ass. I don’t care if it gets me kicked off the team.”
I paused outside their door and then knocked. Patrick pulled the door opened, his expression startled.
“Hey guys, I got some of your clothes washed. I tried not to mix them with Aaron’s, but if you find any that aren’t yours, just put them back in the basket.”
He nodded, taking the basket from me.
“Thanks, Stevie,” they both muttered.
Shit. Now I was in a bad position. I didn’t want to rat him out to Aaron, but Aaron needed to know something was up. I went back downstairs to find Aaron deep in conversation on his cell.
“Right… Thanks for letting me know, Hammond. I’m sorry I won’t be there to help out...Sure… Tell Karen, hi for us… Alright, I will. And you let me know if anything else comes up, ok? I need your eyes and ears right now. Take care.” He put the phone down and dropped his head into his hands. He spoke without looking up.
“Jesus, the hits just keep on coming.” Thankfully Patrick’s coach did the ratting for me. “One of the defendant’s friends is on the team with Patrick and apparently they had words in the locker room. Dammit! How am I going to get him to keep a lid on it? Peter’s the more level-headed one, and he’s not there to diffuse the situation! Fuck! PATRICK!”
I felt awful for him.
Patrick came stomping down the steps.
“I just talked to Hammond,” Aaron growled. “He said you and another kid got into a little heated discussion in the locker room. Care to enlighten me?”
Patrick crossed his arms over his chest and got pissed. “What do you want to know? That John and Chris were really concerned about Peter and were hoping he’d be back soon? Sure, Asshole! That’s exactly how it went down. What did you think was going to happen?”
Aaron’s expression darkened and I watched his jaw twitch. “I told you to respect your brothers, Patrick. Watch your mouth! And as for the guys on your team? You have a problem, you talk to your coach. You can’t be fighting, bro! You just can’t, for so many reasons. I hate it that you are in this position, but you go to school and you keep your mouth shut, you hear me?”
Patrick flinched and looked frustrated. “I’m not trying to get into a fight, but I can’t just stand there and take it when they call my brother a pussy for not showing his face at school.” He spoke in a quiet tone so Peter wouldn’t hear.
Aaron’s expression softened a little and he exhaled. “I’m sorry you are having to deal with all of this by yourself…”
“Yeah, well, I’m the only one who didn’t get hurt so it’s on me.” Patrick’s eyes looked wet and I realized right then that part of his dour mood was guilt.
“Patrick,” I cut in, looking to Aaron in apology. “None of this is your fault. None of this is anyone’s fault except for the idiots who made a stupid decision over the summer. Unfortunately, everyone else is having to pay for it. You two, Gretchen… Anita. I know you want to protect your brother, but desperate people will do desperate things to protect themselves. I hate to see you get hurt because of someone else’s bad decision.”
He looked at me in earnest and I knew he heard what I wasn’t saying as well. He nodded and looked back at Aaron. “I’m sorry, bro. I’ll try harder.”
Aaron motioned for him to come over and give him a hug, which he did. When he went back upstairs, Aaron spoke softly. “Let the shitstorm begin.”
Chapter Fifteen
Aaron
And boy did it! The next day at school, someone slashed a tire on the Camry. Patrick texted me so I told him to get his AAA card out and have Mr. San Juan help him, which he did. Vince also waited with Patrick until the tire was changed and he could drive home. I had Schroeder meet him and they got a new tire. The D.A. finally got back to me and said that yes, the three rapists would be having their day in court. I told him what had been going on and he told me he would personally look into the police reports and see what was happening in the investigation.
The day after that, Peter fought with me until I let him go with Patrick to school. The boys had no practice, so they were going to come home right after school. When they still weren’t home by 5:00, I started blowing up their phones until Peter finally called and said someone had slashed two of their tires and they were waiting for AAA again.
Thursday I got a call from Vince that there was an altercation in the hall by the boys’ lockers. Someone had written “snitches” on their lockers. The boys were fuming when they got home. I agreed with Stevie that I needed to call my parents.
Mom answered her cell phone. “Son, what is it? You sound troubled.”
I told her everything and she was very upset.
“I will make arrangements to come home as soon as I can. I will try to make your father stay here with his mother. They are having a lovely time and your father seems stronger than ever. I doubt he will stay if he thinks there is danger.”
We talked about it some more and she told me she would call me the next day.
Stevie was such a trooper. She put up with all of our moodiness, she cooked and cleaned, and she never lost her smile. At night, we laid side-by-side whispering to each other in the dark our hopes and dreams for the future. I tried to let her know every minute
just how grateful I was for her sacrifice.
“It’s not a sacrifice,” she said. “I love you, Aaron. I want to take care of you and your family. I wish it were under different circumstances, sure, but I want to be here with you and your brothers.” She was saying and doing all the right things. I was still afraid.
Friday morning the boys left for school and Stevie was cleaning up after breakfast when the phone rang.
“Pops! It’s good to hear your voice.” He told me in no uncertain terms that he and Mom were coming home and there was to be no arguing.
“But Pops, I can handle this. Don’t cut your time short.”
He grumbled at me, “And how the hell d’ye expect me to relax when my boys aren’t safe! Yer Ma didn’t tell me until yesterday how hurt ye were! Dammit, son, I told ye I didn’t want you giving up yer life. The twins are my responsibility. Now ye just hold down the fort until I can get there, d’ye hear me? And then you are going to take care a’ that leg.”
I tried arguing to no avail. We hung up and I dropped my head onto the table. Then I dropped it a little harder for good measure.
“Just fucking fantastic!”
Stevie came and sat next to me. “I’m sorry, Aaron. I figured they would want to be here. It’s not your fault-”
“Then who the fuck is responsible? I let my brothers down! Hell, my little brother got his fucking face smashed in because I was too busy messing around with you.” I knew my little temper tantrum had gone too far when I saw her face fall.
“I’m sorry, Stevie. I didn’t mean-”
“It’s ok. You’re right. Maybe I shouldn’t have stayed that night. Maybe it wouldn’t have mattered. The bottom line is that it did happen and you have done the best you could to take care of your brothers in your parents’ absence. I just hate to see you beating yourself up over this.”
She was trying to make me feel better, but I didn’t want to feel better. I slammed my fist down on the table, already tired of being a fucking invalid.
“I just hate this!”
The Rock Season Page 22
