by Beth Bowland
“Dude, you all right?” someone asked.
“Yeah, I’m okay, you butt wipe. Leave me alone.”
They all left. I stood there staring at him, not sure what to think. His eyes were all glassy.
“Craig?” I inched closer to him and touched him on the shoulder. He looked awful and smelled bad. He stood up, leaned against a garbage can, and then slumped back down on the floor.
“Craig, what’s wrong with you?”
He slowly made eye contact with me. “Who are you?” he asked. A sudden chill came over me.
“Craig, I’m going to get the nurse. You need help!”
He never responded, only stared. I took off running down the hall and flagged Mr. Floyd, who was headed towards the main office.
“Mr. Floyd,” I yelled. He ran towards me, and when he got close, I grabbed his arm and took him over to where Craig was. By the time we made it there, he was gone.
“What’d you say he was doing again?” Mr. Floyd asked.
I scanned the hallways looking for Craig. “I dunno, he was just acting weird. Like he’d been drinking.”
“So, you’re saying he was drunk?” Mr. Floyd crossed his arms and peered down his nose at me. “Are you sure?”
I shrugged. “Well, no. I’m not positive. I just know he was acting weird.”
“Okay, Beatrice. Go on to your class,” Mr. Floyd said. “I will look into this.”
Shannan was right. Craig was not Tess. He needed professional help.
After school everyone was talking about Craig and asking lots of questions. I headed outside to wait for Shannan; she walked out with Spencer and Joel.
Shannan reached into her book bag and pulled out her bottled water. “I heard some kids in the hallway who said they heard he’d been huffing.” She took a drink from the bottle.
“Huffing?” I asked.
“Yeah, it’s pretty lame to think someone would do that,” Spencer said.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Lame, yeah, and it could kill you!” I responded. “I remember when that group came in last year and lectured us about the dangers of it. I can’t believe he’d be so stupid.”
I stood up and looked at Shannan. “Let’s go home.”
“See ya, Bea,” Spencer said. I hugged him, and then picked up my book bag. No kisses this time.
“I’ll call you tonight,” I said to him.
We started our walk home and continued to discuss Craig. Shannan said she was going to tell her mother. I was torn as to what to do. Tell someone or keep my mouth shut. My head was beginning to hurt. When I arrived at my house, I found my mother in the living room watching TV.
I sat beside her and told what I’d heard about Craig.
Chapter 20
THIS WEEK HAD BEEN WEIRD. Initially it had shown potential to become a great week. But like a first-time runner attempting to run a marathon, it quickly lost its umph. I was glad it’d come to an end. The latest word on Craig was that he denied doing anything illegal. There was no proof. He’d missed the last few days at school, but no one knew the reason why.
“Do you want to stop by Craig’s house on the way home and talk to Miss McGinnis?”
I was snapped out of my thoughts by Shannan’s question. It was as if she was reading my mind.
“Do you think we should?” We stopped walking a few yards from his house.
“I dunno. But one thing I do know, the not knowing is driving me nuts.”
Walking up the steps to the door, my feet felt as if they wanted to turn around and run the other way. I also expected Sunshine to rear his ugly head at any time. Shannan reached out and rang the doorbell. No one came to the door, but Sunshine was yapping his head off inside.
“Let’s go. Maybe he went to Virginia,” I whispered.
Shannan nodded, and we turned and started back down the steps, but before we reached the bottom, the door opened.
Miss McGinnis stepped out on the porch. “Hello, girls.”
We turned around.
“How’s Craig?” I asked.
“Well, he’s home because he caught some type of stomach virus, but he’s feeling a little better and should return to school soon.” As Miss McGinnis spoke, she glanced back inside every so often. Then she stepped down a step towards us and lowered her voice. “Craig is in counseling. I told him if he didn’t straighten out, I couldn’t allow him to stay with me. He admitted inhaling, or huffing I think it’s called, but he says he only did it once.”
I didn’t comment because I knew something had been going on with him for a while now. He was so lying, but it was my word against his.
“Okay, well, I hope the counseling helps him,” Shannan said.
“Did you question Francis?” I asked.
“Yes, I did, but she denied any involvement and swears you’re just trying to get him into trouble because you like him and he doesn’t like you.” Miss McGinnis pursed her lips tightly together and frowned. “The Carmichaels threatened to file harassment charges if I kept coming after their niece. I don’t know why they’re trying to protect that gal. As sure as the day is long, she’s nothing but trouble.”
“Wow,” I said.
Miss McGinnis turned and headed back into the house. “Thanks for stopping by, girls. I’d better check on him.”
As we started back down the path, Shannan looped her arm in mine and quickened the pace.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Don’t look now, but Craig’s staring at us from his window.”
Yeah, right. There was no way I could’ve stopped myself from turning around and looking for myself. Quickly glancing up towards the house, I saw Craig just briefly before he shut the curtains.
“He’s such a liar. There is no way he’s only done that huffing stuff once. He’s been weird for some time now,” I said.
“Yeah, I agree. I did some research on it this afternoon. Some of the dead giveaways are that chemical smell you’ve noticed about him and also a runny nose and glassy eyes.”
“Oh gosh,” was all I could say.
“I wonder what Francis is doing right about now,” Shannan said.
“She’s probably laying low because people are watching her.”
“You’re probably right.” We came to our separation point. “I’ll call you later,” Shannan said.
Chapter 21
THE MUSIC IN THE WESTLAKE LODGE was pumping. Teenagers ran amok, in all shapes, sizes, and ethnicities. There had to be at least two hundred people in attendance. I think the entire eighth-grade class from every middle school in the district was there. Jocks galore. It was bananas. Everyone was dancing. The music was kickin’. This so surpassed Aaron’s party in terms of coolness.
Joel was the center of attention, and he loved every minute of it. He was dressed in baggy jeans, a crisp, white T-shirt with an oversized, plaid, short-sleeved oxford shirt, buttoned up halfway. Oh, and of course, clean white sneakers and a baseball hat rounded out the ensemble. It was amazing how guys could make jeans and a T-shirt look high fashion. Spencer was dressed pretty much the same, minus the baseball hat. His red overshirt made his green eyes sizzle.
The mood was total excitement, partly because it was now spring break. Glancing over at the door, I saw Coach Finley walk in. In fact, there were quite a few adults present.
Spencer came over to me and took my hand. “Let’s go!” he said, as he led me out on the dance floor.
The floor was packed with people dancing. Lights flashed, whistles blew, wannabes tried to rap along with the song. Everyone seemed to be having a great time. When the song finished, I was ready to take a break. It’d gotten hot out there. Spencer grabbed my hand and motioned to Joel that we were going over by the door. The cool air blowing in the doorway felt good. Spencer started playing with my hair, pretending to mess it up, but then some friends of his got his attention and waved him over.
“I’ll be back,” he said.
I quickly checked to make sure no parents were
around, at least any who knew my parents, and then I pulled closer to him and touched my lips to his.
He kissed me again before leaving. That big, goofy smile was plastered across my face. I could feel it. I started to head over to some girls I knew, when Mitzie appeared in the doorway and approached me. She’d been watching.
“What’s that about?” she asked.
I decided to play dumb. “What was what all about?”
Mitzie’s face was so tense I could’ve lit a match against it.
“Oh…” I began, “you mean the kiss?”
Her eyes narrowed.
“I think it’s normal for a girl to kiss her boyfriend from time to time.”
Mitzie looked like she’d just sucked on a lemon. “Boyfriend?” Her voice was barely audible.
Shannan came dancing over to me. “Girl, I’m having sooo much fun!” She stopped and looked at Mitzie. “What’s wrong with you?”
Mitzie didn’t respond right away. Only smirked. “Nothing,” she replied.
“Are you sure, Mitz? You look a little upset,” I said to her.
“This is not over, Peppercorn,” she threatened before leaving.
I wish I had a bucket of water to throw on her. I was sure she’d melt. Aaron was at the party, but I didn’t know it until I saw Mitzie walk over to him and start whispering. Let the drama begin.
“What was that all about?” Shannan asked.
I felt myself smiling again. “Mitzie saw Spencer and me kiss.” I couldn’t help but laugh, and somehow this felt like a true victory.
“Dang, I’m always missing stuff.”
“Where’ve you been?”
Shannan started smiling a smile that I immediately recognized. “Well…” she started.
“Well, what, missy?”
“Joel officially asked me to be his girlfriend,” she said softly. I yelped and we both started doing the five-year-old-girl-who-just-got-a-new-doll dance. We quickly stopped when people started looking. “And…” she said with a smile, “…he kissed me.”
“It’s about time!”
Shannan leaned against the wall, then sighed out loud.
“Uh, oh. What else happened?”
“My mother saw us kiss. Talk about embarrassing. She had the funniest look on her face, like she didn’t know whether to get mad or laugh.”
“Do you think she was upset?” I asked, thinking about what my mother would say if she saw me kiss Spencer. They were so old-fashioned.
“Nah, it was just a kiss. But I’m sure we’ll have a nice little mother-daughter discussion about it.”
Monica Griggs came up to us. “You guys gotta come see this,” she said and led us to the dance floor.
A lot of people were laughing hysterically. We saw Joel, so we inched our way through the crowd towards him.
“Geez…” I looked up at Joel, and he hung his head.
It must have been a full moon. What else would possess the adults to get out on the dance floor? My parents, Shannan’s, Joel’s. Spencer’s mother was dancing with Coach Finley. I must admit, at first I was totally humiliated, but after a while, I realized my parents were pretty good dancers, as were everyone else’s. However, Coach Finley looked as if he needed to be medicated, heavily.
Mrs. Browning reached out, grabbed Joel, and made him dance with her. That started all the other parents grabbing their kids. Soon the dance floor was once again filled to capacity.
Later on, several of us headed outside and mingled at the side of the building. Spring had arrived. Although we still had our cold days, tonight was unseasonably warm. As I stood talking to Shannan and a few other girls, I noticed a little blue car approaching. It looked familiar. No way, she wouldn’t show up here. The euphoric feeling I’d had since the start of the party was threatening to go and hide.
“Shannan.” I motioned towards the car.
“Who’s that?”
“I think it’s Francis.”
“She wouldn’t dare show up here. Would she?”
We both watched the car. It crept to a halt. It was too dark to see who was inside, but I could tell there was someone in the passenger seat. They turned off the headlights, but no one got out. A police cruiser drove by them.
Moments later, the driver’s side door opened. Francis got out and looked around. Following her was a girl I didn’t know. They stood there talking, occasionally looking at us. Shannan and I were the only two who noticed them. The other girls continued laughing and talking, oblivious to what was about to happen.
Francis and the mystery girl walked towards us, stopping just a few feet away. I didn’t feel frightened. Maybe it was because there were several of us out there with a lot of adults inside. Surely, she wouldn’t try something dumb.
“Didn’t I tell you to mind your own business? You stupid, stupid girl. You just had to go and get Craig in trouble,” Francis said, her teeth clenched tightly together, her lips barely moving. Alcohol smelled strongly on her breath.
Shannan moved in closer to me. The other girls stopped talking and listened.
“Francis, I didn’t do anything but try to help Craig. What he’s doing could kill him,” I replied.
The mystery girl moved directly behind Francis. Shannan was still right beside me.
“Why are you guys here, anyway? This is a middle-school function. You’re freakin’ out of high school!” Shannan looked at both of them. “Losers!”
This couldn’t possibly have a good ending, I thought to myself.
The mystery girl, who looked older than Francis, got in Shannan’s face. “Don’t you worry about why we’re here…”
Mitzie came running up and stood beside me.
Everyone spoke at the same time.
“Francis, go home or I’m going to call the police,” Mitzie said.
“Shut up, Mitzie!” the mystery girl said.
Francis laughed. “Yeah, shut up or I’ll shut you up.”
“Don’t you threaten her,” Shannan yelled.
Francis looked at me. “This is between me and Beatrice.”
“Don’t you touch her,” Mitzie yelled at Francis, and then she moved in closer to me.
It was chaotic. Everyone was yelling at each other, and I wasn’t sure what was going on.
Francis lunged and grabbed me by the head. I closed my eyes. Like a crazy woman, I punched at her trying to get away. I felt someone jumping over me. It was Mitzie. She was on Francis’s back, clawing at her face.
The mystery girl punched Mitzie and tried to pull her off Francis. While Shannan pulled and punched the mystery girl, I heard lots of screams.
Arms. Lots of arms were pulling and yanking. Then there were loud adult voices. Sirens. Heavy footsteps running towards us. I tried to regain my footing, but somehow I was turned upside down. It was then that I realized Mr. Kirkpatrick had picked me up.
Coach Finley was trying to separate Shannan and the mystery girl.
“Ackkkk,” Mrs. Kirkpatrick yelled at the girl. “Get away from my baby!” She charged at her, but was blocked by the cops.
Mr. Carmichael was holding Mitzie, telling her to calm down. Mitzie had her eyes closed and kept swinging her arm around, throwing punches at the air. Her hair was sticking up all over the place. Several cops made the other kids stand against the building. I heard them cheering.
Francis wiggled away from the cop and took off running towards her car, but she wasn’t fast enough. A woman cop charged at her and tackled her. My friends/the other kids cheered even louder.
Chapter 22
“THUG LIFE!” ONE OF THE KIDS YELLED AT US.
Shannan, Mitzie, and I were placed in the back seat of the squad car.
“Can you believe this?” Shannan asked.
Mitzie slumped back against the seat. “Well, at least we’re not handcuffed.”
I looked at her, not knowing if that was a joke.
Shannan giggled.
Our parents were outside the patrol car, talking to the cops. What a fia
sco. When the cop tackled Francis, she patted her down before letting her up. I saw them pull a small, brown package out of her jacket pocket, similar to the one I’d seen her hand to Craig.
Mitzie now giggled along with Shannan. I hadn’t yet seen the humor in all of this.
“Stay strong. Keep hope alive,” Joel yelled.
Spencer was waving to me outside the window. “I’ll write you every day,” he yelled. Okay, I must admit, that was funny.
“Guys, we’re in trouble,” Shannan said.
“Big trouble!” Mitzie added.
“Hey, thanks for jumping in there with me,” I said. Then I turned to Mitzie. “I know this wasn’t your fight, but I appreciate the help.”
Mitzie started laughing. “I hate that girl. She had it coming. I’m glad that my parents will finally see her for what she is. I’ve been getting blamed for everything.” Looking over at the Carmichaels, neither one looked very happy.
“Who was that girl with Francis?” Shannan asked.
“One of her old thug friends from the juvie center,” Mitzie said.
“Did she come down just to beat me up?” I asked.
Mitzie started playing with her hair, making a sad attempt to straighten it out. Actually, we all looked a mess.
“I think this was the weekend they were going to run away. Francis had been stealing my mom’s jewelry and other small things around the house and then pawning them. Craig was helping her. They had this big plan to run away and live on their own. I thought they were joking, but they were really serious,” Mitzie said.
One of the cops walked over and opened the door. “You girls are free to leave with your parents.”
“Oh geez. I think I’d rather stay in here. Look at my mother’s face,” Shannan said.
Mitzie attempted to straighten her hair once again, then took a deep breath. “Ladies, we must be strong and face this together.” We both looked at her and started laughing, but stifled it as we got out of the car.
When I think of spring break, fun thoughts ought to fill my mind. Hanging out with my friends, total relaxation, short trips with the family. My break was none of the above. Drama, drama, and more drama. I didn’t get into too much trouble for fighting. But they seemed extremely disappointed that their princess would actually get into a fistfight. Auntie, on the other hand, had never been prouder. In fact, she’d already told all of her friends.
