by Terri Reid
Beth turned on her husband, her face red with embarrassment. “I’m well aware of the age of our child,” she said softly, “And perhaps if you were home more often you would understand that she needs the music to be calm.”
The doctor discreetly closed his eyes for a moment, wishing away the headache that always seemed to appear when the Wisnewskis came for a visit. “It shows on her chart that she hasn’t had her ears examined for several years now,” he said gently. “And if we are to continue to allow her to wear ear pods in school, I need to do a basic auditory exam to confirm they aren’t damaging her hearing.”
But the thoughts going through his mind were quite different. Rip those idiotic things out of her ears and be the parents, for once in her life.
Angie met his eyes and a quiet smile formed on her lips. Little brat, he thought. Her smile widened.
“Dr. Feinstein, my wife and I need to have a little discussion,” Paul grumbled through clenched teeth, his hand clutching his wife’s arm in a death grip. “I’m sure everyone will be more cooperative in just a few minutes.”
Dragging Beth by the arm, Paul slammed the solid wooden door behind him. But not before his words echoed back into the office, “Dammit Beth, don’t make me get angry with you…”
Sighing, Feinstein leaned back against his desk and slowly shook his head. “You know, life would be much easier for your mother if you would just cooperate with me,” he said. “Your father would not be mean to her, if you weren’t so rebellious.”
She stared at him through large, blue eyes and studied him intently. He studied her back, meeting her glance for glance. She was one of those rare human beings whose beauty made you stop and take a second look. Her hair was platinum blonde, her face porcelain white and her cheekbones were high and defined, giving her an aristocratic appearance. She was tall, taller than both of her parents and her body was fluid and graceful. Yes, she had it all, he thought, a throwback to some ancient royal relative. Too bad she’s certifiably crazy.
“Do you want to dance with me?”
He shook his head in amazement. This was the first time she had directed a question at him in all the years he’d been testing her for the school district. Perhaps he was having a break-through. “What did you ask, Angelina?” he asked.
“Angie,” she said. “My daddy said you need to call me Angie.”
“I’m sorry,” he said with a smile and an acknowledging nod of his head. “What did you want, Angie?”
She slid from her chair and stood up next to him. “Do you want to dance with me?” Her body already undulating in time to the inaudible tunes.
He knew he shouldn’t. Knew it would break every rule, every code and every oath he’d taken as a physician. And yet, there was something about her, something about the way she looked at him…
“I shouldn’t,” he said, taking a small step back.
She followed him and slid her hands onto his shoulders. “I’ll let you listen to my music,” she whispered into his ear.
Gulping audibly, he felt his body react in a way that was strictly forbidden by the school code of conduct. Her scent, like a hot summer night, was enveloping him, causing his body to burn. “Angie,” he began.
She pulled the ear pods out of her ears and placed them in his. “Dance with me, doctor,” she insisted softly, slipped her arms around his neck and moved her body against his.
For a moment he hesitated. For a moment he tried to remember who he was and why this wasn’t a good idea. But the moment passed quickly and then he was lost.
Chapter Three
“You’re hurting me, Paul,” Beth cried, trying to pull her arm away.
“You’re hurting yourself,” Paul replied. “And if you don’t stop pulling away, I’m going to slap you.”
She immediately stopped and allowed herself to be pulled into a deserted classroom at the end of the hall. Once the door had closed, Paul yanked her around and threw her against the chalkboard. “Don’t you ever embarrass me like that,” he yelled. “Don’t you ever contradict me or question me. Do you hear?”
“Yes, Paul,” she whispered, holding back her tears. “But you are gone from home so much, people are…”
“Yeah, what?” Paul demanded.
“They’re starting to talk,” she said. “They’re starting to say you’re stepping out on me.”
A spiteful chuckle slipped from his lips. “And so what if I am?” he asked. “Face it, Beth, you ain’t had nothing to lure a man for years now.”
“We’re married, Paul,” she stammered, tears filling her eyes. “We made a vow.”
“Yeah, well, that vow didn’t include crazy bitches who think their brats are angels,” he threw back at her.
“Angelina is an angel. She’s a miracle. She came to me from the sky,” she insisted.
“Yeah, you decide to experiment with drugs while you’re pregnant and I’m stuck with a looney kid for the rest of my life,” he spat.
“I didn’t do no drugs,” she whispered fervently. “You know I wouldn’t do nothing like that. You know it would be a sin.”
“Oh, so we’re all religious and holy now,” he taunted. “You weren’t so damn religious when you climbed into the back seat of my car on prom night and spread your legs, were you? Weren’t so damn religious when you walked down the aisle in white, but we both know it should have been red.”
“But you loved me,” she insisted, tears streaming down her cheeks. “You told me you loved me.”
“Yeah? Well I guess that makes us both liars,” he replied easily, enjoying the pain in her eyes.
“I guess you’ll want a divorce then?” she replied, surprised that she was actually hoping he’d say yes.
“Hell no,” he yelled. “There’s no way I’m gonna let you keep all that nice government money we get for having a crazy kid.” He moved forward and grabbed her chin, squeezing it tightly. “No, baby, you and me, we’re in this one together.”
He pushed her up against the chalkboard. “Now, nod and say ‘yes baby,’” he commanded.
She hated herself for her weakness, but she nodded slowly. “Yes baby,” she whispered.
“Good. Now you come back in that office with me and you follow my lead,” he said, releasing her chin. “You don’t say nothing unless I ask you. Got it?”
“Yeah,” she said, nodding again. “I got it.”
Chapter Four
Paul pushed the office door open, lumbered inside and glanced around the room. “Where’s the doctor?” he asked his daughter who was sitting right where she’d been when he and Beth left the room.
Angie shrugged insolently. “I guess he had to go,” she said, meeting her father’s eyes for only a moment and then moving on to stare at the school scene beyond the window. “Mama, I don’t feel so well. I think I need to go home.”
Beth squeezed into the room behind her husband. “Well, of course, dear,” she agreed. “If you’re not feeling well, there’s no reason for you to stay at school.”
“Course there’s a reason, a damn good reason,” Paul interrupted. “If she misses any more school, we don’t get all the money coming from the government.” He walked over and stood in front of his daughter. “Listen, baby, you have to stay here for the day.
“None of the kids are nice to me,” she replied. “No one talks to me.”
“Well that’s your mother’s fault,” he said indulgently. “She insists on keeping you away from the other kids. She’s the one who makes them teach you with a tutor, instead of letting you interact with the other kids.”
Angie turned her head and looked at her mother. “Why can’t I be with the other kids?” she asked.
“Because you’re too special,” her mother replied, smiling and walking towards her child. “We want you to have a teacher all your own, not have to share with the other children.”
“Don’t lie to the girl,” Paul inserted. “You didn’t trust her. You didn’t trust your own daughter. You thought she would hurt the o
ther kids.”
Beth shook her head. “No,” she stammered. “No, I never…”
“Sure you did,” Paul said, smiling with glee. “Ever since that little incident in kindergarten, you made them keep her away from the others.” He turned to his daughter. “I would have trusted you, Angie. I’ve always trusted you, baby.”
“What happened in kindergarten,” she asked her mother, cocking her head slightly to one side. “What did I do?”
“It was nothing, really,” Beth reassured her. “And I’m sure the little boy did something to you first.”
Closing her eyes, Angie leaned back in her chair. “I remember now,” she said, her voice soft and wistful. “He wanted to take my music. I told him no, but he wanted to take my music.”
“See, I knew he’d done something to you,” Beth said.
Angie shrugged casually. “So, I wanted to stop him,” she replied.
“Stop him from taking your music,” Beth added.
Angie looked up at her mother, smiled and shook her head. “No, stop him from breathing.”
“Well, that was a long time ago,” Paul said, his voice a little less confident. “And you know that stopping people from breathing is not a good thing to do. Right?”
Angie nodded dutifully. “I don’t want to stop people from breathing anymore,” she agreed. “I just want to dance with them.”
Paul looked over his shoulder at his wife with a triumphant smile. “And I think dancing is good. Not like your mother who would punish you for something you did a long time ago,” he said. “Your mother doesn’t trust you the way I trust you.”
“Paul, don’t do this,” Beth begged softly.
“Shut up, Beth,” he exclaimed. “I know what’s best for my daughter and I’ll prove it.”
He pulled open the office door and looked up the hall at the reception area. “Hey, we need someone in here who can change Angie’s class schedule,” he called to the student aide sitting near the main desk. “And we need them in here right away.”
He looked back into the room at his daughter. “See, this is the way a loving parent takes care of things.”
A half-hour later, the assistant dean of the high school entered Dr. Feinstein’s office with a printout in her hand. “I still can’t apologize enough for Dr. Feinstein just leaving you like this,” she said. “But if he approved Angelina for streamlined classes, then we can get her started right away.”
“She still needs to wear her headphones,” Beth inserted. “It keeps her calm.”
“I’m sure we can work with that,” the administrator said. “And I’ll make a note of it on her class schedule, so the teachers are aware of it too.” She turned to Angie and smiled. “It’s so exciting for all of us that you are going to be with the other students. Are you excited?”
Angie studied her for a moment, her blue eyes intent on the woman’s face. Then suddenly, she smiled. “Would you like to dance with me?” she asked.
“No!” Beth exclaimed, rushing forward, aware of the surprised looks she was getting from the assistant dean and her husband. She took a deep breath and modulated her tone. “I mean, it’s not time for dancing right now, Angie. You need to go to your new classes.”
Angie smiled at her mother. “I’m glad I get to be with the other children,” she said.
Beth nodded, a sheen of nervous perspiration on her forehead. “Well, you be a good girl, hear,” she replied, looking meaningfully in her daughter’s eyes.
“Of course, I will,” Angie replied easily. “I’m always a good girl.”
Chapter Five
“Hey, what’s the psycho doing in with the rest of us?” Bobby-Joe Meyers called out from his seat in the middle of English Composition when Angie walked in the door with the assistant dean.
“I don’t believe I asked for your opinion,” the teacher said, before walking over to the door to meet the new student.
“This is Angelina Wisnewski,” the assistant dean said. “Angelina, this is Miss Baker, your new English teacher.”
“My daddy said to call me Angie,” Angie replied.
“Of course, Angie,” Miss Baker replied. “Welcome to our class.”
“Angie is being streamlined,” the assistant dean said, stressing the last word. “So, she might need a little help getting acclimated to having other students around her.”
Miss Baker’s eyes widened slightly. “Is she dangerous?” she whispered into the assistant dean’s ear.
The administrator stepped back and shook her head. “Oh, no, of course not,” she replied. “Dr. Feinstein just tested her and gave her glowing reviews. She is a district success story.”
Miss Baker nodded and then put her hand on Angie’s shoulder to guide her into the classroom. Angie froze and stared at the woman. “Do you want to dance?” she asked, slightly confused.
“No, Angie,” the assistant dean inserted. “Miss Baker just wants you to take your place with the other students.”
Miss Baker nodded. “And if you’ll just remove your headphones,” she added.
“Oh, no,” the administrator replied. “Angie needs to keep those on for now. They help to keep her calm.”
“Well, okay then,” Miss Baker said with a quick sigh. “I see this is going to be an interesting experience. Please, Angie, take a seat there in the first row.”
Angie slowly walked from the door, across the front of the class to her assigned seat. Once she sat down, students on all sides of her scooted their own desks just a little further away.
Jared Hood, a fairly new student at the school, watched the scenario unfold with rapt interest. He leaned forward and tapped the shoulder of the girl seated in front of him.
“Hey, what’s the deal with her?” he asked.
Lindsey Markum swung her long blonde hair around, a movement that Jared had noticed she did at least twenty times per class, and turned in her seat. “That’s Angie Wisnewski,” she said, her eyes twinkling with excitement. “She almost killed another student.”
“Wow. When?” he asked.
“When we were all in kindergarten,” she replied.
“What the heck?” he replied. “I stuck a pea up Patrick Perkins nose when I was in kindergarten and no one is still blaming me for it. What’s the issue here?”
“Well, she was taken out of class and never allowed to interact with the rest of us,” Lindsey replied with an uninterested shrug. “So, I guess she must be better now.”
“Sounds like a lonely life,” Jared said softly.
“What?” Lindsey asked.
“Nothing. Nothing,” he answered, searching for something to say. “I mean, I think she’s hot.”
“Yeah, well, if you like that type,” she replied, flicking her hair once again and turning around to face the board.
Jared nodded slowly. “Yeah, I could like that type.”
The rest of the class passed without a problem. Angie sat quietly, staring at the blackboard, listening to her music and rocking back and forth in her seat. The bell rang and all the students, except Angie, jumped up and rushed for the door.
Stopping at the door, Jared noticed that she hadn’t moved and walked over to her chair.
“Hey, I’m Jared. Hi,” he said.
Angie looked up and studied him for a moment. “Hi,” she finally said.
“Um, do you know what your next class is?” he asked.
She pulled the printout from her folder and handed it to him. Scanning it quickly, he noted that she was scheduled to be in his next class, Algebra. “Hey, cool,” he said. “You’re in my next class. Want me to walk you?”
Once again, his response was met with silence and large curious eyes. “Walk me?” she asked, a slight smile on her lips. “Like I’m a dog?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “No. No, you’re right,” he replied. “I would like to accompany you to the next class.”
The smile widened. “I would like that,” she said, slipping out her seat and standing next to him.
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br /> “Great,” he nodded. “Great, let’s go.”
He walked next to her through the crowded halls, helping her to maneuver away from the known danger spots of any high school; the jocks, the mean girls and the dean. He realized that she was easy to guide, never once questioning where they were going. “Hey, you know, you shouldn’t be so trusting,” he said. “Not all the guys in school are on the up and up.”
“The up and up?” she asked, turning to him.
“Yeah, they’re not all your friends,” he said.
She thought about that for a moment and finally nodded. “Are you my friend?” she asked.
“Yeah, well, I’d like to be,” he replied with a quick smile at her.
She smiled back. “Do you want to dance with me?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I suck at dancing,” he replied. “But maybe we could go to the movies some time.”
She nodded eagerly. “That would be nice.”
Chapter Six
Beth paced back and forth across the living room waiting for Paul to return from picking Angie up at school. He had argued that she could take the bus, now that she was streamlined, but he finally relented when the school called and told them it would take a few more days to make the changes in the bus routes. But that only bought her a few more days. Could she risk Angie at school for a few more days?
The old, maroon Pontiac sedan pulled into the drive and Beth breathed a sigh of relief. Beth hurried to the door and pulled it open before Paul had a chance to walk across the driveway.
“What the hell are you doing with the door open?” he yelled. “You trying to heat the whole outdoors?”
Beth, huddled in a thin cardigan sweater, shook her head. “I’m just excited to hear about my baby’s day at school,” she said.
“Well, me and Angie had a conversation about it on the way home,” he said, barreling up the front stoop and standing in front of her. “We both think you need to back away from her and let her grow up a little. Your molly-coddling has already cost her years of normal schooltime.”
