Mina wanted to come out from behind the books and brain this girl, but stayed where she was.
“Anyway, I did get a little nervous then. It took me forever to get him out of the car and up to the house. Then he hurled again right at the front door, and he was sweating like crazy.”
“Oh my God! Were his parents home?”
“Yeah, but I think that worked better for me.”
“How’s that?”
“When they answered the door, I explained that Sam and I had a date to go to this party and he’d had a little too much to drink, so I brought him home. I said I didn’t know if maybe he’d taken some drugs, too…I didn’t actually see him, but he was acting a little more aggressive than usual. I could tell they got my meaning and were checking out my blouse and hair. His father even asked if I was okay.”
Mina could see the scene in her head. Blair was a great actress.
“For good measure, I leaned over and kissed his cheek before his dad took over. You know, that was kind of gross because of him puking, but oh well, whatever. I think it worked.”
The last bell rang.
“C’mon, let’s go. I want to see Sam this morning. You know, I called his house yesterday. One of his older brothers answered—said he couldn’t come to the phone and hung up. He was really rude.”
“Ori,” both girls said at the same time and laughed. There was a clang as something hit the metal trash can. “He’s definitely scary.” The door opened, and with that they were gone.
Mina leaned her head against the bookcase, her mind grinding all the facts she’d just heard. Blair drugged him. They didn’t have sex. But she drugged him! She could’ve seriously hurt him. The thought had Mina charging out from behind the bookcase. They’d left the soda can on the library table, as if it were a restaurant and someone would bus the table.
Mina hurried down the corridor and peeked through the door of their first class, no Sam. The halls were starting to empty out as she climbed the stairs and headed toward the office. Mina pushed through the door and stopped in front of Mrs. Wheeler, the school secretary. Betty Wheeler was in her early fifties, but looked about seventy, her hair wound in the tight curls of a home permanent.
“Wilhelmina? Shouldn’t you be in class?” The older woman sounded surprised. “Are you ill?” she queried, the strong smell of Tabu wafting over the counter.
I am now. Mina tried not to inhale the overpowering scent. Shaking her head, Mina looked past Mrs. Wheeler to the principal’s office. His door was closed. “Ah, no.” She wasn’t quite sure how to proceed. “Umm, are Mr. and Mrs. Miller in with Mr. Brown?”
“Yes, they are.”
Mina steeled herself. “I need to go in there.”
“What? You can’t go in there; it’s a private meeting.” Mrs. Wheeler put on her stern face. “You need to go to class, young lady, or you’ll likely end up with detention,” she warned.
Detention. She’d never had detention, but it didn’t matter right now. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Wheeler. You’ll have to give me detention then.” Mina skirted the desk.
Mrs. Wheeler was so shocked, it took her several seconds to react, and by that time Mina was already opening the door. All four occupants of the room looked over at her entrance, Mr. Brown rising from his chair. “Miss Mason?”
“I’m sorry.” Mrs. Wheeler came up behind Mina. “I told her she couldn’t come in, and that she needed to go to class,” the woman explained in a fluster.
“Mina?”
It was Sam.
“What’s the matter? Are you okay?” He pushed off the wall he’d been leaning against.
Leave it to Sam to worry if she was okay when he was the one in the principal’s office.
“Miss Mason. I’m afraid this disturbance is going to earn you a week of detention,” Mr. Brown admonished.
Taking a breath, Mina steadied herself. She’d never been in the principal’s office and was amazed how small the room felt, like the walls were closing in. Her hands shook. I have to do this. “Mr. Brown, Mr. and Mrs. Miller,” she said, looking over at Sam’s parents, “I wouldn’t have interrupted if it wasn’t important. This is not Sam’s fault.”
“Mina, we know you and Sam are friends, honey, but this is a problem we have to deal with. If Sam’s drinking and doing drugs, we have to get him some help,” Lilith Miller explained in a gentle tone. “His, uh, friend Blair explained how he had too much to drink this weekend, and we ended up taking him to the Emergency Room, so we know it’s true.”
“There you go; all you need to know, Miss Mason. Now back to class with you.” Mr. Brown dismissed her, sitting back down in his chair.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Brown, but there’s more you need to know.” Mina proceeded to tell them about the conversation she overheard in the library, shifting nervously from foot to foot. When she finished, Mina dropped her head without looking at anyone. It was starting to sink in, she was going to pay for this. Besides her mother being mad about how and why she got the detention Mr. Brown promised, she’d crossed Blair Whitman. The rest of her high school career would be even more unpleasant if that girl had any say in it.
“These are serious accusations, Mina,” Mr. Brown reminded her.
“I know.”
“I need to call Mr. and Mrs. Whitman to come in. Once they’re here, I’m going to have a talk with Blair. And,” he continued, “If your accusations prove groundless, I’ll be calling your parents next.”
Mina’s head snapped up. “My parents?” Oh no…is this nightmare ever going to end? “Yes, sir.”
“Mrs. Wheeler, would you be kind enough to put a call through to the Whitman residence?”
A few minutes later, the secretary had Mrs. Whitman on the line.
The principal picked up the phone. “Hi, Ginny. Andrew Brown. I’m fine, and yourself?” He listened for a moment. “Yes, it was a great game last week. Thanks again for having that raffle; it’ll certainly help defray the cost of new uniforms.” As if he could feel it, he looked up to see everyone in the room staring at him. “Ah, look Ginny, the reason I’m calling is I wondered if you and Matt could come down to the school this morning.” He listened again. “Oh no, Blair’s not hurt or anything, I’d like to talk to her with you here…oh, Matt’s out of town again? Could you come down? Yes? Good, I’ll see you in a few minutes.” He hung up the telephone.
“Don’t worry, we’ll get this straightened out,” he reassured the Millers. “I’m going to have you all sit in the outer office while I talk to Ginny—ah, Mrs. Whitman and Blair.” The principal ushered them out.
Dropping into a chair along the wall, Mina barely noticed when Sam sat down next to her. Dad and Ma here? Mina tried without success to push the thought away. Relax, that won’t happen. They know the truth. That thought gave Mina some comfort.
No one said anything for a few minutes, the only sound the audible click of the wall clock as it counted minutes.
“Thank you.” Sam reached for her hand.
It was at that moment Virginia Whitman came through the door. Already a tall woman, the four inch stilettos she wore added to the effect. Dressed in shades of beige with expertly highlighted hair, she could’ve been strolling down 5th Avenue in New York. It seemed more plausible than into a small high school in Vermont. The only thing that marred the look was the slight frown as she stared at them lined up against the wall, sizing them up. From Mr. Miller’s work boots and flannel shirt, to Mrs. Miller’s uniform, and finally Mina and Sam. Mina dropped her eyes and tried to pull her hand away. Sam held fast. Glancing sideways, Mina could see he met the woman’s gaze head on, and his parents were doing the same thing. Mrs. Whitman looked away first.
Mr. Brown came out of his office.
“Andrew.” She turned to greet him, a smile plastered on her face. “Now, what’s this all about?” she inquired in a pleasant voice.
“Why don’t you come in and have a seat? Mrs. Wheeler has gone to get Blair.” With that, he followed her into the office and
closed the door.
A couple of minutes later, Mrs. Wheeler chugged through the door. “Go right in,” she directed the girl.
Blair headed toward the principal’s door, but stopped at the sight of the Millers.
“Nice to see you again,” she addressed Sam’s parents, smiling as she stepped forward. At their curt nods, she hesitated, glancing over at Sam and Mina and their clasped hands. Blair frowned for a moment before her smile was back in place. “If you’ll excuse me.” She turned and disappeared through the door to the inner office.
A few minutes later, muffled wailing could be heard. Eventually it quieted down and then stopped. Another fifteen minutes passed before the door swung open. Mr. Brown stepped out, his face set in a frown. “Could you all come in?”
Mina followed the rest of them in, the office feeling even smaller with so many bodies crowded in. Blair and her mother had the only two available chairs, so everyone else stood. Mr. Brown returned to his chair. “I’ve had a talk with Blair about your accusations, Mina, and she denies any such thing.”
That statement brought Mina’s gaze over to Blair, who dabbed at her eyes with a tissue and kept her head down.
“She says you’re making this up to get her in trouble because you’re obsessed with Sam and upset he’s not spending as much time with you as he used to. Is that true, Mina?” the principal finished.
“What the hell are you talking—”
“That’s not true,” Mina cut Sam off. She could see the muscle in his jaw working, knowing the tell-tale sign. He was mad. She wanted to reach out and grab his hand to reassure him, but mostly to help control her own shaking. But she wouldn’t, not now. Not in front of all of these people. She settled for taking a step closer to his side. Okay, Mina, stay calm.
“She also says she and Sam were at a party this weekend, and because he was drinking and doing drugs, Sam, ah, got carried away.” The principal cleared his throat. “Quite frankly, I can’t imagine anyone making up a story about something as serious as this.”
Mina felt a light touch on her back. Sam. He was trying to reassure her.
Blair cried into her tissue, and her mother put an arm around her shoulders. “Is it really necessary to rehash this all again, Andrew?”
“I’m sorry, Ginny. I’m trying to get all the facts,” Mr. Brown apologized. “Did anything happen, Sam?”
This can’t be happening. Mina felt Sam tense, right down to the fingers resting on her lower back.
“I don’t know.”
“You’ll be lucky if we don’t press charges,” Blair’s mother hissed.
“Now wait a minute, Sam’s a good kid,” Mr. Miller said.
“He didn’t do anything. She’s lying,” Mina insisted at the same time.
Mina’s accusation brought Virginia Whitman’s gaze to bear on her. “You’re the Mason girl, aren’t you? Don’t you live in that house on Tresom Road?”
Mina couldn’t miss the insinuation about her house. She nodded.
“Well, sweetie, I’m sorry for your circumstances, but that doesn’t give you the right to torment my daughter because you’re jealous of her life.”
Now Mina knew where Blair got her ability to cut someone down; it was inherited.
“I’m not jealous—”
“Miss Mason, please return to class. I don’t believe you have anything further to add to this conversation. These two families have things to work out.”
She didn’t move.
“It’s okay, Mina. Thanks for trying,” Sam said. “You don’t need to get in any more trouble over this.”
She looked from him to his parents with imploring eyes. “I’m telling the truth. Sam didn’t do anything.”
Lilith reached out a hand to touch Mina’s arm. “Mina, I know you’ve always looked out for my boy, but this time, I don’t think you can help. So, you go on back to class now, okay?”
“And Mina, when we’re finished here, I’ll be calling your mother,” the principal reminded her.
Walking out of the office, Mina glanced at the clock. English. She was supposed to be in English. Moving as if in a trance, she pulled open the classroom door.
“Mina. You’re late. Where’ve you been?” Mrs. Barkin asked.
“The office,” Mina mumbled. She dropped into the first seat she came to and stared at the desktop without seeing it.
“Do you have your journal entries done?”
“Yes.” She reached down for her backpack. For a second, Mina was surprised it wasn’t there. Then she remembered. She’d left it in the library. Getting up, she headed toward the door.
“Mina, where are you going now?”
Mrs. Barkin again. “Uh, I’m sorry. I left my backpack in the library. May I go get it?” Her hand was already on the door knob.
“Five minutes, otherwise you’ll have to get a pass from the office.”
Mina nodded and left the room. Turning into the library, she walked between the still empty tables to retrieve her backpack. Heading back, she spied the Diet Coke can on the table. For some unexplainable reason, it made her furious. Furious because no one seemed to believe her, furious because she was helpless to help Sam, and yes, furious she had to be that girl that lived on Tresom Road. Marching over to the table, she scooped up the empty can and drove it into the wastebasket for all she was worth before slamming through the door, only to stop and back up for a another look. Mina blinked, not sure she was seeing right.
In two minutes she was back in the office, and Mrs. Wheeler was nowhere in sight. She kept going, and after a perfunctory knock, opened the door in time to hear Virginia Whitman say, “And I think there should be some consequence to the Mason girl for spreading lies about Blair.”
“What’s going on? Miss Mason, I told you to go to class,” Mr. Brown ordered, his voice strident.
Mina looked around the room. Mrs. Whitman still sat close to Blair, whose tears had miraculously dried up. Sam and his parents stood on the other side of the room, and she could tell by the way Sam stood with his arms crossed, he was furious.
She set the waste basket on the principal’s desk.
“What’s this all about?” he demanded.
“It’s the trash can from inside the library,” Mina stated, trying to keep her voice steady. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Blair shift in her seat.
“And I want this because…?” Mr. Brown trailed off.
“Look in it. Please.”
He pulled out the Coke can. “Okay?”
Mina’s legs were shaking so badly, she wasn’t sure how much longer she was going to be able to stand up. “That’s the can either Blair or Missy were drinking in the library this morning and were too lazy to throw away.”
“So? They’re not neat.”
Mina tried again. “No, they’re not. I just now threw it away when I went to the library to get my backpack. Look again.”
As he started to reach in, Blair jumped up. “She put that bottle there…she’s trying to get me in trouble,” she said in a rush, looking at her mother. “She’s trying to make you believe her story.”
Mina put her hand on Mr. Brown’s arm, lightly holding it in place inside the wastebasket. She ignored the shaking of her hand, its movement making the sleeve of the principal’s sports jacket quiver as she turned to Blair. “How’d you know it’s a bottle in the trash? He hasn’t even pulled it out.”
“Well, uh, because you said so in your story. You remember, don’t you Mr. Brown?” Blair urged, giving him a tremulous smile.
Before he could answer, Mina spoke again. “I didn’t know it was in the wastebasket until I went to toss your trash, so I never mentioned it to Mr. Brown.” Mina pulled her hand away.
The principal lifted out the bottle. “This is a prescription for Vicodin.” He tipped the bottle toward the light from the window, studying the label. “It’s expired, but Virginia, it’s got your name on it.” Sighing, he shook his head. “Mrs. Whitman, I think that you, Blair and I should have a talk
.” Turning to Sam’s parents, he said, “I apologize.” Dragging his hand through thinning hair, he dropped back into his chair. “You, of course, have the right to press charges.”
“Sam?” his father inquired. “It’s up to you.”
Sam shook his head. “I’m not pressing charges.”
Blair looked at him, a hint of a smile on her face.
“This isn’t for you. I think you’re sick, and you’d better get help.” He directed his attention to Mr. Brown. “My family’s been through enough crap over this. But I do want to make one thing clear.” Sam returned his gaze to the Whitman women. “If she ever comes near me or my family again, and that includes Mina, she might be handed justice, rez style.” With that, he walked out the door, pulling Mina along with him.
There was a hard edge to his voice Mina’d never heard before, and for once, he looked just as fearsome as his oldest brother.
“I need some air,” Mina said, still shaking from head to toe.
They were no more than through the big double doors before he picked Mina up and swung her around, her feet leaving the ground.
“Put me down.” Mina tried to push away from where she was smashed up against his chest. “Before you hurt yourself.”
Sam snorted but set her back on her feet, keeping an arm around her shoulders.
“Anybody could be looking out the window right now.” Mina yanked her sweater back down.
“Like I care.”
Sam kissed her, and Mina felt that now familiar tug all the way to her toes. Already shaking from nerves, this added sensation had her clinging to him to stay upright.
Sam pulled back, but held her close, his eyes never leaving her face. “I don’t care. You’re mitawin, my woman, and I want everyone to know it.”
It took Mina several seconds to register the double doors had opened and closed again. It was probably Mrs. Wheeler with a warning about PDA’s, Public Displays of Affection. Great, like it’s not embarrassing enough to see other kids doing it, now we’re getting caught at it. Mortified at the thought, she pushed out of his arms and turned to see his parents standing there. Rolling her eyes, Mina could feel her face flaming. If Sam’s grin was any indication, he wasn’t embarrassed in the least. She glanced at his parents a second time, they were smiling too.
My Mother Grows Wallflowers Page 13
