"Jacob!" Suzy shouts as I leave the classroom
"what?" I respond obliviously
"don't you remember? I told you I would tell you what I've decided about telling your mom what happened after class. anyways I've decided not to tell your mom on one condition"
"what?"
"If when you come to the diner that late you wait until the end of my shift and let me give you a ride home. that way you won't have to worry about running into charlie" she says clearly impressed with her solution.
I'm not sure what to say. I'm glad to take the ride but I don't like the idea of having to stay so long at the dinner each night but its probably worth not running into charlie. I could just think of a good route to avoid charlie on my way home and then I wouldn't have to wait at the dinner but then again Suzy is one of the prettiest girls in school so that wouldn't be so bad. I don't want to say something stupid which I am bound to do eventually if she is giving me rides all the time. Suzy sees that I am thinking about her offer so to speed up my decision process she adds
"If you don't want me to give you a ride then I'll have to tell your mom what happened something has got to be done... you look terrible Jake I don't want to see what you look like if this happens again."
"fine you can give me a ride home just don't tell my mom what happened." I say giving in to her threat.
"see you at the diner then!" she smiles and then walks off to her next class.
its great that her conscience is put at ease but I still have to figure out how to hide black eyes and bruises or at the very least come up with a convincing story to explain them with out her wanting to quit her new job. I try to wrack my brain for solutions as I go to what seems like class after endless class but nothing comes to mind. lunch eventually comes and I am so tired that I go to the nurses office to lie down instead of eating. the only thing keeping me at school is not wanting my mom to get the phone call from the school that notifies parents that their children did not attend their classes. I don't know how I would convince her that I feel okay, even if I don't, if she finds out I left school early.
I lay their dozing with an ice pack on my ribs feeling the first bit of slight relief since the day began. I have time to think. I have a few moments to try to make sense of everything. did my dream of stealing that flash drive really happen? if it did does Mr. Wagner remember it like I do? I roll over and grab back pack that sitting on the floor by one of the straps and pull it up to me and look inside just to make sure its there. there it is still glowing and humming quietly. I still have no idea what it is but its probably a good guess that if I have it the lady that gave me the mission to steal the flash drive will probably come looking for it or at very least for the flash drive.
do I have the flash drive? all I have seen from my dream since I've awoken is the device. I look through the pockets of my backpack. In the front pocket next to my own flash drive is the flash drive I stole. I look at the clock on the wall. I have fifteen minutes left in my lunch period with which I could use to lay down and continue to ice myself but I get an idea and gather my things and head to the library. I place both flash drives into a computer and transfer all the files from the stolen flash drive to my flash drive and then delete the originals with the intent of giving an empty flash drive to who ever comes looking for it.
I finish up and remove the flash drives from the computer and return them to the front pocket of my back pack. the bell rings and I trudge off to class making my best effort to not let on to my teachers how much pain I'm in. the last thing I need is a note home. I manage to make my way from class to class without incident until 6th period, Mrs. Owens.
Mrs. Owens is a great teacher who actually cares about weather her students learn anything. I've always enjoyed her science class but I was not looking forward to attending her class today for one reason. if any teacher would care enough to notice how beat up I am and send a note home it would be her. before entering her class room I decide to go a few minutes late and check out the lost and found in the nurses office for some sunglasses to at least cover up my black eyes.
when I get to my science class everyone is still chatting while the teacher is writing something on the board so I am able to slip in and get to my desk with out being noticed.
"we are starting unit 3 in the textbook today on energy. we will be spending most of the rest of the year on this unit it will be broken up into three sections the first section will be the energy of motion" she says pointing at the bored where she has written the word kinetic. "the second section we will cover in this unit is on energy in waves" she says pointing to a bullet point on the board next to the words light and sound. "the final section will be on how flowing electrons behave she" says as she points to the last bullet point that says electricity.
She calls on volunteers to read the first few paragraphs in the
text book so that we can familiarize ourselves with some of the basic concepts
of the chapter. I can’t help but have my thoughts wander. I can’t shake the
feeling I had when I saw that look of betrayal on Mr. Wagner’s face when he
realized it was me that had been sent to steal from him. He seemed so
disappointed so let down. Why did someone’s disappointment affect me so much
when the someone who was disappointed was not a person who ever treated me well
and never seemed to care? It is because the Mr. Wagner I stole from is not the
same teacher who teaches me English. Were there two? Was it just a dream? I
look in my backpack again just to make sure but the device just glows and hums
softly. What is this thing anyways? It looks like a soccer ball from mars.
I decide to not wait for Mrs. Owens to notice my injuries or to
become concerned and invite me to talk to her after class inevitably ending
with her calling my mom and ruin my chances of convincing my mom to keep her
job since that’s what she wants. I finish my work quickly and then ask to go to
the bathroom. Mrs. Owens writes me a pass and doesn’t seem to notice that I
take my backpack with me. I have no intention of going back to class even
though its only ten minutes into the period so I make my way off campus. I head
towards the diner since that’s where I was planning to go after school anyways
but since I have so much time on my hands I decide to stop and take a rest
under a tree just around the corner from the school.
My body feels heavy and the soft cool grass feels good to rest on.
I remember how at the mansion I was not achy but here under the tree every inch
of my body rings out with reminders of the night before and the beating I had
endured. For a moment I remember the violent trauma I had received and allow
the events to run through my mind after a few moments I realize my hands are
shaking. I didn’t realize how it had all affected me. I became angry at myself
for being so weak and at them for being so cruel. I stand up having become too
agitated to rest no matter how much I want to. I pace back and forth for a few
minutes. I become so angry and hurt that it’s hard not to feel alone. I shake
my head and push the feelings away before tears form at the corners of my eyes.
I take in a slow deep breath and try to calm down. Feeling sorry
for myself won’t do me any good. I decide to focus on the next thing I have to
get done and push everything else out of my mind. Walking to the diner seemed
like the next thing to do so I gathered myself and my things and started
walking. I tried not to think anything; to just be calm and rest my mind. Too
much was going on but I didn’t need to focus on the mess for every moment of
the day. The sun was warm and the breeze that was blowing was cool and
comfortable. It really was a beautiful day. I noticed a few squirrels across
the street running around in circles running after each other. Their chase goes
up into a tree and one of the squirrels jump from a far branch across an open
gap and lands in another tree a few feet away. Whatever is the reason for this
struggle of theirs it must be pretty important to them. As I walk I wonder if my
struggle would seem as silly as the squirrels’ if I took a step back and looked
at it from a different point of view. No matter how I look at it, it doesn’t
become silly but I do manage to become more optimistic about the whole thing.
It could have turned out worse and if I watch my step well enough it would
never happen again.
I feel a lot better but anxiety starts to creep over me as soon as
my mom’s diner is in sight. What am I going to tell her? I run through a list
of convenient lies in my head after all that is what I was planning on doing, I
was going to lie. I didn’t like the Idea of lying to my mom and risking the
trust that has always defined our relationship but what else could I do to
protect her from my mistake. If I had been paying attention to where I was
going I wouldn’t have been jumped and my mom wouldn’t have any reason to worry.
I pick a simple story to sell. I’ll say I fell down some stairs; that should
explain all my injuries.
I open the door to the diner slowly not looking forward to the
conversation ahead. All the tables are set with silverware wrapped in napkins,
the napkin dispensers are polished and reflective with a salt and pepper shaker
set beside each. No one is here. I walk across the linoleum that spans the
distance from the door to the counter where the cash register is. My steps echo
melodramatically. My chest feels tight with tension and the question floats
through the back of my mind that asks is what I am planning to do the right
thing, doesn’t she have a right to react to situation with all of the
information. Before I manage to face the question out right someone comes out
of the kitchen to help me.
“Hi, my name is Steve and I’ll be your host this afternoon.” He
says. He shoves a menu in my hand and gestures for me to follow him to a table.
“Here looks good” he points to a table and I sit down “I’ll be back in a minute
to take your order” he says without even looking at me.
Just what I don’t want, more time to think about if I really want
to lie; lying was the easiest thing to do, the quickest fix but somehow I know
it is the wrong way to go about things even if I didn’t like the consequence. I
can’t shake the feeling that I have to come clean and tell her what really
happened. I sigh and decide to do things the hard way and give my conscience a
break. Steve comes back with a pad and pencil.
“Alright what can I get for you to drink?” he asks
“Just water, but do you know if my mom is here? She is a new
waitress with the last name laugherty.” I respond simply
“Um…” he says, thinking for a moment. “I don’t know I’ll go check”
he leaves and disappears behind to swinging doors that lead into the kitchen. I
wait for 30 minutes or so Just twiddling my thumbs and resting my eyes.
Eventually Steve emerges again through the same swinging doors he had
disappeared through a half an hour earlier.
“here you go” he puts a glass of water and a plate with a pork
chop, mash potatoes and green beans in front of me.
“I didn’t order yet” I protest
“your mom ordered for you” he informed me “she also told me to
give you this note” he pulled a folded piece of paper out of a pocket on his
apron and handed it to me before walking away to help an elderly couple that
had just walked in the door. I unfold the note and read.
Sorry Jake, I am fixing an inventory mess in the back. I know
inventory isn’t my job but I want to impress the owner by fixing the problem
before he comes in to night. So I don’t have time to say hi right now maybe
later hopefully before you leave but if not I might see you in the morning. I
ordered you something healthy. Make sure you eat all of your green beans. Love
you!
At least I don’t have to face the uncomfortable situation I was afraid
of facing today. I eat half my pork chop and green beans and make a sculpture
of a lopsided castle with my mash potatoes. As I glance around at the now half
full diner I notice that Suzy had started working some time ago without me
becoming aware of her presence. The restaurant becomes gradually busier and
Suzy doesn't come over to say hi. I secretly hope that she has forgotten that I
promised to let her give me a ride home.
Weather Suzy will remember to give me a ride or my mom decides to
come out for two seconds to say hello and sees my battle wounds seems to mater
less and less. Even my mash potato castle seems to not care enough to maintain
its shape. I reconstruct the castle continuously for five minutes before I give
up convinced that mashed potatoes were never meant to be a construction
material.
I am so tired and my eyelids are so heavy I find it impossible
hold them open. As I lay down in the booth I silently make the observation of
how interesting it is that nothing seems to matter when I am as tired as I currently
am. The last thought I have before losing consciousness is of the castle I built
in my potatoes and how I wonder what castles look like in Japan...
