Whatever It Takes
Chapter 25
On his way out of the office, Peter called Elizabeth, telling her what Headmaster Phillips had told him and making plans to meet her at the school. He reassured her that Neal was okay, not that that really made her feel any better. She would have to see him with her own eyes to be sure.
While he was on his way to the school, Peter's imagination ran wild with all the possibilities of the trouble Neal could have gotten into. Truth be told, he was actually surprised that the kid had stayed at the school the whole day. Peter knew that Neal's first inclination was always to run when he was nervous or scared, and he was sure that the kid had been fairly nervous when he had gone into the school.
After finding a parking spot within reasonable distance, Peter walked into the school. The first thing he noticed upon entering the main office was Neal and two other boys, sitting on a bench directly outside the Headmaster's office. All three boys looked up at the sound of his footsteps and Neal stood up to face Peter as soon as he realized it was him.
"Peter! I can explain!" Neal sputtered. Peter knew he was nervous, but other than the tremor in his voice, he radiated calm and innocence.
"I hope so, Neal, but let's wait until Elizabeth gets here and we can meet with the headmaster. There's no sense in going through it all again in a few minutes."
Neal's eyes widened and Peter could suddenly see some evidence of his nervousness. "Elizabeth's coming?"
"She should be here any minute. She's just as curious as I am about what kind of trouble you've gotten yourself into already." Looking at Neal closely, Peter could tell that the kid had been in a fight. "I don't think she's going to be too happy that you got blood on your uniform, either. Are you okay?"
Neal looked guiltily down at his pants that had evidence of his bloody nose. Before he could say anything, the door to the headmaster's office opened, allowing Nate and his parents to exit. Neal watched Nate closely and didn't miss the wink that he sent him. Unfortunately for Neal, Peter didn't miss it, either.
After Nate and his parents left, the headmaster stopped to talk to the other two boys, informing them that he would be meeting with their parents the next day. The two boys got up and quickly left the office, leaving Neal to stand there awkwardly while Peter and Headmaster Phillips shook hands and made small talk. Minutes later, Neal heard the unmistakable sound of Elizabeth's high heels clicking down the hallway, his heart sinking at the thought of seeing her look at him with disappointment.
Once she entered the office, she immediately walked to Neal, checking him out from head to toe.
"Are you okay? Why is there blood on your clothes? What happened?"
Before Neal could answer, Peter spoke. "He's okay, El. Why don't we go into Headmaster Phillips' office and we can figure out what all of this is about?"
Minutes later they were all seated in the office. Headmaster Phillips filled Peter and Elizabeth in on what had transpired that day. He, of course, only knew the edited version of events and Neal had to work hard to not give anything else away. By the time Neal had given his version of events, he could barely look up at Peter and Elizabeth, feeling their disappointment soaking into him.
"So, just to make sure we understand what happened… First, someone dared you to break into the headmaster's office and steal something out of it, which you did. Then, this Nathan kid found out and was going to turn you in, but you picked a fight with him to stop him. Is that right, Neal? Is that what happened?" Peter asked.
"Well, I didn't really break in. The office wasn't locked. And I didn't steal the trophy and plaque, I just borrowed them. I was going to bring them back."
"Damn it, Neal, call it what it is. You might not have picked the lock, but you entered into this office without consent. And you didn't borrow the items, you stole them." Peter's face was turning that scary shade of red that Neal was growing far too familiar with.
"Neal, sweetie, why would you do something like that?" Elizabeth looked at him, concern etched on her face. "There has to be a reason."
"I don't know, Beth. This kid dared me and all the other kids were watching me. I couldn't say no. I'm sorry." Neal flashed Elizabeth his saddest look, his blue eyes pleading with her to understand his predicament. He felt awful for lying to her and to Peter, but he really didn't have a choice.
Elizabeth looked like she believed him, but Peter didn't seem to be buying it. Before anything else could be said, though, Neal spoke again. "I'm really sorry, Headmaster Phillips. I really was going to return your things. I thought I could sneak them back in here and you wouldn't even have known that they were gone."
"Apology accepted, Mr. Caffrey. I understand that it can be hard fitting into a new school, but maybe in the future you can make better decisions. As for the fighting, we generally have a no tolerance policy, resulting in a two week suspension, but since today was your first day and this was your first, and hopefully last, offense, I think a one week suspension will be acceptable."
The headmaster looked at Peter and Elizabeth. "I'll have his teachers prepare his assignments for the rest of the week, if one of you can pick them up tomorrow. Neal can return to school on Monday, where he will serve afternoon detention for a week, as well."
After finalizing a few details, Peter and Elizabeth led Neal out of the office and out to the parking lot. Neal wasn't sure who to go with, until Peter spoke up.
"I need to go back to the office and finish a few things, so you'll go home with Elizabeth. When you get home, go straight to your room and stay there, Neal. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir," Neal answered.
Neal had been up in his room for several hours by the time Peter came home. Elizabeth made sure to bring him up a much appreciated snack, but then she left him alone, to think about everything. Neal was eventually so bored that he wanted more than anything for Peter to come home, just so he could have someone to talk to. At least, he felt that way until the moment he heard the front door open. Then suddenly he wanted nothing more than to be left alone.
Peter didn't come upstairs right away, causing Neal to grow more and more fidgety. He was never really good at waiting. Eventually, he heard the sound of Peter's steady footsteps on the stairs and he straightened himself up on the bed. After a slight knock, the door opened to reveal a very unhappy Peter Burke, who, without a single word, pulled the desk chair out from under the desk and placed it directly in front of Neal. Neal waited for what seemed like forever for Peter to start talking, staring down at his knees the whole time.
"I want to get something straight with you, Neal. I have no problem with you defending yourself when you need to, but I do have a problem with you starting a fight yourself. You're smarter than that, kid. In fact, I'm really having a hard time believing that you would start a fight just because you were trying to avoid getting into trouble. That just doesn't seem to be your modus operandi."
Neal didn't know what to say to this, so he just kept looking at his knees.
"And this whole dare thing seems half-baked at best. I want to know what led up to this kid daring you to do something so monumentally stupid. I'm pretty sure he didn't just come up to you and say 'Hey, new kid….I dare you to steal something,' did he?"
Finally, Neal gathered his courage and looked up at Peter. "I already told you what happened, Peter. He dared me in front of everyone and I had to take him up on it. My reputation was at stake."
Neal could hardly stand the disappointment he saw in Peter's eyes.
"Neal, this whole adoption thing has made both Elizabeth and me very happy. I'm looking forward to building a relationship with you, bud, and I want that relationship to be built on love, honor and respect. Part of respecting someone means you don't lie to them. I know there's more to this story than what you told us, and I would really appreciate it if you would tell me the truth. Rule number two, remember?"
Neal's brain was scrambling to figure a way out of this without incriminating himself, but he suddenly realized he didn't want to lie to Peter anymore. His previous life had been built on lies, whether they were outright lies or lies of omission, and he was suddenly really tired of lying. It took way to much energy to maintain and perpetuate lies, especially around someone as observant and intuitive as Peter.
"Peter, I really didn't set out to cause all of this trouble today. I was just trying to fit in, but a few of the guys had other plans. I was just trying to get through the day without alienating myself from the entire school. You're the one that said I needed a better sense of self-preservation, remember?"
"You have a strange sense of what counts as self-preservation, kid." Peter laughed. "Nice try, though. Now, I want to hear the truth from the beginning."
Neal hesitated for a few seconds, before telling Peter the truth about what had happened that day.
By the time Neal was done, Peter's head was hurting; probably from all the times he had figuratively banged it against a wall in frustration. He knew that Neal had a near genius IQ, but sometimes the boy lacked simple common sense. Well, that wasn't exactly true, either. The kid had common sense; he just didn't always use it.
He would never admit it out loud, but Peter did feel a bit proud that Neal was able to neutralize the most arrogant boy on campus and held his own against the three boys. He also couldn't help feeling a little proud that the boy had gotten the girl in the end. Neal hadn't readily told him about Sophie, but Peter had noticed him blushing when he got to a certain part of the story, and after much cajoling Neal had told Peter at least a few of the details. Peter felt a little sorry for this Sophie girl, knowing that she wouldn't be able to resist Neal's charm very easily.
After getting the whole story out in the open, Peter was once again faced with coming up with a suitable punishment. He had a feeling he was going to get really good at that by the time Neal was eighteen.
"Okay, I'm sure it's obvious and I don't need to say it, but I'm going to anyway. Absolutely no more stealing and absolutely no more of these conman schemes. No more betting, either. Are we clear on that?"
"Does that mean I can't ever play poker again?" Neal asked with a smile.
"I'm serious, Neal. I'll be very upset if I ever find out you've been scheming and betting again. And you won't want to be anywhere near me if I ever find out you've stolen something, either." Looking seriously at Neal, Peter hoped the boy was really listening to him. "I guess you've already figured out that you're grounded again. Two weeks. That means extra chores and early bedtime, too. Since you're out of school the rest of the week, you can do a few of the bigger house chores that need to be done. The backyard fence really needs a new coat of paint, as does Elizabeth's gardening shed. There's paint in the basement. You're also on cooking duty the rest of this week."
Neal groaned at the growing list of chores, but all in all he thought Peter was being fair. The cooking thing really wasn't a punishment and Neal definitely didn't mind painting. He thought he probably should seem more upset than he was feeling, but really didn't think through the next words that came out of his mouth.
"Gee, Peter, I'm beginning to think the only reason you want to adopt me is for the free labor."
Peter's face darkened at these words and Neal wished that he could take them back. "That's not funny at all, Neal."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it, Peter. It was a joke….really."
"No more jokes like that, okay, kid? This adoption thing isn't a laughing matter. Now, why don't you go down and help El finish dinner, while I take a quick shower."
Neal climbed off the bed and headed to the door. Right as he passed Peter, the man grabbed his arm and before Neal knew what was happening, he was being pulled into a hug. "Thank you, Neal, for telling me the truth."
Neal immediately tensed up, but then felt himself melt into the hug, his initial embarrassment dissolving away. There was something about being hugged by this man that made everything seem like it would be okay.
Once dinner was over, Neal helped Elizabeth clean up the kitchen, while Peter took Satchmo for a walk. He spent a few minutes apologizing to her for everything and then a few more minutes telling her about Sophie. Elizabeth thought it was adorable that he blushed whenever he said Sophie's name.
After giving Neal a mini-lecture herself, Elizabeth gave him a kiss on the cheek, making him promise that he wouldn't be starting any more fights and that he would at least try to behave. She also added on a few more chores to his growing list. It looked like he would have plenty to keep him busy during his suspension and grounding.
Once the kitchen clean-up was done, Elizabeth went to do some laundry and Neal walked into the living room, grabbing the television remote before sitting in his favorite spot. He had just turned on his favorite show, when the front door opened to Peter and Satchmo. Satchmo immediately loped over to Neal and plopped down at his feet, resting his head in Neal's lap. Peter walked straight into the living room and plucked the remote out of Neal's hand, turning the TV off in the process.
"Hey, I was watching that," Neal protested.
"Hey, you're grounded, remember? Naughty kids who get themselves grounded don't get to watch TV." Peter couldn't help but laugh at the look on Neal's face when he called him naughty.
Standing up, Neal grumbled something that Peter couldn't understand before heading upstairs to his room. It was going to be a long two weeks for everyone in the Burke house.
The next day, Neal was home alone, while Peter and Elizabeth were at work. He had a rather long list of chores, but he decided to tackle painting the fence and shed first. Heading down to the basement, Neal was surprised to find all different shades of paint. It was obvious by looking at the inside of the house that Elizabeth liked colors. Each room was painted a different color and all the extra paint was stored in the basement, giving Neal a brilliant idea.
It took Neal several trips to get all of the paint up to the backyard. He also found a bucket full of paint brushes of all different sizes and brought those up, too. Looking at the shed and the fence, Neal started planning what he was going to do.
Sometime that afternoon, Neal stopped to take a break and to examine his work. Instead of just adding another coat of paint to the fence and shed, he had done something completely different. On the sides of the shed, he had painted two separate murals. On one side, he had painted a beautiful meadow scene, with flowers blooming and trees lining the edge, sunlight filtering through their branches. On the other side, he had painted the same meadow, but it was bathed in moonlight, instead. The fence had received a fresh coat of paint, but he had also created an amazing ocean panorama, with gentle waves lapping at the beach, and seagulls and kites flying overhead. In one small corner, he had drawn Peter and Elizabeth walking on the beach, with Neal and Satchmo following behind.
Seeing it all completed, Neal suddenly became nervous. Maybe he should have asked before doing something different. What if Peter and Elizabeth really just wanted the fence and shed painted normally? What if they hated it? For a split second, Neal felt like painting over everything he had just done, but he stopped himself. He knew that neither one of them would actually tell him that they hated it, but he was pretty good at reading body language. He would be able to tell whether or not they actually liked it. If they didn't, he would just repaint it the next day.
By the time Peter and Elizabeth made it home, Neal had dinner ready and on the table. He had made chicken parmigiana, knowing that it was one of Elizabeth's favorite. They made small talk during dinner and Neal was okay until Peter asked him if he had gotten any of the chores done.
Neal's hesitation in answering the question had Peter thinking that the boy hadn't done anything all day, but Neal quickly assured him that he had.
"I painted the fence and the garden shed today."
"Great. That's one thing you can mark off your list. What else did you get done?"
Neal took a long drink of his tea before answering. "That's it. Just the painting. It took me longer than I thought it would."
Peter sighed in irritation. "Neal, that should have taken you three hours, at the most. What did you do the rest of the day?"
"I painted, Peter. Just like I said. Can I just show you both, before you get any angrier?"
With that, Neal walked out the back door, waiting anxiously for the two of them to join him. Once they were standing next to him, he spoke again. "If you don't like it, I can paint over it. It's no big deal."
Neither Peter nor Elizabeth spoke for the longest time, making Neal more uncomfortable with each passing second. Looking at Elizabeth, he was surprised to find tears streaming down her face.
"I'm sorry, Beth. I promise, I'll have it repainted by the time you get home tomorrow."
Elizabeth looked at him as if he were speaking another language. "What are you talking about, Neal? Why would you repaint it?"
"I should have asked if it was okay to do that," Neal said, pointing angrily at the shed and fence.
This time it was Peter who spoke up. "Do you think we're mad at you for painting that?" he asked, incredulously.
"Neal," Elizabeth said, as more tears streamed down her face. "I think that's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I absolutely love it. I can't believe you did all of this in one day."
Neal wasn't sure, but he thought that Elizabeth was being honest with him. Turning to Peter, he asked, "Rule number two….no lying, right? You guys really like it?"
Peter pulled Neal into another hug. "We love it, Neal. I knew you were talented, but I really didn't expect this." Turning to Elizabeth, who still had tears streaming down her face, he said, "We better not let the neighbors see this, or they'll all be commissioning Neal to paint their fences."
That night, Neal slept better than he had for a very long time. There was something about painting that always soothed his soul, and knowing that Peter and Elizabeth liked his art meant so much to him. Elizabeth had taken several pictures of the murals on her phone and spent the rest of the evening posting pictures to every social media account she had. Peter had taken pictures on his phone, too, claiming that he wanted to show everyone in the office.
Neal felt like a little kid whose mom had tacked his artwork up on the refrigerator, a feeling he was sure he had never felt. He went to sleep that night, dreaming of a life spent with Peter and Elizabeth and he woke up the next morning with a renewed sense of hope that his life was changing for the better.
Author's note: It's getting harder and harder to come up with creative punishments for Neal. I'm pretty sure I can't keep up with him, lol. What did you think about the way Peter handled this latest mess? Did you think Neal coming clean so easily was a little far-fetched, or was it believable for you?
I loved the ending of this chapter, with Peter and Elizabeth being so supportive of Neal's art. In canon, Neal is always reluctant to show his own art, finding it easier to just copy other people's work. I'm sure this is because he fears rejection and that has always made me sad. Maybe with a little help from Peter and Elizabeth, he'll realize his true gift.
I want to give a shout out to two readers: Gloworm4 for flooding my inbox with reviews of almost every chapter and to caseylf123 for reading my mind. I had already planned out the mural/painting stuff and she suggested the same thing. Great minds think alike, right?
I wish I could give a shout out to all of you, because I think you're all pretty special. Thanks for reading and for reviewing, if you choose to.