Continuing on from the last chapter... Oh, and excuse the language.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything related to "Toy Story," I only own Justine and her classmates.
August 21, 2040
The cowbell eventually rang and we took our seats. I noticed that Miles, the boy I usually sit next to, had scooted away from me as if I had the plague.
"Miles, it's okay," I tried to console him. "I'm not going to hurt you."
"Why would I sit next to a slut?" Miles asked with anger in his voice.
I gasped, as did the rest of the classroom.
"How. Dare. You. You know very well that it's not true."
"Then what were you doing in the saloon?" Alice asked me.
"That is none of your beeswax," I answered coldly, and I turned back to Miles. "Miles, all I did in the saloon was sing to the customers. That is all."
"So it's true!" Melanie, Hamm's adopted daughter, spoke out. "You really did become a prostitute!"
"That is not true and you know it!" I yelled, standing up and trying to get to the front of the classroom.
"Justine—" I heard Emily try to speak but I was interrupted by another boy blocking my way.
"Prostitutes don't belong here," Albert, Barbie and Ken's adopted son, boldly told me.
"How many times do I have to say it?" I asked furiously. "I am not a prostitute. Just because I sing to people in the saloon does not mean I have become one of them."
Suddenly, Albert shoved me back. Then, I did the unexpected: I punched him in the nose. Suddenly the classroom chanted, "Fight! Fight! Fight!" Albert and I continued bickering and exchanging punches. Thankfully, I blocked every punch.
"Everybody sit down, right now!" Miss Anderson yelled from the doors.
We did not hesitate to sit back down in our seats. Miles still scooted away from me, and I put a frown on my face.
"Would someone like to tell me what happened here?" Miss Anderson asked, clearly upset.
"Justine punched Albert in the nose," Edmund answered calmly. "It was something about Justine becoming a prostitute and she keeps denying it."
"Oh, Albert, let me see that," Miss Anderson said with compassion in her voice, examining Albert's nose. "It looks a little swollen. Why don't you go see Dr. Pride? I'm confident she'll take care of that nose."
"Yes, ma'am."
Albert left, and I turned to see Miss Anderson towering over me with a grim look on her face.
"Justine Pride, is that true? You punched Albert?"
I panicked, trying to come up with a lie, but eventually, I decided it was best to let the truth out.
"Yes, it's true. But I was defending myself—"
"I'm sorry, Justine, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave the classroom until further notice."
"What?!" Emily and I exclaimed at the same time.
"It wasn't Justine's fault!" Emily cried out. "Someone was—"
"Would you like to join her, Emily?" Miss Anderson asked.
Emily hesitated, but then she did the unexpected.
"Yes. Because I stand for the truth."
I gasped. Emily just stood up for me, and words could not describe how thankful I was that someone was willing to listen to me.
"Very well then. Justine and Emily, I want you both to leave classroom until further notice. I will have a discussion with your parents, Justine, and your grandparents, Emily."
Emily and I started to leave the classroom, but we heard Miss Anderson say something very important before we walked out the doors.
"Remember class, bullying is never allowed in the classroom. Punching another student is never okay. Name-calling is never okay. For whatever reason Justine had for hurting Albert, I am sure the truth will come to light. Now, let's start our morning with our first spelling session."
Emily and I went down the stairs, we mounted Bullseye, and we headed into town. Right now, I did not care about the punishment my daddy gave me. Once we got to the mercantile, we got off of Bullseye, and we exchanged hugs.
"Emily, you truly are my best friend," I told her with a smile and tears in my eyes. "Thank you for believing me."
"What are best friends for?" Emily asked. "I know you did not become a prostitute. I was not expecting you to throw a punch, though! Where did calm, sassy Justine go?"
"Calm, sassy Justine is stuck at dinner yesterday," I answered, the smile going away.
"Let's get in the mercantile," Emily suggested, and we walked in.
"I'm not open yet!" I heard Auntie Jessie yell.
"It's us, Auntie Jessie!" I yelled back.
"I'll be right down, Justine!"
"Actually, could Emily and I come to you? We need to talk privately."
"Come on up! I'm just finished gettin' dressed!"
Emily and I walked up the stairs to Auntie Jessie's room, and I found her fastening her belt buckle.
"Well, howdy, gals!" Auntie Jessie said cheerfully, but her smile faded when she saw our looks. "Y'all look serious. Wait a cow-pickin' minute: aren't ya supposed to be at school?"
"That's why we're here," I answered.
"Please, sit down."
"So that's why I'm here, Auntie Jessie," I finished telling her the story about the events at school and the rumors. "I stood up for myself, and I doubt Daddy will listen to me anymore."
"Now I highly doubt that," Auntie Jessie replied, crossing her arms. "Y'are his daughter, Justine. A parent should know to always listen to their own child."
"He didn't yesterday, and I doubt he will today," I replied, rolling my eyes.
"So, is there a reason why Emily is here?"
"I know Justine did not start those rumors," Emily explained. "And I know Justine did not become a prostitute. Justine has her whole life ahead of her! A life where she will be helping animals for eternity. Why would Justine give that up for quick cash?"
Emily paused.
"Speaking of which, what happened yesterday with your dad?"
"The rumors of the mines closing and my being a prostitute spread all over town," I explained. "It reached Daddy's ears after he got back from the mine. I told him that I only told you, Estelle, and Bridgette about it, so now Daddy believes that I started the rumors. And he wasn't too thrilled when word reached his ear about my being a prostitute. He assumed I sang at the saloon again after I got told not to. I was so angry that I tore up a letter I was writing to him."
I paused, folding my arms across my chest.
"Auntie Jessie, Daddy hurt me, too. He chose to believe the rumors instead of me. And he's still insisting that he has the solution to everything. Now I can't spend time in town anymore."
"Wait a minute," Emily chimed in. "Bridgette wasn't with us when you suggested the mine be closed. It was just the three of us. Bridgette had asked to join us after your suggestion."
"Hey, you're right," I replied, realizing that Bridgette may have been the one to start the mine rumor. "But just to be sure, you didn't say anything to anyone outside of the three of us, did you?"
"Of course not! I know better."
"Gosh, you sound like my dad," I replied, hanging my head down.
"Yer daddy actually said that you should know better?" Auntie Jessie asked. "We need to go to him right now."
"No way, Auntie Jessie," I replied angrily. "Daddy is the last person I want to see right now. If anyone is going to handle this, it's going to be me. It started with me and Bridgette, and I'm going to finish it."
"Could we at least tell your mom?" Emily asked. "Your mom has always listened."
I let out a huff.
"Fine. But only because she'll listen and Bridgette is sitting in school."
"It's a good thing I'm not open yet," Auntie Jessie said as we walked out of the mercantile.
We went down the stairs and down the street until we reached my mother's office at the end on the right. We walked in the door and took a seat.
"Hello, ladies," Mother greeted us. "You three saved me a trip. I was about to head to school to speak with you, Justine."
My mother paused, realizing what she said.
"What are you doing here, Justine? And you, Emily? Shouldn't you be at school, also?"
"We both got suspended," I answered. "I take it Albert told you what happened?"
"That was why I was wanting to talk to you," Mother answered, shaking her head. "Justine, why did you do that? You know that throwing a punch is a big no-no."
"I was trying to stand up for myself and deny the rumor that I was a prostitute. But Albert pushed me, and then I punched him."
"Albert pushed you?" Mother asked with shock. "So let me get this straight from what both you and Albert were telling me—"
"Bo, may I tell you what happened?" Emily asked. "I saw the whole thing and was not involved. I got suspended because I stood up for Justine."
"That actually may be smarter," Mother answered. "Alright Emily, tell me everything."
Emily explained it all, from my suggesting the mines be closed until our suspension from school. I chimed in regarding my conversation with my father last night and how he chose to believe the townsfolk over me.
"So Bridgette started the rumor about the mine and your daddy thought you started it, right Justine?" Mother asked.
"Yes, that's correct. I am not sure who started the rumor about my being a prostitute, though. It may or not have been Bridgette."
"Emily, this is what I want you to do: go to Sheriff Woody's office and tell him what you just told me. I'm sure he will believe you. Hopefully this will end the rift between him and Justine. Justine, you are going to wait here and we'll confront Bridgette together."
WOODY'S POV
So far, it was a peaceful day in Elkhorn. I waved to everyone in town before they all went to the café or the saloon. At some point, I stepped back in my office and relaxed. Fortunately, I had no one in the jail cells, so I enjoyed my coffee with peace and quiet. It came as a surprise to me when I heard knocking on the door.
"It's open!" I yelled.
It was an even bigger surprise when Emily Proud walked in the door.
"Emily? What are you doing here?" I asked. "Aren't you supposed to be… Justine! Please tell me she's okay?"
"Justine's doing the best she can, but she's hurt, Woody."
"Where is she?" I asked, panicking.
"Woody, please calm down, she's not in pain." Emily paused. "I mean, not physically. She threw a punch at another student, but that's it."
"She actually hurt someone?" I asked angrily. "Emily, what happened?"
"Where do you want me to start: yesterday afternoon or today at school?"
"Emily, what happened?" I asked again, gritting my teeth.
"Alright, alright. After school yesterday, Justine and I went to my grandma's café to enjoy tea and biscuits. When we heard about what happened to Pete, Justine suggested that the mines should be closed so that no one gets hurt or lost again. It was only me and Grandma at the table. Bridgette joined us right after that. I think what happened there was… after Justine, Bridgette and I had left the café, Bridgette started spreading the rumor about the mines being closed because someone was always getting hurt. It spread all over town."
Emily paused, and I loosened up. I started to feel guilty.
"Justine told me about what happened between you two at dinner and in her bedroom last night," Emily continued. "She told me you are the last person she wanted to see because you didn't believe her; you believed the rumor instead. Woody, she was writing a letter of appreciation to you before last night and now she doesn't want to see you. She felt hurt because she doesn't believe you listened."
"Emily, tell me this: was Justine in the saloon yesterday?" I asked, my grim look coming back.
"Yes, she was. My grandpa had asked her to sing again. And that's what she did. That is all she did. She did not fraternize with the men, she did not take any cash, and she did not dress immodestly. My grandpa had asked Justine to sing for his customers all this time to cheer them up, to give them a good time. Not once did Justine take a drink, and not once did Justine take a single dollar bill. She sang and then she left. My grandpa may be a saloon owner, Woody, but he is not an idiot. Heck, he fully respects Justine more than you! He thinks you intervene too much. Someone spread a false rumor about Justine becoming a prostitute and it's hurting her. It's hurt her to the point where she had to unintentionally hurt someone else to prove a point."
I was speechless, and my emotions were mixed with feelings of guilt, sadness, and anger.
"Woody, Justine is your daughter. She loves you. She needs you to listen to her, not to tell her what to do. We both got suspended from school. Justine was suspended for throwing a punch after she was bullied and pushed around. I got suspended because I stand for Justine and the truth. I'm going to go back to the doctor's office to be with Justine. Just please, think about this."
Emily left the office, and I sat back down on the chair, still unsure of what to think. Then my mind drifted back to the 1990s when I was the favorite toy in Andy's room. Suddenly, I was prompted to leave my office to try and find Justine. My first stop was the café.
"Good morning, Estelle."
"Sheriff Pride! Good morning!" Estelle greeted me happily.
"Is Justine here?" I asked.
"Justine? No, she's not here," Estelle answered, scratching her head. "Isn't she supposed to be at school?"
"That's a long story. Would you have any idea where she could be?"
"If she's not at school, maybe check Bo's office?"
"I'll try—"
I paused and smacked my head, remembering Emily was going to return there.
"Why didn't I think of that before. Thank you, Estelle!"
I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and then left for the doctor's office. When I got there, I saw Bo, Emily, and Justine sitting on the chairs. I approached my daughter to give her a hug.
"Oh! Justine, I was so worried—"
"Daddy, please don't touch me," Justine interrupted me, hanging her head down and holding her hand in the air. "I don't even want to see you."
"You don't have to look at me, but please listen to what I have to say," I pleaded.
"We'll leave you two alone," Bo suggested. "Come on, Emily, let's have some tea at your grandma's café."
I watched Bo and Emily leave the office, and Justine and I were alone.
"Daddy, if this is about you telling me how to live my life, you can leave right now," Justine told me angrily. "I do not want to hear it."
"It's the opposite, actually," I replied, sitting down next to her. "Emily told me everything. And it got me thinking about my past. Buzz and I were not always the best of friends. Did you know that when Buzz first showed up in Andy's room, he thought the room was a planet?"
"Sorry, what?" Justine asked, shooting her head up to gaze at me.
"Yes, it's true. Anyway, he did not realize he was really a toy. He was programmed to think that he really was the Buzz Lightyear of Star Command and kept wanting to go back to Star Command. It annoyed the heck out of me. It annoyed me even more when Buzz became the new favorite toy and I spent the night in the chest. I truly thought Buzz was taking my place and I got jealous. So I tried to find a way to hide him so Andy would notice me. That backfired big time. I accidentally knocked Buzz out the window instead. Well, a series of events happened: Buzz followed us, and he tried to find a way back to Star Command while I tried to return to Andy's."
"Daddy, what is the point of this?" Justine asked.
"Oh, sorry. I had learned that our friends had started a rumor about me that I wanted Buzz out of the way and truly tried to get rid of him. I lost everyone's trust, even your mother's. But the truth came out, Buzz and I returned to be with Andy and our friends, and we started a long and beautiful friendship."
I let out a sigh.
"Justine, my friends did not know the truth, and because of that, they started assuming that I was a bad person, and yes, it did sting, but the best way to move forward from this is to let the truth out and forgive."
"Daddy, I tried telling the truth, both to you and my classmates," Justine said. "You never gave me a chance. And neither did my classmates. Emily, Auntie Jessie, and Mother were the only people who listened. I was hurt, Daddy."
"I realize that, Justine, and I am sorry for hurting you. I should have listened, and I let my anger get the best of me. You're right. I always come up with the solutions to everything, but our friends are just as smart as I am. When I was kidnapped the days I met Auntie Jessie, my friends traveled the dangerous streets just to find me. My friends realized that Andy did want us after they felt abandoned before and even successfully escaped Sunnyside. And you're right. I need to let our friends handle problems themselves before getting myself involved. I just… want everyone safe. It is my job, after all."
I placed my hands on Justine's shoulders and gave her a smile.
"I'm proud of you, Justine, and I hope you're proud of yourself, too. You're becoming bold lately, standing up for yourself. While I discourage you using violence, I understand you were just trying to defend yourself."
"Does this mean I'm allowed to head back into town on Saturdays?" Justine asked with a gleam in her eyes. "Please, Daddy. It's my favorite day of the week for that reason. I get to talk to people and listen to them. I enjoy working with them."
"Maybe it would be best if you put an end to these rumors first by confronting Bridgette after school," I suggested. "I'll stand behind you all the way."
JUSTINE'S POV
I waited outside of the jail with my daddy until school got out. When the time came, we made our way to the school. School had just gotten dismissed by the time we got there, and I immediately saw Bridgette, smiling as she made her way down the stairs. Her smile faded away when she saw me, and she walked up to me.
"Hi Justine, what are you doing here?" Bridgette asked. "I thought you were suspended?"
"Bridgette, we need to talk," I told her.
We walked away from the rest of the children, who seemed to avoid us anyway. I put my hands on my hips and faced the newcomer.
"Bridgette, did you spread the rumor about the mine closing?" I asked.
"Well, isn't it closing?" Bridgette asked me. "I remember you talking about it."
"Bridgette, you weren't sitting with me, Emily, and Estelle when I suggested the mine be closed. You were inside the café the entire time listening in, were you not?"
"Well, I initially went in the café to get something to eat when I heard you say the mine should be closed."
"And you thought it was a good idea to spread it around the town and give everyone something to panic about?" I asked.
"Well, I thought the town should know about it. Besides, isn't it what happens in towns like this?"
"No! Bridgette, that kind of things only happen in movies, which are made of drama. We are a peaceful town where everybody gets along with everyone. What you did, Bridgette, was gossip, and you sure said the wrong thing to everyone. Prospector Pete, who works in those mines, was panicked when word reached his ear. Did you know that my daddy blamed me for starting the rumor?"
"Well, I may have mentioned something about you to them," Bridgette replied sheepishly.
"You don't do that, Bridgette!" I yelled. "You absolutely do not get other people involved in your gossip. Speaking of which, did you also tell everyone that I had become a prostitute?"
"You're not a prostitute?" Bridgette asked.
"No! What in God's earth made you think I was a prostitute? And now all the other kids think I'm a prostitute and they are avoiding me."
"Well, I saw you singing in the saloon, so I thought that maybe… you had a secret life as a prostitute."
"And you thought to tell everyone I know that I had become a prostitute?" I asked, screaming at this point. "I got grounded because of you! I got suspended because of you! I thought I had lost my daddy's trust because of that rumor. You ruined my reputation in this town, and I am not one bit thrilled about it."
"Well, don't blame me for your mistakes," Bridgette replied nonchalantly.
"Bridgette, you stuck your nose into my business and you told the entire town something that wasn't true. You need to ask me what I was doing before assuming I am something I'm not and telling the entire town. As for the mine rumor, you should have asked my dad instead of telling the entire town that the mine was closing."
I let out a loud sigh and realized all of the children had stayed and were watching us.
"You tell me not to blame you for your mistakes, but do you wanna know what my mistake was yesterday? Trusting you. I had just met you and I immediately started to trust you. I won't make that same mistake again."
I stormed off. I heard my daddy calling me, but I ignored him. I got on my horse and took a ride west to Oklahoma City, which is the farthest I had ever gone by myself. I mostly took the back roads so very little people would see me, but once I approached the city, I found myself going to the Oklahoma City Memorial. This time, I went to the west side of the memorial and tied the reins to the fence. I walked through the 9:01 gate and immediately took in the smell of the pine trees. I had already started to feel better. I took a slow walk around the grounds, taking in every scent and every memory that was laid out here. I eventually made my way to the Survivor Tree, and I placed my arms on the wall, looking out to see the two gates of time, the reflecting pool, and the field of empty chairs ahead of me. What remained of the Alfred P. Murrah building was also ahead of me, its damaged wall still standing tall.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
I jumped at the voice and saw my mother behind me, sporting her blue jumpsuit and purple cloak.
"Mother? What are you doing here?" I asked with surprise. "How did you find me?"
"I gave you some time to get ahead and then I followed you here. Your daddy was worried about you."
My mother joined me at the wall and she started to look out.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she asked.
"Yes, it is," I answered. "And it's very peaceful. The breeze is perfect."
"So, why the memorial?" Mother asked. "Something must have truly stuck to you for you to come back after what just happened."
"I learned that when those 168 victims died, that was it. They did not live to see another day. Those who survived the bombing may have had problems, most likely just needing to get out of the building alive, but they lived through the day and had another chance to live and be better the next day. Every day, I go to bed, knowing that hope and endurance will always win, no matter what problems I have."
I paused.
"I guess I just needed a reminder and rode all the way out here."
I paused again, glancing at my mother.
"How did you get here, anyway?"
"Your daddy let me borrow Genevieve. Goodness, I had not ridden a horse since before becoming pregnant with you. I'm surprised I still got it."
We laughed and then we gazed back out at the field.
"Mother, Estelle was telling me a little bit about how the town celebrated my birth. Could you talk to me a little about that?"
Mother laughed.
"I won't go into the grimy details, because giving birth to you hurt, and it hurt a lot. But I remember it like it was yesterday. Your daddy and I were having a Valentine's Day lunch at Estelle's café when I started to feel sort of a crunch in my belly. It wasn't bad at first, so we finished eating and we thought it was best if we spent the rest of the day at home. My water broke in the wagon just after we got out of town. Your daddy was against the idea of going in the house because he was afraid of getting blood all over the floor."
"Daddy sure hasn't changed after all these years," I replied with laughter.
"No, he sure hasn't, and it worked better this way anyway. He had helped me birth baby animals before in the barn. A horse had a foal, a cow had a calf, a pig had a piglet, and so on. Well, I calmly requested your daddy to grab a bucket and fill it with warm water. Your daddy also came back with blankets – one for the two of us, and the small blanket I had knitted for you. It was a cold night, but thankfully I had all of those contractions to distract me."
Mother paused and laughed.
"The time came to for me to push, and you were out within minutes that evening. You were the best Valentine's Day gift either Daddy or I could ever think of. There was a dance going on that night also that Jessie had to host due to… well. Daddy and I did not hesitate to go into town and announce your birth. The dance was interrupted for a good five minutes so we could introduce you to the town, and then everyone took a look at you while the dancing kept on going."
Mother paused again and turned toward me with a smile on her face.
"You truly are your daddy's girl, and I'm happy that you're my girl, too."
We hugged, taking one last look at the memorial grounds before we headed home on our horses.