Author's Notes: I've been out of high school since 1990, so I can't remember if 6th period was last the class period of the school day, but for this story it is. LOL Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read and/or review this story. I'm always grateful. I definitely want to thank you all for your patience. I've got so many ideas buzzing around in my head it's hard to concentrate on one thing. Here's the disclaimer: LO:CI and its characters belong to Dick Wolf and company; I'm just borrowing them for a while. Any and all mistakes made are my own. Read, review and enjoy. :o)
Wednesday, September 7, 1977
Hudson-Brooklyn High School
Lunchroom, Lunch Time
"You okay?" Bobby asked CeCe as they went through the lunch line. "Yeah, I am," she said quietly. She looked up at him, giving him a small smile. "Thanks for sticking around." Bobby smiled and shrugged. "It was nothing," he said. "That's what friends do." She smiled again, not too sure what to say. "He called me his friend." They walked out through the lunch line door and headed towards the table where Lewis, Mattie and Tricia were sitting.
"Welcome to the table of misfits, CeCe," Tricia said when Bobby and CeCe sat down. "We hope you enjoy your stay." CeCe laughed. "Uh, thank you. I think," she said. Lewis grunted. "Speak for yourself, Tricia. I fit in anywhere," he said. Tricia stuck out her tongue at him. Bobby rolled his eyes and said, "Don't pay any attention to them, CeCe. They'll go on like this for a while." CeCe laughed again.
"Do you like it here, CeCe?" Mattie asked. CeCe shrugged. "It's nice so far." "Have you given any thought to joining any clubs or doing any extracurricular activities, like working for the school newspaper?" "I don't know if I'm going to have any time to do anything," CeCe said. "I'm going to be working at Mr. Liu's bookstore after school." "You'll like working for Mr. Liu," Tricia said. "He's really cool. He lets some of us hang out there in the back area where the 2 pinball machines are." CeCe nodded and asked, "Do you hang out there a lot?" Mattie and Tricia both nodded. "Almost every other weekend," Mattie said.
"They only hang out there because Chase and Brad hang out there," Bobby said with a laugh. Tricia reached across the table and smacked the back of his hand. "Shut up, Robert Goren," she said. Bobby kept on laughing. Mattie and Tricia both rolled their eyes at him, then turned their attention back to CeCe. While the girls were talking to each other, Lewis poked Bobby in the side with his elbow. He pointed and said, "Look, there she is." Bobby turned his head and saw DeLane Palmer walking across the cafeteria towards them. She was tall and tanned, with long black hair and dark eyes. Lewis sighed dreamily. "Isn't she the most beautiful and perfect girl in the whole entire school?" he asked. Bobby nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she sure is."
"Hey, Lewis! Hey, everybody!" DeLane said with a big smile and a perky attitude. Everyone said hi to her. Lewis stood up and smiled at her. "How you doing, DeLane?" he asked. "I'm great, Lewis. How are you?" "I'm good. You want to sit and have lunch with us?" She shook her head. "Sorry, I can't. I've got office duty in Mr. Clayton's office." A look of disappointment went across Lewis' face. "That's too bad," he said. DeLane nodded. "Yeah, I know. Listen, I wanted to let you know that I'm going to Mr. Liu's bookstore this weekend to buy my copy of Romeo and Juliet. Do you want me to get your copy, too?"
Lewis had to think quickly if he wanted to spend time with DeLane. "Well, um, I'm working at my dad's shop for a couple of hours on Saturday. How about I swing by your house after I finish there and we go to Mr. Liu's together?" DeLane thought for a few seconds then smiled. "Sure. That sounds like fun," she said. "I gotta go. I'll talk to you later, Lewis. Bye, everybody." She waved and walked away. Lewis smiled to himself as he sat down. "I am the greatest," he said. "That was impressive," Bobby said. "Yes, very impressive," said Mattie.
"Who was she?" CeCe asked. "Lewis' latest infatuation, DeLane Palmer," Tricia replied. "Oh." "My dad needs a clean up crew to work at the shop this weekend," Lewis said, changing the subject. Tricia and Mattie looked at each other, then at Lewis. "He wants you to come over the house tonight for dinner so he can tell you how much he's paying." "Okay," Mattie said. "CeCe, you want to come over for dinner tonight?" Lewis asked. CeCe shrugged. "I guess I could. I'll have to ask my mama when I get to work," she said. "Make sure you tell her that my folks will take you home."
CeCe nodded as she smiled. She was happy, but feeling a little nervous, too, at being accepted by Bobby and his friends so quickly. "Maybe I should keep to myself for a little while until I get to know them better," she thought to herself. Bobby sensed her nervousness, so he leaned over to her and said, "We don't bite. Often." CeCe looked at him and laughed. "That's nice to know. Thank you," she said. Bobby smiled to himself as he started eating his food again, proud that CeCe was beginning to feel comfortable around him.
Wednesday, September 7, 1977
Saint Joseph Hospital
Hospital Grounds, Early Afternoon
Frances Goren was quiet as Rosalie pushed her around the hospital in a wheelchair. She just looked around at the scenery. Rosalie found a cool and shady spot underneath a large tree that was surrounded by lilacs of different colors. She parked the wheelchair there, making sure to lock the chair's wheels. "I thought you might like this spot, Mrs. Goren. I like to come here and think." Rosalie sat down on a stone bench next to Frances.
Frances still didn't say anything. She just stared at the lilacs. "Nothing matters any more," she finally said. "I'll be locked away and no one will care." "I don't believe that, Mrs. Goren," Rosalie said. "I'm sure your family would care. At least, Mrs. Reed seems to care a great deal about you." Frances let a out a wry chuckle. "Doreen would be the only one to care. She can handle the truth about me."
"What about the young man that was with her? Your son?" Rosalie asked. "Wouldn't he care if you were locked away?" "Bobby could care less," Frances said. "He'd probably be glad to have me outta his hair. That way I wouldn't be such a burden on him or his education or his social life." Rosalie shook her head. "I didn't sense that from him. He seemed to be genuinely concerned about you. In his own teenage way, of course." Frances scoffed. "Bobby does things because he thinks he HAS to do them, not because he actually gives a damn."
Rosalie was surprised by Frances' attitude toward Bobby. She wondered if she really felt that way or was the medicine making her talk like that. "Do you have any children, Nurse Harper?" Frances asked. "Yes, I do. A boy and a girl. They're teenagers," Rosalie answered. "You're lucky. I had 2 boys. Frank's my oldest son." A wide smile spread across Frances' face. "He got a scholarship to Hudson University. He was valedictorian of his class. He's going to be a famous scientist someday."
"Well, I don't know if Derek's going to be famous or not," Rosalie said with a chuckle. "He's going to the University of North Carolina on a basketball scholarship when he graduates this school year." Frances wrinkled her nose. "Bobby plays basketball. He's okay at it, I suppose. I keep telling him he should be more like his brother and do something that would benefit society. Help make a difference in the world. But oh, no. He's stubborn and hard headed. Always does the exact opposite just to be difficult."
Rosalie shrugged slightly. "Maybe we're all meant to help make a difference in the world by finding our own unique path," she said. Frances scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Maybe so," she said, "but Bobby still should follow in his brother's footsteps. Frank's a good role model." Rosalie just smiled. She briefly glanced at her watch, then stood up. "We'd better get back before Mrs. Reed wonders where we ran off to." Frances fell silent again as Rosalie unlocked the wheels and began pushing her back to her room. She looked around and sighed. "I'll never see the outside world again."
Wednesday, September 7, 1977
Hudson-Brooklyn High School
Miss Wells' 5th Period English Class
"Come on, Tony. Do this one favor for me," Jessica pleaded. She and her Romeo partner, Tony Caldwell, were standing outside of Miss Wells' classroom. She was trying to convince him to switch partners. "Why do I have to be partnered with the new kid?" he asked. "There's no telling what's wrong with her. Have you seen the bandages and bruises she's got on her arms today?" Jessica rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. "Of course, I've seen the bruises. I think everybody has." She waved a dismissive hand. "That's not the point. The point is I want Bobby Goren to be my partner. This is my opportunity to convince him that I'd make a good girlfriend for him."
"Oh my God! Not this again!" Tony exclaimed. "Jess, when are you going to give up this madness? Bobby has made it pretty clear that he doesn't want you as his girlfriend. He only took you out twice!" Jessica folded her arms across her chest as she huffed. "I know I'm the one for Bobby. He knows I'm the one for him. He just doesn't want to see it. I can make him see it if you'd cooperate with me." Tony threw up his hands in defeat. "Fine. Whatever. What's your brilliant plan, Fearless Leader?" he said.
"My plan is simple," Jessica said. "All we have to do is go in and tell Miss Wells that Bobby and CeCe want to switch partners with us. That they were too embarrassed to tell her themselves. When Miss Wells says yes, we'll tell them that she said they have to switch partners because Miss Wells wants CeCe to have a different partner." Tony gave her a leery look. "It WILL work if you take this seriously," she said. "Miss Wells is a easy pushover. She'll believe anything if you look serious." "You have got to be kidding me," Tony said. "Miss Wells is not gonna fall for that." Jessica put her hand on her hip and said, "She WILL if you'd follow my lead."
Tony stood there, shaking his head with his eyes closed. "What do I get in return for going along with this crazy plan?" he asked when he opened his eyes. Jessica bounced on her toes as she put her arm through the crook of his arm. "You do this for me, and I'll talk DeLane Palmer into going out on a date with you," she said. Tony's eyes lit up at that idea as he let Jessica drag him towards the classroom.
"Uh, excuse me, Miss Wells?" Jessica said. Miss Wells looked up from her writing to see Tony and Jessica standing in front of her desk. "Hi, Tony. Hi, Jessica," she said. "What can I do for you?" Tony and Jessica looked at each other before Jessica said, "We have something to tell you, Miss Wells." "Oh, okay. I'm listening." "Tony and me are gonna switch partners with Bobby and CeCe." Miss Wells blinked a few times. "Really? Have all four of you discussed this?" Jessica and Tony both nodded their heads. "They were too embarrassed to tell you. So, I said I'd tell you," Jessica said.
Miss Wells looked back and forth between her 2 students, a blank expression on her face. She sighed, then nodded her head. "Okay. I'll let you switch partners. I'll make the change in my notebook," she said. A faint "I-got-my- way" smile crossed Jessica's face. "Gotcha!" Miss Wells thought to herself. Jessica and Tony both thanked Miss Wells. She smiled and said, "You're welcome. Now, go take your seats."
Miss Wells narrowed her eyes as she watched Jessica sit down. "Such a smart girl with the wrong kind of ambition," she thought. She turned her head to watch the rest of her students walk into class. Bobby and CeCe were the last ones to come in. They were talking to each other, with CeCe doing more listening than talking. Miss Wells watched Jessica throw the meanest look in CeCe's direction. "Just what I thought. Jessica's up to her "make Bobby my boyfriend" campaign again." She shook her head to clear her thoughts as she stood up, trying to figure out what kind of punishment to come with for Tony and Jessica for lying to her.
"Tony Caldwell, Bobby Goren, CeCe Harper and Jessica Newman, please remain seated because I need to talk to all of you," Miss Wells said as the bell rang. The other students looked at them, wondering what was going on as they filed out of the door. Tony threw his hands up and gave Jessica a "what's-going-on" look while Miss Wells went to put her "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door. CeCe lightly tapped Bobby on the shoulder. "Do you know what's going on?" she asked, a slight tremor in her voice. "No, I don't," Bobby said curtly without turning around to look at her. He watched Tony and Jessica's little non-verbal exchange with anger. "But I think I can figure it out."
CeCe clasped her hands in her lap. She was confused by Bobby's sudden attitude change. "What did I do to make him mad? I want to go back to North Carolina," she thought. Miss Wells sat down on the edge of her desk. She leaned to the side a little, pointing at the desk in front of her. "CeCe, please come sit right here so I can see you," she said. CeCe quietly gathered her things. Miss Wells noticed the bandages and bruising on CeCe's arms as she walked towards her. "Oh, God! Not another abused child! When will parents stop hurting their children?" She looked at the band-aid on Bobby's face. "Dammit! I bet his father did that!"
Miss Wells smiled at CeCe when she sat down. Tony and Jessica exchanged nervous looks. Bobby grunted. "I knew it!" he muttered under his breath. Jessica looked at him, a victorious smile on her face. He rolled his eyes at her, then looked straight ahead at Miss Wells. She said, "Bobby, CeCe, I need to know something. Did either one of you talk to Tony and Jessica about wanting to switch partners for the Romeo and Juliet assignment?" They both shook their heads. "No, ma'am. I didn't," CeCe said. "Me neither," Bobby said. "I see," Miss Wells said as she looked at Tony and Jessica. They slumped down in their seats.
"Do you want to switch partners?" Miss Wells asked. Jessica sat up in her chair. Bobby looked at her as she gave him a big smile and batted her eyelashes. "No, I don't want to switch partners," he said as he gave her a hard look. Jessica slumped into her chair again. "CeCe, do you want a new partner?" Miss Wells asked. CeCe shook her head, saying, "I'd like to keep Bobby as my partner."
Miss Wells stood and stretched a little. "Good. I'm glad we settled this like reasonable adults," she said. She looked at Jessica, then looked at Tony. "Jessica and Tony, starting today for the next 3 weeks, your punishment will be to meet me here after school is over so that we can go and spend 2 hours in the library. You both will be doing some extensive research on William Shakespeare. You will present your papers in front of the class when we get ready to start our contest." Their mouths hung open as they slumped further in their seats. Miss Wells held a slip of paper in each hand. "Here are your tardy slips for your next class."
Jessica and Tony scowled as they got up, taking the slips out of Miss Wells' hand and walked out of the room. She picked up 2 more tardy slips and held them out to CeCe and Bobby. "You can go to class now." Bobby got up, brushed passed CeCe without saying a word and took his tardy slip. She looked down at the floor, trying to figure out why he was so mad. "I don't think Bobby's mad at you, CeCe," Miss Wells said when she handed her the tardy slip. CeCe shrugged. "It's okay. It doesn't matter anyway."
As CeCe headed towards the door, Miss Wells put her hand on her shoulder. She turned to look at her teacher. "If you need to talk to someone about how you got hurt or anything else, my door is always open," Miss Wells said with a smile. CeCe looked down at the floor. "Thank you, but there's nothing to tell," she said softly as she turned back towards the door and walked out. Miss Wells walked back to her desk, sighing heavily. "I hate this job sometimes," she said to herself.
At the end of 6th period, the last class of the day, Bobby stomped to his locker. He was still fuming at this latest plan of Jessica's to make him her boyfriend. "I swear if it wasn't wrong to hit a girl, I'd hit her in the jaw!" Most people scurried out of his way as they caught sight of the look on his face. When Bobby got to his locker, Tony was standing there waiting for him. "What do you want?" he growled as he opened his locker. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry. It was Jess' idea to switch partners, not mine."
Tony jumped out of the way as Bobby threw open his locker. He looked at him and said, "To be such a smart guy, you sure are an idiot, Tony!" Bobby poked him in the shoulder. "As soon as Jessica told you this plan, you should have said no," he said angrily. Tony rubbed his shoulder. "I said I was sorry. What more do you want from me?" Bobby blew out a breath. "Get away from me, Tony!" he snapped, slamming his locker shut and walking off.
"Bobby! Wait!" Jessica said. She was practically running down the hall trying to catch him. Bobby stopped, turned around and stood in the middle of the hall. "Thanks for waiting for me," she said as she caught her breath. He looked down at her, a frown on his face. "Why are you so mad? It was just a little joke that backfired," she said. Jessica tried to touch Bobby's arm, but he slapped her hand down. She rubbed her hand. "That hurt, Bobby!"
Bobby frowned even harder. "Jess, you are so lucky that it's wrong for boys to hit girls because I swear I'd punch you in your eye," he said quietly. He leaned down, his face about 3 inches from hers and said, "I want you to stay away from me. I don't even want you speaking to me. Ever!" He spun on his heel and walked away. Jessica stood there motionless and stunned by Bobby's words. She just couldn't understand why he was so upset.
CeCe slowly walked from the school to the bus stop. She sat down on the bench, glancing at her watch. It would be 15 minutes before the bus arrived. "This day sucked," she thought as she watched the people going by. She sighed and hung her head. "Maybe it'll get better at Mr. Liu's." As she was looking down, CeCe noticed a pair of size 13 sneakers had stopped in front of her. She followed the legs up and found Bobby smiling down at her.
"Hey, CeCe," Bobby said. "Hi." He pointed at the bench and asked, "Can I sit next to you?" She nodded. Bobby quickly sat down. "Aren't you missing practice?" CeCe asked. He shook his head. "We don't practice on Wednesdays." They looked at each other for a few seconds before looking at the ground. "Bobby, if I did or said something to make you mad, I'm sorry. I'm still getting used to making new friends," she said softly.
Bobby shook his head. "I'm not mad at you, CeCe," he said. "I-I-I'm pissed off at Jessica." CeCe gave him a sideways glance. "You can tell me if you want to." He sighed heavily. "Me and Jessica have known each other since 7th grade. I think she's always had a crush on me. Anyway, I took her out 2 times last summer before school started back. She's been trying to make me be her boyfriend ever since those 2 dates. I had a girlfriend last year named Camilla. We were together for 6 months. Jessica told Camilla that I was secretly seeing her, Jess, behind her back."
CeCe's eyes widen in surprise. "Jessica thinks I'm in her way to becoming your girlfriend?" she asked. Bobby nodded. "Well, you are cute and very nice. I can see why she's after you." Bobby blushed as he turned to look at CeCe. She gave him a crooked smile before she looked away. She let out a sigh of relief as the bus pulled up. She stood up and said, "Here's my bus." Bobby stood up, too. "Yeah, it's mine, too."
"You going home?" CeCe asked as she boarded the bus. Bobby was right behind her. She paid the fare for both of them. "Thanks," he said when they sat down in the middle of the nearly empty bus. CeCe sat next to the window. "You're welcome. You didn't answer my question." "Oh, that," Bobby said. He hesitated before saying, "I-I'm going to Saint Joseph Hospital to visit someone." "Oh." CeCe knew who he was going to see. She wanted him to know that she knew, so she reached into her satchel and pulled out her sketchbook. She flipped it to the sketch of Bobby she had done and showed it to him.
"Hey! That's me," Bobby said as he took the book from CeCe. "When did you draw this?" "Yesterday in English class," she replied. She took a deep breath while he admired the sketch. "I showed that to my mama," she said. "She's a nurse at Saint Joseph. She said she saw you come in Monday with your mama." Bobby closed the book and handed it back to CeCe. "What she tell about my mom?" he asked. CeCe shook her head as she put the sketchbook back into her satchel. "Nothing really. Just that your mom was gonna be in the mental ward for a little while."
Bobby looked at CeCe. He didn't see the usual fear or disgust in her eyes. Most of the girls that he had told about his mom would either be scared or disgusted by now. "She's schizophrenic," he said. "It's not contagious or anything like that. She's not crazy. She just needs medicine to keep her in her right mind." CeCe nodded. "I know. Mama has told me and Derek all about mental illnesses." "Hmm. You understand better than most people I know." "Does anybody at school know about your mama?" "Mrs. Haynes, Miss Wells and Mr. Clayton are the only adults who know. Lewis, Mattie and Tricia are the only friends who know and understand."
CeCe looked out the window. She was tempted to tell Bobby about the horrible nightmares she had endured after she found her dad's body. Nightmares that almost put her in a mental ward. She felt that if he was telling her a big secret, she should tell him one, too. Instead, she said, "Derek's the one who grabbed me." Bobby grunted. "Figures he would do something stupid like that. Why did he do it?" CeCe sighed. "Because he thought I told Mama that he didn't come home Monday night."
"Jerk," Bobby said. CeCe turned to look at him. She took his hand, putting it in both of hers. "Please don't feel like that, Bobby. True, Derek's a jerk, but he means well. Besides, I don't belong here anyway. I'm in his way." "How can you say that?" Bobby asked, ignoring the fact that she was holding his hand. "Your brother has no right to hurt you or anyone else. And you have every right to be at home with your mom. He can't take that away from you, either." He finally looked down at his hand. "Do you want to go back to North Carolina?"
CeCe shrugged as she let go of Bobby's hand. "I think I do. It's easier to fit in there," she said. Bobby stared in CeCe's eyes, trying to figure out what to say. "Well, I hope you find something that will make you stay here in New York," he said. She smiled, then turned to ring the bell. "Here's my stop." He stood up to let her out. "Remember to ask your mom about dinner," he said. She nodded, saying, "I will." Bobby sat back down in the window seat as he watched CeCe get off the bus. She stopped on the sidewalk and waved at him. He waved back. He continued waving until he couldn't see her any more. Bobby's heart felt broken already. "Dang it! I haven't even kissed her yet."
P.S. To the folks or Dallas Cowboys fans who noticed that I named Jessica's partner, Tony: It's merely a coincidence that I named him that. I wasn't thinking of Jessica Simpson or Tony Romo. I swear. LOL I wasn't even aware of it until I went back and proofread this story. Oh, well. Goes to show that I watch too much E! LOL