PS Happy Holidays!!
The Heart Knows What The Mind Knows Not
Over the next few days, the news that Jake Cloves had attacked the new girl spread like wildfire. There were, of course, many "variations" of the story. One girl on the swim team swore she saw Jake actually put a gun to Charlie's head. A boy from the art club said that Derek had beaten Jake into a coma. Though many people didn't know the real truth about what happened that afternoon, Charlie and Derek did. And they were the ones that had to deal with it.
"Apparently we've got to meet with the school board," Derek told Charlie one morning, 4 days after the incident, at school.
"Great," Charlie said sarcastically. "I've got to relive it again for another room full of people."
"Hey," Derek said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "I'm here for you. If you want to…talk about it. Or whatever."
"You never striked me as the kind of guy who did the whole listening-to-girls-talk-about-their-feelings thing," Charlie said, half smiling.
"Well, I've never had a close friend who's been…in this situation," Derek replied.
" 'Close friend'?" Charlie said. "Now we're close friends?"
"I won't tell anybody if you don't," Derek said, grinning.
"Yeah," Charlie said, half-smiling. "So when's this meeting with the school board?"
"Tomorrow at four-thirty," Derek replied. "And our parents have to be present."
"Oh God," Charlie said unhappily. "My uncle cannot come."
"Why not?"
"Cause he shouldn't have to hear all the details," Charlie said, looking away.
"Come on," Derek said sympathetically. "He's your family. He needs to know so he can help you through it…wait…you have told him, right?"
"Uhh…" Charlie said, looking at her feet.
"You haven't told him?" Derek said. "Why didn't you tell him?"
"Why does he need to know?" Charlie said, holding back tears. "It's not like he's my dad or anything."
"Oh," Derek said. "This is what this is about."
"What is what about?" Charlie said defensively.
"In a time like this, you just wish they were here, right?" Derek asked.
"You don't know what you're talking about," Charlie snapped.
"Fine," Derek said, raising his arms in defeat. "I'll go then."
Charlie watched him walk away and wondered why she had been so mean to him. Why she couldn't just let him in? After all, he had said that they were friends. How long had it been since she'd had any? Could it be actually sincere, or was it just some ploy to get her to fall for him? She looked up and saw a group of girls by the water fountain whispering and pointing at her. "Why don't you just take a picture!" she yelled in their direction, causing several pairs of eyes to turn towards her. "It'll last longer!" As Charlie turned around and stomped away, she could have sworn she heard the clicking of a camera phone.
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Derek looked around the room. So this is where the elusive school board meeting room is, he thought. He had never been here before, considering all the times he'd been in trouble at school. He noticed that Charlie was already there. He was happy to see that her uncle was there with her. He, Nora and George went to sit next to them.
"Hey Derek," Charlie said nervously. "Hi Mr Venturi. Hey Mrs. McDonald. This is my uncle, Martin Adams."
The adults exchanged greetings and began chatting, giving Charlie a chance to talk to Derek before the meeting began. "I'm really sorry about the way I reacted the other day," she said, avoiding eye contact.
"It's fine," Derek said.
Charlie was about to reply when she noticed someone walk into the room, which suddenly felt cold and airless. Jake Cloves had walked in with his parents. Derek had apparently noticed this too; because Charlie saw him clench his fist and his face go dark and angry. Charlie felt something twinge in the pit of her stomach. It felt like something was burning a whole in her insides. I need to get out of here, she thought. She stood up and began to walk away, but was pulled back by Derek's hand on her wrist.
"Where are you going?" he whispered.
"I thought I…but I just…can't," Charlie said.
"Hey," he said, holding her hand in his. "He's not going to go anywhere near you ever again, okay? And if don't tell the board what he did, he won't get what he deserves."
"Okay," she said, sitting back down.
"Everyone, please sit down, the meeting is about to begin," Mrs. Miller, the president of the school board, said.
The room became deadly silent, and all eyes were on the the head table, which seated all the members on the school board. All eyes but those of Jake Cloves, who were glued on Charlie. When she noticed this, he licked his lips and winked at her. She quickly turned around and felt suddenly very nauseous and dizzy.
"Thank you everyone," Mrs Miller said. "Now, you all know why we are here. We are here to discuss the action which need to be taken against Mr. Jake Cloves for unacceptable behavior towards fellow student Ms. Charlie Martinez. Ms. Martinez, would you please rise?"
Charlie stood up, her hands shaking and her palms sweating. "Ms. Martinez, please tell us what happened on the afternoon of December the 4th."
"Well...," Charlie said, looking down at her shoes. "I...well..."
"Ms Martinez, I understand that this must be difficult for you, but you do understand that your testimony has a large part in the punishment we will give Mr. Cloves?" Mrs. Miller said sternly.
Charlie looked back at her friends and uncle sitting behind her. She knew that they were here to support her, to defend her and to protect her. She could not let them down. She could not let herself down. But she knew no one could know her darkest secret. The part she had tried to black out of her memories.
"I was heading towards the library after school to return some books," Charlie said, swallowing hard. "...And Jake wanted to talk to me, but i didn't want to talk to him."
"What did Mr Cloves want to talk about, Ms Martinez?" Mrs. Miller asked patiently.
"Well," Charlie said. "He wanted to talk about what had happened at the dance. He had asked me to go with him, but then I caught him making out with this slu--I mean this girl named Tiffany Collins."
"I see," Mrs Miller said. Charlie could tell that she thought that she was being a silly teenager. Charlie hated that. "Please, continue."
"So I told him to leave me alone and I turned to walk away but he grabbed me and slammed me against the locker. He started saying all this crazy stuff and he..." She felt nauseous just thinking about what had happened next, but chose not to let it show. No one could ever find out. "He kissed me and choked me then Derek came and pulled him off of me. He saved me."
"Do you have any concrete proof to back these claims of violence against you, Ms Martinez?" Henry Rogers, a school board member, asked doubtfully.
"I was there!" Derek yelled angrily, getting up from his seat."I saw that bastard attack her!"
"Mr Venturi!" Mrs Miller said loudly. "Please take your seat! One more outburst like that, and I will be forced to ask you to leave! Now, Ms Martinez, please answer Mr Rogers' question."
Charlie suddenly felt as angry as Derek. "Claims? Claims?!? Why on earth would I make something like this up? I'm some poor little orphan who likes attention? I like pretending that lying cheating bastards attack people for no good reason? I have nothing to gain by making this up. And I've already lost everything I've ever had."
"Once again, Ms Martinez, do you have any concrete proof to back these claims of violence against you?" Mr Rogers said impatiently.
Charlie angrily rolled up her sleeves, exposing the purple bruise on her right wrist. "Is this enough proof for you? No? How about this?" She pulled down the collar of her turtle neck. She could see the board members staring at the bruise on her neck. The meeting continued on for another 30 minutes. The board talked to Derek, who thankfully backed up Charlie's story, because Jake Cloves seemed to deny it all.
"I didn't mean to hurt her," he said, trying to sound regretful. "I tried talking to her, but she hit me, and i defended myself. I know I can't prove that she hit me, but one of these bruises was because of her." He pointed to his black and blue face.
It took the board twenty minutes to make their decision. "Please, everyone, settle down," Mrs Miller said. "We have reached our decision. Mr. Cloves actions are unacceptable, but not as serious as the board was lead to believe. He will be suspended for 2 weeks."
"What?!?" Derek exclaimed. "That's bullshit! Did you not see what he did to her?!?"
"We have also decided," Mrs Miller continued, ignoring Derek's outburst. "That, due to his past offenses, and his very clear violent tendencies, that Mr. Venturi will also be suspended for 2 weeks. That is all."
Charlie felt her heart rise in her throat. Derek was suspended. And it was all her fault. Just because she couldn't face the truth.