"Kim. I promise. Nothing bad is going to happen." I said smiling at her.
Let's hope I didn't jinx it…
Jack's P.O.V.
I promised her while also promising myself. I was praying that all the good
luck in the world would help me now. Honestly, I'm usually not afraid of
anything, but Arthur's dad was a person you didn't want to be in bad terms
with.
Rudy had told me that I would need to beat his office again at 3pm to talk to
Arthur's dad, or Mr. Sheffield, which I now know. When I came home last
night from Kim's house, I told my mother. She wasn't mad; she knew that
what I did was right. But she also said I have to take the consequence as a
man. That only made me angry, considering the fact that I was only 13, but
as usual she was right.
I looked at the clock and saw that it was 2:43.
"Guess I'd better be going." I yelled out to my mother who was in the
kitchen getting lunch ready.
"Okay," she called back, "Jack?" she walked out the kitchen as I opened the
door.
"Yeah mom?" she opened her arms for a hug; I shook my head and smiled
as she walked over and hugged me.
"Remember what I told you." I nodded my head.
"I will. I promise." She nuzzled my head and then let me go.
On my journey to the dojo I kept my mind clear of all things that had to do
with what was coming up, but as I came closer to my destination I got
frantic. I took a deep breath as I came to the doors, I looked inside at the
empty blue mats, and I looked in towards Rudy's office door and saw
figures moving inside. I took a deep breath.
Here I go…
I pushed open the door and walked through the empty dojo. Hearing my own
footsteps echoing through my ears killed me. I step up to Rudy's door and I
knocked. It opened almost immediately.
"Hey Jack, come right on in." Rudy said, but not in his usual perky crazy
self, he eyes looked stressed and his face looked worn out and troubled. I
would have asked him what was wrong, but apparently I didn't have any
time. Arthur's dad or Mr. Sheffield came right up next to Rudy with a stern
look on his face.
"Jackson come right in."
"I see you don't waste any time getting to the point." I mumbled. All he did
was smile menacingly. Rudy chose to sit quickly at his desk and play with
the stars on his sash while Mr. Sheffield spoke.
"Please sit." He gestured to the couch. Even though he had said the word
please nothing about the way he said it was mannerly. I shook my head.
"I prefer to stand, thank you." Just in case I need to make a quick getaway.
I thought to myself.
He shrugged. "Suit yourself Jackson."
"You can just call me Jack, I go by that." he nodded.
"Yes, anyway Jackson," I could tell he did that just to annoy me, and it did.
But of course I wouldn't let him get that satisfaction. "I'll have you know
that I just set up a new Summer School for delinquents a few miles away
from Seaford." He announced proudly. I looked at around the room
confused.
"So…?" Arthur's dad looked at Rudy with a smile I couldn't quite describe,
and Rudy shook in a way I couldn't really describe either. Mr. Sheffield
turned back to me.
"I say this because you seem to be out of hand Jackson, so for the rest of the
summer you be incarcerated in my school." My eyes bulged out.
"Are you kidding me?" I turned to Rudy.
"Rudy come one! You gotta help me out here. He can't do that." all Rudy
did was shake his head.
"Jack, I'm sorry. But he can, he has much more power than me."
"But Rudy-"
"Enough Jackson!" Mr. Sheffield bellowed. He got up and walked towards
me. By instinct I immediate started to back up towards the door.
"What's done is done." I shook my head.
"You can't do this, not without a parental consent."
"Oh I don't think we will have a problem with that." I looked at him
weirdly.
"What do you mean?"
"We already sent your mom a brochure and she seemed very, very interested
in our teachings."
"That's ridiculous; my mom doesn't think I'm a delinquent. She would
never do this." he walked closer to the door until he was turning the door
knob in his hands.
"We'll see. But you leave tomorrow." And with that he walked out of the
office. I turned back to Rudy in anger.
"RUDY!" he jumped at my raised voice.
"What?" I looked at him for an explanation for what just happened.
"Look Jack, he came in here saying that he was going to enroll you in his
school or else he was going to close down our dojo and I would lose my
job." He finished sadly looking down at his white gi. All my anger went
away when I saw the look in his eyes.
"Rudy I'm so sorry I didn't know…" all he did was nod.
"Rudy, I'll do this, just so that you won't lose your job." Now he looked up
at me.
"Jack I can't let you take on that kind of responsibility." I waved my hand in
the air as if to swipe away his ridiculous comment.
"Oh please Rudy, you were there for me plenty of times when I really
needed it. This is the right thing to do."
"But Jack you're giving away most of your summer." Rudy pleaded.
"Pshh. Maybe I'll find a way to break out." I said only half joking.
After a few more minutes of convincing Rudy that it was okay, he let me
leave. I left with a heavy head of course. I didn't know what to do. Arthur's
father scammed everyone, even my mother. I didn't know where to go. For
the first time in my life I felt the world on my shoulders. I found myself
walking to Kim's house. I knocked on her door to find it open.
"Kim?" I called through the house.
"I'm in my room." She yelled back. I trudged up the steps and made a left to
her room. I lightly knocked on the door, she opened it.
"So Jack, tell me what happened. I'm dying over here." I walked into her
room and sat on her carpeted floor not bothering to sit on the bed. I took a
deep breath before I answered.
"I'm in deep trouble, I'll tell you that." she came and sat down on the bed.
"Why? What did his dad do?" I looked down at my fingers and started to
play with them to stay away from any feelings.
"He's sending me away to his school for delinquents, it's a few miles away
from Seaford." Kim gasped and was quite for a while.
"How long are you going to stay there?"
"For the whole summer…" I said slowly so she could take it all in. the room
was quiet for a long time, I couldn't take the echoing of my thoughts in my
head, I needed to hear Kim. I turned around to face her, I had to look up
since I was on the floor and she was on the bed.
"Kim say something." I pleaded to her; it was still silence until she finally
spoke.
"Are you going to go?" she said in a small voice.
"I have to. If I don't, Rudy will lose his job and the dojo, and I think my
mom already said yes." Kim's eyes were shocked.
"Jack you cant-"
"I have to." I interrupted her. "I leave tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" she exclaimed. "But Jack-" I stopped her again. I didn't want
any more of her disagreements.
"Kim it doesn't matter what you say, I'm still going to go, it won't be bad. I
think I'll miss you most." I said looking to the floor. I rested my head on her
knees, and I felt her hand run through my shaggy hair.
"I know Jack…" I looked up at her as she took her hand out of my hair, I
held there for a moment, just looking at it. I rose up to rest on my knees. I
intertwined my hands with hers and then I finally looked at her face. Her
cheeks were red. I didn't know if it was from the sudden news or from me
holding her hand. She didn't ask me what I was doing and I was glad
because I barely knew either.
"I want to remember you when I'm gone Kim, you know, just in case." I
grazed her cheek with a kiss and I leaned back on my feet. She didn't smile
or anything, her cheeks just got redder. I wanted to do more and go farther,
but I decided against it. I got up and turned to her door, I looked back at her.
Her hand was touching the place I had just kissed. I waved and gave half a
smile and turned to walk out the door.
"Jack wait! Don't leave yet…"