Chapter 21: An Eye for An Eye
Jane and Erik hurried to the school after receiving the dreaded phone call from the school, bumping into a father dragging his boy by the collared shirt outside. The boy was holding a bloody icepack on his nose and complaining about pain tolerance.
Erik and Jane couldn't help but double-take as they listened to their conversation.
"Dad, he kicked my ass!" Lenny whined. "Aren't you gonna sue?"
"You expect me to believe you didn't have it coming?" The father growled. "Your mother and I didn't raise you to be a bully, Leonard. When we get home, no more Wrestle Mania for you, young man! It's all going in the trash!"
"Dad!" The child screamed but quickly quietened after his father threatened to spank him on the spot. Most people expect parents to defend their children despite the evidence against them. Seeing a father holding his son accountable for his actions was nice. His words affected Jane mainly. It didn't take long for her to piece everything together. Her nephew got into a fight with a bully.
"Can I at least play one more round?"
"No!" the lawyer looked over his shoulder to see the two visitors staring. Erik couldn't help but wave at him in greeting. The father briefly returned the gesture but speed-walked towards the exit, dragging his son alongside him.
The professor and the astrophysicist dreaded the office door, knowing who was in the room. The blinds couldn't wholly conceal Thor and AJ's backs through the glass window.
Erik sighed, "Oh, boy."
"Tell me about it," Jane rolled her eyes, about to knock, only for the door to open, revealing the principal.
"Miss Foster?" the principal assumed.
"Miss Tourminet," Jane shook the woman's hand, grinning sheepishly. "Hi, we got here as fast as we could - um - this is Erik Selvig," she introduced over her shoulder. "He's a friend and colleague of mine."
"How do you do?" Erik greeted politely, shaking Tourminet's hand as well.
"Pleasure," she dully stated. "I am sorry we have to meet under these circumstances."
"I understand that the police had to be involved?" Jane asked with unease.
"That was a different misunderstanding, which your boy didn't mind clearing up for us," Principal Tourminet gestured for Jane and Erik to enter her office and face the guilty duo.
"Hi, Jane," AJ greeted as he and Thor waved sheepishly.
Jane gasped at the discoloration on AJ's jaw. She quickly kneeled to his side and examined the bruise. "Oh, my God! AJ, what the he-" Erik cut her off with a shush, reminding Jane where they were. The principal looked unhappy when the forbidden word nearly slipped from Jane's tongue.
"Sorry," Jane whispered before returning her attention to the boy. "What happened?"
"I got into a fight," AJ explained, "except it wasn't really much of a fight."
"You got into a fight?! Why?!" Jane demanded.
"Who won?" Erik asked, quickly regretting the question. Both blondes were about to say, but the principal silenced the pair.
"Miss Foster," Tourminet began, "early today, your nephew punched another boy repeatedly in the playground while this man..." she pointed at Thor, "...manhandled that same child and threatened to torture him in a wilderness."
Thor cleared his throat awkwardly. The way the woman narrated the tale from her perspective sounded barbaric. Was Thor out of line by saying it? Maybe. Would he actually go through with it if Lenny ignored his warning? Thor couldn't say without incriminating himself.
"Jane, it wasn't our fault!" AJ pleaded. "Lenny started it! He made me!"
Principal Tourminet shook her head, "That's not an excuse, Andrew. Violence isn't tolerated here. You must be held accountable."
"Now, wait a minute," Jane raised her hand. "We shouldn't blame my nephew for all this. AJ's a good boy and isn't the type to start fights - I mean - unless if he is fighting with his sister, then maybe-"
"Jane!" AJ whined. She was supposed to help his case, not make it worse.
"However, that's not the case here," Jane assured. "Somebody punched my nephew," she pointed at the assault on AJ's face, "and I'm guessing the guilty one here is the kid who probably deserved a spanking. At least, that's what we heard from the kid's father. Right, Erik?"
Erik shrugged, "More like taking away some privileges."
"He's also the same child who pushed AJ off the swings yesterday," Thor declared. "AJ required defense."
"Thor!" AJ cried. "You promised!" Everyone turned their way to AJ, who lowered his head to avoid eye contact.
"AJ, is that true?" Jane asked in a whisper. AJ's reluctant silence and averted eyes said it all, though everyone required verbal confirmation. "AJ, look at me," she pressed firmly, receiving his sad blue gaze. "Are you being bullied?" He didn't answer.
"There is no need to deny it, Andrew," The principal declared. "Many children came clean about Leonard. Whether you talk or not, we know."
She was right. There was no point in protecting his pride anymore.
"Yeah," AJ admitted quietly.
"How long?" Erik asked calmly.
"Since the first day. It's not just me. He calls everybody names. He pushes the other kids down for no reason, threatens the teachers with lawsuits to keep them quiet, and he..." AJ paused to take a breath, reluctant to continue. "He sometimes brags about his parents being happily married while mine..." he closed his mouth, struggling to finish the painful statement, fighting back the tears. Everyone picked up what the boy was trying to say. It was difficult to talk about and terrible to imagine a human being - another child - taking pleasure from someone else's grief.
Erik closed his eyes and sighed in dismay.
Jane was horrified by this revelation. Now she understood why AJ came home with bruises and cuts. He claimed to be playing rough with his friends when it turned out he didn't have any, or he would've asked Jane if they could come over to play or vice versa. What's worse was that this punk dared to involve her late sister. If Jane were in AJ's shoes, she would've kicked Lenny's ass, too.
Thor reacted with one word - both Jane and Erik wanted to say out loud, "Bastard." Despite the want, some things shouldn't be expressed out loud. Erik and Jane shushed Thor before he could offer his condolences.
"AJ, why didn't you tell us?" Erik asked.
"I told you, he said that his dad will sue-"
"He means, why didn't you come to us? To me?!" Jane pointed at herself. "I could've helped!"
"I thought tattling would make it worse!" AJ explained.
"This isn't tattling, AJ," Erik corrected. "Tattling is basically revenge. Telling us about the bullying is protecting yourself."
"Andrew, I'm very sorry for what you're going through," Principal Tourminet expressed her condolences, softening her stern features. However, her firm, scolding tone remained the same. "I lost a mother, too, so I understand the difficulty..." She glanced at a family photo on her desk: two sisters and their father hugged the most incredible woman who was the center of their lives. "And I'm sorry the teachers didn't help you when you required it. They will be reprimanded for their silence. I will see to it." She cleared her throat, dabbing her thumb on the corner of her eye. No doubt, she was trying to keep her emotions in check.
"However," Tourminet interlaced her fingers, deepening her voice more than before, "despite the circumstances, it's still no excuse for what you did. We have rules here, and every broken rule comes with a consequence. I already suspended Leonard for his actions. I have no problem doing the same for you."
The group widened their eyes in shock. All chimed in to talk sense into the principal.
"Miss Tourminet," Erik pleaded, "let's be reasonable. Suspension is a little extreme. The boy is struggling already."
"Miss Torment - I mean, Tourminet, I assure you! AJ is really a good kid," Jane uttered. "You know why he did what he did. It's not an excuse, I know, but I assure you it won't happen again!"
"It's all my fault, your highness!" Thor joined in. "I take full responsibility for AJ's actions! Chain me up instead, not him!"
"Enough!" All obeyed instantly after the principal's harsh command.
"Sir, first of all," Principal Tourminet addressed Thor, "we don't chain anyone here, especially children. In fact, I would like you to give me the name of your school so I can report them immediately." Thor closed his mouth. "Second, I can't suspend you because you are not enrolled here. However, Mr. Bradley and Miss Lewis are serving detention. Perhaps you could join them-"
"Wait, Garrett and Darcy are here?" Jane questioned her.
The principal nodded, "Yes, Miss Foster, they were at the playground, encouraging the behavior. One had the audacity to butcher a hit single."
Jane refused to question her about Darcy and Garrett anymore, for it might ruin AJ's chance to stay in school.
"As for Andrew," the principal leaned from her chair, folding her arms over her chest and resting her elbows on the desk, "I suppose suspension isn't the answer. As Mr. Selvig pointed out, the child is already struggling with his work."
"Well, we have a lot going on this week," Jane dismissed the concern, "and AJ being dyslexic and all, I don't expect perfection from him."
"Miss Foster, respectfully, I don't think you understand the severity of this situation." Jane furrowed her brows in confusion, allowing the educator to elaborate. "It's not just a couple of bad grades," Tourminet insisted. "According to his teacher, he has turned in his homework blank - it's like he's not even trying," she handed Jane a folder containing the evidence. Jane was horrified to see the week of homework halfway done or untouched. AJ didn't even bother to put his name and date on some.
"Andrew Jackson, what the hell?!" she scolded. The boy crouched beside Thor's muscled frame.
"Excuse me," Erik intervened, lifting a finger, "but if this became such a big problem, why hasn't the school informed us about this sooner?" Everyone could tell he was holding back the urge to raise his voice. He was an educator and believed this whole thing to be outrageous.
"We did," Tourminet handed Erik a piece of paper. "We couldn't contact the boy's legal guardian, so we had Andrew send a letter regarding our concern. And to ensure Miss Foster understands Andrew's risk of repeating the third grade, we require her signature on the dotted line." Jane peered at the letter, specifically the bottom. At first, she denied signing it until Erik confirmed that this was indeed her signature - major loops for the J, diagonal lines across the F and T, and uneven humps for the N.
"But I would never sign anything without reading it first!" Jane turned to AJ with a simple question. "AJ, did you forge my signature?"
AJ narrowed his eyes at the woman as if she was dumb, "Jane, you're my aunt. I love you and all, but I don't know you well enough to see what your handwriting looks like."
Ouch. Jane ignored the pressure in her chest. It was bad enough that she didn't see the signs that somebody was bullying AJ; now, his education was in jeopardy. She was a terrible godmother - a selfish astrophysicist.
"Besides, isn't it your intern's job to sign stuff for you?" AJ added.
"Darcy forged it?" Jane questioned. AJ shrugged in response. Erik peered at the impressive duplication; he wouldn't have guessed it.
Principal Tourminet huffed, motioning Erik to hand back the letter. "I'm afraid that by the time you all start caring about the boy's schoolwork, it'll already be too late. Now, I don't mind tutoring the boy all through summer, but Willowdale isn't going to be so lenient. They will make AJ repeat the third grade if this negligence continues."
"There's gotta be something we can do," Erik breathed, throwing his hands up. "Some extra credit homework - a school project - anything!"
"Believe me when I say this. I don't want Andrew to fail either."
"So AJ is not suspended?" Jane asked in a hopeful tone.
"As for his punishment," Tourminet continued, ignoring the adults, "perhaps, he and..." she trailed off, narrowing her eyes at Thor, not recalling his name.
"Donald," Jane introduced him. "Donald Blake. He's supposed to be helping me out. I have no idea that he was encouraging AJ to fight the boy. If I did, I would never-"
"Miss Foster," the principal raised a hand, ceasing the godmother's ramble.
"Yes?"
"Stop. Take a breath."
"Right," Jane smiled sheepishly, doing as the principal instructed - breathe in through the nose, then exhale through the mouth.
"Andrew and Mr. Blake will spend time together in detention." Jane thanked the principal for her leniency, promising AJ wouldn't get in trouble again. "For his sake, I hope not," Miss Tourminet retorted.
Whatever the queen wanted, Thor would do it without hesitation. She offered the boy mercy instead of exile. As Jane said, AJ was a good lad; he didn't deserve to be banished. A boy shouldn't have to go through what Thor was going through.
"What do you require of me, my prince of pal?" Thor asked. He couldn't help but gulp at the intense stare from the queen herself.
...
"An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind... An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind... An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind."
Thor and AJ were stuck in a classroom, writing the assigned words on paper 200 times each. After reaching the 50th sentence, Thor's right hand cramped. Who knew simple writing could damage the wrist more than wielding a hammer? Not to mention the uncomfortable chair that compressed his lower back and strained his shoulders from hunching slightly over the desk.
On the plus side, the principal wasn't around to lay her evil eyes on him. Thor faced many things in his time: trolls, frost giants, and even fire demons. Miss Tourminet was nicknamed Miss Torment for a reason. How she stared at him with those soul-sucking eyes, her long nails drummed the desk that increased his heartbeat, and the work she had him endure reminded him of his tutor from childhood: Karnilla. She was easy on the eyes but an empress of evil. His friends didn't come to the same conclusion, for they hadn't received her harsh critiques and the hand beatings from her twig. The former god of thunder winced, recalling the multiple stings on his palms that radiated across his forearm. Thor dropped his pencil and leaned back to stretch his arms and back. The chair desk was indeed a torture chamber; he could easily picture strapping his prisoners in for hours and make them write the chosen quote repeatedly on paper.
The classroom door squeaked open. Either the queen had returned to check up on her troublemakers, or maybe AJ had returned from a bathroom break.
"Brother."
Thor perked up at the familiarity of the voice. His brother wore a velvet green coat and pants with a patterned scarf and tie looped around his neck. The area was too hot to wear that attire - that didn't matter to Thor. His brother had come to visit him.
"Loki! What are you doing here?" Thor asked happily, fighting the urge to jump from his desk and kiss his brother. The last time he tried to get up from the kid seat, the desk trapped his hip, which dug uncomfortably against his side, lifting the chair with him and sliding the pen and paper off the desk. Fortunately, the boy was the only one to witness the embarrassing display, not Queen Torment. Thor wanted to keep it that way.
"I had to see you," Loki said in a serious matter.
"What's happened at home?" Thor demanded. "Tell me. Is it Jotunheim? Let me explain to Father-"
"Father is dead," Loki stated bluntly, ripping the bandaid without mercy. Thor's mouth dropped. It seemed like time had frozen. All senses had been switched off. He heard the words, yet he struggled to grasp them as reality.
"W-What?" Thor asked in a disbelieving whisper.
"Your banishment," Loki explained slowly, keeping his eyes locked on his brother's teary ones, "the threat of a new war - it was too much for him to bear."
Thor lowered his head as if someone added more weight to his neck. What happened at Asgard, what happened to Odin - it was all his fault - his responsibility. Tears escaped down to his cheeks and onto the notebook paper.
"You mustn't blame yourself," Loki comforted his brother through his gentle voice without requiring physical contact. "I know that you loved him. I tried to tell him so, but he wouldn't listen." Thor remained silent, ashamed to look his younger brother in the eye.
Loki shook his head in dismay, "It was so cruel to put the hammer within your reach, knowing you could never lift it... because of that, the burden of the throne has fallen to me now."
Thor slowly perked his head, hope shined in his blue eyes, "Can I come home?"
"I wish I could permit it, brother, but the truce with Jotunheim is conditional upon your exile."
"Yes, but couldn't we find a way—"
"And Mother has forbidden your return," Loki added salt to the wound. To think he couldn't look any more pathetic, Thor rested his arms on the desk, interlacing his fingers together instead of gripping the edge. His back hunched completely, and his hair concealed the sadness like a curtain. His anger against Odin had been shattered and gone with the wind. Along came a wave of remorse and sorrow taking its place. Thor was once believed to have lost everything when Odin took his power away, but at this moment, he realized that he'd truly lost everything. He had no power, hope, or love from his own people, including his mother. He couldn't blame them because he was the definition of a natural disaster that nobody wished to have around - a storm capable of causing pain, destruction, and loss.
It's all my fault.
"This is goodbye, brother," Loki declared - a promise that Thor would die here as a pariah like him. "I'm so sorry."
Thor looked up at his brother. He blinked the tears away and shook his head in disagreement, "No... I am sorry." He forced out a smile that showed sincerity and gratitude, "Thank you for coming here."
Loki nodded, looking at the ceiling, "Lykke til, brother. I shall miss you dearly."
Before he could bid farewell and disappear, whether by magic or legs...
"Loki, wait!" Thor couldn't let Loki go without asking an essential question.
Loki ceased a step, looking over his shoulder slightly, "Yes, Brother?"
"If I am not to return to Asgard, at least fulfill one last request."
Loki raised a brow and pursed his lips, assuming the obvious, "And what might that be? Now, Thor, I can't promise you visitation."
"As much as I wish it, brother, that's not what I have in mind."
Loki blinked and narrowed his eyes, "Then, what do you desire?"
"It's not what I desire, Loki, but my friends." Which friends was he referring to?
"Go on," Loki pressed.
"You see... My friend in Midguard has a niece. Her name is Kelsey. She is gone, and I was hoping she is up there with you in Asgard. Is she?" Loki was hesitant to reply. Even if he wanted to answer him, Thor continued. "If she is, can you bring her back home or inform her family that she is well? They fear the worst, and they miss her terribly. Please, brother. Give them hope when I cannot." Not anymore.
Loki was torn about Thor's request. He knew that the arrangement in Asgard was supposed to be temporary. Despite the tiff between him and Kelsey, he couldn't risk her health. They all must endure and make the best of an unfortunate situation. On the other hand, if he continued the silence, Kelsey's family could take drastic measures to find Kelsey, such as trespassing. They may even tag Thor along for the ride. If they succeed, Thor might find out the truth himself. Loki couldn't let that happen. All this broken family required was a small beacon of hope.
"It shall be done," the trickster whispered.
Thor exhaled with relief. He may not return home, but at least he had done something less arrogant and less destructive for a change.
"One more thing, brother..." Loki approached his brother's desk.
"Yes?" Thor wondered.
His younger brother stood beside him to eye the man's rough draft, "You have misspelled some words, and you're writing directly across the line." Thor pressed his lips tightly, holding back the urge to growl.
"Here," Loki turned the page from Thor's notebook to restart the work on clean paper. He wrote down the sentence for Thor on the first line with different colors, then ripped the page out and tucked it underneath another clean sheet. "Trace the letters, use this-" he shook the ripped paper "-as your guide."
Thor couldn't help but allow his lips to stretch across his face. This was just like old times. Back when Thor was struggling to learn. Loki was there to offer assistance whenever he needed help. Loki was indeed Karnilla's star student for a reason. Around that time, Thor had never uttered the two simple words to him. If this was their last meeting, Thor might as well say it before it's too late.
"Thank you," Thor whispered when AJ returned to the classroom.
"For what?" the boy asked in confusion. "Washing my hands after using the bathroom?" Thor didn't need to turn around to know that Loki was gone; whether he had heard the words remained a mystery.
"Have you?" Thor challenged the boy, piecing together the mask to hide his grief.
"Uh, yeah, sure," AJ answered reluctantly but dismissively, returning to his desk to resume the task. Not long after, the principal returned not only to check their progress but to retrieve a lost item from the desk. After rummaging through the drawers and papers, she looked sternly at the troublemakers, demanding an answer with a hand on her hip.
"Have you boys seen my phone anywhere?"
...
"I can't believe I got detention!" Darcy cried outrage, more to herself since there wasn't anyone around to vent directly. "I don't even go to this school!" For their detention, she and Garrett became janitors again. They had mopped the floors, washed the trays, disinfected the tables, and even cleaned the toilets. Darcy felt the last chore had shattered her dignity. Surprisingly, the girls' bathroom was worse than the boys'. To think the cafeteria food should equalize the mess of both bathrooms. Maybe one of the girls or more had it worse than the boys. Darcy refused to go into details about that. She huffed in frustration when she noticed that Garrett had not returned from taking the trash and had some bags left by the back door.
"I swear to God if he bailed..." She didn't expect Garrett to do that, for he would've done so already when they were forced to clean together last time. Truthfully, Darcy would've bailed on him first if she wasn't getting those six credits. Something must've happened that delayed the cleaning process.
Darcy rolled her eyes and groaned as she carried the remaining bags outside towards the dumpster, about to call his name, "Bra-"
"You have truly disappointed us, son, for the last time. I hope you realize that." Darcy ceased, quickly recognizing the arrogant voice of Garrett's mother. She hightailed behind the dumpster, refusing to get caught between the mother and son, plus she was nosey and wanted to eavesdrop on their conversation.
"Oh really? What a surprise," Garrett grumbled.
"Excuse me?" his mother challenged. "Would you mind repeating that back talk?"
"I wasn't back..." he sighed in exhaustion and defeat. "Mama, I'm sorry. Okay?" Darcy rolled her eyes at the boy's submission. Definitely a mama's boy. "I'm not trying to fight you. That's the last thing I wanted, not with you and Dad. This whole thing is a losing battle, anyway. I get how you feel-"
"You have no idea!"
"No, really. I do," the boy insisted. "You said it yourself a million times. It's embarrassing, and for the millionth time, I'm really sorry about that."
"It's not just humiliating, Garrett. What happened in school..." the mother paused, thinking over one word to describe the situation, "It was heartbreaking. Do you know how hard it was for me as a parent to sit there in that room and watch my boy's life flush down the toilet again, and there was nothing I could do about it?! Your father and I are trying to keep our faith in God and believe He has something good for you in His plan - something better. If only you believed..." Darcy wrinkled her nose at the wailing sobs, picturing Garrett's mother as an ugly crier. Before Garrett could comfort her, his mother continued rambling. "Ever since your release..."
Darcy tilted her head, questioning the choice of words. Release?
"Your father and I tried to get you back on your feet."
"Back on my feet?" Garrett questioned. "You mean researching colleges and apartments far away from here? Out of state? Don't think I didn't pick up y'alls hints. You weren't very subtle about it, especially on my birthday. Oh! Happy Birthday, son. Here's your present. We hope you like it! It's a suitcase, now pack up and get the hell out of our house!"
"We never said that!"
Garrett scoffed, "Well, the clothes you already packed in that suitcase screamed the message loud and clear. I have been trying, you know. I've been applying for jobs I don't want, like that Chicken Cluck place that wanted me to wear that stupid rooster get-up or-or that funky pet store down the road? No way in hell I'll work there again - parrots freak me out - they repeat everything you say!" Darcy had to bite her fist to hold back the laugh at the thought of Garrett in a chicken suit.
"You don't have a choice, Garrett. You need a fresh start!"
"Sure, a clean slate and a new name. Like that would help! You think that can erase everything that happened - what I had gone through and lost last year?"
"Yes, that's how expunges work," his mother declared matter-factly, "No different than Jesus forgiving your sins. But if you keep walking the path you're on now, you'll never have a shot at all." Darcy couldn't help but widen her eyes in reaction to the news. It didn't take long to piece everything together in that conversation. No wonder Garrett couldn't attend basketball camp. No wonder his girlfriend dumped him before prom if he had one.
"What path, Mom?"
"By participating in these excursions with that mad scientist! That's the path I'm talking about! The wrong path!" Darcy didn't miss the evidence of disgust in the mother's voice. "You think your father and I are stupid, that we wouldn't figure out where you sneak off to every day, every night after curfew?"
"I wasn't sneaking-"
"Stop it, Garrett! You lied about where you were going! Not to find a job or visit friends-"
"That wasn't a lie. Jane was-"
"Enough!" the mother barked to her son, "I told you not to go near that auto shop again! I warned you right at the gecko that her entire group is troubled! Now look at what happened. It turned out I was right!"
"Now, who's trippin'?! Mom, if you have taken the time to know them like I have, you can see that they're nice people going through a rough time like me. Jane lost her niece, Mom! I was there when that happened, not you! I figured you would sympathize with that - you're a mom."
"Of course. If she is really that girl's mother, of course, but she's not. From what I can tell, Miss Foster is young and just finished school. Dropping her career to raise children is a major sacrifice on her part. And what she is earning from that job isn't much. I am sure she is clever enough not to say it aloud, but that girl's disappearance was a major financial convenience for her - one less mouth to feed."
Darcy slapped a hand over her agape mouth.
"What did you just say?!" Garrett challenged in a whisper. His tone told Darcy that he, too, didn't like what the pastor's wife was implying.
"I'm not speculating anything," the mother said defensively. "All I'm saying-"
"But you are!" Garrett argued.
"Don't talk back-"
"Don't talk shit!" Darcy tried her best not to applaud on the spot for the man she loathed most. However, this didn't stop her from mouthing words and silently laughing. She could picture the mother being stunned as if the boy had slapped her.
"First of all," the teen began, "I said a million times already. I was there when Kelsey disappeared, and I was there to help Jane search for her. I saw that woman ball her eyes out and blame herself for what happened! She reported it to Sherriff Herandez!"
"As she should," the mother agreed. "She has no business bringing those kids out there with her mad science experiments. Did she care enough to put up missing posters or knock on every door like a good mother would do? I think not."
Garrett shook his head and bitterly laughed at the audacity. Unbelievable. "At least she wasn't pressuring her kids to cheat," he quickly raised a finger to correct himself, "No, not cheat. What did Dad say? Oh yeah! A boost to win a big game, until it turned out, it was every big game."
The mother sighed, "Garrett, your father shouldn't have encouraged it. He thought he was doing right for you."
"Yet, he didn't serve time for it; I was," he patted his chest. "You could've stopped it, but you didn't - too busy baking cookies and bragging to your church group. You guys didn't mind me poppin' pills as long I didn't get busted for it! Well, guess what? I got busted! And now that I'm no longer the prize horse for you guys, you want nothing to do with me anymore." For the first time in a while, the mother finally stopped arguing with her son, unintentionally allowing him to rant. "Y'all are saying all the right things in front of Jane - pretending to give a shit - but we all know what you are saying to your petty friends and everyone who loves to listen just to feel better about their hypocritical lives! Instead of offering compassion or arranging a search party for Kelsey. This town threw a party at the crime scene! And for everyone in this pathetic town to cast them out and accuse Jane of murdering her niece - her goddaughter, how dare you!"
Darcy jumped at the sound of slapping skin. She covered her mouth to muffle the gasp or a curse word.
"Don't think I take pleasure doing that," the mother declared in a harsh whisper. Garrett hummed in acknowledgment. "Just when I thought the worst has passed - refusing to go to school, sneaking out of the house to drink-" Garrett scoffed at the accusation. So Nelson did say something. "-the talking back, the disrespect, no longer attending Wednesday service so that you can hang around town with some hussy all day and buy her a freakin' iPod!"
Darcy dropped her hand, revealing her agape mouth, absolutely offended. Now, the lunatic was talking about her.
"Not the name I would call her, personally," the boy grumbled, "for the record, I didn't buy her anything." And Darcy didn't buy it with her own money either.
"And now you're serving detention with that same girl - you might as well have gone back to juvie. You think any Christian girl will want you after this? You're not even fit to serve the ministry."
Garrett huffed, thinking back at Jane and how much she didn't want him around anymore, "Maybe you're right."
"Not wise to patronize me."
"Nah, I'm serious. I thought I had something goin' with Jane and them, but I was wrong. Okay? Again, I'm sorry... I am so sorry that things didn't turn out exactly as we hoped - I'm sorry for being a lame-ass excuse for a son." There was no point in fighting. As he said, it was a losing battle. He should feel bad about going against God's plan. Then again, God has a plan for us all. Everything happens for a reason, just like Thor getting cast out by his dad. Looking back on the remarkable Biblical figures who had it rough initially, only to rise above the struggle and be blessed by the Almighty Himself - maybe the original plan for Garrett's future wasn't the plan. Maybe Garrett wasn't destined to be the next Michael Jordan and eventually follow in his father's footsteps. If he hadn't gotten caught, if he had continued using and endured its side effects...
"I guess, in a way, if we look at it different..." Garrett humorlessly chuckled, "I guess getting caught sooner is a blessing in disguise, don't you think?"
His mother's mouth parted in horror, about to lash out at him, only for Darcy to intentionally swing the bags against the dumpster, alerting her presence. The mother was startled to see Darcy smiling and greeting the woman with a wave.
"Hi. Don't mind me. I'm just the hussy taking out the trash," Darcy dumped the bags inside and wiped her hands on her jeans. Garrett cringed, knowing this nosy intern didn't appear out of the blue.
"Excuse me, ma'am," his mother scolded Darcy, "but this is a private conversation."
"If it's so private, why are you talking on public property and not inside your house or your husband's sacred church?"
The mother folded her arms and narrowed her eyes like any other mother would look at their child if they did something wrong, "Are you being smart with me?"
"Um, yeah," Darcy replied, "I kinda have to be. I am studying at Culver U, after all." The mother raised her brows at that. "You know your son is talking about applying there, aren't you, Brad?" The kids watched the mother's stern expression soften into being baffled, silently asking her son for confirmation.
"Yeah, I was thinking about it," Garrett admitted. Nobody could tell whether or not the news pleased her. The hot desert weather could be responsible for the foul look on her face.
Darcy reminded Garrett that they still had work to do back inside, "The principal isn't paying us to slack around... we're not getting paid period."
"I'll be right there," Garrett promised, about to head inside, until his mother stopped him by grasping his arm.
"You better come straight home after this, Garrett. You hear me? Come home or so help me, I'll..."
"You'll what, Woman of God?" Darcy challenged. Both Garrett and Darcy waited for her to finish that threat - if it was really a threat.
"Or else you won't have a family to come home to," the mother stomped away, giving the kids a brief reprieve. Darcy called her bluff, but Garrett knew his mother better. Going home and finding his packed suitcase on the doorstep wouldn't surprise him.
"Geez, can't that woman be anymore-"
"Don't," Garrett didn't want to have another fight, not today. Fortunately, neither of them talked about it. Darcy didn't bring it up to him or express sympathy for him. She simply treated him as she had been before, and while Garrett didn't say it out loud, deep down, he appreciated it.