school had enacted a strict no-bullying policy-but that's not what he said. In fact, he didn't address the situation at all. He merely told the class to call their parents to come pick them up so they could go home, take a shower and change into fresh clothes.
As the students filed out of the room, he turned to me. 'What's going on with you, Seth?'
My answer was immediate. 'I'm not taking their shit anymore. If the school board and the teachers won’t protect me, then I need to start standing up for myself. I've been going through this for years-and you know it. You've seen it. You’ve done nothing about it. The same goes for too many other teachers in this school. It's wrong what's happening and yet every teacher in this school knows it's happening to me and to others, but you do nothing about it. Sometimes, I think you're the worst bullies because you choose to look the other way. You let it happen. It's easier to say let it happen. I'm tired of it and I'm not going to back down from the students who hate me, from you or from any other teacher who doesn't act on my behalf. I'm done with it. And I'll go public with it.'
'That's your choice,' Garland said. 'But I wouldn't recommend it.'
'I'm sure you wouldn't.'
He walked over to his desk and sat down. 'Care to know why?'
'Shoot.'
'Because you’ll only make it worse. We can't prevent anything that happens off school grounds. I think you're setting yourself up for something bad, Seth. I think if you take this too far, it could blow up in your face.'
'So, I should just continue to take it? You should just continue to ignore it? What kind of bullshit is that?'
When he didn't say anything, I left to see the nurse.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The rest of the day was a wash. People were on edge. The mood was off. Most were talking. I was the conversation.
Jake had been thrown out of school for the rest of the week. Worse, because he threatened me in front of Mr. Garland, the police were now involved. They came by and had a little chat with Jake and Principal Roberts, which didn't go well because Jake's parents got involved-and Jake's father is a member of the school board, which complicates things.
Then there's Ginny, who is Jake's on-and-off girlfriend. Together, they're a force and have so many friends, it's daunting. Now, I was so officially entrenched on their shitlist, it didn't take a genius to know that Mr. Garland was right. Maybe this was all going to blow up in my face.
Of course, what no one knew is what I wore around my neck. If Jake and Ginny organized out of spite, which I had an idea they would, could the amulet help me against a group of people. I didn't know and it worried me.
At lunch, I sat with Alex and Jennifer, but there wasn’t much conversation. Alex mentioned that he was joining the football team, which was perfect for him and I was glad for him. Jennifer said something about seeing a movie on Friday night with a few of her girlfriends. As for me? Well, I’d be stuck in my room as always because I had nowhere else to go. I thought about telling them that today was my birthday, but what was the point? Just to seek attention? Not me.
Still, we did agree that at some point on Saturday, we should meet at Starbucks for a coffee and some downtime. And apparently, we all silently agreed to ignore the noise of conversation that surrounded us because it was about us.
We didn't share any classes for the rest of the day, so when the bell rang, we made a date for noon at Starbucks on Saturday and went our separate ways.
Outside, in the hall, I felt more alone than I had in awhile. Glances were shot my way, but nothing more than that, which was a shift from how it usually went down. Usually, I was knocked up against a locker. Somebody would spit on me. Or I'd be punched.
Now, I was considered a threat.
Two days back in school and I had actively called out a few of the most popular bullies. Few knew what to do with it. If I was willing to take them on, surely I'd take on others like them. And so their eyes lifted fleetingly as I passed them. And as I passed them, what I saw on their faces was unmistakable-rage.
Later, at home, I walked around the trailer to make sure nothing additional had been added and was relieved to find that everything was as it should be.
I went into the house prepared for the usual bullshit and was surprised to find my mother at the stove. I looked around the place and saw that she had actually cleaned. And then, on the kitchen table, I saw why-there sat a chocolate cake on a cake stand and a couple of balloons tied to a wrapped present.
She turned to me when I walked in and for the first time since I could remember, it was apparent that she wasn’t drunk. She may have had a few, but she wasn't drunk. 'Happy birthday,' she said. 'I'm making your favorite.
I didn't have a favorite. What did she consider my favorite?
I sniffed and looked and saw that she'd made a large pot of tomato sauce with meatballs. And I have to admit, while my mother was no cook, it did smell good. I decided to be cautiously positive. Maybe it'll turn out to be my favorite.
She put down the spoon she was holding and came around to give me a hug. Then she grabbed each of my hands and stood back, looking at me. 'You're growing up,' she said. 'When did you get these muscles?'
'I don't know. I’ve been working out in my room.'
'So, that's what you've been doing in there.'
'I'm tired of being skinny.'
'Then let's get some food into you.'
'Where's Dad?'
She went to the pot and stirred. 'He's out.'
'Is he coming for dinner?'
'You know how he can be, honey. He gets out there and then he just forgets. I told him we were having a special dinner. I think he’ll remember.'
He wasn't coming. I knew it but didn't say anything.
'That gift is from both of us. Why don't you open it before we eat?'
'So, he knew it was my birthday?'
'Of course, he did. And he asked me to tell you happy birthday if he didn't see you.' She pointed at the gift. 'He's the one who picked it out.'
It was a large box. I opened it and, with a surprise I couldn't mask, I saw that it was a Playstation 3. I looked at her. 'Mom, we can't afford this. We don't have the money for this.'
'That's where you're wrong,' she said.
'Did Dad get a job?'
' I got a job,' she said. 'At the bank. Finally, all those phone calls worked. I called again this morning and talked to Sandy, my old boss. Things are picking up there again and she asked if I'd like my old position back.'
'Mom, that's terrific.'
'I start next week. Full time with full benefits, just like before. Two weeks of vacation plus holidays. And banker's hours, which are the best kind of hours.'
She looked happy. I walked over and gave her a hug. I told her that I was proud of her. When we pulled away, her eyes were moist.
'I know I've let you down,' she said. 'We both have. We're going to try to figure things out. This is a good first step, but it's not the last step. We've got a ways to go. Your Dad is looking for work. When I got the news this morning about the job, we had a talk. We know we need to fix things about ourselves and then we should be on track again.'
Behind her, a pot of water started to boil. She put a box of spaghetti in it and gave it a whirl with her spoon. As I watched her, I remembered how it used to be before they each lost their jobs. How it was before each started
