Dorio.
Two hours later, I’ve been checked out and given the all clear by the nurse, and am sitting in the waiting area outside the office with Erick while Mom finishes up with Mrs. Dorio. I haven’t said a word to Erick. He tried to talk at first, then retreated to his DS. Now he’s kicking my chair as if it’s just an inadvertent effect of swinging his legs.
Clunk … clunk … clunk …
“What?” I finally snap.
“Are you in trouble?” he asks.
“Hmmmm. Take a guess,” I say sarcastically. “Do you want me to be in trouble?”
“Depends. Are you in trouble for something cool?”
I lean back against the wall. “I’m not in trouble. I mean, I shouldn’t be.”
“Oh.”
Clunk … clunk … clunk …
I’m about to grab his leg, twist it, and
get
in trouble when Mom comes out of Mrs. Dorio’s inner sanctum. She doesn’t say anything until I’m with her in the front of the car and Erick’s belted into the back. Mom makes him put on his headphones to play his games, then tunes the radio so it’s all in the back speakers. I know he’ll still listen, but I appreciate her effort.
“Why didn’t you tell me you’re being bullied?” she asks.
Ugh. Even the word is embarrassing. “I’m not being
bullied
,” I say. “I’m being annoyed. Badly.”
“Is it because you’re new?” Mom asks. “Maybe if we make an effort to get to know people here … we could have a big party, invite whoever you think is causing the trouble.”
“Mom, I’m not eight. You can’t fix this with playdates.”
She doesn’t say anything for a while. When she does speak, her voice is so low I have to strain to hear it.
“So what was the rumor?” she asks. “Mrs. Dorio said she didn’t know … but you said it was something about your father?”
“You don’t want to know.”
“Yes, I do.”
I look out the window. “Believe me. You don’t.”
There’s a road crew stopping traffic and we come to a halt. “We could switch schools,” Mom offers, turning to me. “Maybe a private school?”
“That’s crazy. I’m not going to run away over this.”
“Well, we have to do something. I’m supposed to protect you, not send you someplace to get harassed every day.”
“Not harassed. Annoyed.”
Mom blows out a breath. “Fine. But I don’t like it.”
“Me neither,” I admit. “But I’ll take care of it. Not in a dumb way. I promise.”
The foreman is holding up a SLOW sign and we start moving again. As we approach the house, I notice an SUV pulled up to the curb in front. I squeeze my eyes tightly for just a second to make sure I’m not seeing things. When I open them, it’s still there.
“Mom, that’s a friend of mine,” I say, tilting my head toward the car. “Mind if I sit out here and talk? I promise we won’t go anywhere.”
Mom thinks it over as we get out. “Just for a little while. Then I want you inside. It’s late, and you still have to eat and do homework.”
“Okay.” I wait for Mom and Erick to go inside; then I walk out to the street and open the passenger-side door of Sean’s SUV. I’m guessing he’s been here a while, because his seat’s tipped back and he’s asleep. I pull myself onto the duct-taped seat, pull the door closed behind me, and shake his arm until he startles awake.
“Oh!” he says. “Hey.”
“Hey. How did you know where I live?”
“Online student directory,” he says. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“I’m fine,” I say. I’m also amazed he’s here. “Not that I’m complaining, but you could have texted.”
“Yeah,” he agrees. “I just was worried you might be mad at me.”
“Because you knew?”
“I’d heard the rumor, yeah.”
“And you didn’t tell me.”
He shakes his head. Maybe I should be mad at him, but he looks so pained and worried I can’t.
“Why not?” I ask.
“Because it was ugly. And I didn’t believe it. And I didn’t want you to hear something horrible like
Two hours later, I’ve been checked out and given the all clear by the nurse, and am sitting in the waiting area outside the office with Erick while Mom finishes up with Mrs. Dorio. I haven’t said a word to Erick. He tried to talk at first, then retreated to his DS. Now he’s kicking my chair as if it’s just an inadvertent effect of swinging his legs.
Clunk … clunk … clunk …
“What?” I finally snap.
“Are you in trouble?” he asks.
“Hmmmm. Take a guess,” I say sarcastically. “Do you want me to be in trouble?”
“Depends. Are you in trouble for something cool?”
I lean back against the wall. “I’m not in trouble. I mean, I shouldn’t be.”
“Oh.”
Clunk … clunk … clunk …
I’m about to grab his leg, twist it, and
get
in trouble when Mom comes out of Mrs. Dorio’s inner sanctum. She doesn’t say anything until I’m with her in the front of the car and Erick’s belted into the back. Mom makes him put on his headphones to play his games, then tunes the radio so it’s all in the back speakers. I know he’ll still listen, but I appreciate her effort.
“Why didn’t you tell me you’re being bullied?” she asks.
Ugh. Even the word is embarrassing. “I’m not being
bullied
,” I say. “I’m being annoyed. Badly.”
“Is it because you’re new?” Mom asks. “Maybe if we make an effort to get to know people here … we could have a big party, invite whoever you think is causing the trouble.”
“Mom, I’m not eight. You can’t fix this with playdates.”
She doesn’t say anything for a while. When she does speak, her voice is so low I have to strain to hear it.
“So what was the rumor?” she asks. “Mrs. Dorio said she didn’t know … but you said it was something about your father?”
“You don’t want to know.”
“Yes, I do.”
I look out the window. “Believe me. You don’t.”
There’s a road crew stopping traffic and we come to a halt. “We could switch schools,” Mom offers, turning to me. “Maybe a private school?”
“That’s crazy. I’m not going to run away over this.”
“Well, we have to do something. I’m supposed to protect you, not send you someplace to get harassed every day.”
“Not harassed. Annoyed.”
Mom blows out a breath. “Fine. But I don’t like it.”
“Me neither,” I admit. “But I’ll take care of it. Not in a dumb way. I promise.”
The foreman is holding up a SLOW sign and we start moving again. As we approach the house, I notice an SUV pulled up to the curb in front. I squeeze my eyes tightly for just a second to make sure I’m not seeing things. When I open them, it’s still there.
“Mom, that’s a friend of mine,” I say, tilting my head toward the car. “Mind if I sit out here and talk? I promise we won’t go anywhere.”
Mom thinks it over as we get out. “Just for a little while. Then I want you inside. It’s late, and you still have to eat and do homework.”
“Okay.” I wait for Mom and Erick to go inside; then I walk out to the street and open the passenger-side door of Sean’s SUV. I’m guessing he’s been here a while, because his seat’s tipped back and he’s asleep. I pull myself onto the duct-taped seat, pull the door closed behind me, and shake his arm until he startles awake.
“Oh!” he says. “Hey.”
“Hey. How did you know where I live?”
“Online student directory,” he says. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“I’m fine,” I say. I’m also amazed he’s here. “Not that I’m complaining, but you could have texted.”
“Yeah,” he agrees. “I just was worried you might be mad at me.”
“Because you knew?”
“I’d heard the rumor, yeah.”
“And you didn’t tell me.”
He shakes his head. Maybe I should be mad at him, but he looks so pained and worried I can’t.
“Why not?” I ask.
“Because it was ugly. And I didn’t believe it. And I didn’t want you to hear something horrible like
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