OUTCAST: Trust, Friendship, And Injustice (Beauty 0f Life Book 9)

by Laura Acton

  Leda rose, went to Mr. Wiggins’ office, knocked on his door, and waited for an acknowledgment. Once given, she cracked the portal to make her announcement. “Sir, General William Broderick is asking for an appointment to enter his son Daniel in the current academic year.” She nodded and upon returning to her desk, she said, “He’ll be right out, sir.”

  Charles Wiggins, a former soldier, once clerked for Lieutenant Colonel Elkins and met Broderick when he was a major. He took a few minutes to prepare for the minor, yet according to William, necessary ruse. Ready, Charles stood, and ambled from his office, wearing an amiable smile.

  Reaching them, he offered a hand, and per his phone conversation with William and Yvonne Broderick yesterday, he extended a salutation as if they were unacquainted. “Hello, I am Mr. Wiggins. I understand you wish to introduce Daniel to our world of academia here at Hillview.”

  “Correct, sir.” William shook the man’s hand and launched in as planned. He needed a moment to speak with Ms. Getty, the school psychologist, without Daniel present, to advise her of the circumstances and garner her support. “He’s been privately tutored for the past seven years. You will find all his records in here.” William held out a thick folder. “Daniel will require the challenge provided by academically advanced classes.”

  Wiggins glanced at the teenage boy standing near Broderick before taking the file and flipping it open. He understood full-well the issues they may face with Dan’s placement after such an isolated upbringing, but he assured the Brodericks that Ms. Getty would be willing to help.

  Impressed with the summary, Charles closed the folder “As with every home-schooled applicant, we will evaluate the student’s curricular needs.” To his assistant, Wiggins instructed, “Leda, please provide an enrollment packet to General Broderick and arrange an educational assessment exam for Daniel.”

  Redirecting his gaze to Dan, he noted the boy was cut from the Broderick cloth. “Welcome to Hillview, Daniel. I’m sure you will enjoy your time with us. We have excellent teachers, sports teams, and clubs.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Dan said.

  Leda pulled out a bundle of forms and handed them to the strikingly handsome general as she stood. “Please fill these out, General. You may use the table in the conference room to the left. Daniel, if you will come with me, I will set you up with the exams.”

  Dan followed the assistant to the testing center as his father went to the designated room. He sat in a cubicle, typed in the given computer password, and entered a portal for the placement tests. An hour later, after he completed them, he waited for the school guidance counselor, Ms. Getty, to retrieve him and discuss the results. His mind wandered as he considered the events leading up to the significant change in his life in less than twenty-four hours.

  Yesterday began as a perplexing day and continued in the same fashion. After arriving home from the walk, a whirlwind of activity took place. His mother took him for a haircut and instructed the barber to keep most of the length instead of shearing everything off for a typical military cut. Afterward, they went clothes shopping, and she asked for his opinion on what he liked.

  He now wore an almost entirely new outfit. New jeans which fit him perfectly, a blue, long-sleeve Henley shirt which the strange, new mother said matched his eyes, and a new, toasty-warm jacket. Although she bought him several pairs of shoes, still somewhat disconcerted by all the changes, he needed something familiar, so chose to wear his old, comfy boots.

  They ate their noon meal at a restaurant, and she let him order whatever he wanted. After lunch, they procured the black backpack now slung over his shoulder, and a plethora of school supplies, which at the time he believed to be stocking up for his return to the ice prison. At dinner, the general announced he would be enrolled in the local high school. So shocked by the revelation, he only replied, ‘Yes, sir.’

  Unsure of the reason for these changes, Dan still rejoiced at the prospect of making a friend his age. Ms. Getty’s arrival brought Dan’s thoughts back to the present. He stood and followed her out as requested.

  After ushering Dan into her office, Faith Getty motioned for him to take a seat as she sat behind her desk. Her conversation with General Broderick saddened her. This poor boy needed gentle guidance. “First order of business, do you prefer Daniel, Dan, or some other nickname?”

  “Dan, please, ma’am.” His eyes darted around the room, taking in all the posters of possible careers, but focused on one for first responders with a constable, firefighter, and paramedic pictured. The slogan at the bottom read, consider joining us if you want to help others.

  “Alright, Dan. I reviewed your academic record, and your performance is stellar. You are quite far ahead in your studies. You almost meet graduation requirements. Though you are technically the age of a sophomore, you could graduate at the end of this semester if we enroll you as a senior and I place you in the necessary classes. Would you like to do that?”

  Sitting rigidly in his seat, Dan’s mouth gaped at being asked. I’m never allowed to make decisions. “The decision will be up to the general, ma’am.”

  “I ran this by him. He liked the idea and mentioned this would fit well with your goals of entering the RMCC earlier.” Faith suggested to Dan’s father to allow this to be Dan’s decision and although he grumbled, he agreed.

  “Although, this is your life and your choice. You might consider enrolling as a junior or sophomore to avail yourself of our many interesting electives and enjoy a few years of high school.” Faith waited, studying the adolescent closely to gauge his reaction. After years of isolation, spending time with peers would be beneficial in reintegrating him to a more normal life.

  Dan kept to himself that going to the Royal Military College of Canada was not his goal. Joining the service was an expectation. A family tradition no Broderick male for at least eight generations broke, and he never entertained other possibilities. The general trained him from an early age for a soldier’s life and decided for him he would be an Army officer.

  As the counselor waited for his answer, Dan considered if he graduated early, perhaps the minor accomplishment would garner a little worthiness in his parent’s eyes. They might forgive me … no, they won’t. The notion of hanging out with friends doing regular stuff for a couple of years appealed to him, but he answered, “Ma’am, please sign me up as a senior.”

  “Alright. Let’s take a gander at your test results.” Thoroughly impressed by his scores, Faith smiled. “Well, your father is right. You require honors classes. Anything less would be a waste of your talents and abilities. Let me pull up the schedule, and we can discuss what is available.”

  Ms. Getty talked to him about open classes which would meet his requirements. Some of the ones he wanted to take were full, and for electives, he ended up with weight training for his sixth hour and PE for the seventh period. Much better than dance and culinary arts, the only other options.

  By the time they finished, and he received his schedule, school ID, and a map, the third hour was ending. His fourth was honors math, and he had lunch during fifth so tomorrow would be his first day in the other academic courses. Another bizarre day.

  Dan thanked Ms. Getty and marched out to find Mr. Handcock’s classroom. He noted the general was no longer there, most likely returned to the base, having taken too much of his time this morning enrolling him in school.

  Hillview High School – Cafeteria – 11:40 a.m.

  Five girls congregated at a lunch table chatting. Sixteen-year-old Kimber hurried to them with her tray, sat, and disrupted all the conversations. “OMG, the hottest new guy joined my math class. He is so, so, so hot.”

  Laughing, Brooke asked, “Okay, describe hot.”

  Kimber’s eyes took on a dreamy quality as she recalled the image. “OMG, a golden-haired Adonis with the most beautiful and soulful blue eyes. I could drown in his sapphire pools. He is so handsome. I wouldn’t mind staring at him all day long.”

  She smiled at her best fr
iends. “And when he took his jacket off … wow! He’s built rock solid. The way his shirt hugged his abs … what a body. And his biceps … whoa! The guy’s got the whole package and Todd will be jealous of …” She was cut off by Debbie.

  Debbie spotted Todd, and interrupted, “Quiet, Kimber. Not cool to talk about another guy being scorching when your boyfriend might overhear.”

  Kimber frowned. He won’t be my boyfriend much longer. I’m ending things after school today. Todd is such a jerk sometimes. Just because he is a senior, star athlete, and the self-proclaimed king of the school, who everyone wants to be around and hang on his every word like he is some god, doesn’t mean I must put up with his crap.

  Sure, I used to be one of Todd’s adoring fans and thrilled when the top dog on campus asked me, a lowly sophomore, out, but over the past six months I wised up to the kind of guy he is, and I’m not into control freaks. I’m tired of Todd always telling me what to do, when, and with who. He acts as if he owns me, and he doesn’t. I am my own woman. I’m breaking up with him today.

  “Ooh, I know who you’re talking about. I came in late this morning and stopped for a pass in the admin building. I agree he is most definitely sizzling! I might melt into a puddle if he so much as glances at me,” Rachel pipped in.

  Eighteen-year-old Todd Morin and a group of seven guys sauntered over to the table. Todd put his arms around Kimber, staking claim to his girl. “What ya gossiping about?”

  Kimber chafed at Todd’s arms and pushed out of them.

  Rachel supplied, “The smokin’ hot new guy who started school today. He came in with General Broderick. I think it is his son. They both had the same blue eyes and blond hair. He went into the testing center while the general spoke to Principal Wiggins and the school shrink.”

  Shocked, Ricky Miller exclaimed, “No way! Dan’s back? Man, he is one screwed-up dude.” The group asked what he meant, and Ricky shared what he knew from when he and Dan had known each other as little kids.

  Then he said, “Dan changed a lot after his sister Sara died, went all quiet and sullen. One day that summer, I tried to talk him into going to watch my older brother play a pick-up game of rugby with a bunch of his high school buddies, but he said the general would be mad at him if he went without permission. So, he—”

  “Wait, he calls his dad, the general?” Brooke asked incredulously.

  “Yeah, he only called him Sir or General. Messed up, huh?”

  Mike McDermott disagreed. “Not really, General Broderick is one intimidating dude. My dad, who is on his staff, said you never want to do anything to piss off the general because he can cut a soldier to pieces with words alone and if that isn’t enough, he is one badass sniper.

  “When I visited Dad on base four days ago, I witnessed firsthand what my father meant. Outside near the office, we ran across the general dressing down a major. Damned scary. Thought the major might piss himself. Hell, I wasn’t the one in trouble, and I almost did.”

  Mike clamped his mouth shut as he realized what he admitted, then hurried on, hoping no one razzed him. “I asked my old man what Major Plouffe did to merit the set down. All he said was he received a well-deserved reprimand.

  “I also overheard Dad talking to Mom about how General Badass is a hard man with insanely, high standards. Can’t imagine what it would be like to have someone like him as a dad. I would probably call him sir too.”

  Ricky punched Mike in the arm. “Shut up, dude, I’m telling a story here, quit interrupting me.”

  Mike grinned at him. “Sorry, dude, go on.” Ricky and Mike had been best friends since kindergarten. This year, although only sophomores, Todd accepted them into his clique after they made the varsity hockey team and would likely do so for rugby too.

  Ricky returned his gaze to the group and said, “Anyways, as I was saying. I didn’t want to miss the game in the park, so I finally grabbed Dan’s arm and pulled him along with me. When we got to the crosswalk, Dan froze in a rigid stance. He wouldn’t budge at all. I thought he was pretending to be in a trance or something. After ten minutes of trying to make him respond to me, I got mad at his stupid game and left him.”

  Shifting to sit down with the girls, Ricky moved closer like he possessed juicy gossip. “About an hour later, on my way home, a group of adults and other kids gathered at the intersection. I pushed through them and found Dan still standing in the same place. He hadn’t moved an inch. Dan’s father was there with two medics from the base.

  “One medic injected him with something and Dan didn’t flinch at all. Whatever they gave him knocked him out because within a minute or so Dan’s eyes closed and he collapsed. The general scooped him into his arms and tried to climb into the ambulance holding him. The medics made him lay Dan on the gurney, and they strapped Dan down before leaving.”

  Shaking his head, Ricky finished. “When school started, he didn’t return. Rumor had it he went to some looney bin or something. Honestly, I’m not sure where Dan went. My mother made me write to him for a little while, and I did. The sparse return letters stopped coming about eighteen months later. Haven’t communicated with him since.”

  “That’s so sad. Any idea why? I mean the rumor of him going to a mental hospital. You corresponded with him so you would’ve addressed the letters,” Kimber said as Todd glared at her, but she ignored him in favor of keeping her attention on Ricky.

  “My handwriting sucks, so mom wrote the envelopes. So, no, I don’t know where he ended up. But as to the buzz about the other, I think it was true. Dan witnessed his little sister die right in front of him.”

  All the girls gasped, and Ricky continued, “He was in charge of minding her when a car hit her. Now that I think about it, it occurred at that intersection. Must’ve messed him up real bad. Wonder what he’s doing back here.”

  Mike said, “I hope he is okay now. Wonder where he’s been, I tried to keep in touch too. I didn’t know him too well back then, but he was always fun. Had a wicked sense of humor and smiled a lot.”

  Ricky interjected, “Yeah, but only when his dad was not around. Dan went all stiff and never smiled when the general appeared. All soldier like.”

  Mike nodded recalling the odd behavior too as the topic of their chitchat strode into the cafeteria. Catching sight of Dan, the females all sighed, while the males sized up the guy.

  “Kimber, you are right. He is sexy! Messed up or not, Dan won’t need to chase girls. We’re gonna be beating a path to him. Hope I’m first in line,” Brooke declared, her heart rate speeding up as she ogled him, noting how he strode with confidence. Who wouldn’t want a guy like him?

  Todd glared and clenched his fists as Kimber’s eyes followed Dan. He instantly hated the new guy. Kimber is mine. I rule this campus. How dare she give another guy those doe eyes? He would bide his time, but if Kimber didn’t shape up, he would put this blond in his place … at the bottom of the heap.

  Unsettled with everyone staring at him, and unused to being around so many people, Dan strove to cover his nervousness as he reviewed the menu selections. Wow, I can choose my lunch instead of eating whatever Corporal Ellison brings me. Dan handed his student card to the cashier after ordering a burger, apple, and milk. He might be given a choice, but he almost laughed after selecting the same thing Ellison usually provided him.

  After receiving his tray, Dan turned to the full room, scanning for an open spot at a table. Overwhelmed by all the faces gawking at him, he pulled on his cocky persona, straightened his back, and marched confidently to the doors. Although chilly outside, it offered respite from the crowd. Not many students would brave the cold weather, and he would be able to relax.

  Hillview High School – Courtyard – 11:45 a.m.

  Dan located a place well away from the other kids, but still in a sheltered position with no snow. He leaned against the wall and slid down, sitting cross-legged on the sidewalk. As he ate, Dan gazed at the overcast sky wondering if it would snow today and allowed the bracing breeze to settle his a
nxiety.

  Eating like a soldier, quick and efficient, Dan finished his lunch with tons of time left until the next bell. With nothing else to do, Dan pulled out a notebook and his math book, flipping through the pages to find the homework assignment. This class is going to be a piece of cake. I covered this material over a year ago, and it was easy then too.

  At the top of the empty page, he wrote his name, Mr. Handcock – 4th Hour, and the date. After reading the first problem, Dan did the computations in his head before writing down only the answer. He whipped through the thirty questions before the bell sounded. When he finished, he peered up and found a girl from his class staring at him. “Is there something you need?”

  Startled to be caught gawping, Kimber became flustered. “Um, hi. We are in the same fourth-hour math class. Are you doing math homework?”

  “Yes. I’m done.”

  “You did all thirty already? But you didn’t work the calculations out on paper or use a scientific calculator. How can you be done?” No way he could’ve worked all those hard problems in this amount of time.

  “They are simple.” Dan shoved his notebook and math textbook in his new backpack, then stood and extended his hand. “Name’s Dan, Dan Broderick. What’s yours?”

  Blushing, she pulled herself together and took his offered hand, giving it a little shake. “Kimberly Hall. But all my friends call me Kimber. A word of advice, Handcock will believe you cheated since you didn’t show how you worked out the answers.”

  Shrugging, Dan responded, “I’ll prove to him I can do them in my head. Sorry, gotta go. I need to find my way to class. A pleasure to meet you, Kimber. Oh, and if you want any help with math, just ask.”

  Dan hiked his backpack on one shoulder. As he sauntered off, Dan almost smiled. She is cute … hope she wants help. Making friends will be fun. Perhaps I will find common ground with some of the guys who chose weightlifting as an elective. Wonder if I can change my mind about sticking around another year or two. The general most likely won’t let me … but at least the next few months will be better than being in the ice prison. Guess I earned parole … wonder how?