by T. M. Meek
Julio studied a note in his hand closely and tried to figure out who it came from as he stood by his locker in the hall at school.
“Hey Julio. What’s up?” Alex asked.
“Someone put this note in my locker and I don’t know who it’s from.” Julio said bewildered. “They must have slipped it in through one of the cracks because I always keep a lock on my locker.”
“Me too. Locks are a good idea. But why didn’t they just text you?” Alex wondered.
“It’s more anonymous to leave a note than to text me I guess.” Julio shrugged.
“What does it say?” Julio handed Alex the note and she read it silently. “It’s a warning but it’s not signed. Shelly seems to be planning to frame me and get me in trouble. Somehow she’s going to use my cell phone and send a sext to her brother’s phone from my phone. Alex, I could get kicked out of school if I can’t prove I didn’t really do it.” he worried.
“How is she going to get your phone?” Alex wondered.
“Sometimes I keep it in my locker so I don’t get tempted to use it in class. It’s a personal choice.”
“Maybe you should keep it on you instead. Obviously if she’s planning on getting it from your locker and you’re being warned then you should store your cell phone in a new location.” Alex said.
“But where would I put it that I wouldn’t have it on me and be tempted to use it? I’m trying not to get in trouble anymore for using it in class. I’ve already been to detention twice and my Dad says if I go to detention one more time then I can’t go on vacation this summer with my cousin. Alex I can’t get in anymore trouble. I can’t afford it.”
Alex was perplexed to see such a serious and responsible side of Julio. She tried hard to think of a solution but drew a blank. Then Julio’s face changed to a sly smile. He had an idea. “I know what I’m going to do.”
“What?” Alex asked curiously. “Turn her in? How do you even know the note is real?”
“No. I won’t turn her in.” Julio smiled. “Not yet.”
Alex saw a mischievous look grow across Julio’s face and this worried her. “Oh no. Julio, don’t do anything stupid.” Alex warned.
“Not stupid. I’m going to do something smart.”
“Like what?” Alex inquired in a clear tone of skepticism.
“She can use my phone. In fact, she’s welcome to get into my locker to do it. I’ll have all of the evidence I need when I catch her on a hidden video camera.” Julio said and then started to laugh at the thought of her being the one in trouble instead of him.
“I don’t know Julio. That sounds like a gamble to me.” Alex said cautiously.
“I guess we’ll see. Meet me at lunch. I’ll see you later.” Julio then shut his locker and ran down the hall and turned around a corner disappearing from Alex’s sight. Alex could only shake her head in disbelief at Julio’s resourcefulness and confidence to try something that could end the problems of the bullying by Shelly and possibly others. But she still had her doubts.
“Where’s Julio?” Alex asked as Leena unwrapped a fresh whole grain sandwich at lunch.
“I’m sure he’ll show up as soon as he’s done getting his lunch. He said he’s decided to join us in our healthy living choice of eating habits. I told him it will taste just as good as the junk food he’s eaten – if not better.” Leena answered with a charming wink.
“You convinced him to give up his love of marshmallows?” Alex asked as she took a bite of her lunch.
“I didn’t say that.” Leena politely clarified. “He’s just going to have marshmallows in moderation. He actually brought me some whole grain blueberry bread the other day that he himself made at home. It tasted really good. We were studying together at my house. Maybe he’ll make some again and you can try it too.”
“That sounds pretty good. But he should still cut back on sugars. That’s what’s making too many kids and adults have so many preventable health problems. A diabetic diet is actually a healthy diet for a lot of people to follow – even if they’re not diabetic or overweight.” Alex said.
“Did your dad teach you that?” Leena asked.
“Yeah. He’s a really successful heart surgeon that actually studies nutrition. Very few doctors understand nutrition well enough but my dad knows a lot about that stuff.”
“I remember you told me that once before.” Leena said.
“I think it’s great that Julio is changing his eating habits to be better and more healthy. What’s he doing to reduce bad fats and get more good fats in his diet?” Alex asked curiously.
“I’m not sure but I do know he bought a recipe book that’s really good. It’s not a low carb diet book either. It has more of an emphasis on good carbs, high fiber, fresh fruits and vegetables, more protein and good healthy fats like olive oil and canola oil. The recipes are all low sugar based on glycemic index values of how quickly sugar from a particular food is absorbed into the bloodstream. He was pretty excited and I told him I’d like to borrow it sometime.” Leena smiled.
“Someday there will be more restaurants that choose for themselves to have healthier menus that are affordable for most people.” Alex added.
“But the food has to taste good too.” Leena said.
“True.” Alex agreed.
Now looking around a bit as she ate, Leena thought it was unusual that Julio wasn’t there yet. “Julio should’ve been here by now.”
“Did you hear about the note he found in his locker earlier today?” Alex asked.
“A note? No.” Leena said bewildered.
“Someone slipped an anonymous note in his locker warning him that Shelly was planning on using his cell phone to send a sext to her brother’s phone to frame Julio and get him in trouble.” Alex was clearly worried.
“That’s awful. Shelly is a jerk!” Leena said in a huff just before taking another bite of her lunch.
“Why didn’t they just text him the warning?” Leena wondered.
“Apparently the old school way of leaving a handwritten note can be more anonymous.” Alex replied.
“What’s Julio going to do?”
“Well that’s the problem. Julio is planning on catching Shelly in the act of framing him by setting up a hidden video camera.” Alex said.
“Where?”
“In his locker, I guess.” Alex replied.
“How’s he going to do that?”
“Only Julio knows.”
Then Julio arrived at the table with a big smile on his face. He had no lunch with him. “Problem solved.” He smiled as he sat down next to Leena and across from Alex.
“Why do I have a bad feeling about this?” Alex wondered in a low voice.
“I don’t know why. All that matters is that I feel pretty good right now.” Julio said proudly.
“Are you sure this won’t backfire on you, Julio?” Alex asked sincerely worried for his future as a student at North Ivy.
“Of course I’m sure.” He answered more hesitantly since Alex was obviously concerned.
“How can you be so sure?” Leena chimed in.
“Trust me. Everything’s going to be just fine.” He half-smiled.
“Are you sure?” Alex asked again.
“Trust me. I know what I’m doing. How can it backfire?” Julio asked trying to not worry.
“It backfired.” Julio mouthed two days later in fearful regret to Leena and Alex as they saw him being hauled away to the principal’s office at the start of lunch. Leena and Alex looked on in shock.
As the door to the principal’s office opened Julio saw his father, Manuel, standing in agitated anticipation over the ensuing meeting. Julio’s jaw dropped wide open and a feeling of dread came over him.
“Hello, Julio.” Manuel said in a clear tone of controlled anger. That alone was enough to make Julio regret setting up a small video camera in his locker.
“Two days suspension will hopefully get you to put your head on straight before doing such a foolish thing like that again.” Manuel said i
n a low voice of irritation as he quickly walked Julio out of the school after the somber meeting with the principal. “I’ve already spoken with your mother and she agrees. You will have no TV, no computer, no internet, no video games, no music, no cell phone privileges and no friends over for the next four days. You will, however, write the report the principal required of you about why setting up video cameras in the school without permission is wrong.” Manuel said in a huff as they walked briskly.
“But the school’s only punishing me for two days. Why are you punishing me for four?”
“Personally, I think they went easy on you by giving you only two days suspension. I think they should have given you three or four days. But this may give you an opportunity to count your blessings that you can still go to school here.”
“But you saw the video footage. Shelly stole my cell phone! Why am I getting in trouble too?” Julio protested. This caused Manuel to stop abruptly in his tracks and address Julio firmly.
“You think that setting up a video camera to catch a girl doing something is setting a good example? Hmm? Do you actually think that once the word got out that you, Julio Lopez, my son, caught a girl – or anyone else for that matter – committing some crime that doing so would actually be a good example to set for the rest of the students here? You are the son of a man who is well known for professional security services, services that often use video cameras, for homes and businesses all across the state and in other states as well and you don’t think that someone might get the false idea that I, your father, trained you to do this? Hmm?” Manuel asked in heated confrontation. This potential problem never occurred to Julio. He was at a loss for words as he stood in silence listening to his father. Manuel, nearly furious but still maintaining his control by not yelling or cussing, continued to teach his son what he knew he needed to learn.
“Son, people abuse video surveillance technology all of the time. Men video taping women on their dates and the women have no idea that the man she is dating is using cameras to record their date at his apartment. These men are criminals. They are perverts. The women are often innocent. If I let you off easy or if the school lets you off easy by not properly disciplining you for your thoughtless actions – even when you use it in your defense – you won’t learn that there are consequences for your actions, consequences that you cannot always choose.” As he considered how angry and disappointed he was in his son, he worried he might be too upset. Pausing long enough to get his anger under even better control, he let out a long sigh and then looked more gently at Julio. Showing a little softer side so he isn’t so firm with his son that Julio thinks his father doesn’t love him, Manuel gently put his arm around Julio and moved him to walk along side him more slowly as they left the school.
“Julio, video surveillance technology, the power I work with everyday in my career, is something that is usually encouraged, yes, to prevent criminals from committing a crime since they will fear being caught, but it is also used to help people see that there are no causes for concern in a certain room or parking lot, for example, so people see the good in a situation. Many people in this world are trustworthy. We should not be looking to prove someone guilty so quickly. It is better to video a room or area in hopes of finding no causes for concern rather than looking to catch someone doing something wrong. It is a mindset of optimism rather than a mindset of pessimism and accusation that I’m talking about. Understand?”
“But I was warned about her and then it happened. I understand now the idea of me setting a bad example as your son and I apologize for that. But even my bill from my cell phone service provider shows who the sext came from and the date and time and then the date and time of it being sent from my phone to her brother’s shortly after – all of that might not have been enough proof of my innocence. I just want to know what else I could’ve done in my defense had she broken in to my locker and used my phone and I had no video to prove it?”
Manuel and Julio stopped just outside his car and looked at one another for a few moments. Then Manuel let out another deep sigh as he looked off in the distance and prepared to answer Julio’s question.
Looking back at Julio he replied, “I’m afraid I don’t have an answer for that right now because I know you could have brought the note to the principal and that he might simply see it as you trying to get away with a terrible thing by framing Shelly instead. I actually don’t blame you too much for setting up the video camera to catch her because now the principal and you and I have proof of just how mean Shelly can be. Now there is no question that she sent the sext to her brother and you cannot be entirely to blame. In some ways, as a professional in the security industry, yes, that was a smart move on your part to get proof. However, one of the problems here is that you did not have the advanced, written consent or permission of the school to use a hidden video camera in your locker. The locker is the property of the school and you only have permission to use it with certain previously mutually agreed upon restrictions. This ‘sting operation’ you created did not have a willing partner through the school and therefore the school could possibly be held liable if they knew about it and allowed you to do it by not punishing you. Understand?”
“Yeah. I think so.”
“Shelly is being suspended for a week. That seems fair to me. She did commit the greater crime. But you cannot think in the future that you can do whatever you want to keep yourself out of trouble if someone is after you, as Shelly was, and then still control all of the consequences.” Manuel studied his son’s face carefully to see that he understood before reaching for the keys to his car. “By the way, where is the note that warned you of Shelly’s idea?” Manuel inquired intently.
Julio reached into his yellow and black backpack to dig around and find it. “It’s in here somewhere. Why? It was never signed so we can’t know who wrote it.” After finding it he opened it up to read it again.
“Put it in this bag.” Manuel said as he pulled out an empty paper lunch bag from his pocket and emptied out the few crumbs from crackers he had eaten earlier. “I’ll test it for fingerprints and see what comes up.”
“Sweet!” Julio smiled as he placed the note in his father’s empty bag. Manuel carefully put the bag with the note back in his pocket and gave Julio a confident wink and they got into his car and headed for home.