I heard a faint beeping sound, and then became aware that I couldn't move my hands. No, that wasn't it, someone was touching them. I listened for other sounds, but couldn't hear any. It felt like the right moment to open my eyes, so I did. First my left. Nothing but blackness. Have I gone blind? Okay, try the right one. A faint light was shining nearby.
Gradually, the world came into focus. I opened my right eye, and realized I was in a hospital room. And there, holding my right hand, was my mother. It was obvious she'd been crying. “Hello, sweetie,” she said.
“Mom,” I slurred. My voice was barely working. “I'm … alive?”
She nodded. “Yes, sweetie. You're alive.”
I closed my eyes, exhaling with relief. I heard my mother say, “There's someone else here, too.”
I realized someone was holding my left hand as well. I had to move my head all the way to the side to see who it was because my left eye was covered with thick bandages, as, indeed, was most of my head. This took a lot of effort, but I was ecstatic to see a familiar face on the other side of the bed. “Eve,” I whispered.
She, too, had been crying. A lot. In fact, she still was. She took my hand and kissed it. Had she been there the whole time? “Hello, Joshua. How do you feel?”
“My … face hurts.” I looked at both of them, and then down at my body, seeing more bandages on my upper chest. “Why can't I talk?”
“Your voice will come back,” my mom promised. “Just lie still.”
Just like that, all of my most recent memories came flooding back. I opened my eye wide, taking a deep breath. “Brent …”
Eve put her hand on my chest. “It's okay, Joshua. He'll never hurt you again,” she said comfortingly. “No one will ever hurt you again.”
“What happened?” I asked.
Mom smiled at Eve, taking her hand. “Eve saved your life, sweetie.”
“What?” I said weakly, staring at her.
“Eve pulled Brent off of you,” my mother said. “According to the paramedic, she also helped bring you back in the ambulance. You were slipping away,” she said, stifling a tear, “and Eve talked you back.”
My God … that wasn't a dream after all. I stared at Eve. “You … saved me?”
She nodded.
I could only croak out a barely audible, “Thank you.” She kissed my hand again.
Turning back to my mom, I said, “So … I see you two have finally met.” I smiled weakly.
“Yes we have,” my mom said. “We've been chatting for the last few hours.”
“Hours?” I asked. “How long was I out?”
“For a while,” my mom replied. “It's almost nighttime now.” She smiled. “You've got an amazing girl here, sweetie. She's everything you said she was.”
I smiled and nodded. No, she's way more than that. “Am I going to be okay?” I asked.
“Yes, Joshua,” said Eve, her eyes moist. “Just like I said you would be.”
* * *
The next few hours were a flurry of activity. My dad and sister came by, and I was happy to introduce them to Eve myself, at long last.
Emily's mom brought her and Susan to the hospital, and the three girls kept me company for over an hour. Susan explained that after the ambulance left, the police showed up and took Brent away in a squad car. Odds were good he was never coming back, which was an immense relief to me. She also told me that Emily had spotted Rhonda in the crowd after the ambulance left, and it had taken three people to keep Emily from ripping her head off. Emily just looked embarrassed. My warrior maiden.
Eve's mom came by not long afterward. She was with a middle-aged Hispanic man in a suit, who introduced himself as Miguel Alvarez, the District Superintendent of Schools, who had wanted to meet us in person. He and Liz had only just finished their meeting when Emily had frantically called Liz's cell from school.
Mr. Alvarez told us an investigation into the gross negligence and lax disciplinary standards fostered by Mr. Baird that had led to my abuse and hospitalization would be launched immediately. He promised swift and decisive action, but unlike Mr. Baird's empty promises, this I actually believed. The police also stopped by and, in the presence of our mothers, took mine and Eve's statements.
By the time the clock struck nine, everyone had gone home except for Eve and our mothers. Before leaving the room, my mom had hugged Eve, thanking her repeatedly for saving the life of her only son. Finally, the two of us were alone.
I stared at her beautiful brown eyes, which were on the point of closing; she'd gotten little sleep the night before and had had … well, an emotionally exhausting day, to say the least. I tried to think of something deep and profound to say, but nothing came to mind. She just smiled that gorgeous smile at me. “Eve?” I asked weakly.
She edged in closer, grasping my hand in hers. “Yes, Joshua?”
“We're going to be okay, right?”
She leaned forward and kissed me gently on the lips, the only part of my face that didn't hurt. “Yes, Joshua,” she said sweetly.
I ran my finger across her cheek. “You'll stay by my side?”
“Always,” she said softly.
We sat in silence for a few minutes. She yawned. “I'm so tired.”
Slowly, I edged my body to the left side of the bed and patted the empty right side with my hand. She stared at me. “You're not serious.”
“Sleep next to me. Even if it's just for a few minutes.”
“Our moms are right outside, you know.”
“I know. We'll just sleep. That's all.” I smiled.
She pulled up the nearest chair and sat down. She took my hand again. “Someday, Joshua. Someday.”
She leaned over and kissed me one more time. Still holding my hand, she rested her head on the bedrail.
As we closed our eyes, I softly whispered, “I love you … Lady Eve.”
“I love you, too … Sir Joshua,” she replied. I couldn't see her face, but I could tell she was smiling. That gorgeous smile.
Within minutes, we were both fast asleep.
Epilogue
JOSHUA
When I woke the next day, Eve was gone, of course. My mom and Alyson came for a visit, and the attending doctor told me that my prognosis was good. I'd be out of the hospital in a week, and back in school a week after that.
The biggest surprise of the day came when my soccer team, coming off a narrow 3-2 victory without me, came in their entirety to visit. Rick just about lost it when he saw my face, and I wasn't too proud to let him hold me in a bear-hug in front of the rest of the guys. My team was called The United, and that's exactly what we'd become.
Eve, Liz, Emily and Susan came by late Monday afternoon to give me the news about what had happened at school. Principal Baird had been fired and was facing a civil suit from the parents of numerous bullied kids, including me. Mr. Alvarez promised that the new principal's first task would be to initiate a strict no-tolerance policy for bullies. He also assured my parents that my medical expenses would be taken care of.
Brent had been expelled and was facing juvenile charges. Eve told me that Rhonda had ordered Chloe and Kendra to create a disturbance, including a trash-can fire, on the north side of the school, which explained why no teachers were around to rescue me. After being caught, they'd turned on Rhonda in less than ten minutes. After a few hours of enduring the withering stares of the entire school, Rhonda had finally grown a conscience and come forward, stating that she'd put Brent up to the attack, though he'd gone way beyond what she thought he would. She was suspended for two weeks and transferred to another school. Randy also got two weeks, and Derek and Phil each got one. Chloe and Kendra both got a month's detention. All of the bullies had gotten what was coming to them. Rhonda's empire had been reduced to ashes.
I returned to school to a hero's welcome, though I insisted the whole time that Eve was more deserving of such accolades. I was asked by the new principal to talk to each of the fifth- and sixth-grade homeroom classes about my experiences, and between the
new no-tolerance policy and Kelsey's industriousness, no bully ever rose up to take Rhonda and Brent's place during the rest of my middle school stay. Thank God.
After two weeks of recuperating, and sporting some brand-new, much cooler-looking glasses, I was able to rejoin my soccer team. I was nicknamed “the heart of the team,” and with a dozen of my closest friends in the bleachers cheering us on, including Eve, Emily, Susan, David, Kelsey, Liz, Sophie and Kirsten, we were able to go undefeated for the rest of the season, capped off by a brutal 2-1 victory the Saturday after Thanksgiving against the defending champs. I assisted Jerry on the game-winning goal with five minutes to go, and Rick made a monster save in the final minute, which earned him a huge congratulatory hug and a peck on the cheek from Emily, much to his surprise. We all got trophies a week later and, on a suggestion from me, my dad sprang for a special medallion that was inscribed “To Eve, Our Good Luck Charm.”
Eve, Emily, Susan and I returned to the Island regularly for the rest of the school year. I kept my promise to David and introduced him to Susan there, and the two hit it off immediately. Several weeks later, they began a relationship that lasted well into high school, and even after that, they remained close friends. Rick and Emily dated on and off for a couple of years, and they, too, remained good friends.
After so much tension and drama, after such dizzying highs and terrifying lows, my biggest fear was if, once our lives finally got back to something approaching normal, my relationship with Eve would be able to handle it. We were thirteen years old, and we were in love. We were told left and right that it would never last; we were too young, too inexperienced. It was just a crush, just a phase, just hormones, we heard it all. But we persevered. We reasoned that while true love was something many people never achieved in their lifetime, it had to be possible, however remote, for two kids to find it on the first try.
In high school, I finally hit my growth spurt, growing nine inches in the first two years. By the time our senior prom rolled around, I was a full head taller than Eve. No one ever bullied me again.
Eve and I always knew that life would throw a million things at us that would test our relationship; some things we would see coming, some we wouldn't. Our bodies would change, our minds would change, every aspect of our lives would change. But our love for each other never did. We went through high school and college at each other's sides, and ten years to the day after our first kiss, we got married. I became a writer, and Eve followed in her mother's footsteps and became a top-notch lawyer. I had once craved a normal life, and our adult lives were almost absurdly normal. But I wouldn't trade a single day of it for anything.
I never had a doubt whether the friendships I made during that eventful autumn would last or not, though. Eve and I would keep in regular contact with Kelsey. Emily and Susan would remain our friends indefinitely, and I never went more than a few weeks without getting hugs from Kirsten and Sophie. One can never underestimate the power girls have to bond with the ones they love. I adored every single one of them.
Many years later, sitting on the Island with the love of my life, watching our oldest son play Little League, I would reflect on our strange, terrible, wonderful journey. This girl, who at one point had cursed my very existence, had saved me, in every possible way. This girl, who had taken on the monsters single-handedly and had beaten them back. This girl, who had brought out the best in me and changed my life forever. This girl, who had stuck to my side and wouldn't let go.
This girl.
This perfect girl.
Eve.
THE END
Author's Note
Though Joshua's Island is a work of fiction, the sad truth is that bullying remains a large problem in many schools around the country and around the world.
If you or someone you know is a victim of bullying, speak up. Tell a parent, a teacher, a counselor, a friend, any adult that you trust. Only by letting others know about it can you help make sure that it stops. Remaining silent only lets the cycle of abuse and violence continue.
Speak up. Be part of the solution.
Here are some great anti-bullying resources:
National Bullying Prevention Center
PACER Center, Inc.
8161 Normandale Blvd.
Bloomington, MN 55437
888-248-0822
www.pacer.org/bullying
Stomp Out Bullying
877-NOBULLY (602-8559)
Project HEAR US
888-326-9229
Stopbullying.gov
www.championsagainstbullying.com
www.pacerskidsagainstbullying.org
If you enjoyed Joshua's Island and would like to leave a review, please go to the book's page on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R3KEKGU
If you have any personal comments or would like to contact the author directly, you may leave a message on the Joshua's Island page on Facebook. You may also contact him through Twitter (@Shrykespeare) or through GoodReads.
https://www.facebook.com/JoshuasIsland
https://twitter.com/Shrykespeare
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6288287.Patrick_Hodges
In case you are wondering why the series for which Joshua's Island is the first book is called the “James Madison Series”, the reason is because the one common thread for all three books is that it takes place at James Madison Middle School. It's true that the school where Joshua's Island was set was never actually given a name, because I wanted the reader to feel like it could take place anywhere – even their school. However, in the second book, Ethan's Secret, the school was finally given a name. I hope, if you truly enjoyed Joshua's Island, you will continue to read the other books in the series!
Ethan's Secret
(Book #2 of the James Madison Series)
Kelsey Callahan is smart, tough and fiercely loyal to her friends. She wants nothing more than to follow in her father's footsteps, and be a detective just like her hero, Sherlock Holmes.
A lover of mysteries, she finally gets the chance to solve something on her own when Ethan, a cute but mysterious loner appears in her class. Both fascinated and infatuated with him, Kelsey soon learns there are events at play in Ethan's life that are both tragic and dangerous. Events that, the deeper she digs, may end up threatening not only their relationship but their very lives.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZVUQTT0/
Sophie's Different
(Book #3 of the James Madison Series)
Middle school is all about fitting in. It's about not standing out. After all, kids can be cruel.
Sophie Devereaux doesn't fit in. She and her two best friends, Marissa and Michelle, are seen as misfits. Things only get worse when Sophie runs afoul of Alexis, the most popular girl in school.
Ayden Saunders doesn't fit in. Tragedies in his life have caused him to retreat into the shadows, where he watches his classmates from afar and fantasizes about being a superhero.
When Ayden overhears a plot to ruin Sophie's life, he knows he can no longer sit on the sidelines. The two of them soon discover, to their amazement, that life is not about fitting in, it's about being true to who you are.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BUDOFZQ
Keep reading for a sneak preview of Ethan's Secret!
Ethan's Secret - Prologue
~ THREE YEARS AGO ~
Oh my God. It's happening again.
Today was my first day of fifth grade. I'd only moved to Phoenix two months ago. I didn't know anybody, and nobody knew me. I've always prided myself on my ability to think on my feet, to adapt to my surroundings quickly, and most of all, to make friends. When I stepped off the bus this morning, my first thoughts were: These are kids, just like me, and kids are basically the same wherever you go. Even though I'm the “new girl,” I'm sure I'll find a spot for myself here in no time.
I still felt bad about what had happened to Naomi. I'd tried one last time to call her before we left Denver, but she still wouldn't talk to me. Which i
s not surprising, given how badly I'd let her down.
Jackie Mitchell had tormented her, bullied her so badly that she'd had to transfer to another school. I'd tried to be there for her, to give her a shoulder to cry on, but it wasn't enough. When she needed me the most, to get off the sidelines and help her, I'd frozen up. Jackie was just too big, too mean. And I'd been too scared to take her on.
Right before my first class started, I went into the girls' restroom to check my face in the mirror. Not surprisingly, I looked exactly like I did before I left the house this morning: my hair was set in pigtails, and my braces were probably visible from orbit. But I still felt cheerful, happy to officially begin my “fresh start.”
And then it started.
“What are you doing in here?” said a voice behind me.
I turned around to see a girl looking at me. She was about my height, with dark, stringy hair, a tanned complexion and a large nose. She also had a smile on her face, and it wasn't a happy one. Neither were the smiles on the two girls right behind her, who were also staring at me.
“Just checking my face,” I replied.
“Well, bad news, it's still there,” said the girl, and her two friends giggled. She looked me up and down, then took a step forward. “Jeez … Freckles, braces and pigtails? What, were they having a three-for-one sale at the Loser Store?”
Wow. I was right. Kids ARE the same everywhere you go. And that includes bullies. Trying to keep calm, I looked her square in the eye. “Very funny. Who are you, anyway?”
She took another step forward, sticking her big nose inches from my own. “I'm Tonya Sykes. And I run things around here, metal-mouth.”
A couple of other girls came into the restroom, but upon seeing Tonya and her friends, they quickly retreated back out the door. There was no one here but the four of us. “What do you want?” I asked.
Tonya pointed her finger at me. “When I want something, new girl, you'll know, and whatever it is, you'll give it to me,” she said. “You get that through your spotty head right now, and I won't have to pound you.” Then she pushed her finger into my shoulder blade and gave me a rude shove.
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