Betty chuckled, though there was little humor behind it. “Have you seen the size of Mariah’s blinders? None of the designers make sunglasses that big or that dark.” She drew in a deep breath. “Not to worry, though. I think we have Annabelle dead to rights on this. If I have my way, tomorrow will be her last day at Serenity High School for a very, very long time.”
* * *
“Do you think they’re going to throw Annabelle out on her sorry behind?” Katie asked Misty in a whisper when she met her outside of school on Monday morning.
Misty shuddered. “A part of me almost hopes they don’t,” Misty admitted.
Katie regarded her with shock. “How can you say that? Jail’s not good enough, if you ask me.”
“Because you’re just a little bloodthirsty,” Misty said, grateful to have such a loyal friend.
“No, because it’s what she deserves after everything she’s done to you,” Katie countered. “I can’t believe you still think she should be let off the hook.”
“Not because I’m not mad,” Misty said. “Or because I think she doesn’t deserve it. I just can’t help thinking about what her friends are going to do. They could make my life hell for getting her kicked out of school.”
“Only if they’re idiots like her,” Katie said.
“Don’t you think they probably are?” Misty said. “Come on. Who else would fawn all over her? Just idiots who think she’ll remember them when she’s some big pop superstar.”
“As if,” Katie said. “She probably won’t even admit she came from Serenity. It’s not high-class enough for her. I’ll bet she even dumps Greg the first chance she gets. He might be the big man on campus here, but he’s still from a farm outside of town. She’s gonna wake up one day and decide that he’s not nearly good enough for her.”
“I just wish she’d figured that out because he’s a liar and a cheater, not because of who his dad is. There’s nothing wrong with being a farmer or a farmer’s son, just with being a total jerk.”
“Agreed,” Katie said. “I guess I’d better go to class. I wish I could come to the meeting with you.”
“I wish you could, too. I’m gonna need a friendly face.”
“Hey, everybody in there is going to be on your side,” Katie reminded her. “You’re not on trial. Annabelle is, and she won’t even be there this morning, right?”
Misty nodded. But even though she might not have to face Annabelle this morning, she knew there was bound to be a confrontation before the day ended. It scared the daylights out of her.
* * *
“I want that girl out of this school and far away from my daughter,” Les Dawson declared before Betty could even say whatever comments she’d prepared before the meeting.
Laura regarded the principal with sympathy. She finally had a better understanding of the difficult role of being caught between outraged parents, teachers and the rules. Not everyone always had the same agenda or the same balancing act to achieve.
“Believe me, I totally understand your anger,” Betty told Misty’s father. “If my child had been a victim of these unconscionable rumors online, I’d be out for blood, too. But there are procedures we have to follow.”
“As long as one of them includes kicking Annabelle out of school, I can live with your procedures,” Les said. “Otherwise, I’ll pull Misty out of school and raise a stink that will tear this school district apart.”
“Dad, no,” Misty protested.
“Les, I don’t think we need to resort to threats,” school board chairman Hamilton Reynolds said. “Everyone in this room understands what’s at stake.”
It was J.C. who interceded, “Maybe we need to find out what the next steps are. Betty, do you have a plan? What has to happen next?”
“Since the majority of the bullying took place online and under a screen name—” she began.
“It happened here, too,” Misty said, speaking up so softly it was almost hard to hear her. “In the halls. The stuff she posted was thrown in my face by Annabelle and her friends and Greg Bennett and his buddies.”
Betty sighed. “I was afraid of that, but at least there’s little question then of who’s behind it.”
Helen spoke up then. “I’ve been working with Carter Rollins and a judge. We should have confirmation very soon of who that screen name is registered to. I would be very surprised if it turns out to belong to anyone other than Annabelle. Once that link is established, there will be no way for her to deny that she was behind this campaign to go after Misty.”
“I’d like to have that proof in hand before we call in the Litchfields,” Hamilton Reynolds said, then held up his hand to fend off an immediate protest from Misty’s father. “I know you want this settled immediately. So do I. I also want us to make sure we’ve covered every legality.”
“He’s right,” Helen said. “Better to take a little extra time now, because once this ball starts rolling, it’s going to pick up speed. Mariah Litchfield won’t sit by and watch her daughter be tossed out of school quietly, not if she thinks there’s even a tiny hint that we haven’t crossed every t and dotted every i. She’ll fight like a grizzly to protect her daughter and somehow spin it so it looks as if this is some trumped-up vendetta by a jealous classmate.”
“That’s absurd,” Diana Dawson said indignantly. “She wouldn’t dare to try to turn this around and make Misty the one at fault.” She winced, shaking her head. “What am I saying? Of course she will! She’s already called me once to protest Misty’s treatment of Annabelle at the fall festival.”
“That’s exactly what she does,” Betty said, her tone resigned. “And that’s why this poor child’s behavior is so abominable, because her mother’s never held her accountable for a single thing.”
“I told you it was going to get worse,” Misty said in a small voice. She whirled on J.C. “You should have just given me a note to get out of school.”
J.C. gave her a sympathetic look. “We’ve established that I couldn’t do that. And, though it might not seem like it right this second, this situation is going to get a whole lot better. I imagine by Christmas break, you’ll have forgotten all about this.”
Misty gave him a disbelieving look. “Are you kidding? By Christmas I probably won’t be able to show my face here at all, note or no note.”
J.C. winced under her scathing scowl. “I’m sorry. You’re right. Making things better will take time, but maybe it will help a little if you just remember how many people are on your side. Everyone in this room is here to help you get through this.”
“And Katie Townsend has been a rock for you through all of this, too,” Laura reminded her. “She won’t let you down. I’m sure you have lots of other friends you’ll be able to count on.”
“Who?” Misty retorted. “Katie’s the only one who hasn’t been scared off by Annabelle and her crowd.”
Betty regarded her sympathetically. “I know it must seem that way, Misty, but it’s only because none of us understood what was happening. Every teacher in this school will be on full alert from now on. If anyone tries to retaliate because of what’s likely to happen to Annabelle, they will be stopped. You’re going to be safe here.”
Laura could see that Misty was still skeptical. How could she not be? Up to now the system had failed her miserably. Even she, though she’d been more attuned to the problem than most, hadn’t put the pieces together for weeks.
“Misty, what can we do to reassure you?” she asked. “What would you like to see happen?”
“I want us to forget all about it,” she said miserably. “Please.”
Les Dawson clearly saw his child’s unhappiness, but he was already shaking his head. “Not a chance,” he muttered. “Helen, I want every action in the book taken in this, here at school, in the courts, whatever it takes. Nobody is tormenting my child and getting away with it.”
“Not even if it’s what I want?” Misty pleaded.
“Sorry, sweetheart,” he said, his tone gentle. “No
t even then.”
J.C. stood up. “Maybe Misty and I could take a walk, while you all sort this out.” He glanced at her. “Would that be okay?”
Looking relieved to have an excuse to escape, she nodded at once. He glanced at her parents and both nodded, Diana’s expression full of relief.
“We’ll be back in a bit,” J.C. said, opening the door and showing Misty out.
Laura looked around and saw exhaustion on every face in the room. She figured her appearance was no less haggard.
“Whatever we decide,” she said, keeping her gaze on Betty, “we have to be sure that child is protected from more bullying. I think she’s had just about as much as she can handle.”
“Agreed,” Betty said at once.
“Should we take her out of school?” Diana asked hesitantly. “I know it sounds extreme, but maybe she’d be happier someplace else.”
Les shook his head. “Or maybe she’ll think she’s being punished, even though she’s not the one who’s done anything wrong.”
“But if she’d feel safe again,” Diana argued.
Hamilton Reynolds reached over and gave her arm a consoling pat. “I know your first instinct is to protect her, but I think Les could be right. Sending her to another school might send the wrong message to everyone. That said, though, maybe it should be Misty’s decision. And maybe we shouldn’t ask her until we’ve dealt with Annabelle and see how that’s played out.”
“I’m inclined to agree,” Helen said. “And I honestly don’t think we’ll have to wait long. I think we can handle this by the end of the day today, tomorrow at the latest. Betty, I’ll call you the minute I know for sure that we have indisputable proof that these posts were made by Annabelle.”
“I want to be here when you confront that girl and her parents,” Les insisted.
“Not a good idea,” Hamilton Reynolds said.
“I’ll be here,” Helen told Les. “Your interests and Misty’s will be protected. You’ll have your chance to face the Litchfields when we take legal action.”
Diana nodded. “Helen’s right. There’s nothing to be gained by causing a scene just because we’d like to tear the child’s hair out.”
Les turned to her with a surprised look. “You, too?”
Diana nodded, a faint smile on her lips. “You have no idea.”
Laura saw him reach for Diana’s hand and give it a squeeze. Maybe there was no reconciliation in store for those two, but at least they’d found one important thing about which they could agree. From what she knew of disintegrating marriages, it was at least a start toward healing.
14
“Want to take a walk into town to get something to drink at Wharton’s?” J.C. asked Misty once they’d left the tense meeting behind.
She gave him a surprised look. “Wouldn’t that be, like, skipping school?”
He laughed. “Probably, but you’re with me and your principal and parents know it, so I think we can get away with it just this once.” He gave her a stern look. “But just this once.”
“Got it,” she said, then cast a sideways glance in his direction. “I never really left school when I skipped before, you know.”
“Really? What did you do?”
“Hung out in a stairwell after the bell rang and did my homework. It was only two classes,” she said with a shrug. “At least until those pictures got posted. Then I hid out in my room at home.”
“With your mother’s permission?”
She shook her head. “I was pretty careful, and she wasn’t really noticing a lot of stuff at home then, anyway. She’s better now. It’s the one good thing about all this. It kinda, like, woke her up or something.”
“You know what they say, most clouds have a silver lining,” he said.
She rolled her eyes. “That is so lame.”
“Probably, but it’s actually pretty true. Sometimes, though, you have to look really hard to find them.”
When they reached Wharton’s, Grace managed to hide whatever surprise she might have felt at their arrival. She was also wise enough not to ask a lot of questions about Misty not being at school. J.C. had no idea if it was a rare display of discretion or if she’d heard what was going on and knew it was best not discussed in front of Misty.
“What can I get for the two of you in the middle of the morning?” she asked cheerfully. “I can still rustle up some eggs or pancakes, if you want them. Or would you rather go hog wild and have ice cream? A burger? A milk shake?”
Misty’s eyes lit up, and she looked hopefully at J.C. “A chocolate milk shake would be really good.”
“Yes, it would,” he agreed readily, giving Grace a wink to indicate he was well aware that he was about to finally break his vow to steer clear of the highly caloric shakes. “Make that two, Grace.”
After the woman had gone, Misty gave him a curious look. “How come you’re being so nice to me? I kinda put you on the spot when I came to your office, but you don’t seem mad about it.”
“Because I’m not. I was glad you felt you could come to me, even if I wasn’t able to help you the way you wanted me to.”
“It’s because of me that you and Ms. Reed are dating, isn’t it?” she said, suddenly looking very pleased with herself. “That’s one of those silver lining things, I’ll bet.”
J.C. smiled. “As a matter of fact, it is.”
“Are you serious about her? Because she’s really cool. I wouldn’t want her to get hurt.”
“That seems to be the general consensus around town, that hurting Ms. Reed would be a really bad idea.”
She tilted her head, studying him. “So, do you think you’ll get married?”
J.C. knew he should be used to how precocious kids were these days, but it always surprised him when they failed to censor their curiosity. “I’m not sure that’s a subject I should be discussing with you,” he said, suddenly feeling incredibly awkward and old.
“Because I’m just a kid?”
“No, because it’s a topic that Ms. Reed and I should probably discuss before I talk about it with anyone else. And, before you get any ideas, that does not mean it’s something we’re discussing right away.”
“But you haven’t ruled it out or anything, have you?” she pressed determinedly. “Because, if you have, you should tell her. You know, so she won’t get her hopes up.”
J.C. chuckled at her persistence. At least she was smiling for a change, so he was grateful for that much.
“Why don’t we change the subject?” he suggested.
“And talk about what? Annabelle?”
“I was thinking more about how you’re feeling about school these days.”
“Scared,” she said without hesitation. “I know I’m supposed to feel good about all these people being on my side and stuff, but you don’t get what kids are like.”
“Actually I do, and not just because I’m a pediatrician, either.”
She regarded him skeptically. “All grown-ups claim they get it, but they don’t. Not really.”
“What if I told you that I have some firsthand experience with bullying?” he said. “Would you believe me then?”
“You were bullied? No way,” she said with unmistakable astonishment. “Why? Were you a geek or something?”
“It wasn’t me. It was my little brother. He had some problems, and the kids at school made his life pretty awful. They were mean right to his face whenever they got the chance.”
Her eyes widened at that. “But you stood up for him, right? I mean, that’s what brothers are supposed to do. Even my little brother, Jake, stood up for me. He got a black eye because of it,” she said, clearly proud of him.
“That is what brothers should do,” J.C. confirmed. “Not necessarily getting beat up, but taking a stance for someone who’s weaker.”
“I’m not weaker than Jake,” she said indignantly.
“True,” he said hurriedly. “But you were the one under attack from a bully.”
“What happened wit
h your brother?” she asked, giving him her full attention and leaving untouched the milk shake that Grace had just served.
“It got worse once I wasn’t at the same school. We didn’t tell our folks, which I realize now we should have. If the teachers saw what was happening, they didn’t intervene the way Ms. Reed has.”
“He must have felt so alone,” Misty said sympathetically.
“He must have,” Jake said, then shook off the memory of the rest. He couldn’t bring up the tragic ending. He just wanted Misty to see that she wasn’t alone. “I told you this so you’ll understand just how important it is to me and Ms. Reed and your parents to make sure that you’re safe and can go back to being a happy, carefree student again. Whatever it takes, we’re going to fix it. Can you try to trust us to protect you? You’re not in this on your own anymore, Misty.”
She continued to look skeptical. “I want to believe you. But even with all of you, you can’t be everywhere. And stuff gets posted online, no matter what.”
“I think that will stop once the other kids see how serious this is and what could happen to them,” he said. “It goes beyond whatever punishment happens at school. There are legal consequences, as well.”
She shrugged again. “I guess.”
“And we will be around, Misty. That’s a promise,” he said with feeling, even though he knew it probably sounded empty to her right now. “Now let’s head back over to the school and see what decisions have been made while we were over here playing hooky.”
He paid for their milk shakes and they walked back to the high school.
Just outside Betty Donovan’s office, Misty grinned at him. “Playing hooky with you is a lot more fun than hiding in the stairwell.”
“Well, the next time you feel you have absolutely no other choice but to skip class, give me a call. Not that I normally condone skipping, you understand.”
She grinned. “Yeah, I get it.”
“And if you can’t reach me, go straight to Ms. Reed.”
Her grin spread. “Do you think she’d play hooky with me?”
Catching Fireflies Page 18