Charming Dave

by Doreen Alsen

  Kevin looked surprised, then nodded. “We’ve got a shot.”

  Dave went in for the kill. “Well, the team may have a shot, but you guys are benched for the rest of the season.”

  They started to protest, but Dave held up his hand. “Fighting is against the code of conduct you all signed when you joined the team.”

  “That’s not fair! You can’t bench us!” Alden yelled, his face turning a violent purple.

  “Quiet!” Dave sliced the kid with a glance. “You sit there and mind your tone of voice.”

  “But Ruark started it! It’s not our fault.” Kevin glowered, eyes hot and angry.

  Dave ignored the comment. “Here’s the rest of it. You have in school suspension for the rest of this week and all of next week. You can’t go to any school activities. You come to school and you go home. And if you ever touch Ruark Logan again, I’ll make a case for expulsion, right after I call the police and have the D.A. charge you with assault. Got it?”

  The boys didn’t answer.

  “You look at me. I didn’t hear you. Got that?”

  They nodded, their movements jerky, their eyes hot as they met Dave’s gaze.

  “Good. Go get your stuff and come right back here. Mrs. Rockwell is calling your parents and having them come pick you up. Come back tomorrow to start your in-school suspension.”

  The boys lurched out of their chairs, and it looked like Alden wanted to kick his, but he pulled back.

  Wise move.

  Boys gone, Dave sat behind his desk, picked up a pencil and snapped it in half. Still furious, he took another pencil and repeated the process. Not much better. He buzzed Mrs. Rockwell. “Have we reached Mrs. Logan yet?”

  “No. She doesn’t answer her home phone or her cell.”

  Well, that wasn’t good. “Please keep trying, okay?”

  “Absolutely.”

  He sat back and worried. Following a hunch, he checked the attendance list. Shanna Logan was marked absent.

  Not good. Not good at all. Something was very, very wrong. Time to see if Ruark was ready to talk.

  ****

  Ainslie got Shanna calmed down enough to try drinking a cup of tea. Toast would come later, if she could keep the tea down.

  Those were the easy things to do. The ordinary things. Child’s sick—feed her tea and toast. Familiar territory.

  Talking to Shanna when she was so ashamed of herself felt harder to do. No time like the present. “You have nothing to blame yourself for. Real men don’t hurt women.”

  Shanna shook her head. “I thought he loved me. I’m so stupid.” She gestured wildly. The teacup and saucer nearly fell out of her hands to meet the floor.

  “You are not stupid.” Ainslie saved the teacup. “Some men are just really good at saying what you want to hear, even though it’s not the truth.” She took Shanna’s cold hands into her own. “That’s on them.”

  “Is that what happened with Daddy?” Shanna’s chest rose and fell with uneven breaths. “Is that why you didn’t know what he was doing?”

  Ainslie sighed. Shanna deserved the truth. “Yes. I believed exactly what he wanted me to believe.”

  “That’s why you married him, then? You didn’t think he was a crook?”

  She cursed Bobby Lee. No child should have to say her daddy was a crook. “He wasn’t doing anything bad when I first met him. He was so handsome and so very tuned in to what I wanted.” She shook her head. “I was young and foolish, and so full of myself because I was Miss South Carolina.”

  “Are you sad because you married him?”

  Good question. “No, because I wouldn’t have you, and Ruark, and Patsy, if I hadn’t married him.” She sighed. “I’m more mad at myself because I let him fool me and take advantage of all our friends and family.”

  Shanna cocked her head to one side. “I let Alden fool me. I wanted to be popular and have the best boyfriend and be in the top clique.” More tears gathered in her eyes. “How could I be so wrong?”

  Ainslie passed her the tissue box. “Next time, you’ll know better and make better choices.”

  “There’s not going to be a next time. I don’t ever want a boyfriend again.”

  Ainslie smiled. “You will. Some man will come around, and you’ll take your time getting to know him, so you don’t get hurt.”

  “Is that what you’re doing with Mr. Mason?”

  The phone jangled again. Saved by the proverbial bell. “Hello.”

  “Mrs. Logan. This is Mrs. Rockwell from the high school. Ruark’s been in a fight, and we need you to come down to the school.”

  ****

  Dave had his hand ready to push his door open and leave to see about Ruark in the nurse’s office, but the damn phone rang again. He picked it up.

  “Mason.” It was his boss. His new boss. Addington Schools Superintendent Joe L’Amore. “I hear you’ve had some excitement over there.”

  “Nothing we can’t handle.”

  “When do you want to go over the budget, then? Does tomorrow at 7:30 AM again work?”

  Dave glanced at his blotter calendar. “That works.”

  “I’ll set it up with Mrs. Rockwell.” L’Amore cleared his throat. “You should know, I’ve already gotten some calls.”

  Dave just bet he had. “I’m sure you have.”

  “There’s some concern that you’re involved with the mother of the boy who initially attacked Alden Bradford.”

  “That has nothing to do with it. Ruark Logan will receive the same punishment the other three boys got.”

  “Good. I’ve got your back for now, but we’ll talk tomorrow.” L’Amore hung up.

  Dave stared at the receiver as he replaced it. It hadn’t taken long at all for Alden, Kevin, and Leo’s parents to call the superintendent to complain. They’d probably put all the School Board members on speed dial.

  Tough. He stood by his call. He hoped Ainslie would feel the same way.

  What the hell had happened to make Ruark attack those boys?

  That was the $64,000.00 question.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  “Do you need more ice?” The school nurse asked.

  Ruark nodded. His left eye throbbed like a mofo, he was pretty certain that Alden broke his nose. At least it had stopped bleeding. They didn’t think any of his ribs were broken, but they hadn’t ruled out any of his internal organs being bruised.

  It was all worth it.

  “Excuse me, but I think my son is here?” Momma stood in the doorway, looking like some kind of avenging angel. “Ruark.” She barged right on in when she saw him. “What happened to you?”

  “He got into a fight this morning,” the nurse told her.

  “A fight?” She sat right next to him on the little bed he already sat on. “Let me see your eye.”

  Her gentle fingers combed through his hair. He closed his good eye so she wouldn’t see him cry.

  “We checked him out as best we could. I don’t think his ribs are broken, and he’s got some nasty bruises on his torso. You might want to get those checked out,” he heard the nurse tell his mother. Momma stopped stroking his head as she stood. “I don’t think they’re serious, but things can come up later on. I’m afraid his nose is broken.”

  “Who did this to him?” Momma’s voice vibrated the same way it had when she found out his father was an embezzler and threw him out of the house.

  “They’re dealt with.”

  Ruark opened his eye to see Mr. Mason come into the room.

  “They? There was more than one?” Momma looked furious. Her eyes shot fire as she turned to face Mr. Mason.

  “Yeah. Look, why don’t you take him home, and see if you can get him to talk about why he took it into his head to single-handedly attack Alden Bradford this morning.” Mr. Mason raised his hand like he was gonna touch Momma, but he stuffed his hand in his pants pocket instead.

  Momma turned back to look at Ruark. “You attacked Alden Bradford?”

  He shrugged. She
gave him that stare that made him worry that she could read his mind.

  “Can I take my boy home now?” was all she said.

  “Of course.” Mr. Mason said. “Just sign him out here.”

  Momma didn’t need to be told twice. “Come on. Let’s get you home.”

  Ruark slowly got to his feet, still determined to walk out of there without help. Momma followed him.

  “Ainslie.” Mr. Mason’s voice was quiet as he called Momma’s name.

  She stopped to look at him. “I’ve really got to get home, Dave. There’s a lot more you don’t know.”

  “May I come by later on?”

  Momma sighed, the sound gritty as it left her throat. “Yes. Please. I’d really like you to.”

  “Good. I’ll bring food.”

  “Of course you will.” A bunch of the tension seemed to drain out of her as she looked at him.

  “Do you need someone to pick up Patsy?”

  “No. I’m going to swing by the elementary school and pick her up now.”

  “Okay. Call me if you think of anything you need.”

  Mr. Mason’s voice was low and rumbly. Reassuring. It made Ruark feel kind of warm inside, the good kind of warm inside. Safe. Protected.

  “I will. Come on, baby. Let’s go home.” Momma gave Mr. Mason one small, last smile.

  It wasn’t until they got to the car that Momma said anything else. “You did this for your sister, didn’t you?”

  “Shanna told you?”

  “After Mrs. Brewster fired me because of my tramp daughter, I went home. You should have told me last night when I got home from work.”

  His good eye started to leak again. “Someone had to defend her, and she wouldn’t let me tell you.”

  “Oh, sugar.” Her voice got soft again. “Let’s go home and figure out what to do next.”

  ****

  After a stop at Hope Monahan’s to pick up some comfort food, mostly soft stuff that Ruark could eat without hurting himself, Dave headed for Ainslie’s.

  It felt good, like he was going home. To a family.

  His family.

  Which right now was in turmoil. He was going to find out why and then be a part of the solution. Not because he was the principal of the damn school, but because he was part of the family.

  He took a minute to look at the tiny little rental house Ainslie and her children lived in. He’d love to move them to a bigger house, with a yard and a fence.

  Patsy would love a dog.

  And…He was getting way ahead of himself. Focus on the task at hand. Fix the trouble, save the family.

  He knocked on the front door. Technically, officially, they weren’t his family yet. He’d work on that.

  Ainslie came to the door. “Oh, Dave! I’m so glad to see you.” She held out her hands. “Let me take those take-out bags for you.”

  “How are things?” Stepping inside, he let her take the bags then shrugged out of his blazer.

  “Better now that you’re here. Come with me to the kitchen.” Opening one bag a crack then sniffing appreciatively, she hummed. “This smells wonderful. Is it from Hope’s? Thanks for bringing it.”

  “No problem. I just had Hope put in a little bit of this and that. And a lasagna. I figured soft foods would be easier for Ruark to eat. Speaking of which, what happened?” He couldn’t wait to get the whole story. It had gnawed at him all afternoon.

  She pushed open the kitchen door with her foot, then caught it with her hip as it swung back to close. He recognized the move from The End Zone. “Do you have to work tonight?”

  After placing the bags on the counter, she turned to face him. “No. I called in. Bobby understood totally, thank the Lord.”

  “He should.” Dave stepped closer to her and pulled her into his arms, an embrace more meant for comfort than arousal. “Is this okay to do here?” Even though she loved him, she might not be ready for her kids to see her with him.”

  She wrapped her arms around his waist and lay her head over his heart. “Yes.”

  He kissed the top of her head. “Where are the kids?”

  “Ruark and Shanna are in their rooms. Neither is in any shape to do anything strenuous. Patsy is in my room. She’s so upset by the whole mess.”

  “Of course she is. Can you tell me what happened?”

  Ainslie pulled away from him and plopped down onto a chair. “Short story?”

  He sat as well. “Sure.” He imagined he’d get the long version later.

  Ainslie pursed her lips and studied a spot on the kitchen table. “You know that Shanna’s been dating Alden Bradford.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, it appears that he gets…God, I can barely say this.” She shook her head as she looked at him.

  He took her hands in his. Hers were icy and trembled. “Take your time.”

  “No, I think I need to get it out all at once.” Her chest heaved as she took a deep breath. “Alden’s been pressuring her for sex, and he doesn’t exactly have a gentle touch. She snuck out last night to be with him and came back with huge bruises. If I’d been here, I could have…”

  “No.” Anger sifted through him to settle in his stomach and churn there. “No could haves. Alden is responsible for his own actions.”

  However, Dave wished he could have gotten in a few punches of his own.

  A horrible thought made his stomach churn faster. “Did Alden, uh…” Shit. How to ask this delicately? “Hit her? Assault her sexually?”

  Ainslie shook her head. “No,” she whispered. “She says not. Just that he’s rough…” She choked. “When he touches her.” Looking him in the eyes, she took a deep breath. “She blames herself. Says it’s her fault, that something’s wrong with her because she doesn’t like it when he…” She choked again. “When he kisses and touches her. Dave.” Ainslie sniffed. “He left bruises on her arms and her…her breasts where he grabbed her. She’s got a monstrous sucker bite on her throat.”

  I’m going to kill him. Bare hands around Alden’s throat, twisting until he had bruises on his fucking throat.

  She must have seen the violence in his eyes. “Please, Dave, not here. Not now. Shanna needs some calm. Peace.”

  “That explains the incident with Ruark.”

  Ainslie nodded. “He was so mad. I’ve never, ever known him to be violent. But there’s more, and here’s where I need your expert advice.”

  “Okay.”

  “Alden has turned all the kids against her, telling them what a slut and tease Shanna is. It’s all over Facebook, Twitter, all of those things.” Despair colored her face. “It’s like it was back when we had to move from Charleston, after Bobby Lee went to jail. The kids have been brutal.”

  “There’s a school policy against cyber-bullying. Can she cut and paste the posts?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. I don’t even want her to look at those awful things. There’s more.”

  Jesus. What else?

  Ainslie slipped those cold hands of hers out of his and swiped at some tears welling in her eyes. “They’re telling their parents all these lies, to the point where I’ve been fired from one cleaning job. At least that I know about. There’re probably more.”

  Son of a bitch. “You don’t want to work for them anyway.”

  “Of course I don’t, but Shanna feels it’s her fault I got fired.”

  The kitchen door opened, and Patsy stood in the doorway, eyes wide. Ainslie pulled herself together in the time it took her to stand. It was impressive. Picking Patsy up, she nuzzled her child’s hair. “Hey, Doodlebug. Are you hungry?”

  Patsy nodded.

  “Well, lucky for you, Mr. Mason stopped by and brought us some goodies. Want to see what he brought?”

  Dave watched Ainslie take care of her daughter. He pulled his cell phone out of his shirt pocket and went into the living room. He had a lot of phone calls to make.

  ****

  “Mr. Mason’s here.” Shanna quietly closed the door to Ruark’s bedroom shut.
“What do you think he’s telling Momma?” She sat on his bed with a bounce.

  Ruark shrugged and sat up, wincing as his ribs complained about the change in position. So Mr. Mason was here. Ruark figured he’d be in trouble for starting the fight. “He’s probably here to tell Momma I’m being suspended.”

  “I am so stupid! I’ve ruined everything!” Shanna grabbed a tissue from the box next to his bed.

  “Please don’t cry again.” Really. Please, don’t cry. He couldn’t stand to see her tears. “Nothing is your fault. You didn’t make me go after Alden. That was my own idea.” He’d do it again in a heartbeat.

  “Momma got fired, and Cecily probably hates you now like she hates me.”

  “Trust me. Cecily hating me is a relief.”

  “But you did ask her out?”

  “Only because it was important to you.”

  Shanna frowned. “You must have liked her a little bit.”

  His shoulders felt burdened down like two acme anvils had fallen on them. He was tired of the effort of staying in the closet. Ruark sighed and made a decision. He’d carried this secret for so long, and he ached with the weariness of it. If he couldn’t be honest with his twin, then his life really wasn’t worth living. “I didn’t like her. I don’t like girls that way. I’m gay, Shan.”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  “What?” Shanna’s eyes bulged like a cracked out Chihuahua’s. “Are you serious?”

  “Very.” Ruark tried to gauge her reaction. He hoped he hadn’t made a mistake. Too late now. Little rusty claws of fear grabbed hold of his throat.

  Shanna just looked confused. “How long have you been gay?”

  “All my life.” He willed her to be okay with this. Please, Jesus.

  She shifted on the bed. “No, I mean, like, when did you get gay? When you got into all the music school stuff?” She put her hand on top of his.

  “It’s not something you catch, like the flu.” He shook his head.

  “How did you know, then?”

  “I don’t know. I just did.” He switched their hands so his was on top. Desperation nipped at him with sharp, pointy teeth. He had to know how she felt. “I hope you’re okay with this. I love you. I need for you to understand.”