by Mettey, Tim
“Nicholas, there’s more that I’m trying to protect you from. You have to understand.”
“Like what? Make me understand.”
Cora didn’t answer.
“Okay then. I would like to wait until the end of the year before we make the decision to stay or leave. And this will be a decision that we will both make.”
Cora stood.
“Okay?” I said.
“Yes, of course. If that’s what you want, then that’s what I’ll, I mean, we’ll do.” Cora walked to the door and opened it. I was stunned that it was that easy to convince her to stay. I was expecting more of a fight.
The majority of the people that had been in the room before came in again. Cora spoke directly to Superintendent Spears.
“Nicholas and I have decided that we are going to take you up on your offer. But if any of those reporters get to him or anything else happens to him, I will have you and this school in court so fast it will make your head spin. Do I make myself clear?”
His smile disappeared. “Of, of, of course, Ms. Keller,” he stuttered. “We are going to have to keep Nicholas in this room for a while so we can make sure the staff is aware of what needs to be done to keep him safe. Is that okay?”
Cora looked my way and I nodded yes to the request.
“Well, okay, we will get to work.” Superintendent Spears regained some of his composure.
“One more thing. I would like to pick him up from school at a different time and location each day. No more riding the bus. I don’t want anyone to find out where we live,” Cora said.
“Can’t they just look you up?” a tall, skinny lady said in a snotty tone. She was standing right next to Superintendent Spears like she was second in command.
“No, all of the addresses that we put on Nicholas’ school files are false. We live outside the school district,” Cora replied sharply, putting the woman in her place.
The woman responded, “Is there anyone who knows where you live?” She now sounded like a mother concerned for her own child.
I spoke up, “Only two people—Eric and Elle—but neither would tell anyone.”
“We’ll make sure of that,” Superintendent Spears said, “but where will he be picked up each day?”
“Never mind about that. Just allow Nicholas to come and go as he pleases, because I don’t trust any of you,” Cora said.
“Ms. Keller, we are all honorable people here,” he said. The room started to buzz.
“Superintendent Spears,” Cora said. The room quieted. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but it is amazing what money will do to people’s loyalty.”
“Okay,” he said. “We will do anything and everything for the 10-10 Hero, whatever it takes.” Superintendent Spears said 10-10 Hero like he had been dying to use the name that the media had given me over five years ago. Hearing him say it was like nails scraping down a chalkboard.
“Thank you, Superintendent Spears. That will be all,” Cora said in a dismissive tone.
The room emptied again, leaving just Cora and me. Cora sat down next to me, putting her hand on my arm. I was prepared for it to burn me because of how I treated her earlier, but instead it was gentle and caring.
“Nicholas, I’m not mad at you at all. I’m relieved. The last five years have been all about protecting you and keeping you safe. I was prepared to hide again, but for the first time in five years, you spoke up. I know, normally it is a bad thing for us to disagree, but this time it’s a good thing because it’s not just me anymore—it’s us. I will still try to protect you, but at least now we can make these decisions together.” Cora’s eyes were filled with relief.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I know you are only trying to protect me from things I don’t see or really understand, but please know that I love you. I am so lucky to have you in my life.”
Cora leaned forward and hugged me with such strength it knocked the wind out of me. “Nicholas, I am lucky to have you too. I love you!” She leaned back. “But you’re going to have to tell me everything when you get home.” She smiled.
“So how will I get to school and get home?”
“Let’s start with getting you home for now. Right before sixth period, I want you to go to the side garage where trucks back up to make deliveries and wait.”
“You want me to skip seventh period?” I asked Cora.
“It’s only art class and you’re getting an A.”
“Okay, but then what?”
“Don’t worry, you’ll know, but I have to go now to take care of some details to make sure this works. Will you be okay here?”
“Yes, I’ll probably be going back to class soon anyway.”
Cora stood. She leaned forward and gave me a quick hug, and then she was gone. I was alone in the conference room, waiting. I walked over to the only window in the room. I could see the front entrance. It seemed just like yesterday that Cora and I were walking in to register me for the first day of school. But now, past the main entrance, I could see the growing number of media at the entrance of the parking lot. Police had blocked them from gaining access to the lot. I sat back down and thought about everything I had just done. It was all done for Elle.
I wondered who at the school knew what was going on with me. That was a stupid question. Of course, everyone did. News in a school spreads faster than wildfire, and with the press outside, they would have to know something was up. What was Elle thinking?
I sat in that conference room through my first four periods. What was taking them so long?
The door opened and in walked Joy Lemmins. Oh no, anyone but her. “Well, hello there, Nicholas. How are you today?” she asked.
“Well, I’ve been in this room for about two and a half hours. How do you think I am?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, deary. I just found out that they left you in here. If I had known earlier, I would have kept you company while the grown-ups were working hard to get things ready for you,” she said.
“Ms. Lemmins, why have I been in here so long?”
“Superintendent Spears called an emergency faculty meeting to talk about your special situation.”
“What was said at the meeting?” I asked.
“Well, everyone.”
“No, I didn’t ask who was there; I asked what was said.”
“I’m getting there, silly. You see, he wanted to get everyone together so he could first explain who you really are. I have to say, I knew you were a special boy. I knew that right from the beginning.” She was twirling her frizzy blonde hair around her finger.
“Once he was done with your history, which we all knew very well, he gave us our assignments—how we are supposed to help you blend in and make the rest of your year as easy as possible, so you can stay here at Winsor. You are one of the most important students we have ever had. Even though one time we had these twin boys who starred in a bunch of commercials.
“Mrs. Kitchen and Coach Miller should have finished talking to the last group of teachers by now. They should be here any minute.”
Mrs. Kitchen was the tenth-grade principal. She was very strict. Well, that’s at least what Eric said. He had been sent to her office a couple times this year for being late. Even though she would always give him Saturday school, he still insisted that the school would spin out of control without her.
“Nicholas, now for some counselor talk. Please, when you leave here, embrace who you are. There is no need to hide anymore; embrace the new you.”
The door opened. It was Mrs. Kitchen and Coach Miller.
“Mr. Keller, we have spoken to all of the staff. Superintendent Spears would like us to let you do whatever you want, but let me clarify that statement. Rules still apply to you. You must attend all of your classes. Do you understand?” Mrs. Kitchen said.
“Yes, ma’am,” I said.
“You may be late and leave early. You don’t have to check in when you get to school, but you do have to check in before you leave. You may check in with any of the three
of us.”
“He can just check in with me to make things easier,” Joy Lemmins blurted out like she was hoping whoever said it first would be the lucky winner.
“Thank you, but any one of us will do fine. Mr. Keller, I have tried to call Ms. Keller, but she is not home, so I would like you to know that we will be getting extra security to keep the press off of the property. That should help you to come and go from school more easily.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Kitchen,” I said.
“Coach Miller, will you take Mr. Keller to his fifth period class?”
“Let’s go, Keller.”
I got up and followed him out the door, thankful to get away from Joy Lemmins.
“Let’s stop by my office first to get your bag,” he said, patting me on the back.
We got to the locker room just as the fifth period bell rang. All of the stuff that I had knocked over was just piled up on his desk, still not in order.
“Coach, sorry about your desk.”
“No problem, son.” Coach handed me my bag and put his hand on my shoulder. “Nicholas,” he used my first name, which shocked me, “people may think they know who you are, but only you know who you are and what you can be. I will always be here for you.”
“Thanks, Coach.”
“Head on up to Coach Hoff’s class,” he said.
“Don’t you need to walk me?” I asked.
“Do you need me to wipe your nose too? Get out of here.” He smiled.
SPLIT PERSONALITY
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
In the hall, people were talking about me, whispering, “It’s him.” I ignored them. Finally, I got to Coach Hoff’s class. Elle was not at her desk yet. I sat down to wait for her.
“So who are you—Alex or Nicholas? Do you have a split personality or something?” It was Oliver, of course. Now that my secret was out, he had gotten back some of his courage to bully me. “So what else have you lied to us about? Maybe you’re really twenty years old.”
I turned and he was right next to my desk. My muscles started to react to the threat, but then a voice said, “Oliver, go sit down. Just because he kicks your butt in football and is more famous than you, doesn’t mean you need to be an idiot.”
The class laughed. He turned around and Elle was there, defending me again. There was no smile on her face, no hint of her normal cheery self.
“Oh, the girlfriend is being the hero for the hero. Not too tough, Keller, or should I call you Taylor?”
“Sit down, Rails, or you can bully others in detention for the next two weeks,” Coach Hoff said, walking in.
Oliver gave me a dirty look and said under his breath to Elle, “I know you wish you could be with a real man, not a liar like him.” Elle didn’t respond; she just sat down.
Coach Hoff started class. I was feeling better, even with Oliver being his usual self again. I knew that Elle was right behind me, and that made everything better. In a few short moments we would be alone under the stairs.
“Okay, class, see you after lunch.” I turned to Elle, but she was already getting up from her seat. Jennifer and Julie were next to her.
“Elle, can we talk?” I asked.
Jennifer and Julie looked at her and she nodded. They walked out of the class. She had no expression on her face; her eyes were hollow. The classroom was completely empty except for us.
“I’m so glad to see you. I want to tell you—”
“You want to tell me what? Another lie? Listen, Nicholas, if that is even your name, I thought that you trusted me. I thought we had something special.”
“We do, but it is complicated, Elle.”
“Obviously I wasn’t special enough. Nicholas, I would never do that to you. If you have any respect for me, you will never speak to me again.”
She was gone and my stomach sank. I did all of this for her and now nothing. I sat back down in my seat. How could I go on living this life here without her? The darkness that used to fill my dreams was now all around me, suffocating me.
I skipped lunch. I couldn’t be around anyone. I had eaten two packs of Tic Tacs. They weren’t really helping, but at least they were getting me through the rest of the day. I didn’t pay attention to my newly attained celebrity status. Everybody wanted to talk about what had happened during the earthquake. I didn’t speak. I ignored everyone, walking away from them if they tried to talk to me. I even had a couple of people ask me for autographs. Some of the teachers were worse than the students.
I hadn’t seen Eric all day. At least I knew what to expect from him. He would make some smart comment about how popular I was, but then he would stop and treat me normal again.
Only five minutes were left in my sixth period class. Cora wanted me to go to the delivery door and wait. She said I would know when it was time to leave. The bell rang. I got my stuff from my locker, checked in with Coach Miller, and walked down to the delivery area. I couldn’t concentrate; I was fixed on Elle’s comments. My heart ached for her. The pain was overpowering, making it hard for me to stand. She was everything to me, and now there was no hope, no light, just the darkness.
“We are going to have a fire drill, so make sure to exit the building in a calm, orderly fashion,” Mrs. Kitchen announced over the PA.
The fire alarm sounded, filling the halls with its ringing. This had to be what Cora was talking about. Classes started to file outside, surrounding the school. It was a large human shield. I looked for a helicopter, but there wasn’t one. A man in a delivery truck was waving to me. I rushed over to the truck; the back door opened.
“Nicholas, get down in the back and hold on.” It was bumpy in the back of the truck. Luckily, I was able to hold onto the racking, which was filled with boxes on both sides. I had been in the back of the truck for five minutes when we finally stopped. I couldn’t see where we were. The driver grabbed a bag next to his seat and left. I stood there for another couple of minutes before the driver got back in, and we drove off again.
“Excuse me, where are you taking me?”
“I have a couple more stops, and then I am dropping you off near your house. Cora figured that if I kept making my deliveries, no one would think you were with me.” Sure enough, he continued making his deliveries. His two stops were more like ten.
An hour later he said, “Okay, Nicholas, here’s your stop.” Weary from holding on during the bumpy ride, I was happy to hear it was time to get out. I opened the back door and hopped out.
“See you tomorrow, kid.”
Tomorrow? Was this my new bus service? What had I gotten myself into? Without Elle, was all of this really worth it?
The front door opened before I could touch the doorknob.
“Hello, Nicholas, how was school?” she asked just like every other day.
“It was okay, I guess.” I was confused.
“You have some explaining to do,” she said.
Cora then made me relive the last four days. I started by telling her about my date in full detail, then all of the stuff that happened at school, and how everyone now wanted to talk about what had happened during the earthquake. I ended the story with what happened with Elle. Cora just listened, nodding her head every so often.
“I know it’s hard, but it will get better. Are you hungry?”
“No, I’m not hungry. I just want to start packing. I know you have a backup school for me. Let’s go.” I was close to losing it. I sat down and took some deep breaths.
“Nicholas, I know this must feel like the worst day ever, but you made the decision to stay, and this time I agree. You may have done this for Elle, but now you have to stick with it. Nicholas, something deep inside you made this decision, and you need to find out why.”
She continued, “And don’t worry about Elle.” I looked up at her in disbelief. “Girls sometimes act irrationally. Give her some time. Your secret is a lot for anyone to handle, even Elle. Think about it. You have had over five years of living with it, and you still don’t like it. She has had on
ly five hours. Give her time.
“Okay, now you have to eat. You need your strength. Go up to your room and I will bring you something.”
The black fog had lifted while I was at home, but the hole in my chest was still there. I hoped Cora was right about Elle just needing time. If not, I was back to square one.
Cora came into my room with a full plate of mini hamburgers. Of course, they had a couple of Cora’s gourmet twists to them with fresh veggies and hunks of melted cheese.
“Now, I hope you like them. Drink this Sprite for your sick stomach. It should help.” She sat down next to me on the bed and turned on the TV.
“So what do you want to watch?”
“Don’t care.”
“Do you mind if I watch the early, early news? There is a recipe I was wanting to get.”
No sooner did she turn on the channel than I heard, “The 10-10 Hero is believed to be attending Winsor High School under another name.”
Cora quickly turned it off. “Well, I guess I should have seen that coming, but it doesn’t mean we have to watch it.” She turned on the old movie channel. A black and white Western was playing.
“Cora, how am I going to get to school and home again every day?”
“I am going to drive you to a different bus stop each day. There are thirty buses and thousands of stops between them, so there’s no way the media can cover all of them. And then you will be coming home with Steve on his delivery truck.”
“The delivery truck?”
“Yes, the delivery truck. Steve has been making deliveries to the school for twenty years. There is no way for him to be linked to you or me.”
“But how am I going to get out to his truck? There can’t be a fire drill every day.”
“Of course not. He picks up the school’s deliveries in a large cart when he backs up to the dock. You will hide out in the cart and he will load you into his truck.”
“Cora, why didn’t I do that today?”
“I didn’t want anyone in the school to know how you were getting home. So please don’t tell anyone, even if it is a teacher, friend, or principal. Especially don’t tell that dingy counselor, Joy Loving.”