“A genius,” Mr. Nelson repeated. “He earned a perfect score on his tenth grade WASL, which is something that I had never seen before. So I tested him. His IQ is off the charts.”
“What was his score?” Mr. Turner asked, his interest piqued. Ely had breezed through his class and he suspected that there was something special about the boy.
“145…like I said, he is literally a genius.” Ely was not yet privy to this information. If he had been he would have been pretty amazed, as he knew what that number meant. Of course he would know, after all, he was a genius. It’s believed that Einstein’s IQ was around 160, while Isaac Newton’s and Leonardo Da Vinci’s is speculated to have been around 190, although that would be pretty tough to substantiate since they were dead. But Ely would have known that the highest IQ score on record was held by a man named Abbesselam Jelloul who scored 198 on a test that included 13 dimensions of intelligence. There is some disagreement on what score is considered a genius. But most scientists agree that the category of genius would be marked by a score between 140 and 150, which clearly placed Ely’s score in that category.
“Well I’ll be damned,” Sel said. “I knew he was smart, but I didn’t know he was a Steven Hawking.”
“What are his grades?” Mr. Youngchild asked.
Mr. Nelson looked through a stack of papers in front of him and quickly shuffled through them, stopping at his transcript. “He has earned straight A’s all the way through so far. He had a 4.0 GPA in middle school as well. In fact he is ranked number one in his class, and that’s with taking honors courses.”
“Ely once told me that school was easy for him,” Sel mused.
“I should think so with an IQ of 145,” Miss Sampson said.
“I was just getting ready to enroll him in the Running Start program when all this happened. I think we need to do that right away,” Mr. Nelson said.
“Good idea,” Mrs. Scott agreed. “But right now we have to decide what to do about this situation.”
“Well, I plan to monitor Ely very closely,” Mr. Nelson continued. “And I must agree with Rick. We shouldn’t suspend him for that long. I think it would be a bad idea considering his mental state right now.”
“Besides,” Rick interjected. “If I can keep him on the wrestling team, then it might be a good place for him to release any stored up anger.”
Mrs. Scott was shaking her head. “Suspending him, no matter how long, will put him on honor level four, which also puts him on probation, and off the wrestling team for at least two weeks.”
“We have to make an exception for Ely,” Sel argued. “Let’s put him on honor level three and keep him on the team.”
Mike Turner, being a coach himself, was nodding his head in agreement. “I agree with Rick. Keeping him in school and wrestling might be the best thing for him right now. He needs an avenue of escape, something to keep his mind off of everything that has happened to him.”
“Well, he has to be punished,” Mr. Youngchild said. “I have the parents of those two kids breathing down my neck right now. One wants to press assault charges.”
“I agree…just not a week,” Sel pleaded. “And let me talk to the parents. I think I can convince them to not press charges.”
“How about three days? And maybe have him perform some community or school service in lieu of the honor level four designation,” Mr. Youngchild suggested.
“Sounds good to me,” Sel agreed. “Don’t forget about honor level three. We need to keep him on the wrestling team.”
“Okay, I’ll make an exception.” The rest of the staff nodded their heads in agreement and began to gather their belongings to go. Mr. Youngchild had one more thing to say. “It sounds like this kid has lots of potential, but he’s certainly at risk. Let’s keep a close eye on him.”
“I plan to,” Sel said emphatically.
“Have a good day, everyone,” Mr. Youngchild said, concluding their meeting.
***
The buzzing alarm seemed abnormally loud to Ely. He reached up to slam his big hand onto the clock to shut up the screeching sound, but his hand smacked onto the floor. Floor? Then Ely remembered. He was sleeping on the floor of Jeff’s room. After the shooting Jeff’s parents had asked Mary, once she was in a condition to talk, if it would be okay for Ely to stay with them until she was out of the hospital. She was delighted, and quite frankly so was Ely. He had no desire to ever go back to their mobile home. He could still hear the gunshot and see his mother sprawled on the linoleum floor. The sounds and images from that day had been deeply embedded in his mind and would be hard to forget, especially if he were sleeping there.
Moaning groggily, Ely pulled the edge of his sleeping bag over his head, trying to retreat not only from the annoying sound, but also from the thoughts that plagued him.
Jeff reached out and turned the alarm off, then slowly emerged from his blankets and sat up, stretching his arms high into the air. “Come on, dude, we have to get ready.”
“I don’t want to go. Not after what I did,” Ely said, his voice muffled by the sleeping bag over his face.
“Come on, man. It’s been three days and your suspension is over.”
“I don’t care. I’m too embarrassed. Everyone knows what happened to me and what I did. They all think I’m a freak.”
“Didn’t they already know that before?” Jeff laughed.
Ely peeked out from under the sleeping bag. “Shut up, jack ass! It’s way worse now and you know it.”
“Who cares? Besides, you have to get back on the mat. Sel is expecting you. You know if you don’t come, he’ll just come looking for you.”
Ely, who had reburied his face, peeked out again. “And how does he know to come here?”
“I told him of course. And so did your mom when he went to the hospital to visit her.”
“Figures,” Ely sighed. “Fine, I’m getting up.”
Jeff got out of bed and walked past him toward the bathroom, pausing just long enough by Ely to fart directly in his face. Then, laughing hysterically, he scooted away from Ely who had swung at him with one hand while covering his nose with the other. But Jeff was too quick, and easily dodged the swipe as he hopped out of the way. “That should get you moving,” Jeff said as he laughed his way into the bathroom.
“Asshole!”
Fifteen minutes later Jeff and Ely were sitting at the kitchen table eating a bowl of cereal. Laura, Jeff’s little sister, was sitting next to Ely rummaging her hand around inside the cereal box.
“Stop that, Laura! Wait ‘til we serve the food before you start touching it all,” Jeff reprimanded her.
“I have to find the magic ring,” Laura replied, the tip of her tongue sticking out as she concentrated on the task at hand. She always did that. Any time she was really focused on something, she would stick her tongue out and it would twist and turn like a fish on a hook. Her habit was really pronounced when she was focused on a drawing. But it was cute at the same time and Ely was getting a kick out of watching her face as she eagerly sought her prize.
Cindy was a psychiatrist, but she dressed like a fashionable CEO of a big corporation; she wore a chic and stylish business suit in shades of navy accented with a white silk blouse. She exhibited a relatively unadorned natural beauty, wearing only a minimal amount of makeup, a little mascara and a light application of peach lip gloss. But she also wore an air of confidence that further enhanced her attractiveness. It was obvious that she could enter any room and turn a few heads.
“Good morning, everyone,” she announced as she poured cream into her coffee. “Laura, get your hand out of the cereal.”
“But, Mom,” Laura whined. “I have to find the ring.”
“Jeff, help her find the ring.”
“Come on, Mom, I’m trying to eat,” Jeff complained.
“I’ll get it for her, Miss Hanson,” Ely said. Ely took the box from Laura and began to look for the prize that was buried in its depths.
“Thanks, Ely,” Cind
y said as she grabbed a granola bar from the pantry and then plucked some grapes from the fruit basket on the counter.
“No problem. Thanks again for letting me stay here until my mom gets out of the hospital.”
“Who are you, fricken’ Eddie Haskell?” Jeff said, rolling his eyes.
“Ely, you can stay as long as you like. And Jeff…shut up.” Cindy then threw a grape and smacked Jeff right in the forehead. Everyone laughed and Ely couldn’t help but feel jealous. He had never experienced the type of family camaraderie that he was now witnessing, and he wondered, and doubted, if he ever would.
***
Ely pulled his hat down low over his face and moved quickly down the hallway, keeping his head down. But it wasn’t easy for him to try and disappear. After all, he was now almost six foot two, and whether he liked it or not, people were going to notice him. But although he drew furtive glances from students in his classes and in the hallways, they usually looked quickly away and no one seemed to bother him. Maybe they were scared of him. After all, he did go crazy and beat up a few kids. Ely was so mad at himself for that. It was bad enough that they were so much smaller than him, but what really bugged him was that he had lost control. He had virtually no memory of what he had done, and that was scary. After all, if he had so easily lost control then, what was to prevent it from happening again? And Ely didn’t like being out of control. It reminded him of his father.
He made it to his locker with no problems, quickly put his jacket away, and took out his books for his next class. He couldn’t help but notice that some of the students seemed to be whispering as they cast tentative glances his way, but nobody said anything to his face. Maybe he was being paranoid and was just imagining things. He was beginning to think that his morning was going to start off okay, until he heard the familiar voice of an asshole.
“Looks like the crazy fat ass is back.” Ely turned around to see Adam walking towards him in the hall. “I guess they let you out of the mental institution. Was your dad in the room next to you?” Adam asked as he stopped in front of Ely. Ely stood there and said nothing, forcing himself to suppress the familiar anger rising up in him. He stood there, mute, saying nothing, knowing that if he spoke even a word it might break the wall that he had built around his feelings, his rage. “What’s the matter, you wanna hit me too?”
Adam just laughed and walked away down the hall.
“Don’t listen to that jerk,” he heard a voice behind him. Ely turned around to see Amanda smiling up at him. “Hey, how are you?”
“Okay I guess.”
“You don’t sound so sure.”
“Well, I’m sure the whole world knows what happened,” Ely said softly.
“Yes I know. I was there when you hit those kids. And I visited you in the hospital after the shooting, but you were unconscious.”
“You did? I didn’t know that.”
“How is your mom?”
“She’s okay. The doctors said she’ll recover, but she needs to spend a couple more weeks in the hospital.”
“That’s great.”
Ely didn’t say anything. He looked away uncomfortably before looking back at Amanda. “Look, I can’t believe I hit those kids, I wish this whole thing had never happened. I don’t know what came over me. I’m not a violent…”
“Ely, it’s okay,” Amanda interjected as she reached out to touch his arm. “You don’t have to explain everything to me right now. But maybe we could talk over coffee sometime.Ely looked up, his face reflecting a mixture of surprise, confusion, and hope. “You want to have coffee with me?...... after all that’s happened?”
“Yes.”
“Hang out?”
“Yes.”
“Shoot the breeze? Discuss my messed up family and my deranged dad and how his abuse over the years has created some mental issues with me, including uncontrollable fits of rage, disassociation, and the classic I blame my daddy for everything syndrome?”
“Well, if you put it like that let’s skip class and go for that coffee now. The suspense is killing me,” Amanda said, smiling. “Do you always joke about everything serious?”
“Another syndrome I blame on my father.”
“Touché,” Amanda laughed.
“I’m just not accustomed to being asked to hang out. Actually, this is the first time it’s happened, if you don’t count the time when you asked me to be your tour guide. But I wasn’t really sure what that meant.”
“So, you’re sort of a hanging out virgin.”
Ely almost choked. “Umm, I guess you could say that.”
At this point in the conversation Jeff had sneaked up behind Amanda, leaning casually against a nearby locker.
“So would you like to be de-virginized?” Amanda asked with a giggle.
Ely looked over her shoulder to see Jeff, smiling widely, with both thumbs up in the air. Ely quickly averted his eyes and smiled back at Amanda. “Are we still talking about hanging out?”
“Wow, he’s bold, witty, and confident too,” she replied, still smiling. “So what do you say?”
“I’d love too.”
“Cool. You still have my number?”
“Yup, right here,” Ely said, tapping his head.
“Okay, call me…soon,” she said, giving his arm a gentle squeeze before disappearing down the hall.
Jeff jumped up beside him. “You crafty son of a bitch. Good for you,” he said as he jabbed Ely in the shoulder. “I gotta run, but Sel asked me to tell you to stop by his room really quick before class.” Jeff slapped him on the back as he turned to go. “She’s pretty cute, bud. Nice work.”
“Yes she is,” Ely said softly as he turned and moved down the hall. This time he didn’t notice the curious glances of the other students in the hallways. All he saw was the image of Amanda’s smiling face, and he couldn’t wait to see her again.
The door to Mr. Seljin’s room was open and Ely walked inside. Sel had his back to him and was writing the agenda for the day on his whiteboard.
“Hey, Coach.”
Mr. Seljin turned from the board and smiled at Ely. “Hey, Ely, thanks for coming. I wanted to speak with you for a moment.”
“Yeah, Jeff just told me.”
“I just wanted to make sure things were okay. I know it’s been rough for you,” Sel said as he sat on the edge of a desk near Ely.
“I’m okay. I’m just embarrassed. I still can’t believe I hit those two kids.”
“I’m no counselor, Ely. But you’ve been dealing with some serious stuff.” Ely laughed inwardly. Sel might not think he was a counselor, but he most definitely was. He had helped Ely over the years in more ways than he could possibly explain. “You lost control,” Sel continued. “Nearly everyone has that experience at some time in their life. Just be thankful that no one got seriously hurt.”
“I know. I feel awful. Those two kids were like a hundred pounds soaking wet.”
“You’ve been holding in a lot of anger. It was just unfortunate that those kids happened to be there when it erupted. Did you get those apology letters out to their parents?”
“I did. They agreed to not press charges. I’m thinking you might have had something to do with that.”
Sel smiled. “Maybe…or maybe you’re just a great writer and your letter persuaded them otherwise.”
Now it was Ely’s turn to smile. “Maybe so. But I know one thing. I’m really going to work on controlling my anger from now on.”
“Now that you mention that, I’d like to discuss the wrestling thing. I’m hoping that you haven’t changed your mind about wrestling after all that’s happened.”
“Well, I thought I would be off the team after the fight, but Mr. Youngchild put me on honor level three instead of four. He mentioned that he thought I should still wrestle. Did you have something to do with that?”
“Maybe,” Sel smiled again. “Listen, he’s right. I think wrestling would be the best thing for you right now. Forget the losing and winning thing. Just
use it as a way to blow off some steam. Work out hard, sweat hard, exhaust your body and your mind will calm itself. I hope you’ll be at practice today.”
“Well, I’ve been thinking a lot about it over the last three days, and I agree with you. I think wrestling will be a great way for me to channel my energy. I’m afraid that if I don’t do anything I might blow up again.”
“Good. Let’s use that energy on the mat. Has the nurse cleared you to wrestle?”
“Not yet. But the doc did, and I have a note from him.”
“Perfect. So I’ll see you on the mat today?”
“I’ll be there.”
The sound of the bell interrupted their conversation.
“I better get to class,” Ely said.
“Alright. I’ll see you later this afternoon.”
“Okay.”
“If you need anything, I want you to make sure and ask,” Sel said seriously.
“I will. Thanks Sel.”
Mr. Seljin slapped Ely on the shoulder. “No problem. Good to have you back. Now get to class.”
Ely smiled and left. Maybe the day wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Eleven
Dating…the joy and dread of all adolescents. I think that biology has it all screwed up. During our adolescent years we humans are governed more by our hormones than by rationality. We are emotionally unstable, sexually driven cellular structures that walk around constantly thinking about people of the opposite sex, or same sex depending on one’s biological preference. Biology has given us teenagers the drive, as well as the physiological tools, to enable “physical pair bonding”. But it has not given us the ability to comfortably interact with these same members of society of whom we are constantly thinking. It would be perfect if we never thought about sex when we were younger, and then, right around college or even later, a switch is turned on and we are off to the races. Think about it. That would be perfect. Our bodies would still be young enough to allow us to enjoy each other physically, but we could also now link several coherent sentences together and actually talk to someone we might like. But all these inherent desires are wasted on adolescents who have no idea how to establish a relationship, let alone maintain one once they have worked up the nerve to talk to the object of their desire. Then, throw sex into the mix. You could blindfold a young couple, strip them down, tie their hands behind their backs, and toss them together in a pool of maple syrup for all the good it would do. No one would know what to do.
The Life of Ely Page 16