Danny's Mom (26 page)
Authors: Elaine Wolf
Liz didn’t answer.
“I’m talking to you, Liz. And when I talk to you, I expect an answer.” Peter waited a moment. “Do you hear me?” His voice grew louder. “I said I’m talking to you, and I expect an answer.”
“Peter, please!” I bolted for my office. “She’s not feeling well.”
“Then send her to the nurse. Or better yet, I’ll have Mary take her home.”
That did it for Liz. “Please, Mr. Stone,” she begged. “Please don’t tell my mother.”
Peter looked at me as a red blotch sprouted on his neck. “Jesus Christ! I don’t believe this. I’m running a preschool now.” He stormed out to the secretary’s desk, brushing past me at the door. “Sue, when Steve comes in, tell him to see me right away.”
Despite Peter’s warning that Liz’s problems were none of my business, her words stayed with me—temporarily overriding thoughts about Danny. Did Liz really think she was going to be raped? Clearly something had happened in that second period gym class—something that surely involved Tina Roland and Jen Scotto.
I needed to talk to Ann, but I knew she’d be outside with a class. And Steve wasn’t in his office. So, I saw Debra. I had to convince her to change Liz’s gym period without saying much. Liz wouldn’t survive if word got out that she’d told what had happened, and I couldn’t trust Debra not to talk about it. So I simply said Liz was upset because the kids in Ann’s second period class had bullied her.
“Well, it’s no wonder, Beth. They probably tease her when she changes. Why, I bet she doesn’t even weigh ninety pounds. And the fact that she’s nonstop mouth can’t help. That’s for sure.”
“Look, we don’t know exactly what’s going on.” Fatigue pushed me into Debra’s visitor’s chair. “But it’s really important that we get her out of that gym class.”
“You mean change her schedule? Now? You’ve gotta be joking.”
“But if she stays in that class, things could get worse. There are tough kids in that group. If we don’t make a change, Liz could get hurt.”
“Oh, come on. It’s fourth quarter already. You know we can’t change schedules.” Debra wrapped a curl around her finger. She saw me watching and unwound her hair. Then she popped open a can of Diet Coke with a nail file. “Look, I’m sorry. I’d like to help. Really I would. But rules are rules. Liz’ll just have to deal.”
Steve entered with a plate of brownies. “Just came from home ec. Want some?” Debra picked up a burnt chocolate square and took a tiny bite.
“No thanks,” I said when Steve turned to me. “But I really need to talk to you.”
“I’ll get to you later. I hear Peter’s been looking for me. I have to see him first.”
“No. It’s important.” I stood and faced Steve. “It can’t wait.”
“Whoa. What’s eating you?”
“There’s a problem, and I need to tell you about it before Peter does.”
“With a student?”
I nodded. Steve looked from me to Debra, who grinned like a child with a secret. “Let me guess. Liz Grant?”
“Bingo!” Debra said.
“Come on, Beth. Haven’t we been through this already? If Liz has a problem, Debra’ll handle it.”
“No, she won’t.”
“Okay, ladies. That’s it. Into my office, both of you.”
Scattered program cards surrounded
Newsday’s
sports pages, centered on Steve’s desk. He pulled up two chairs. “You first, Beth. Tell me why you’re involved with Liz Grant when Debra’s available.”
“It’s not like I wouldn’t see her or anything,” Debra said before I could answer. “I was in my office, but Liz went to Beth.”
Steve hooked me with his eyes. “Let me get this straight. Liz came to see you again, Debra was available, and you took Liz in anyhow?”
“No. It wasn’t like that. It wasn’t just
I have a little problem. I need to see a counselor
.”
“Gimme a break, Beth. You had an obligation to send her to Debra.”
“Obligation? I thought my obligation was to help kids. Liz was in a crisis.”
“Then you should’ve called for Debra.”
“You don’t get it, Steve. Could I talk to you alone? Please?”
“Look,” Debra said, “if Beth wants to talk to you in private, I don’t mind. I’m ready for lunch, anyhow. And she already told me about Liz. Beth wants me to change Liz’s schedule to get her out of Ann Richardson’s second period class. But I know we can’t do that, it being fourth quarter and all. So there’s nothing I can do, right? Liz will just have to deal.”
Debra left, and I told Steve there’d been an incident in the locker room.
“What kind of incident?” he asked.
I should have told Steve, should have known I couldn’t protect Liz. I see that now. But all I said then was, “Some kids gave Liz a hard time. And she was really upset. She wouldn’t talk to Debra. And when Peter saw her in my office, he freaked out. That’s why he wants to see you.”
“Beth,” Steve’s voice softened, “we’ve been through this before. Seeing Liz was a mistake. I told you: the big guys are on the warpath, and they’re not pleased with your performance lately. I need to know I can count on you to do your job properly, and that means listening to Bob and Peter. And me. So, I’ll tell you again for the last time: You are not, under any circumstances, to meet with Liz Grant. Do you understand?”
“I hear you. But please, trust me on this. You’ve got to get Liz out of that second period class.”
“Jeez!” Steve stood and spread his hands on his desk. “Maybe Peter’s right. Maybe it’s not a good idea for you to be working with teenagers now.”
Steve’s words smacked me hard. Working with teenagers was what I did. It was all I had.
Back in my office, I fingered Danny’s photo, seeking clues as to what to say to Mary. I didn’t want to betray Liz’s confidence, but I had no choice now: I had to tell Mary that her daughter was in trouble. I needed to convince her to push Bob to get Liz out of gym. And Bob might do it, I thought, because he wouldn’t want Mary announcing that he didn’t go to bat for his kids. Why, just a month earlier, the
Meadow Brook News
had praised Bob’s leadership following a visit from the Middle States Accreditation Committee. Their report cited Bob as “a principal who has created an academic oasis in which all students learn in a safe and nurturing environment.”
The superintendent got good mileage from that. Dr. Sullivan lauded our safety record: no violent incidents; only two bomb threats in the previous year; and just one student suspended for bringing a weapon into the building. At a recent Board of Education meeting, Bob had been commended for the Middle States write-up. Mary told me she had even heard rumors about Bob sliding into the superintendency whenever Dr. Sullivan retired. So Bob definitely wasn’t looking for any problems.
If Mary urged him to get Liz out of gym, Bob might listen. After all, she was not only his secretary, but also a Meadow Brook parent. And wasn’t her child entitled to four years in the
academic oasis?
I would talk to Mary and then catch Ann between classes, I decided. Liz counted on me. I had to take care of her.
But Peter got to Mary first. “I already heard,” she whispered as I neared her desk. “Lizzie does tend to get hysterical at times. Thanks for listening to her.”
I spoke in a normal voice. “I never mind listening to Liz. She’s a great kid.”
Mary put her index finger to her lips. “If Bob or Peter hears us talking, they’ll go ballistic.”
“But I’m so worried about—”
“Look, Peter already filled me in. So don’t worry about it. It’s just Lizzie being Lizzie. Any little thing sets her off lately, and she blows everything out of proportion.”
“But—”
“Beth, listen to me. I heard Peter ranting in Bob’s office, even with the door closed. He’s really after you. So I don’t think he should see you here. Lizzie will be fine.”
“But,” I whispered, “Liz has had—”
“Don’t worry. She’ll be fine.” Mary stood and leaned in close. “And nothing real bad could have happened. ’Cause if it did, Liz would have come right to me. I know my own daughter.”
At the end of fourth period, I found Ann stacking softball bats against the back wall of the walk-in equipment closet in the rear of the gym. A stench of sweat radiated from the sleeveless smocks used to differentiate teams.
“Hey, Beth!” Ann lay a bat on the floor and brushed the dust from her hands. “What brings you to the wonderful world of fizzle ed.?”
I backed away from the closet and allowed myself to breathe. “I need to talk to you about Liz Grant.”
“Sure. Just a sec.” Ann shut off the light and locked the door. “Let’s talk in the gym office. I’ve got a few minutes till my fifth period kids get suited up, and you look like you need to sit. Been some crazy morning, huh?”
“What do you mean?” I asked as we crossed the empty gym toward the small glassed-in office near the entrance.
“Well, first that long fire drill. Some of the kids said it was bogus, that someone pulled the alarm. They think it was Fred Morris. You know, the one who follows Tina Roland everywhere. And then I get this weird call from a man who says he’s Linda Marshall’s father, and he wants to know every detail about his daughter’s accident in softball, when Tina blocked first base, causing Linda to fall. Anyhow, he asked what I planned to do so his daughter won’t fall again. Crazy, huh? And he wouldn’t let me off the phone.” Ann shook her head and wiped her hands on her jeans. She opened the door to the gym office.
I sat on one of the hard chairs in the corner of the tiny room. Ann turned another one around so its back faced me, then slung her leg over the seat. “So, you said you wanted to talk about Liz.”
I told her some girls had emptied Liz’s gym locker and forced her to strip. Probably Tina and Jen, though Liz hadn’t admitted that.
“Shit! That’s when I was busy with that stupid phone call. I told you I’ve been watching those girls. I have been for a long time. So I’ll bet that call was planned to keep me out of the locker room. Dammit! I should have known better.”
“It’s not your fault, Ann. But I just don’t know what to do now. I tried to get Liz’s schedule changed, to get her away from Tina and Jen. But no one’s willing to listen to me.”
Ann got up and gripped her chair. “Look, you’ve been doing everything you can to help that child. Liz won’t get hurt again. At least not in gym. I promise.”
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