Lessons I Never Learned at Meadowbrook Academy (17 page)

I was squished next to Tim in the backseat of the police truck. Mervin was practically on my lap and Annie was pressed against the window. My wet clothes clung against my clammy skin, making me feel horribly uncomfortable. Rosy Cheeks drove while Thin Lips used the tip of a pen and the rearview mirror to pick dirt out of his nose.

I jabbed Tim with my elbow and mouthed the words, “Do something!”

Tim cleared his throat. “Umm, Sergeant, I was wondering…what is, where are—”

“Spit it out, Tarulli!” Rosy Cheeks barked.

Just then, the strangest sound came from Mervin's stomach. It sounded like some prehistoric animal was trapped inside, trying to come out. Everyone in the backseat, as well as Thin Lips and Rosy in the front, turned to look at Mervin.

“My God, boy…what was that? Is there some kind of animal in your pants?” Rosy said, looking back at the road.

The incredibly disturbing sound happened again.

“I get IBS when I'm nervous,” Mervin said, embarrassed.

We passed the mall on our left-hand side.

A loud beep came from the CB radio, and a woman's voice pierced through the speakers. “Car ninety-one, ninety-one, over?”

Rosy leaned down and grabbed the receiver. “Dispatch, this is car ninety-one. Sergeant Cox speaking, copy.”

“Sergeant Cox, we got a double homicide over on 42 Front Street in the Valley. Detective Anderson requesting your presence, over?”

Mervin shook his head, like this was all too much for him too handle.

“All right, will be there in a few. I got a couple of kids that broke into the reservoir. Be a love and let Anderson know I'm on my way. Over?”

“You got it Serg, copy,” the woman said.

Rosy flicked his signal on and turned right. “Thank you, sugar. You sure are

sweet. Over?”

“Ahhh, Serg, you're making me blush, copy.”

“All right, honey pie, see you back at the station. Over?”

“Copy that.”

Rosy Cheeks put the CB back on its holder. “Now that's a girl you want to bring home to Mom, you know?”

We stopped for a red light. I looked out the window. The sun had begun to set and it was getting dark outside. The light turned green, and we started to move for a few more blocks before Rosy made a right-hand turn into Meadowbrook.

We drove through the wrought iron gate, passed the sign which read:
Meadowbrook Academy Established 1904,
and slowly climbed our way up the long driveway. The second late bus passed us on its way out. All of us were supposed to be on that bus going home, but now who knew what was going to happen.

Rosy pulled the truck right in front of the half-moon lawn.
How ironic,
I thought,
this is exactly where my day first started.

He threw the car into park and twisted around to look at Tim. “Gonna leave this one up to you, Tarulli. Think you can handle it?”

A jolt of energy ran through me.
Oh my God, had we just been saved by the skin of our teeth?

Tim straightened up. I could tell he was thinking the same exact thing.

“Ahh, yes, sir…yes, of course, I can handle it.”

“Good. Now get out.”

Tim, Annie, Mervin, and I piled out of the car.

Rosy leaned over Thin Lips and motioned for Tim to come to the window. “Make sure they get a serious consequence, something to scare them,” I strained to hear him say.

“Yes, sir.”

Tim backed away from the car as Rosy peeled off, leaving the four of us standing there.

“Now what?” I asked Tim, who was clearly preoccupied with the same question.

Tim rubbed his eyes. “You are killin' me, Roberta, just killin' me. I'm trying to do my job here, you know? I swear, if this comes back to bite me in the ass…you'll…” Tim wasn't the fastest on witty retort. “You'll wish you never lived in Jersey.”

“I know, Tim. Really, thank you. I'll never forget this.” I quickly glanced over at Annie, who looked like a limp rag doll.

Tim tugged on his belt. “I'll tell the Serg that you all got a month, no, two months, full of detentions and a first offense verbal warning. You'll probably have to do some community service. And there's going to be a fine. Some kind of fine. God, you're a pain in the ass, you know that?”

“I completely do know that. And I'm sorry. I really am. I promise from this day forward, no more pains in your ass from me.” I smiled, trying to get on his good side again.

“Fine. Fine,” Tim muttered. “Now we've got to get a ride out of here.” Tim turned to Mervin and Annie. “You kids have a ride? Can your parents come pick you up?”

Mervin adjusted his glasses. “Uh, sir? If there'd be any way to not get my parents involved, I'd be willing to do…well, anything.”

“How 'bout you? Can you give someone a call?”

Annie barely shook her head and said, “No.”

Tim sighed. “All right, listen. I'm going to go inside and call a cab. That way, your parents,” he pointed to Mervin, “and your parents,” he pointed to Annie, “and your parents,” he pointed to me, “and my precinct won't know. Capiche?”

A quizzical look came over Mervin's face.

“It means,
understand
, in Italian,” I said.

“Capiche,” Mervin repeated.

“Thanks again, Tim. We'll be waiting right here.” I pointed to the fountain.

The air was crisp with a certain coldness that made me feel empty. It felt far more like an October night than a September one. Annie moved over to the ledge and sat down. The fountain must have had been turned off because there was no more water flowing from its tiers. The water, which stood at the base, was still and quiet, reflecting a tiny sliver of light from the moon.

Annie's teeth started chattering, so Mervin and I sat down next to her, sandwiching her in between, to keep her warm. A soft glow from the illuminated light posts cascaded down Meadowbrook's driveway.

“It's all going to work out,” I said, trying to be comforting.

“MmmHmm,” Annie muttered.

“Annie,” I said gingerly, “I would like to…I mean, I want to help, but I don't know how.”

“Me too. I want to help, too,” Mervin joined in.

It seemed that Annie was really considering our offer until she said, “There's nothing that can be done. I let him—”

“I don't care if you
let
him do anything. You're fifteen and he's fifty. He's the wrong one, not you,” Mervin said.

I tried to remain calm. “Annie, he can't stay at your house anymore and he can't marry your mom because all of this, it will just keep happening.”

“I know,” Annie said meekly.

“Look, just hear me out…we could tell Tim. He's a police officer and a good guy; I've known him my entire life, you can trust him—”

“No.”

“And what if this guy really hurts you next time, Annie? What then? Or what if he goes on to hurt some other girl?” Something in Mervin's tone had changed, like he wasn't going to take
no
for an answer anymore.

“I don't know, Mervin. Maybe I deserved it—”

“No.” Mervin stood up. “No, you didn't. No one deserves to have something like that happen to them. I'd rather you hate me the rest of your life than not do anything about this.”

Just then, a red Ford station wagon turned up into the Meadowbrook driveway.

“There's our ride,” Annie said coldly.

“Oh my God,” I said. “No, it's not. It's my parents.”

“What?” Mervin shrieked.

“Shit! What do I do?” I was in full-blown panic mode. As my father's work car drew closer, I could see both my mom and dad.

“Shit, shit, shit!”

“Why don't you run and, I don't know, hide?” Mervin said quickly.

But it was too late. The station wagon pulled up alongside of us. It felt like my heart was going to explode. This was so not good. Not good at all.

My dad and mom stepped out. Their faces read nothing but disappointment, anger, and some more disappointment. My dad was still wearing his work overalls, and my mother had on her brown house coat that she only wears during “emergencies” when she doesn't have time to get “properly” dressed.

I was so screwed.

“Roberta,” my dad sternly said. “Roberta, come here.”

I stood up to meet them.

My mom rushed up and pulled me into her chest. I knew she was mad, but I could tell that she must have been really worried, too. She pulled back and looked at me. “Are you hurt? Why are your clothes all dirty? Did somebody hurt you? What happened?”

“No, I'm fine. I'm not hurt.”

“What happened to you?” she asked again.

“It's a long story.”

“I want to know where you have been! Do you know what we have gone through these last couple of hours?” My mother's temper was starting to flare.

I was silent.

“Do you know?” my mother yelled.

“No,” I barely mumbled.

“Well, let me tell you. You were supposed to be home by 5:15, 5:30 at the latest. Do you know what time it is now?”

“No,” I said again.

“It's almost 7:00,” my father said. His face looked tired and worn.

“When you didn't come home by 6, I called the school, where I was informed that you took it upon yourself to just leave detention.” My mom was getting more and more upset with each word.

“Is that true?” my dad asked.

I hesitated for a second before I said, “Yes.”

“You know, Roberta, I was livid, I mean absolutely livid that you would be irresponsible enough to get a detention on your first day, but then to be so blatantly disrespectful as to walk out and just disappear?” My mother paused, trying to regain her composure, but it didn't seem to work. “You are fifteen years old! Do you understand that?”

My father took a few steps toward my mom. “Vicki, just calm down, please, this isn't making it any better.”

She turned on him. “Tony, don't. I am the one who has been dealing with her everyday. You're not around—”

“I'm not around because I'm out working to give you everything you want! You called me on the job, and what did I do? I dropped everything and came right home. Don't start in on me, Vicki, I don't need this from you.”

I have never seen my dad this mad at my mother.

And it was all because of me.

My mother became very silent.

My dad took a deep breath and calmly said, “I am very disappointed in you, Roberta. I thought you were better than this.”

Tears started to stream down my face. There was nothing worse in the world than feeling like you were a disappointment to the people you loved. I had never felt so bad in my entire life.

“Get in the car,” my mother said. “We're pulling you from this school. You got what you wanted. That's it. This is done.”

I stood there frozen. In fear. In panic. In hurt.

“Umm, ma'am?” I heard Mervin meekly say.

I turned to see that Mervin and Annie were standing behind me. I think in her rage, my mother hadn't even noticed the two of them.

“Who are you?” my mother snapped.

“Mervin. And this is Annie. We're Roberta's friends,” he offered.

My mother looked shocked for a second, almost like she couldn't believe I had actually made any friends.

“This isn't Roberta's fault,” Annie finally said. “It's mine.”

“What do you mean?” my dad asked.

At this point, Tim was walking back out of the school. When he reached us, my mother was shocked to see him. “Tim? What are
you
doing here?”

Completely uncomfortable, Tim said, “Hey there, Mrs. Romano,” he looked at my dad. “Mr. Romano…”

“Someone better tell me this instant what is going on!” My mother had just crossed into the
I'm going to kill somebody
zone.

Tim stepped forward. “Look, they were just being a couple of stupid kids and they, well, they broke into the reservoir behind the school, that's all.”

My mother glared at me. “You broke into the reservoir?”

“With a raft,” Tim added.

“A raft?” my dad repeated. “I don't understand.”

“Well, they got a raft and went rafting across the reservoir.” Tim's explanation didn't seem to shed any more clarity on the situation.

My dad's face started turning red. I could tell he was frustrated. “What are you talking about?”

“Mr. Romano, it was all my idea. My stupid idea,” Annie said. “Roberta didn't even want to go.”

I appreciated what Annie was trying to do for me, but too much had happened out on the reservoir for me to lie, even if it did mean me escaping severe punishment.

“That's not true,” I said. “I wanted to go and nobody forced me and I know it was wrong—”

“Isn't that illegal?” my dad interrupted.

Tim hesitated before he said, “Yes, you could say that. Umm, that's why I'm here.”

My mother rubbed her face with her hand. “So you also committed a crime today. Fantastic.”

“But really, it's all right,” Tim chimed back in. “I think they've learned their lesson, and it's all been taken care of.”

My mother did not look convinced.

“Didn't a boy die out there last June?” my dad asked.

“Yes, sir,” Mervin said. “Warren Schrimmer. He was our neighbor.”

A quizzical look came over my father's face, like perhaps there was more to this story than he originally anticipated.

My dad directed his attention to Mervin and Annie. “You knew this boy? The one that died?”

“Yes, sir,” Annie said solemnly.

For a moment, a silence fell between all of us.

“I'm sorry to hear that,” my mother finally said. “That was a terrible tragedy. But I still don't understand why you all went and did this?”

Just then, Annie started to cry. And it wasn't just a few tears; it seemed more like something had smashed open inside her. Instinctually my mother went to her and gently placed her hand on Annie's back.

“Honey, I think you should sit down.” My mother guided Annie back to the ledge of the fountain.

It was very clear to everyone that something was terribly wrong with Annie. My mother tried consoling her, but Annie was beyond consoling.

Finally I said, “Mom, can you, would you let us talk to her, just for a minute?”

My mother, realizing that what was going on was far beyond her understanding, said, “Yes.”

Tim, my dad, and my mom all walked over to our station wagon. I saw a yellow cab pull up into the driveway. Tim went and stopped it. A few seconds later, the cab drove away.

Annie was shivering.

“Annie, please,” I said softly. “Tell them what happened.”

“I can't.” Annie wiped away her tears.

“But they can help. I'm begging you to understand, you're not alone,” Mervin said.

Annie's legs started nervously shaking up and down.

“You have to tell them,” Mervin said. “Or, I'm sorry, but I will.”

Annie thought for a moment and then said, “If I did, if I told them…will you both promise to stay with me?”

“Of course,” Mervin said. “We're friends.”

“Friends 'til the end,” I added.

And in that moment, something must have really changed for Annie because she looked up at us and nodded.

I quickly went over and got my parents and Tim and brought them back to where Annie was sitting.

Annie's voice was shaky, but she managed to say, “Umm, I think…I think I need some help…”

My mother, concern written all over her face, said, “Tell us what's going on. It's all right, honey, nobody's going to be mad.”

It took some time, but Annie finally told them about Barry and what he had done to her. She told them that he gave her pot and took naked pictures of her. She told them that she let him touch her, but that it felt very bad. And she told them that her mother would blame her for what happened.

My mother and father listened intently, their eyes filling with sadness. When Annie was done telling her story, my mother kneeled down in front of her, gently touching her leg. “Sweetheart, I'm so sorry this has happened to you.” She leaned in and Annie buckled into her arms, as if she had never been held by her own mother, ever.

My father looked straight at Tim. I could tell they were both trying to figure out how to get this guy.

I glanced over at Mervin. His eyes told me what I was already feeling; we had done the right thing.

In my life, I have cried a lot. And I have felt really bad about many things. To be honest, I've always thought that no one else in the world could possibly understand just how much things hurt sometimes. But sitting there, watching Annie, thinking about everything the three of us had shared today, I realized that there is a lot of pain in the world. And I'm not the only one who feels it.