Promise (23 page)
Authors: Judy Young
“So you're rubbing it in my face, too, huh?” Dad sneered at Kaden, then turned to Gram. “You've been brainwashing this kid against me all along, haven't you?”
“It has nothing to do with you,” Gram said. “He was talking about Luke.”
Dad didn't say another word. He just shoved back his chair and stomped out the door.
“I didn't mean to upset him,” Kaden said to Gram. “I just said what I thought.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” Gram said. “Your dad has to realize everything isn't about him. I imagine it hit a nerve with your dad because he knows what he did wasn't right either. Your dad paid for his actions. Luke will, too, sooner or later.”
Kaden got up and silently cleared the table. He wished he had never brought the conversation up to begin with. Thinking about what he had said to Kubla that afternoon, he walked over to Cabin Five and knocked on the screen door. Dad didn't answer.
“I wasn't choosing sides,” Kaden said through the screen. “I was just saying what I felt.”
Dad still said nothing. Kaden stood there several seconds. He didn't want to talk about it anymore but he didn't want his dad to stay mad either.
“You want to play catch before dark?” Kaden changed the subject.
He didn't think his father was going to acknowledge him, and was about to leave when Dad said, “Sure.”
Kaden met him on the front lawn, handing over Emmett's glove. After a few throws, Dad finally broke his silence.
“How did your friend get a name like Yo-Yo?” he asked.
It was a legitimate question and Dad didn't say it in a mean way like Luke would have. Dad was obviously trying, too, and as they threw the ball back and forth, Kaden told him all about Yo-Yo.
The next morning, Luke was not on the school bus. Nor was he in Ms. Ales's class first period. Elana wasn't in class either and neither was Yo-Yo. Elana and Yo-Yo both showed up at second period but it wasn't until lunch that Kaden found out what happened.
“Yesterday, after Yo-Yo brought my MP3 to the restaurant and told my mom everything, she called Mr. Price right away,” Elana said. “Then we all met this morning: Luke and his dad, me and my parents, Mr. Price and the guidance counselor.”
“And Yo-Yo,” Kaden added.
“No, I didn't have to be there this morning,” Yo-Yo said.
“So where were you?”
“I was singing with first graders.” Yo-Yo rolled his eyes. “Boy, that was a lot of fun.”
“Why?”
“Price told me to stay in Mom's room first period just in case he needed me and Mom to come in. I told him I didn't mind being in the interrogation without Mom; I could represent myself. They do that a lot on TV but usually it's the bad guy who says he'll be his own lawyer. Price didn't seem too keen on the idea. In fact, he was adamantly against it. He'd make a good judge, you know, like the ones on those real court TV shows. I was just about to ask him if he had ever been a judge, but about that time Mom gave me one of her âyou'd better shut up' looks.”
“You need another one now,” Kaden said, grinning. “Let Elana talk.”
“Well,” Elana said, “Luke denied ever touching my MP3, so my parents said they'd ask your dad. They thought he might have seen Luke take it out of my backpack at the restaurant.”
“My dad? How did you know that was my dad?”
“I didn't know but Mom did. She remembered he was at the restaurant when Luke and I were there. They knew each other when they were kids,” Elana said. “I was surprised you didn't say it was him when I described him.”
“You only described his clothes,” Kaden said, not wanting
to explain why he hadn't said it was his dad. “Lots of people wear jeans and a cowboy hat. But last night, he told me he had been at the Purple Cow.”
“Anyway,” Elana continued, “when my dad said they might ask your dad, Luke's dad said . . .” Elana stopped. Her face blushed and she looked away from Kaden uncomfortably.
“It's okay,” Kaden said. “I've heard what Luke's dad has said many times.”
“Well, what he said wasn't very nice and Mr. Price told him if he didn't stop cussing, he would call in the sheriff and let him handle the whole thing. I guess hearing the word âsheriff' scared Luke, and he confessed right away.”
“So what happened then?” Yo-Yo asked. “Did the sheriff haul him off to jail?”
“No. My parents agreed the sheriff wouldn't be brought into it since Luke's a kid, but he can't come into the Purple Cow anymore.”
“So that was it? He steals your MP3 and frames Yo-Yo and then for punishment he can't eat ice cream?” Kaden asked.
“No, there's more,” Elana said. “He got in-school suspension and has to stay after school, too. Plus, my parents insisted Yo-Yo get a formal apology from Luke.”
“Why in-school suspension?” Yo-Yo asked.
“It started out as regular suspension but Luke made the mistake of opening his mouth, saying he'd like a little vacation. Mr. Woodhead seemed to think that was a pretty good deal, too. So, Price instantly changed his mind. Luke isn't totally kicked out of school but instead of going to regular classes, he has to go to detention.”
“Where's that?” Yo-Yo asked.
“Haven't you ever noticed that desk in the corner by Price's door?” Elana asked. “He'll be there all day but has to spend study hall and C.A.R.E. time with the guidance counselor.”
“For how long?” Kaden asked.
“Ten days,” Elana said. “Price originally said the rest of this week and all of next but Mr. Woodhead said Luke may just be absent all that time, so Price changed it to ten days, not counting any absent days.”
Yo-Yo turned to Kaden. “I told you Price would make a good TV judge.”
“Well, I've learned one thing,” Elana said. “I'm done hanging around with Luke.”
The three walked through the library and into the courtyard. Soon all the sixth graders except Luke were planting zoysia grass plugs. After planting a few plugs, Yo-Yo looked toward the far end of the courtyard and gave a little wave.
“Who did you wave to?” Kaden asked.
“Mr. Price,” Yo-Yo said. “Until yesterday, I'd never been in his office. Did you know his desk faces out that window?” Yo-Yo pointed to the far end of the courtyard, then waved again. “If he's in there, he can see everything we're doing. It's almost like on the cop shows where they watch suspects through one-way mirrors.”
Kaden just shook his head and went back to planting. When all the plugs were planted and the rest of the sixth graders had left, Kaden and Yo-Yo stacked the empty boxes by the door.
“Elana told us about Luke's punishment, but what about you? Did you have to âpay the price' for not telling that it was Elana's MP3?” Kaden asked.
“I did tell, just not right at first,” Yo-Yo said. “Price had already ruined my chance to look for fingerprints when he grabbed the MP3 out of my locker without putting on rubber gloves. So I was trying to gather more evidence but I ran out of time. After school, when I confessed everything to Mom, she marched me right down to Price's office. He didn't have to torture me or anything. Just one look from Price was enough for me to spill my guts.”
“You told your mom everything yesterday?” Kaden said.
“Why wouldn't I? I didn't do anything wrong. I was framed. Besides, Mom's a teacher and teachers find out everything
. I'd be in big doo-doo if she found out from someone else. Even on TV shows, the cops always tell the captain what they suspect.”
“Was your mom mad you didn't tell Price everything right up front?”
“Neither one of them was too happy,” Yo-Yo said. “I pleaded my case, stating I was only taking a continuance. That's when you ask the court for more time to gather evidence. I pointed out I would have solved it faster if it hadn't been for Price's evidence tampering. Price wasn't too impressed with my knowledge of the law, though.”
“So what was the price?” Kaden asked.
“Price left it up to Mom and Mom-the-parent was influenced by the fact that the crime had to do with MP3 players. So she took mine away for a week for not telling Price it was Elana's. Since the crime occurred at school, Mom-the-teacher suggested I help with the first-grade musical.” Yo-Yo moaned. “She thought I was really great with the first graders.”
“Well, Gram will be happy,” Kaden said. “She wasn't too pleased you didn't tell on Luke.”
“I might have made the wrong decision in delaying,” Yo-Yo said, “but I wasn't going to just let Luke get away with it. That was never an option.”
“I'm home!” Kaden yelled when he got off the bus, but walked straight to his cabin. He was dirty again and needed to shower. He went to his dresser to get clean clothes, and sitting on top beside his fan was a cell phone. A note was under it.
Call me. 555-862-1048. âDad
Kaden put the note down and picked up the phone, wondering whether to tell Gram or not. No matter how he looked at it, someone was going to be angry. Gram at Kaden for keeping secrets. Dad at Kaden for not keeping secrets. Gram at Dad for not getting permission. Dad at Gram for insisting he get permission. Kaden could usually talk with Gram but this time
he didn't want to be put in the middle of any more arguments.
Kaden stared at the phone in his hand. He thought about calling Emmett but for the first time in his life he felt he had someone else to turn to. Pocketing the phone, Kaden put the note under his mattress. Then he went to Cabin Four, shut the door, and closed the window.
“Awesome!” Yo-Yo said when he answered the call. “Now we won't have to wait until zoysia watering time to have a private conversation.”
“I haven't told Gram yet. Do you think I should? You know how she is about technology. And she's pretty touchy lately about anything involving Dad.”
