Chapter 38

11 a.m. Tuesday

"Crap," Andy muttered. He was sitting in English class when his name blared over the loudspeaker to come to the office immediately. The teacher gestured for him to gather his belongings and leave. There were only a few minutes left in the period.

He walked down the hallway wondering why he was being summoned. He thought it might have to do with him missing first period the day before. He hadn't really spelled that out to his mom and she might have flipped when the office contacted her at work.

He was almost to the office when Elizabeth Pena stormed up from the other direction.

"I'm going in with you!" she said.

"Uh, OK," Andy replied. "Why?"

Elizabeth clenched her teeth and pulled Andy to the side of the hallway. The bell was about to ring and the area would soon be packed with kids heading to the early lunch period.

"That asshole from the middle school called here this morning," she said. "He wanted your school records. It's a good thing I was in the office because Monica probably would have given them to him. She's such a dumbass."

"Why did he want my records?" Andy asked.

"He said he suspected you of having an inappropriate relationship with Lupe," Elizabeth said. She waited for Andy to explode. Instead he broke out in laughter.

"Yeah, that would be easy to disprove," he said, shaking his head. "Uh, she..."

"I know," Elizabeth said. "She told me this morning on the way to school. But just the allegation would hurt you – not to mention what Regan and her family might think."

"True," Andy admitted.

"I gave Mrs. Simmons the whole story – and I called the board president again," Elizabeth admitted. "I wanted to get out in front of this and I knew I wouldn't see you until next period."

"So why am I here?" Andy asked.

"I'm not sure," Elizabeth told him. "That's why I raced out to be here too. I'm not going to let them steamroll you."

"I'm not going to let them steamroll me either," Andy said.

"No, that isn't what I meant," Elizabeth said, backtracking. "I just don't want you to lose your temper like you did this morning."

"I didn't lose my temper," Andy noted. "I anticipated a confrontation with either him or a teacher. I didn't say a single thing I hadn't thought about beforehand."

"Oh," Elizabeth said.

"But you might as well come in," Andy proposed. "You know these people better. I'll just tell them your acting as my student advocate. I think those are permitted in potential disciplinary matters."

Elizabeth gave a brief smile and they entered the office just as the bell sounded. The secretary looked up at the two students with a frown.

"Miss Pena, you are not excused from class," she said sternly.

"She's my student advocate," Andy cut in. "I'm entitled to one and I selected Elizabeth. Unless you plan to bring my mother in for this – and I would advise strongly against that – I'm permitted to have a student advocate on hand to ensure my words are not misrepresented. Check the handbook."

The secretary's glare didn't lessen in the slightest but she gestured to a row of chairs.

"Mrs. Simmons will be with you presently," she said. She turned back to her computer and ignored them.

"Don't mind her," Elizabeth said in a voice loud enough to carry. "She's always like this. She seems to think students are supposed to be seen and not heard. She's a throwback to the 1950s."

Andy chuckled. He had never seen Elizabeth Pena behave insolently toward anyone in authority. He decided he was probably a bad influence on her.

"Joy called me this morning," he said conversationally.

"Joy?" Elizabeth asked.

"From Regan's school," Andy explained.

"Yeah, I know who she is," Elizabeth said, as though she was talking to a slow child. "I was wondering why she called you."

"Then why didn't you ask that?" Andy said with wink. "Regan is ... out of kilter, I guess. This Lupe thing has her imagining all sorts of things. It's a good thing I didn't mention what happened last night."

"What happened last night?" Elizabeth said in a low voice.

"Lupe showed up at the apartment looking like she just wandered in off the street corner," Andy whispered. "She looked like the ingénue in every bad porno I've ever seen."

"Don't mention that to anyone else!" Elizabeth urged.

"She never made it past the doorstep," Andy protested. "I explained a few facts to her and sent her back home."

"Oh," Elizabeth replied. "Yeah, sorry. You know, if she planned to keep us sitting on these hard chairs for 20 minutes, she could have waited until after the bell to call for us."

"You know, she only called for me," Andy said as he nudged Elizabeth on the shoulder. "You just like to be in the middle of everything."

Elizabeth crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Andy. He replied by sticking his tongue out at her.

"Andy, this is serious," she whispered. "Look, even though you're not 18, it could be bad if you're charged with statutory rape or a child sex offense."

"I will bury every fucking person in this school if that happens," Andy said angrily. "This fucking place will be named the Andrew Drayton Big-Ass Payoff School by the time I'm done with these assholes. I don't even want to think about what my dad or Regan's mother will do."

"I forgot about your dad," Elizabeth said. "But I warned her that Rita Riley would make it her mission to see her in a homeless shelter."

"I figure Rico will just put them in a casket if they drag Lupe into it," Andy said without emotion. "He is not the type to take the time to go through legal channels."

"Shit," Elizabeth said. "You think he might do something like that?"

"I'm sort of surprised the middle school principal is alive today," Andy said with a nod. "I figured he'd at least get the shit beat out of him. He still might. They were a little hopped up last night so it might be a day or two before they follow him home and deal with him."

He gestured toward the principal's closed door.

"If she drags me into it, well, he's pretty protective of me, too," Andy said. "I don't think he'd hurt her himself but there are some chicas in the building who would destroy her in a heartbeat if he ordered it done. That's what no one seems to understand. The rules in my neighborhood don't necessarily correspond to those in civilized society. Some of the people there are almost feral – and I'm afraid Rico is not far from that himself."

"Shit," Elizabeth muttered again. She wanted to ask more questions but the principal's door opened and the woman gestured for Andy.

"Miss Pena?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm his student advocate," Elizabeth said quickly. "It's in the handbook."

"Well, yes," Jennifer Simmons said, "for disciplinary matters. In this instance, given what I was told this morning, I would have contacted his mother."

"Oh, no," Andy said with a sigh. He knew Camille wasn't in the office. The fact that the principal was still walking and talking told him that much.

"It is not a disciplinary matter," the principal added when she saw the look of distress on Andy's face – and the look of pity on Elizabeth's. "There is someone from the school board that wishes to speak to Mr. Drayton about what has transpired at Thurmond Middle School yesterday and this morning. I suppose, since you witnessed the episode today, you might as well join us, Miss Pena. I do not believe I could get you to leave his side without summoning security anyway."

Andy didn't recognize the well-dressed woman in the principal's office but it was obvious Elizabeth did. Her face lit up in a smile as soon as she came into view.

"Hi, Anita," she said happily. "I'm glad you took me seriously."

"Allegations such as these deserve to be investigated regardless of the source," the school board president said. "I understand Mr. Drayton was the one who brought the situation to your attention so I would like to hear it from him directly."

"I'm not the best source either," Andy said. "I got it secondhand from Lupe. I can tell you what I saw yesterday but as far as the actually pattern of harassment that pervades that school, you'll need to speak to the middle school students directly."

"I want to hear what you witnessed yesterday before I subject a group of children to what some would view as an interrogation," Anita said. "Before we begin, I understand that you are not 18 years of age yet. Do you wish your mother to be present?"

"God no," Andy said. "I've selected Elizabeth as my student representative. I trust her to ensure my words are not misconstrued or taken out of context."

"Please be aware that I have a relationship with Miss Pena's family," Anita said.

"May I ask the nature of that relationship?" Andy asked, glancing at Elizabeth. He wasn't sure if the woman was her aunt or her mother's best friend.

"Elizabeth's father is my dentist," she said. "He has been since I was in college. I live about three blocks from the Penas and I've known Elizabeth most of her life."

"Oh, that's fine," Andy said.

"In this instance, I don't think it matters either," Anita said. "But we're dealing with very sensitive issues and I wanted to make sure there is nothing left unsaid. Do you mind if I record your statement?"

"Is this to be used for a formalized hearing against the staff and administration at Thurmond?" Andy asked.

"It has that potential," Anita admitted.

"Then I agree to that without hesitation," Andy said.

"If I can confirm what Elizabeth has passed along to me, I assure you, I will take steps to ensure Mr. Leary is dismissed," Anita said. "I will not permit any group of students – females, males or transsexuals – to feel threatened while on school property."

"It's not just him," Andy said. "The teachers turned their backs."

"Wait!" Anita said. "I want to do this sequentially if you don't mind. Let me start recording."

She pressed a button on a tape recorder and gave her name, the time, the date and the room's occupants.

"I'd like to do this as a question and answer session, Mr. Drayton," she said. "Do you have an issue with that?"

"So long as I'm permitted to stray beyond your questions if I feel something pertinent needs to be said," Andy replied. Anita smiled at him. She had pulled up Andy Drayton's record when Elizabeth had called her. Without a single B on his transcript, he would be co-valedictorian.

"I think that is fine," Anita said. "Miss Pena, do you have any issues with this arrangement as Mr. Drayton's student advocate."

"I reserve the right to have Mr. Drayton refuse to answer any question I feel is invasive or outside the scope of this session," Elizabeth announced. She saw Jennifer Simmons frown and fought back a smile.

"Very well," Anita stated. "First off, Mr. Drayton, what is the nature of your relationship with the student you escorted to school yesterday and today?"

"That is not germane to this proceeding," Elizabeth said quickly before Andy could answer. "Unless allegations have been leveled against Mr. Drayton – in which case he will file suit to seek monetary redress – or if the school board no longer permits non-parents to drop off students, Mr. Drayton's relationship with the student is of no value to what we're here to discuss."

"Do you plan to major in law?" Andy asked with a raised eyebrow. "I really don't mind telling her about Lupe. I haven't done anything wrong."

Elizabeth frowned.

"Mr. Drayton will answer against my advice," she said.

"I have no relationship with Lupe Fuentes," Andy said. "She's a kid who lives in my building. That's it."

"Then why did you drive her to school yesterday?" Anita asked.

"Her family asked me to," Andy replied. "I go past the school on my way so I agreed. It wasn't a hardship."

"Was her family aware of the alleged harassment at her school?" Anita posed.