Chapter 2: The Devil Laughs

Late was not an option with Devers. I hustled to her new office. I'd canceled my afternoon diving practice, so when she was done dragging me over the coals I'd join Terrell for some music appreciation. That was something to look forward to.

Assuming, that is, that my head wasn't mounted on Devers's office wall. I'd had sessions with her before -- for things like using one of the short stair railings as an angled balance beam or doing cartwheels down an almost empty hall.

Hey! That was a celebration. I was a gymnast and I'd just aced a math final.

But not this offense. I'm a diver now -- not that that has anything to do with it -- but the steps down to lunch had been packed with people. I deserved whatever I got. I hadn't been thinking.

I didn't give a shit about Dolphus, but visions of flying bowling pins with my friends' faces on them danced in my head.

At the main office I found they'd replaced the Wall of Shame -- the lineup outside the Vice Principal's old office -- with five chairs against the wall opposite the high counter. That put us under the watchful eyes of the office staff instead of some poor teacher, rent-a-cop, or assistant coach pacing the hall trying to keep the peace.

Wall of Shame nominees were not noted for good deportment. In fact, chances were at least two of the miscreants would be there because of the dispute that had got them called in.

Like me 'n' Dolph.

Yeah, he was already there. Of course the last empty chair was the one closest to Devers's office. As I headed along the row a foot shot out. I danced over it or I would have gone on my face.

Guess who.

Right the first time.

Dolph tried to get me on the back swing but whiffed again, thanks to my agility, instead kicking the guy next to him. That triggered an exchange of kicks, curses and slaps, which earned them both a sharp warning from Mrs. Johnson, the school secretary.

The next step would be solitary for one of them. Under the old system that used to be the converted janitor's closet that had housed the former Program Coordinator. I wondered where they'd put them now.

In the not-so-friendly competition between me and the Dolphus did that count as one point or two? Even two seats away I could feel the heat radiating from him.

Shit. The year was not getting off to a good start at all.

Except for Hadiya. For her company I'd go through almost anything.

No. Thinking what she'd already gone through I'd throw myself in front of a bus for her.

I dug out my MP3 player and stuck my ear buds in to drown out Dolph's obscene mutterings. Mozart was preferable to his sewer mouth. Actually Mozart is preferable to almost anything, even the latest boy-band goo. As a gymnast I used to do my floor exercise to techno-pop, mainly using it for timing, telling me when I should be doing what -- this drumbeat leads into my second tumbling run, for example. I'm sure you get the idea.

But going with Terrell since middle school had really expanded my taste in music, and Terrell helped me understand it.

He's considered a prodigy, by the way.

I'm not too sure about Stravinsky yet, though Firebird is nice, and Schoenberg will never make my personal hit parade, but making love with Terrell to Ravel was an adventure. We both really enjoy my music appreciation lessons.

Mrs. Devers saved Dolphus and me for the end and took us one at a time, him first. I guess she wanted to avoid bloodshed and busted furniture.

I liked to think she took me last to clear her palate.

He wasn't in there long. I was still trying to wind the cord of my ear buds when she sent him out.

As we passed he smirked, I glared. If looks could kill there'd have been a steaming pile of ashes on the floor. Maybe two.

Interesting. He seemed to have lost the sling. I guess he heals fast? But there'd been something familiar about that fabric. It hadn't been the usual dark blue out of the office cabinet...

The chair in Devers's office was still hot from his ugly butt. Ick! At least I wasn't in The Program, so I wasn't bare-assed.

I gave up trying to put my music player away, dropping it beside my backpack.

I wished I knew what he'd said.

Mrs. Devers didn't give a clue. "So, what happened on the way to second lunch today?"

Lying to this woman was downright dangerous but I wanted to put as good a spin on things as possible. All I could think to do was begin at the beginning, when I heard the book dump and the laugh.

Devers stopped me even before I got as far as my encounter with Dolph. "No one reported anything about books being dropped in the hallway."

Well, I wouldn't have expected the Dolphus to admit to his crime. I didn't say that but wondered how no one besides me had heard it.

"Sure, there was a lotta chatter," I agreed, "but I heard it over the racket. Other people must've. There was the usual 'wooooOO!' from the peanut gallery."

I was on a roll now.

"And it wasn't just a drop, it was a major dump -- pens, pencils, makeup, notebooks, the whole bag. I know other people heard it. Have you asked that new girl? Hadiya? She was the victim. You saw her wooden leg in the lunchroom, what there was of it. Even that got broken. Dolph really did a number on her. I figure full impact, not just a glancing blow."

Devers nodded. "She hasn't stepped forward."

Not being suicidal I choked back a comment like "how could she step forward with a broken leg?"

I stood my ground. "I heard it. It happened."

"I'll talk with her tomorrow." She made a note on the pad in front of her. "Did you actually see it? Are you sure it was Foster? Could it have been an accident?"

"No ma'am, didn't see it," I admitted. "I only heard it. But it went beyond a simple drop. It was a dump, and there was a laugh. I know that laugh. Anyone who heard the laugh and the -- uh -- ethnic insults that followed had to know it wasn't an accident. And that Dolph -- uh -- Mr. Foster had done it."

I was picking my words carefully to avoid an extra vulgarity penalty. "That -- uh -- jerk and his bunch are a walking hate crime.

"Someone must've seen it, lots of some ones, but you know things were a real mess today. And no one did anything about it, prob'ly 'cause everyone's afraid of him."

I caught my breath, and shut my mouth before I said something about Dolph she'd make me regret.

"Mr. Foster denies everything. I have a report from a teacher that you were seen helping Hadiya, so I'm not doubting you."

"Thank you," I muttered, sulking.

And where were you? I thought. Then I scolded myself, 'cause I knew she was on her usual patrol in the lunchroom. Even she can't be in two places at once, though some people swear she is when they get caught doing something wrong.

She shook her head. "Something obviously happened and nobody saw a thing. Yeah, right. And it's only the first day," she mumbled.

I almost felt sorry for her.

"Go on."

"Where was I? Oh! Nobody else seemed to give a sh ... care, so I went to try to help her -- I didn't know who she was at that point -- and when I got to the top of the stairs the Dolphus -- Mr. Foster -- was coming right at me."

"You knew it was a girl? Not that it matters, I suppose."

I nodded, wishing I could just tell this without the interruptions. "Well, along with his ethnic slurs he used the word 'cunt.' Sorry about the language. His word, not mine."

She nodded.

"Anyway, Foster would've happily run me down," I went on. "When I zigged to his zag I didn't move quick enough so he tripped over my foot, which kinda spun me around and I sorta used him to try to catch my balance..." I was talking fast, trying to skip the details, but cut off when I saw Devers's gray eyes going from neutral to stormy as she slowly shook her head.

"Try again. You're a gymnast, a good one. Or were. You're a diver now. Pretty much the same skill-set. I know you've got the reflexes and agility of a cat."

I looked at my hands. "Yes'm."

"He says you deliberately tripped him and then pushed him in the back, making him fall down the stairs."

"Uh, well, I guess I did sorta trip him, but it was an accident and he was running..."

She tapped her pencil impatiently on the blotter and I swear lightning flashed and I heard thunder.

I sighed. "He was going kinda fast -- not running, exactly, but hurrying. I should've moved faster."

I sighed again. "I could've moved faster. I guess I did do it on purpose.

"Anyway, my foot caught his and honest, that did knock me off balance and spun me around. And I did sorta push against him -- to catch my balance -- maybe harder than I should've."

My voice trailed off, but I drew a breath. Just thinking about him made me mad.

"But nobody was doing anything, and I knew he'd dumped someone's book bag and then taunted her and called her -- bad stuff -- and nobody was doing anything and, well, I didn't want him to think he got away with it."

I stared at my hands again, fighting the urge to bite my fingernails off. "So I tripped him."

When I looked up her glare felt like a bad sunburn.

"And pushed him," I admitted. "And that's why he fell down the stairs. But it wasn't far. You know there's only four of 'em."

"Regardless, someone could have been badly hurt," she said. Her disappointment was worse than a tongue-lashing, making me feel sick to my stomach.

She sighed and shook her head slowly from side to side. "To crib from the Bible, Miss Liu, and don't tell anyone I said it, 'Vengeance is mine, saith the vice principal.'"

She looked at me sternly. "That's what I'm here for, Judy. You should have reported it to a monitor."

"Yes'm," I agreed, as humble as I could be instead of pointing out the hall monitors were swamped. "Was he hurt bad? Was anybody else?"

"Nobody else was, fortunately. When I talked to him at lunch he showed me the sling. It wasn't school issue but some girl's scarf or something. He claimed a sprained wrist, but I knew better, so I sent him to the nurse. I'm not sure what she did, but she's no fool. He doesn't have the sling now."

"Someone should tie it 'round his neck. Tight," I muttered to myself. I met her eyes again, and was relieved to see a glimmer in their gray depths, maybe just a hint of understanding.

"You've tangled with Dolph -- Mr. Foster -- before."

"Yes'm. For years. In third grade he snatched my glasses right off my face, almost broke 'em. I got 'em back, but that got him some scratches and me a time out in the corner.

"Since then he and his bunch have knocked books out of my arms, tripped me and shoved me into walls and doors, pulled my pigtail, called me ugly names. Once he tried to stuff me in a locker. And I'm not the only one. He's a bigoted pig and anytime he has the chance he takes it out on anyone who isn't like him."

"Why haven't you reported him?"

"I did, but it didn't do any good. Detention only pis ... got him madder and then he went after me outta school. I had to climb a tree to get away or he'd've beaten me to a pulp."

It felt good to get it out, and I was better prepared to defend myself now.

She was nodding sympathetically. "What about here? Worse?"

"More of the same, but I've learned to dodge him. And yeah, and not just here and it's not just me. It's happening even at the town pool, now, too, and it's having a bad effect."

"How so?"

"Well, Dee left and since he took over as head lifeguard at least ten kids, and even some families, have stopped coming. Mostly black families, some Hispanics, too."

"Why?"

"They're scared of Dolph and his buddies. He makes them -- not his buddies, us -- nervous. The people that are -- different, you might say. Kids like me, or Esther Blake, even Naomi Goldman, just 'cause she's Jewish.

"Not that we're scared when we're together -- well yeah, we are a little bit, I guess. There's some safety in numbers. But the creeps make us uncomfortable. It's hard to have fun in the pool when some asshole -- sorry -- throws an insult just before he 'accidentally' jumps on you or tries to drown you."

I did the quote marks thing with my fingers around "accidentally," feeling a little better for having vented.

"This started after Dee left?"

"Yes'm. Practically the day after her name came down off the roster as Senior Lifeguard. Somehow just her being there was enough to control the worst troublemakers. Now he's boss lifeguard -- don't ask me how that happened, seniority I guess -- and he likes to throw his weight around. Oh, he still watches for kids in trouble. He's good at that, but he sort of doesn't see what he calls 'just horseplay' by his friends.

"On the other hand, if some black kid sneezes, 'specially on one of Dolph's favorites, or hits on a girl he's trying to impress, or if Jose or whoever flirts with a white girl, the kid gets a time out thrown at him."

"Why doesn't the manager stop him?"

I shrugged. "Dolph's sneaky and Willy's busy behind the counter, checking people in and out. They're understaffed, of course, and he got used to Dee managing the pool deck. Her whistle'd go off just as often as Dol ... Foster's does, but at the people who really deserved it."

I remembered those days fondly, for a lotta reasons.

"And okay, some of the boy's are from the 'hood ... You know, where Terrell Ford grew up? Sometimes they'd get a little carried away. They learned. She taught 'em young, in a nice way.

"With Dee, all it took from her was a whistle. She didn't come down hard on someone who just got a little rowdy or started to run on the deck. Only time she needed to get outta the chair was when someone was in real trouble. Otherwise, she'd give a tweet, call a name, and waggle a finger. That's all it took.

"More'n once she benched Dolph or one of his bunch. Somehow she kept order without spoiling the fun. She knew everyone, by name, and didn't discriminate, either. She made it a point to make sure everybody got swimming lessons. If she had to she'd give 'em a private lesson on her own time, for nothing.

"She taught Terrell, in fact, and got him certified as a lifeguard soon's he was old enough. You won't find Dolph doing that. Instead he runs 'em off. It's not right! The white kids, if their families have the money they can go to the country club. Kids from the 'hood, they don't have anyplace else to swim, and now he's running 'em off like they were contagious or somethin'."

Devers sighed. "Dee. What was it about her?"

This was a turn in a direction I hadn't expected. Hell, she knew Dee better than I did. What was to know? Dee was the tallest girl in her class, the tallest in the school, with the muscles of a lumberjack and the build of the champion swimmer she was. But it wasn't just that. She didn't throw her weight around -- pun intended. She was respected. The little kids loved her. She's one of ... no, I take that back ... she was THE smartest person I ever knew, and the bravest, and kindest, and...

I boiled all that stuff that just ran through my head down to, "She -- uh -- commanded respect, I guess."

"No argument there," Mrs. Devers mused.

"She wasn't showy about it or anything. D'ya think she knew?"

"Knew what?" Mrs. Devers was turning her pencil end over end in her fingers.

"How -- uh -- scary she was -- is? -- could be?

"No. Not scary, impressive," I fumbled. "I mean, she wasn't arrogant or anything. She was -- uh -- sweet, and generous, and fun. But by the time she was a senior all she had to do was walk into the room or climb into that lifeguard chair and you could feel it. When shi ... stuff happened, sometimes even before it did, somehow she'd be there and that was enough to put a stop to it."

Mrs. Devers shook her head with a wry smile. "By the time she was a senior? She was like that as a freshman. Before she was even in the door as a freshman she'd taken on two of our bad boys, sophomores, and shut them down. And that was before she was six feet tall. I really think she was oblivious to how formidable she was."

Then she thought again. "No, not oblivious exactly. Say matter-of-fact. She just was, like a force of nature. But she was really modest, and I don't mean physically. She was naked more than she was dressed. She liked being naked. Naked in School was just natural to her."

"I was at graduation. I thought she was blushing."

Mrs. Devers had a sort of far away look in her eyes. "She was. Not because she was naked, though. She just didn't feel she deserved any special recognition. But we had to do something for her, to recognize her accomplishments beyond just the academics or her swimming."

I felt like I had to say something. "From some of the stories I've heard she deserved that and more. Like there are rumors she had something to do with that guy that was running The Program her freshman year leaving so suddenly. And what about that whole Pastor Paul thing? And don't try to tell me it wasn't Dee that that thug tried to kill at the archery range. And there was other stuff..."

"Don't believe everything you hear," Mrs. Devers cautioned. "Lots did happen, here and outside the school, so even I don't know the full story. I'm not sure anyone does. We'll probably never know."

She sounded a little wistful, like her mind was someplace else.

"You miss her," I blurted out.

She sort of stiffened, and nodded, all with me again. "Of course I do. So do you. So does the school."

"Yes'm. And I know what she would have done with Dolph. She would've gone eye to eye with that ass ... that idiot."

"Don't you try that!"

I gave a snort. "Me? Unless I stood on a ladder all I'd get is a crick in my neck and an ugly laugh, if he even noticed me."

I shrugged. "But Dee ... I really miss her. I owe her so much. She taught me so much more than just diving."

Devers let out a soft snort. "I don't think there was ever a person who met her that wasn't influenced by her. I think she even mentored me sometimes."

"Oh no! She worshiped you, and loved you. By the time she graduated everyone knew you were close. But somehow there was none of that 'Devers's pet' stuff. It was different. Mutual respect, I guess."

Devers blushed and fiddled with her pencil. "Dee and I, we had a special relationship."

I had the feeling there was a lot behind those words.

"Anyway," I went on, "when somethin' happens I keep asking myself 'what would Dee do?'"

"Just don't go thinking you can follow in her footsteps!" Devers cautioned.

I couldn't help but snort again. "Wouldn't dream of it. I wear a size three shoe, she wears a twelve or something like that, and when she was walking beside me it took two of my steps to her one just to keep up. I about came up to tit level on her."

We shared a chuckle over that and I felt better. "So what happens to me now?"

"It's early in the year. You're on probation for the next month. Just stay out of trouble, if you can."

"Yes'm. What about him?" She knew who I meant.

"Nothing, so far. I have no witnesses to back you up on the book dump, and the family would raise hell. Foster's father as bad as he is. Worse. He's a thorn in the school board's side at every meeting, screaming 'Cut the budget' and 'kill The Program.'

"Oh, I know Dolph Foster did it, but no one is willing to admit they saw it happen, and that's a battle I wouldn't win."

That explained why he'd looked so smug when he left her office.

"Most people are scared of him and his bunch. But ask Hadiya, I bet she's not. She's already had dealings with the Taliban. Dol ... Foster's nothing compared to them!"

"I know. I'll talk with her, but she may have her own reasons for not filing a complaint. It'd be her word against his anyway, and she's already got enough challenges. But I agree, after what she's been through it won't be because she's afraid of him."

"Yes'm," I agreed, but mentioning Hadiya's challenges made me think of something else. "Is she going to be in The Program, being Muslim and everything?"

"By everything you mean her scars and amputations?"

"Yes'm." I was uncomfortable the way she tossed out those words, 'specially "amputations." For some reason that actually made me wince.

"I can't really discuss particulars, but as for being a Muslim, a few years ago we had a Muslim girl who insisted on a head covering but nothing else. That was allowed. Prosthetics have been used as an excuse, too, but we've had handicapped students Naked in School. Remember the girl in the wheelchair?"

I nodded. "She had a spinal injury or something. Now there was a gutsy girl! Her catheter got a lot of attention I know. No feeling below her waist, but she found out she wasn't as dead down there as everyone thought."

"Hadiya's family could claim a religious exemption but they haven't so far. Unless they do she probably will be in The Program."

"Can you set it up so I can accompany her? Could I actually partner her?"

Here I was a junior and I hadn't been in The Program yet, in spite of my history with the middle school sex ed program. Or maybe because of it. In fact none of my friends had been Naked in School yet, which was a puzzle. Maybe they were saving the best for last. I didn't want to admit it but unlike a lotta people I was practically begging for an excuse to be naked in school.

That was another thing I'd picked up from Dee, I guess.

"That's not my call," Mrs. Devers said. "We have a new Program Coordinator."

That was a surprise! "Who?"

"Ms. Andrews."

Suddenly the pieces fit. She was the logical choice for the job, and it took the load off Devers. That made me feel good.

"You'll have to ask her. It'd be unusual, but she might go for it.

"Now, back to you. You're on probation for the next month, so stay out of trouble. No 'accidents.' Understand?"

I nodded. "Yes'm. Just so you know, I admit I'd like nothing better than to kick the snot out of that jerk, but since he's a foot taller and weighs twice as much as me that's not going to happen. But you should tell him to be careful, too, or he might hurt somebody."

"Oh, and as for that incident as you left the lunchroom... ,"

"What incident?" I asked innocently.

"Hadiya's hand?"

"Oh, that -- uhm -- Hadiya swung her arm and I guess her prosthetic slipped off. It's only for appearance, not much good for anything."