Episode 49

Krissy

2:58 pm, November 4th, 2006

8:58 am November 5th, 2006 (local time)

"Are you sure?" my boyfriend asked. He had an unsure look on his face.

It was so cute.

"Yes. It's better for me to do it. Remember what you said in the hallway?"

"Yes. But moments ago I realized that I was more concerned about you."

"That's sweet. Don't worry. I can handle it."

"What could possibly have happened that was so bad?" the annoying visitor asked, his attitude up there with nails on chalkboard.

"That's it!" Karl snapped. "I'm going to get a message to Jacob Stone." Karl's tone made it obvious that the students in the room thought this to be the sort of threat that has wise people cowering behind furniture.

I doubt the guy is smart enough. You'd think that these people skimped on their preparation.

Their guy was not smart enough. "What can that kid do about it? He's in the middle of a shooting war."

Karl looked like he was about to give chapter and verse on the Legend of Jacob Jehosophat Stone.

Fun as that would be to see, there was a better way. "Karl..." I warned.

"Yes Krissy."

"I'll handle that question."

Karl looked like he was still going to go off for a long moment. "Go ahead, Krissy."

"Mr. Dunne, first, know that I'm no nerd. That means I'm not used to thinking these things. So the very fact that I know of them should tell you something." I told the officious fool in my sarcastic sweet voice.

"And what is that?" he asked ignorantly.

"That Jacob Stone is the one that kept all hell from breaking out from the events of last week. He is the one that set things up so that things changed somewhat with the Program. Rumor has it that he put his foot down about the affects of the Program on students and getting our input. Do you really think it will take him too much trouble to make a phone call?"

"A phone call?"

"To Senator Clinton. Or to the press."

"You threatening me?"

I sighed.

How can anybody that stupid hold onto a job?

Then I stood up and got right in his face. "You know, like most everybody else in this school, I thought Jacob was weird for messing in politics. If you are an example of the system, more of us can do it. You are an insult to everything that this school teaches me an adult should be. If it wasn't for those two, I'd leave right now. No detention they could give me could annoy me more than you are right now."

"Well said." Ms. Q. agreed. She held her fingers a half inch apart. "I'm this close to tossing him out right now."

"Even knowing who sent me." The aide was unrepentant. He was not even decent enough to phrase it as a question.

"I'm hoping she does not know what you're really like."

Dead silence.

Excellent.

Mr. Bacon stepped into the opening of the conversation. "No matter his failings, he's here to hear your Program story. Could you please tell it?"

I got an evil grin on my face. "All of it?"

My Principal resisted matching my grin. "Why not? Start with your impressions as a student. Then tell him the rest of it."

Poor unsuspecting fool.

"Sure. Most of the week went smoothly. They there was an attempted rape. He was dealt with. But the attempted rapist's words as he attacked me showed me at least the real problem in the Program."

"What's that?" Ms. Q asked me in the tone of one who knew already what I am about to say.

"The lack of respect. They tell me the whole idea of the Program is to help us to grow as people and to expand our minds. That's good. But by taking away all our abilities to make choices, we really don't get to learn much of that. Everybody sees us as targets. I've noticed Program students receive a lot less respect during their time then anybody else. They have to do things that they might refuse normally. I'm not going into that. The sexual issues are more of a female thing from what I've heard. The boys have no trouble with that. But even if it is to be open season on us for some purpose that escapes us, we prefer that there be a little more respect shown. Can you honestly think that the behavior shown these days would get so much as a kiss from a girl if she was not in the Program? I mean, if they tried some of the stuff I've seen at other times, I'd be more likely to slap them into the nearest wall."

"Trust me." Karl grinned. "You do not want to be on the receiving end of one of her slaps."

"Nicely said." Principal Bacon complimented me. "Ms. Q., should we let her tell the rest?"

"Are you sure?" She let a wicked grin show this time. "It might destroy his illusions about teenagers being able to seize the circumstances."

"Sure, Krissy. Tell him the rest."

"Gladly. You'll love this. You see, I wasn't chosen. I volunteered. I knew that the Program was easily twistable to the 'desires' of teenagers rather than the desires and goals of those behind it. Plus it had one big flaw. Respect. When you stripped away the clothes, it was as if all need to respect the students in the Program was taken away with them. Especially us girls. The last students barely survived. One was assaulted and raped. She got AIDS from it."

"My turn." Karl said. "She said that respect vanished with the clothes. You know who the Program student was last week? Jacob Stone. He has abilities we don't even know. He does things most of us won't because we're too concerned about looking cool. I seriously believe that's the reason he survived. But that's all even the mighty legend of Jacob Jehosophat Stone could do. It cost him the love he thought he had found. The very legend he needed to survive forced him to do things that cost him his girlfriend."

Mr. Dunne shook his head. "That does not explain why Krissy volunteered."

"That's easy." I informed him. "It looked like Stone tamed those who would abuse the Program through wit. But I knew that the troubles were still there, sitting just beneath the surface. So I volunteered because of my violent tendencies. Anybody who tried to abuse me, I beat up."

Mr. Bacon

3:15 pm, November 4th, 2006

9:15 am November 5th, 2006 (local time)

One meeting down, one meeting left to go this afternoon. Truth to be told, I think I'd rather have to deal with Krissy on a bad hair day.

"Mr. and Mrs. Donk have arrived already." my secretary informed me. "I left them waiting in your office as you instructed."

"Thank you." I turned and saw Ms. Q leaving her office for the day. "Care to sit in?"

"I'd rather not, thank you. I have to get home before my husband burns down the kitchen again trying to make dinner."

Smart woman. Come to think of it, I think I would rather go home to a fight with my wife. The worst she could do is to kill me.

But I did not go home.

I went into my office instead.

Mr. and Mrs. Donk were waiting for me.

I expected this.

They did not look the least bit happy.

I expected this as well.

I expected that nothing good would come of this meeting too.

Time to see if the fallout could be minimized. "Mr. and Mrs. Donk? I'm Mr. Bacon. I'm the Principal of this school.

"We can't say it's a pleasure to meet you." Mr. Donk said.

"Reggie told us what you did to him." Mrs. Donk followed up.

"What I did to him, you say? Very well, I see you wish to get straight to the point. Your son violated several rules of this school."

"As did Krissy." Mr. Donk snapped.

"No she did not."

"Of course she did. According to your own school nurse, several of my son's bones were broken."

"My wife is right. I took the time to reread the rules booklet you sent home at the beginning of the year. At the very least, Krissy should have been given an out of school suspension."

"Under normal circumstances, you would be correct. But there are things you do not know about this particular incident." I informed them.

"Can you explain them?"

"Yes. Krissy asked to be placed in the Program. She knew that people would misbehave. They would abuse the participants. Exactly as your son did. Krissy has been in here often because of her fighting tendencies. She came to me with the idea of making her temper serve the common good. She was to be bait. She would be waiting for anybody who didn't learn their lesson from the events of last week. When whoever it was attacked her, she would make an example out of them."

"Aha. Reggie was right. Krissy set it all up. That means Reggie's punishment is not right. I demand his punishment be changed to something he deserves."

So they were not going to be smart. So be it. I'll give him what he deserves alright. "I'll be glad to comply. Reggie will receive a month's suspension. I am also recommending him for transfer to the school district's school for troubled students and or criminal students."

"What???" Mrs. Donk shouted.

The look of anger on her husband's face showed that he didn't take it any easier. "Either Krissy is expelled for her behavior, or we will sue this school for everything it's got. We want her charged for her vicious crime."

"Her crime?" I gasped. "Lawsuit? Charges?? Those are completely uncalled for. The school is trying to be nice about the situation."

"Our son is the victim in this. He would never have done anything wrong if it wasn't for her. How can what you are doing possibly be right?"

"Very simple, Mr. and Mrs. Donk. You son could have been arrested for attempted rape. He still can, come to think of it. Are you still insistent that the school pursues the full legal possibilities?"

Next thing I knew, they had stormed out, slamming the door behind them

No loss.

Jacob

4:04 pm, November 4th, 2006

10:04 am November 5th, 2006 (local time)

I tossed and turned for a few minutes.