Eager Beaver

Chapter Sixty-Five - Swim Up

My heart skipped a beat, several of them actually, I held my mouth open in horror as Nate told my secret to everyone I cared about. I cuddled closer to my Mom and Dad. "Nooooo." I hissed at them. Mom rubbed my back comfortingly.

Everyone was listening. Laurie looked at me with his head cocked - I don't think he knew what to make of it. Alex on the other hand had changed her expression - instead a look of concern she had one of wonder. Charlie looked like how I felt - his face was beet red as if he was suffering from my own humiliation; I wondered what was going through his mind. Leo meanwhile had his hands clenched into tiny fists - like he was going to try and fight Nate himself.

Then I turned to Zach. He was a mixture of emotions. Mostly he still wore that disapproving hateful stare at Nate, but I caught him glancing back at me as if waiting for some kind of confirmation. Like he couldn't bring himself to believe it. The look on my face told him everything though. It was true.

The adults were whispering inaudible to each other, pointing conspiratorially between Nate and I like a parliament of hooting brow-furrowed owls. Taylor had his hand in his face pinching the bridge of his bony red nose. Charlie's Mom was covering her mouth with her hand - I couldn't tell if she was worried for me or actually smiling. Ross seemed confused. Didn't he already know I was eleven?

Nate was smirking from ear to ear. "He's a liar!" he announced to the assembled crowds like a victorious dictator. "He's just been pretending - lying to everyone!"

I let out another pained whimper, wanting to disappear into the floor. Finally however, Mr Rivers took control.

"What do you mean you were in the office?" He pounced on Nate. "Care to explain yourself?" He looked at him with a serious frown of disapproval.

"I uh..." Nate stammered, his smirk disappearing. He seemed to realize now he had made a big mistake. "During Christmas... I went into the office... You see... I knew something was up with Cooper... And there was! We're the same age, it's not like he's actually a little kid. He's just been lying to everyone." He swallowed deeply and guiltily; he knew he was in deep trouble. He couldn't even think up his own lie this time. "He's a liar." he repeated one final time in a very quiet voice.

"Nate." Mr Rivers intoned in an exhausted, disapproving tone. He plodded steadily over to Nate like a prowling tiger, slowly and judgmentally shaking his head. "Reading another student's file is an invasion of their privacy." he said in a low, rumbling, neutral voice - like rolling thunder reading from the school rule book.

"S..so?" Nate managed to grunt. "So what!" he added more confidently, gritting his teeth. "He lied!" he accused, pointing right at me.

"That's not scout worthy behavior." Mr Rivers interrupted. His tone was still as calm as could be, but his meaning was clear.

"W-what d'ya mean?" Nate said in a small mouse-like patter. "I'm joining scouts."

Mr Rivers shook his head. He had an exasperated look on his face, like it hurt him to have to explain. "Nate, let me put this clearly for you. You can't go around breaking into offices just to have an excuse to pick on a boy much smaller than yourself!" The sudden firmness in his voice seemed to make the whole room jolt in surprise. "And this isn't the first thing you have done to him and the beavers, is it?"

"Well... No..." Nate admitted. I could see his eyes were glistening with wet droplets. He looked away from Mr Rivers, looking down with his arms crossed like a sulky preschooler put in time out.

"We already talked about what you did to Cooper at the Christmas Play, didn't we?" Mr Rivers went on.

"Yeah." Nate confirmed with a sniffle. A single tear sprouted out of his eye, which he quickly sopped up with his cub scout sleeve.