A Truthful Lie

Part I Chapter 3

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They end up sticking me in, what most kids in our school call the cool down room. It's a small plain office, separated by a simple wooden table with a folder on one side and a computer on the other. The computer is for aiding, whatever administrator's turn it is to scold me, by pulling up my shameful school record. The folder is my own personal copy of that same record.

They called it the cool down room because that's where they send you after a fight to mellow out and think about all the bad decisions that planted you here in the first place. After a good 20 minutes of staring at white walls, an administrator comes in, tells you how much trouble you're in, then offers you an opportunity to repent.

After an entire morning of doing stupid shit, I decide maybe it's time to take them up on the offer. I tell them how Lavon and his cousins were harassing my poor 95 pound defenseless sister and that I felt compelled to do something about it. But now that I've had time to think the situation through, bursting in a classroom swinging, may have not been the best decision.

I even tell them how our furnace is on the fritz and how we dont have the money to fix it, or money to do much of anything for that matter. I tell them that I didn't want to get thrown out of school because coming here was a hell of a lot better than sitting in a cold house all day with nothing to do and nothing to eat. I lay the guilt trip on so thick that by the time I get done they seem liked they want to apologize to me instead of the other way around. I even think about going for the pity party home run and tell them our mother flew the coupe but decided against it.

Mr. Newton, our 12th grade assistant principal, has the honor of handling my incident this morning. He's a tall white guy, maybe 50 years old with greying hair, thin wire glasses and a heavy well-groomed beard that gives him the look of a distinguished professor at some fancy college.

I can see the pity in his eyes as he tries to lecture me on acquiring better coping skills and claims it pains him greatly to suspend me after all the other misfortunes I already have to deal with.

"I'm going to get some paperwork for your mother to sign and if she wants she can come up here and I'll discuss the particulars of your incident personally with her" he says

"Good luck with that one" I say dismissively as I stare at a nearest wall.

His mouth parts as if to say something but he stops mid thought and moves on.

"In any case, I will talk to your teachers so they may make arrangements for you to do some of your work from home. That way, you don't fall too far behind. I will also arrange it so that you can e-mail them with questions if you have any"

"I won't" I say, matter of factly. "If they give me the work I'll do it. I don't need anyone's help."

"Well the invitation is open if you desire it"

Silence creeps into the room. Though the majority of my attention is devoted to the plaster landscape of the office wall, I can still feel his gaze hovering over me. But I don't turn to face him. Under no circumstance am I making eye contact with this man. I feel, somehow, the less I look at him the quicker this whole useless conversation will be over.

"Mr. Baily" he finally says. Him using my last name gets my attention for some reason. I looked over at him.

"Why?"