Please Understand

Chapter 2: She's Gone

The nurse wiped the blood off of me, stuck a band-aid to my forehead, and sent me directly to the principal's office without a sympathetic word, not that I needed it. I got to hear the whole speech about how violence is never the answer to which I replied, "Then why do we solve our problems with war?" My question was ignored, Mr. Winters called my mom, and I waited in the office for her to come while the secretary gave me worried glances as she typed away. Still no sympathy. Oh, well.

I had never been to the principal's office unless it was good news, like winning an award, or another interview with the town's pathetic excuse for a newspaper. The only other time was when the police came to talk to me, but that was because of Amelia, so even the bad news wasn't my fault. My whole life was falling apart without her, or was it because of her? Either way-

My mom burst through the door and I instantly threw my head back and groaned. "Mason Curtis Maxwell!" she exclaimed in disbelief, making my head pound from shrill voice. You'd think I would be used to the sound after eighteen years.

"Why couldn't you just stay home?" I complained as I buried my face in my hands. Everyday, my mother made me want to die of embarrassment.

"Mason, Mrs. Maxwell, may I speak to you both for a minute," Mr. Winters requested from his doorway and we both obeyed. He probably just wanted her to stop screaming and scaring the secretary.

Mom glared daggers at me the entire time he explained the fight, my punishment, Dakota's punishment, and reviewed the code of ethics one more time with me. Maybe he thinks my mom will be able to enforce it at home. "So will he still be able to go to football practice, and be in the game on Friday?" she asked as she readjusted her red purse on her shoulder. Her forehead wrinkled as she frowned.

Mr. Winters briefly glanced at me, but then went right back to looking at her. "Normally, no, but Coach Holtry has requested we allow him to play on Friday, so yes, he can attend practices. Fair warning, if you step out of line again, then there won't be anymore football for you," he explained as he leaned back, showing off his slight beer gut.

Part of me kind of wished they would've kicked me off the team, but I know football is my only chance at getting a full ride scholarship. Plus, the team would be lost without me. "So I have in-school suspension? What am I supposed to do?" I questioned with my jaw still locked. I wished I could break Mr. Winters' pudgy nose.

"You'll be doing your normal school work for the rest of the week in Mr. Holtry's office. Dakota will be here with me. Mrs. Winters also suggested for the two of you to have a counseling session first thing tomorrow morning," he explained as he turned towards his computer. This is his signature move when he wants students to stop asking questions, but I didn't want to let the conversation die just yet. I would rather annoy him.

Like counseling is going to help two testosterone filled boys resolve their conflict about my missing best friend. "So am I supposed to go back to class or what?" I asked and instantly Mom glared at me for sounding too rude.

Mr. Winters raised one of his eyebrows, but finally looked away from his screen, folded his hands together, and leaned forward. "Weren't you listening to me? You will be going home today. Miguel is grabbing your assignments as we speak. Once he comes back, then you can leave," he explained with a small, forced smile. Then he went back to his computer, and the printer whirred to some kind of partial life as it struggled to spit out a piece paper.

He grabbed the paper, passed it to my mom, and handed her a pen. "Please sign this. It's ensuring that we have discussed Mason's punishment and the code of ethics," he stated as he clasped his hand together. He stared at us over his copper wired glasses with a slightly judging expression.

She mashed her lips into a thin line as she glanced over the words. After she scrawled out her perfect signature, she passed the paper over to me, and made brief eye contact. "Please inform me how the counseling session goes tomorrow. I know they are confidential, I just want to know if it goes well or not," she insisted with a tight, overly polite smile.

I rolled my eyes at her, but signed the paper without reading it. Either way I was going to be forced to sign, and they would probably hold me hostage if I didn't. "Can I go home?" I grumbled as I leaned back in the chair.

He sighed, and the pushed his glasses up. "As I said before, Miguel is gathering your homework assignments for the rest of the day, and then, yes, you are allowed to leave. Mrs. Maxwell, you are more than willing to go; I'm sorry for the inconvenience," he insincerely apologized.

She smiled and crossed her legs, like she was preparing herself for a long vacation in the principal's office. "It's not your fault," she commented as she glared daggers my direction. "I do apologize for my son. I know we raised him better than this." Ladies and gentlemen, may I present my mom, the woman who is always willing to throw me under the bus to get herself ahead.

I was just about to get up and walk out, when the door swung open and Miguel shuffled in wearing his pretentious, all-Nike outfit. The papers were haphazardly held in his hands, and then I looked up to see a smirk set on his round face. "Hey, dude! How's it going?" he exclaimed, as he slapped my shoulder, like this should've been the perfect moment to catch up. "I have your homework, and I also got Amelia's!"

I stared at him in complete disbelief, and held myself back from breaking his arm. There was still an overwhelming about of adrenaline coursing through my veins. Getting in a fight after signing the code of ethics might be ironically cool. "You know Amelia isn't there, right?" I asked through gritted teeth as I forced myself to smile at this idiot.

He patted my shoulder, and then handed me the papers. "Maybe she'll be there today, you never know. You just have to be optimistic," he explained and then he glanced over at my mom with his cheeky smile.

My fake smile completely fell, and my hands balled into fists. I could probably take him in a fight, especially considering I held my ground for a few minutes against Dakota. "She isn't there! She won't be there! She'll never be there! Why don't any of you understand that? She's gone! And she's never coming back!" I shouted, hearing my own, wretched screams echo off the cream walls. Before anyone could scold me again, I jumped out of my chair, pushed stunned Miguel out of the way, and ran straight towards the parking lot. The secretary jumped out of her chair when she saw me, but I ignored her and slammed the door. Luckily, I didn't run into anyone else as he hurried to my car, and nobody tried to follow me.

She isn't there! She won't be there! She'll never be there! Why don't any of you understand that?

Why couldn't they understand? Why was I the only one who seemed to grasp the whole missing person concept? She's missing, they need to look for her, and leave me alone. Nobody cares that she is gone, but they are at least pretending to miss her. Maybe that's just for my sake, to calm the beast down. Maybe they are waiting for me to say something incriminating, so I can be blamed for all of this. At some point, maybe I will take the blame, to make it all disappear the way she did. Still, I don't understand why was I the one being punished for her disappearance?

She's gone.