Where We Stand: Special Chapters

CH 1: Slide

It's a beautiful sunny day considering the shape I'm in. I walk home hurting, my eyes watery. I'm scared because I don't know how my parents are going to react. Maybe I can hide behind P'Kwanjai. She always cheers me up when I'm lonely or sad. My arm hurts but I know it's not something serious. The thing that's more serious is the note in my hand. Approaching my house's porch, I see large cardboard boxes outside the neighbor's gate. Maybe I can take one and hide in it for today. Before I can react, our housekeeper comes to greet me.

"Hello, Pete. How was-OH MY GOD WHAT HAPPEN?!" A young stout woman yells in shock.

"I didn't have such a good day." I sniffle as I sit down on the bench on our porch, wiping a few tears from my eyes. My cheek stings a little.

"Come in! Oh my goodness. I'll get your parents right away. You get changed okay?" She helps me take off my shoes and takes in my school bag.

I really don't want to see them. They'll read the note and I'll get scolded. It's only the first few weeks of school as a 3rd grader and I'm already in trouble. I quickly walk in my room and change into looser clothes. My left arm hurts when I put it through the sleeves of my shirt. I sit on my bed contemplating what to do. It wasn't my fault but I got blamed anyways. I can hear steps approach my room. My heart jumps to 100 miles per hour as the door opens up.

"Pete, here's some ice." P'Kwanjai hands me an ice packet and holds one to my right cheek. "You father is here. He'll talk to you in a second okay? He's on the phone talking about something important." She caresses my head. It's comforting but I wish my mom was here to read the note instead of dad.

After a few minutes of our housekeeper stroking my hair, I hear my dad's heavier footsteps come nearer to the door. I've never had a problem like this before. School was always a place where I get to learn and have fun. Why has it turned out like this? He sits on my gigantic bed to the left of me holding my back.

"Son, what happened at school?" He asks. My dad is so tall and his features are so sharp when looking down on me. It's so intimidating too since he's still wearing his long sleeved polo and tie. It's obvious he just got home from work maybe a few minutes before I did. I can see the bags under his eyes. He's been talking on the phone a lot even after dinner time.

"Well, I got in a fight in the cafeteria." I said as I fiddle with the note in my hand. "A teacher yelled at us and told me to give you this." I hand it to him.

"Okay, let me read it." He opens up the note and his eyes grow large after his sight reaches the bottom of the letter. "You started the fight?!" He asks with his voice rising. I wince before I explain.

"That's not true. You see there was this boy in 4th grade and I bumped into him, but at the time." I blurt out as fast as I can before he cuts me off.

"But you started it?" He asks again in a stiff voice while rubbing the temples of his head with his thumb and middle finger.

"Yes but no. I saw him doing something bad and-" I try to start but my dad interrupts me again.

"Ugh. Son I told you not to get into trouble. Your mother and I don't have time to go any parent teacher meetings. It says one of us has to attend so Kwanjai can't even go." He explains in an irritated voice as he points at Kwanjai with note in hand.

"But dad he was a bad boy. He was doing bad things." I try to explain but he carries on.

"That may be true but you did a bad thing as well and now look what's happen. One of us is probably going to have to miss a business meeting because of this. Ugh, such a nuisance." My dad says as he looks at the note.

He looks already as stressed as it is. If I'm so much of a nuisance then I'll leave and never come back. I stand up and run out of my house. I don't want to be a burden. I keep running down the street and around corners away from my dad's and housekeeper's yells. My body already hurts, you don't have to hurt my feelings too.