Life's a mystery

The class learns the truth

Carlos Ramon knew full well what his teacher; Valerie Frizzle was thinking one morning. His class never knew of the pain he went through, but, he knew he had to tell them eventually.

"Guys, we need to talk," Carlos said, getting the confirmed nod from the Frizzy redhead. "What is it, Carlos?" asked D.A. Out of everyone in the room, besides Miss Frizzle, Carlos trusted Dorothy Ann.
"It's about time you guys know, about what happened last month," he said, leaning foreword, rubbing his hands together. Miss Frizzle walked over and sat down on his desk, then put a hand on his shoulder.

Carlos looked up and smiled, before looking at his now concerned classmates. "It all started from that Dinosaur field trip. Dr. Skeledon knows about this too," he said, already tearing up, as he spoke.

Flashback

"You worthless mistake! You piece of shit! You are no longer allowed in this house!" yelled Mr. Ramon, punching Carlos in the face. It was the same every day, and the young Latino boy was powerless to fight back. Mikey wasn't home, which was the perfect opportunity for Mr. Ramon, as he smelled of weed and alcohol.

Unfortunately, Miss Frizzle came back with Dr. Skeledon and heard the commotion. They both looked at each other, before the Paleontologist kicked down the door, surprising the older Ramon. "You fucking bastard!" growled Dr. Skeledon, not wasting a moment, prying off Mr. Ramon, before punching him dead in the face.

Miss Frizzle looked at Carlos and gasped. His whole face was bloody and swollen, and even through the blood, she could see him crying. "Valerie! Get him out of here, now!" yelled Dr. Skeledon, going back to punching the older Latino. Miss Frizzle complied, and swiftly scooped her student into her arms, before running out.

A few minutes later, Dr. Skeledon came out, with a long gash above her eyebrow. Her breaths ragged from the fight only minutes before. "Carlos?" she asked, noticing the boy staring off into space. The Paleontologist looked at Miss Frizzle and both shared a knowing look.

On the ride to Murphy's Recycling Plant, Dr. Skeledon cleaned Carlos up. He winced, then started to cry again.

"You should've done that, Doc". He said, pulling his knees to his chest.

"Like hell, I shouldn't, Carlos. What he fucking did to you, is unacceptable," replied the Paleontologist, clenching the towel she had in a death grip, gritting her teeth.

Once there, Murphy walked out, with a couple of Dr. Skeledon's boys. When the bus stopped, the boys ran to help the Doctor, who was now carrying the boy in her arms, followed closely behind her, was a crying Frizzle.

"Tom, get him some blankets. Simon, see if you can get him some food," ordered Dr. Skeledon, earning nods from the men. Simon carefully took Carlos, who was sleeping, from the Paleontologist and took him inside.

Murphy looked at Valerie with sympathy. "Hey, don't worry Val. We'll figure this out" she said, being careful not easily anger her cousin.

"I should've known something was wrong. I'm his teacher! What kind of a teacher am I, that I can't protect them?" yelled Valerie, alarming Dr. Skeledon and Murphy. The Paleontologist hugged Valerie tightly, and quietly shushed her as the once enthusiastic teacher, was sobbing.

Back inside the recycling plant, Carlos heard the commotion and teared up. He didn't tell Miss Frizzle because of what would've happened if his parents found out.

"Hey there, kid," said a voice. Carlos turned around and saw it was Dr. Skeledon. He scooted over and made room for the Paleontologist, who in turn, sat down. "So, I take it you heard all that?" she asked, letting her head drop, to where Carlos couldn't see her eyes thanks to her hat. Carlos knew she could see him, and he nodded, before resting his head on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to tell her, because of what they would've done to me," said Carlos. He looked at Dr. Skeledon, who looked down at him, with a sympathetic smile on her face.

"I know. You were scared. I can't blame you, and neither would Valerie," Dr. Skeledon responded. Murphy came in later, with some Chicken Soup and peacefully ordered Carlos to eat.

"Jesus Christ, Carlos! They didn't feed you?!" exclaimed Murphy, with a shocked look. Carlos shook his head.

"Any food I got, was what I stole from the school," he said, not looking up at the two women with shocked looks on their faces. That news pissed them off. They weren't mad at Carlos. They understood why. They were pissed at his parents for letting him starve.

"Alright kid, you need a bath," said Dr. Skeledon, wrinkling her nose at the Latino's body odor.

While Carlos was taking a shower, Valerie, Murphy and Dr. Skeledon, were talking about what to do next. "What can we do? I can't take him in. This place is dangerous!" exclaimed Murphy, rubbing her forehead.

"I can't take him. I got the boys to keep an eye on. Those two troublemakers would accidentally hurt him" said Dr. Skeledon, looking at her boys with a stern look, only earning in baffled looks from the two men.

"Alright, I'll take him" Valerie said. The statement earned surprised looks from her cousin and high school friend. "Don't look at me like that. I'm doing this because I love him," she said, making the Paleontologist nod in understanding.

When Carlos came down, he was met with the three women looking at him, with soft warming smiles. "Carlos?" asked Valerie, stepping foreword, trying hard not to scare the Latino.

"Yes, Miss Frizzle?" Carlos asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"How would you like a new home? With someone more familiar?" the wacky teacher asked, smiling.

"Wait, you mean..." started Carlos, earning an affectionate nod from his teacher, and smiled and cheered. He then hugged her, as the now happy Frizzle laughed, as she returned the hug. Dr. Skeledon and Murphy smiled at the encounter, with tears in their eyes. They knew they had just gained a new member of the family.


Flashback ends

"That's what happened. Miss Frizzle's been taking care of me ever since," Carlos said, taking a deep shaky breath. He looked up and saw the sympathetic looks from his classmates.

"Oh, Carlos," Phoebe said, running and giving the Latino a hug, which he gladly returned. One by one his other classmates joined. Miss Frizzle and Liz being last. From that point on, they had all vowed to protect one another and their Class Clown. Because no matter what, they were a family, and families always stick together.