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Sunday came and the Parkers plus I went to church. The sermon was on the love of the LORD Jesus Christ. We thought it was remarkably interesting. The sermon lasted about 45 minutes. Then after church, there was a potluck that the church had monthly. I had no friends at my church, so it was very boring there. I did have Jasmine, but Jasmine has been out of town recently trying to seek work.
Summer and Nathen did not go to church weekly, and Ashley barely left the house anymore. Though she is coming back to school tomorrow!!
We stuffed our faces full of food and fellowshipped. I don’t know what that means exactly but Pastor John says it all the time. I’m not even exaggerating, like right before we left, he said, “It was nice fellowshipping with you, Parkers.”
Then we walked out the door with the corn casserole that we had brought. Ok so, Sunday afternoons are always really slow and restful because on the seventh day GOD rested. So, Jackie and Jason nap. I, however, cannot sleep when the sun is up unless I am in a car or really tired.
I tried to focus on reading a book, but I could not get the thought out of my head that Ashly and her dad were starving. I walked into Jackie’s room and half-woke her up. “Hey, can I go to Ashley’s?” I asked.
“Sure, whatever just get out of my hair.” She obviously was not happy I woke her up. I smiled and got the casserole out of the fridge we do not usually eat dinner after big meals like that. I was extremely happy to get rid of that casserole I hate it so much!
So, I made the walk down the road and knocked on the scary house’s door.
“Here,” I said handing Ashley the food.
“Thank you, Lilian but you should really stop.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know, it makes me, and my dad feel bad for not doing anything in return.”
Braylon, Ashley’s dad, was still looking for a job he was trying to make enough money to go back to school. For now, he wanted enough money to stay alive, they had found just enough money- by selling the car- to pay the water and electric bill.
I stayed and talked for a while then I decided to go home and read some of a book. After reading for about an hour, I decided to get in the shower and then finally go to sleep.
That night I went right to sleep almost like I had not slept in years. I slept right through my alarm clock. The whole family overslept until 7:30 at least both Jason and Jackie were off that day, they were going to go shopping for baby things; again. I was only a few minutes late for school but that was fine because Mr. Sweetie was never informed.
All of my classes were boring that morning especially the one I had missed last week, I got yelled at for skipping that class but that was not the part I hated. I had makeup work and then I remembered I had forgotten my detention slip! I did not know how I was going to tell my best friend, Mr. Sweetie, because he promised me in-school if I did not bring it in signed.
I was all freaking out until I got to lunch, Hayden and Conner- his friend- were sitting together alone. I came into lunch with Ashley, which we sat across from Conner and Hayden. Where we had just gotten an extra day on our song because we get to go last!
“I forgot my detention slip so I’m going to go tell Mr. Sweetie,” I told Hayden as I sat down. Telling Mr. Sweetie would be the responsible thing to do—and a death trap.
“Will Mr. Sweetie be a caring person?” Hayden asked, obviously knowing the wretched monster.
“Umm... You are talking about the principal no he is not a nice person he will probably suspend me for a week.” I replied, exaggerating.
“Wait.... Lilian, I think you shouldn’t tell him,” Conner said playing smart or dumb, you never know about Conner. He reminds me a little bit of a vampire, like he knows things, but he doesn’t know things.
“Ok, but I don’t think it will work like that I mean he is going to ask about it,” I replied.
“Oh, I have an idea! What if we all sneak out of school on our break?” Ashley asked. She is being a rebel!
“Not a bad idea, you’re a keeper,” Hayden said, “Lilian and I will sneak off through the back gate, Ash and Conner go down those stairs and meet us by that one house that is purple two houses down.”
“Who is Ash?” Conner asked, he was not always the brightest. Even when he was trying to be smart. Academically he is smart though. Well...
“Ashley!” I said kind of annoyed I answered him biting my thumbnail because I was nervous... What if this does not work?
“Hayden, we need code names!” Ashley said as if it was almost as important as Christmas.
“That is a good idea!” Natalie said in her small little sarcastic voice as she walked over, “You can be an idiotic maniac, I guess you are Ash, what about Hayden. He makes this hard, uh what about backstabbing dummy. Last and least likable Lilian. Oh! I got this unlikable Lilian. Now bye, carry on.”
“Natalie stop,” Hayden said to her.
“No, backstabbing dummy! And you call me princess that is my code name.”
“Natalie leave!” Hayden shouted at her, he stood up and pointed away from her.
Natalie saw the teacher come over and gave Lilian and Hayden a sly look. She walked over to Mrs. Sturbridge and started giving her statement. “Natalie be quiet! You can give your statement to the principal. I’m sick and tired of your guys’ bickering.”
“But” she said getting cut off.
“Office! And not just Natalie, all of you! Lilian, Ashley, Hayden, and Conner,” she said as we got up to go to the office.
The five kids all sat in the office and waited for their turn to go and talk to Mr. Sweetie. Natalie of course went first and came out smiling and whispering to herself. Hayden went next and stayed in there for a pretty long time. This made me extremely nervous.
Then it was my turn, so I went in and had a seat. I was very scared because I knew he was going to give me the worst of the just.
“Lilian, did you and your friends invite Natalie over to sit by you?” Mr. Sweetie asked.
“No, she invited herself,” I replied and gave a rude snort. “You think I would invite her?”
“Were you calling her names?”
“No, she gave us the nicknames! I was Unlikable Lilian you know how corny that is? If I should have been anything, I should have been Lustful Lilian for stealing her man, or Loser Lilian, or—”
“That is unbelievable!” He cut me off.
“It is true,” I said, “You can ask all of us and watch the cameras.”
“Calm down! I think you and your friends will be in suspension for a week each and did you bring your form back?”
“No, it is on the kitchen table.”
“You are in suspension for two weeks and I will have to maybe consider expulsion if this happens again!”
“Please, just listen! You know I am not a bad kid; Natalie is just extremely good at pretending things and she can pull your strings! You are her grandpa! You let her get away with almost anything and you still think she is innocent, believe someone else for once.”
I could not hold myself up much longer and started to bawl. It was not my fault we were all going to be in suspension, it was the “innocent child” Natalie’s fault. I tried to tell Mr. Sweetie, but he just would not listen. Jackie was called, and they had to come to school. I left his office and then Conner went in.
I sank into a seat next to Hayden and rolled my eyes at the principal’s office.
“So, we are all in suspension?” Hayden asked, even though he knew the answer.
“Yeah,” I replied, “you guys are all in there for a week, I am in there for two weeks.”
“Dang, what did you do?”
“I forgot that stupid detention slip! He is such a jelly head! Kids are kids and they are going to forget things! Oh, and supposedly the principal is having a meeting with all of our parents together,” I rolled my eyes.
“Crap,” Hayden said laughing it off.
“Yeah,” I said even though I knew most things I had said Hayden already knew.
“My mom is probably going to kill the principal and us,” Hayden said jokingly.
“Jackie will understand at least.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Jackie will be loving and caring as she talks to the principal.”
“But she will be around Summer, who doesn’t do that,” Hayden said.
Finally, Mr. Sweetie walked out of his office and asked Ashley to go and talk to him. Ashley came out terribly angry, she was a girl of few words and here she was angry, yelling at the principal. Hayden and I were both incredibly surprised, we looked at each other in surprise, then laughed it off.
“Hey, um, Lilian, Mr. Sweetie told me to tell you and your friends to go help the custodians while Mr. Sweetie talks to your parents,” the secretary said in her bland and boring voice.
“Ok, where are they at?”
“The room next to the bathrooms, on the east side of the building.”
“Ok, thank you.” I looked at Hayden with the nastiest look I could give. They did this to get rid of us.
Sending us to help the custodians was the only way the school could separate us, kids, by not sending us to class. I had to go and clean the toilets with the custodian, Jamie. Jamie is cool though he has long hair and always smells like skunk, his eyes look funny too. Hayden had to help clean up throw up with the custodian, Charles. Ashley had to help sort notebooks with aid because the aid needed more help than the custodians. Conner helped the custodian, Peter, mop the gym floor during Coach’s prep. Peter was the head janitor. He probably worked the hardest too.
On the other hand, the parents were there and ready to start the meeting with Mr. Sweetie, their anger was filling the room and boiling over the top.
“Do you know what your kids have done?” Mr. Sweetie asked, trying to start the meeting off on a good note.
“No, I don’t predict the future,” Summer said, looking to Jackie rolling her eyes. Then she gave a rude smirk.
“I don’t know either,” Braylon, Ashley’s dad said in a sweet and serious tone.
“Well, your children are little bullies,” Mr. Sweetie snapped at them, “And you guys are just as bad, God!”
“I can see Hayden being a bully but Lilian, and Conner? They wouldn’t hurt a fly,” Summer told him, still being rude. “Plus, we all know what this is about.”
“When Hayden is at my house, he is the sweetest thing!” Kaylee, Conner’s mother pointed out. She was a really sweet mother and the kind to always help everyone’s boo-boos.
“Well, that is surprising because when he is at home, he is a brat to the twins.”
“Excuse me Ms. Clay can we discuss all of the children, not just yours.”
“My name isn’t Clay it is Ross; I didn’t even know you before I was married you creep! Now I know what the kids feel when they go to school here!” Summer yelled at the principal, standing up!
“You should have married my son,” Mr. Sweetie said to her in a low tone of voice.
“What the heck? You are a creep I don’t think I want Hayden going here. I don’t even know your son!” She was panicked and sweat was dripping off her face as she still stood up and listened to what the principal had to say.
“What are you talking about?” He asked pretending like nothing just happened, “Sit down, I didn’t say anything about my son, I said something about your son.” Or maybe nothing happened. I’m just narrating.
Summer slumped back into her chair and didn’t say anything, but Kaylee broke the silence by saying, “I’m sorry. My son will apologize and take any punishment you decide to give him with respect.”
“Haven’t we had enough punishments for Hayden? Now punching, you deserved that one, but it is all about that stupid little girl.” Summer asked in a calmer voice. A more mature voice.
“Then I will continue, these children, have been bullying a kid named Natalie, my granddaughter and I care about her,” Mr. Sweetie said.
“Jackie, is that the kid we were texting about last night? The one that bullies Lilian?” Summer asked, trying to make a bigger scene. She is known for that.
“Yeah, she is,” Jackie noticed what Summer was doing and played along, “one of those girls that make everyone think she is amazing but is secretly a little brat, Lilian comes home crying about her.”
“Preach it, Jackie!” Summer put her hands in the air like she was praising the Lord!
“You people are just like your children!” Mr. Sweetie yelled at them, “Mrs. Ross is the leader just like Hayden, Mrs. Parker is the one who goes along with whatever Ross has to say just like Lilian, then Conner is just like you,” he said pointing at Kaylee, “quiet and kind of doesn’t play along but gets himself involved. Last Ashley, she is so sweet but then she can play the bad guy!”
“Is that supposed to be offensive?” Braylon asked, “My daughter is one of the sweetest people I know, and playing the bad guy isn’t always a bad trait. I raise my daughter to be a sweet badie!”
“Jackie,” Summer said talking about Braylon, “I like this guy we should add him to our friend group.”
“How do you know it is our kids’ bullying?” Kaylee asked.
“Just sign for the suspension!” Mr. Sweetie yelled at them, he sounded very perturbed.
“No!” Summer said walking out of the conference room, while Jackie followed.
They walked around the school trying to find their children. First, they ran into Lilian, me, while I was holding a plunger. The janitor was looking in a big container that was in the closet. He had a little bit of his butt showing. I have no clue what he was doing.
“Lilian drop that plunger and clean out your locker,” Summer said crossly. “Why the hell do you have a plunger? Don’t answer that, just go get your school stuff.”
“Why do I have to clean out my locker?” I asked, confused.
“We are moving!” Jackie told her, “Well, moving schools.”
“What about the baby?”
“Remember that catholic school.”
“Yeah.”
“Well, that is probably where we will decide to send you, I will have to talk to Jason first.”
“Why?”
“Mr. Sweetie is a stupid man and doesn’t give a crap for all students just his family which sucks because yeah, anyway, he hates you and Hayden and you get it,” Summer butted into the conversation and rolled her eyes.
“Jackie, why? Hayden and I have friends here and we aren’t Catholic!” I said turning back to Jackie.
“I know but this school is just wrong.”
I got angry but then I realized Jackie and Summer were correct. I was pretty upset when I got home and did not calm down until dinner because we were having pizza rolls. We all did not talk much at dinner because Jackie was scared to spice my mood from earlier.
* * *
“HEY LILIAN BEFORE YOU and Hayden start catholic school, we are going to California. We are leaving soon.” Jason said, trying to lighten the mood. He looked a little nervous doing it. Jason was probably scared of my bad mood.
“Yes, we are leaving Friday,” Jackie added, following Jason’s lead.
“Oh, should I start to pack?” I politely asked knowing that Jackie and Jason were trying to put me in a better mood.
“Well... yeah, if we want to leave soon,” Jackie said smiling.
“Surprise!” Jason happily said after I got up from the table and excitingly ran to my room. I jollily pulled my suitcase out of my closet and began to throw clothes in it.
That night I went to sleep with the thought of California and Catholic school. I dreamt of something so-called love, Hayden. I did not ever have to go back to that school again and I was happy, Hayden and I would be in California next week together.