flashback

s e v e n

About 4 years ago

11-year-old Ceon raced to a plastic chair on the lawn of his best friend Jay’s house. Deo beat him to it. Ceon stamped his foot on the ground and retreated to the bench on the sidelines where all the other losers sat. He never had been good at musical chairs anyway. When the round was over, Elizabeth emerging victorious as usual, Mrs. Briar, Jay’s mother, appeared with a glorious chocolate Oreo ice cream cake. Everyone gathered around the table in their backyard and began singing “Happy Birthday.” Ceon lip-synched. He was a horrible singer. Then, Mr. Briar told Ceon and Sy to help Jay cut the cake. All three boys grinned as Mrs. Briar snapped pictures and wiped her eyes, mumbling, “My baby, my baby turned 12.” Jay rolled his eyes and took his cake and proceeded to stuff his face. So did Ceon, when suddenly, a loud police siren began squealing and screaming down the block. All the boys whooped and hollered good-naturedly. So did Ceon.

“Oh, boy!” Deo yelled, boisterously, running to the front of the yard. Everyone followed him, Ceon trailing behind. When he got to the front of the yard, he realized the police car was parked right in the driveway of the Briars’ home. Jay frowned a bit, until Sy whispered to Ceon, “They’re probably here to arrest Jay.” Jay gulped down a piece of his cake. “For what?” he asked, trying not to act nervously. “For having too much fun!” Deo said, snickering. Elizabeth and Jan rolled their eyes, and Deo, Sy and Jay tussled along the lawn until Mr. Briar broke it up.

Ceon stayed, watching the policeman with large eyes. Jan turned to him. “What do you think he’s here for, Ceon?” Ceon puffed out his chest. He was considered the smartest boy in their sixth grade class. Even their teacher said so. Sometimes he didn’t understand why his fellow species were just so… so… immature? He ridiculed them internally while watching Sy give Jay a painful-looking birthday noogie. He turned to Jan. This time he really didn’t have an answer, and he had no straw to spin, so he just shrugged his shoulders. But something told him this was bad news, for sure. “You’re awful quiet,” Liz said to him. He looked at her. “Because I’m a philosopher,” he said. “What’s that?” they chorused. “It means I think about things that really matter, like the human race, and instead of dumb police cars and noogies.” The girls giggled and whispered to one another. Ceon rolled his eyes. Their species were no better than the boys.

He was watching Deo chase Weston with an incoming wet willy when Mrs. Briar approached him accompanied by the policeman, wringing her hands. She looked at him with pure pity in her eyes. “Janice and Elizabeth, would you excuse me for a moment? I’d like to speak with Ceon in private.” They didn’t budge, just sat staring at the gun in the officer’s belt. “Ceon, I would like you to go with this kind police officer.” Jan He looked at the officer, who was about 6”2, bald, and had a ferret of a mustache growing on his face and soft eyes. Ceon looked back at Mrs. Briar. “Why?” he said. “He needs to speak with you.” Ceon cocked his head and squinted his eyes, something he did only when he was about to be a real pain in the you-know-what. “I’m listening.” He said. The policeman looked at him. “Listen, little man,” he said in a soft voice that startled Ceon, “I don’t think you want to hear what I have to tell you in this setting.”

“Surely don’t.” said Mrs. Briar.

Ceon puffed out his chest. “I can take this. What’s your name, sir?” He asked the police officer.

“Robert.”

“Okay, Bob,” Ceon said. “Hit me. I’m the man of the house when my dad is off on his expeditions. I know I can take this,”

“Surely can’t,” said Mrs. Briar.

Mrs. Briar started to cry. Bob kneeled down in the grass next to Ceon. He smelled of coffee and almonds, and Ceon was afraid, but he turned around and saw Jan and Liz still sitting there, watching with wide eyes.