Our shoes squeaked through the empty hall as Principal Gibson lead us to his office. I kept trying to get Nolan's attention, catch his eye, but he was too busy staring at the floor. Did he know what was happening?
There was a police officer inside Principal Gibson's office. Nolan glances over at me, his eyes asking me the same thing I was asking myself. What was this about?
"Have a seat," Principal Gibson said, taking his own seat behind his desk. "Officer Langley here is going to search your bags."
Even thought I had nothing to hide my heart beat rapidly against my rib cage. "Why?"
The officer collected out backpacks and began digging through them, one at a time. What did she expect to find?
"I've contacted your parents, Mr. Chambers," Principal Gibson continued, ignoring my question.
Nolan's hands gripped the arm of the chair, knuckles turning white. He kept his mouth shut, though.
"Miss Harris, we tried reach your mother at work, but it seems the number we have is outdated," he said. "Do you know the number to her new work place?"
"She's still working at the warehouse," I said distractedly, paying more attention to the woman going through my tampon stash. "The one on Del Rosa."
"That's the one called, but they say she hadn't worked there since last week."
My attention snapped back to the principal. "What?"
Last week? She hadn't had a job for a week? Why didn't she say anything? Where was she going every day? Where was she getting money? My chest felt tight. I tried to remind myself to breathe, but my throat felt like it was closing.
"There's nothing here, sir," Officer Langley announced, bringing me out of my head.
Nolan broke his silence, asking, "Did we do something wrong?"
"We had reports of a drug deal."
"What?"
Nolan let out a humorless laugh, running his hands over his face. "This is bullshit."
Principal Gibson dismissed Nolan's language. "We take reports like that very seriously. There is a zero policy on narcotics on this campus."
"Why would someone think we were dealing drugs?"
Principal Gibson shuffled through some papers on his desk. "The report says that you and Mr. Chambers were near building C when someone witnessed you doing "the handshake".
"The handshake?" I looked Nolan for answers. He just laughed, shaking his head. Did he know what that meant?
"She was paying me back the money I loaned her. There were no drugs."
Principal Gibson nodded solemnly. "If that's true then you two have nothing to worry about. But we have to follow protocol."
A voice came over on Officer Langley's radio. "The lockers are clear."
"Well, looks like we're done here," Nolan said, making a move to stand.
"Not quit." Nolan froze. "We still have the body search."
Officer Langley patted both me and Nolan down right there in Principle Gibson's office. Even fully clothed it felt like I was completely exposed. When I saw how red Nolan was I was glad for my extra dose of melanin so no one could see how hard I was blushing.
When she didn't find anything on us Principal Gibson apologize for the inconvenience then told us to wait in the main office for our parents and that I should keep trying to get in touch with my mom.
School let out a few minutes ago. Outside the office windows I could see students rushing to leave or chatting with friends. Which one of those idiots told the principal we were dealing drugs?
I left my mom a text. She usually checked those, just never replied. Principal Gibson didn't need to know that, though. If she was going to know about any of this she was going to hear it from me first. Even if I had to hear about her not working at the warehouse anymore secondhand.
If she didn't having a job how was she getting money? Maybe she found another one. But why wouldn't she tell me?
"Jade!" My eyes shot open, I didn't even remember closing them. Bee hovered over me, hands on her hips. "What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into missy?"
I glanced over at Nolan who looked like he was napping with his head against the wall. "Long story," I told her.
"You need me to stay and give you a ride home?"
I looked down at my phone. "Maybe. My mom won't answer."
She dropped down in the chair beside me. "My mom wants you and your mom to come for over dinner one night," she said, pulling out her phone. "You guys should come tomorrow night because it's tostada Thursday."
"That's a thing?"
"It is in the Hatton-Sackler household."
I chuckled. "I'll ask my mom." If she ever—
My thought was interrupted by my mom coming in through the office doors. She was more dressed up than usual, she's definitely not wearing a pencil skirt to move around boxes in a warehouse.
She didn't notice me at first, going straight for the front desk. When she did spot me I wished I had been invisible. "Please tell me this is some kind of joke," she demanded through gritted teeth. "Drugs, Jade?"
Bee's jaw dropped. "Jade!"
"Someone started a stupid rumor."
Before she could chew me out any further Principal Gibson stepped out of office to talk to her.
"Tostada Thursday will cheer her up," Bee said, giving me a side hug. "See you tomorrow tonight." She got up and left just as Nolan's mom walked through the doors.
He looked less doom and gloom seeing her come in. It made me wonder how his dad was treating him. Was he the reason Nolan never smiled?
The four of us ended up back in Principle Gibson's office where Nolan and I had to sit through the report and protocol speech again. Nolan's mom found the humor in it, believing it was all a misunderstanding. My mom wasn't amused. At all.
* * *
After Principal Gibson explained everything we left. My mom didn't say anything until we were home and I had gotten Taylor from Ms. Coleman's. We sat the kitchen table with a box of pizza we picked up on the way home.
"It was just a rumor, right?"
"Yes." I took another bite of pizza, slowly building up the courage to ask her about her job. Every time I tried to talk to her about jobs or money she got mad and told me not to worry about.
But how could I not worry? She wasn't the only one affected by this. I felt helpless not being able to do anything to better our situation.
"I guess you already figured it out."
I looked up at her. "What?"
"About the warehouse," she said, examining my face. "I assume Gibson called and they told him I no longer worked there?"
"Did you get fired?"
She sighed, shrugging. "The downsized. But I have a few interviews lined up," she added that last part quickly. "I just didn't want to say anything until after I got another job. I didn't want you to worry."
Taylor started to fuss from her high chair, her bite sized pieces of pizza devoured. Mom got up to take her out of the seat. "And I don't want you to start worrying. We'll figure it out."
Telling someone not to worry was the same as telling them to calm down, it only made things worse. But I didn't want her to worry about me worrying so I switched the subject.
"Oh, Bee's mom wants us to come over for dinner tomorrow night."
She placed Taylor on her hip, who looked like the most exhausted one year old ever. "I haven't spoken to Rachel since the wedding," she said. "Tell her we'll be there."
I did just that after doing the dishes. As I was at my desk working out a math problem, my thoughts wondered back to Nolan. His smile. The way his eyes crinkled at the sides. The sharp lines of his jaw and nose.
My hand took up a mind of its own, sketching out his face as it came to me so clearly, across my math notes.
My phone vibrated, startling me out of my head. It was a text from my dad.
I'll be in California for Labor Day weekend, we should get together.
We should get together? He made it sound like we were old colleagues and not like he was the father that abandoned us. I ignored his text and went back to my math homework. Anything was better than enduring him.
//
Hi! Hello!
How'd you like that plot twist???
Kids and there stupid rumors...
ANYWAY as I move deeper into the story it's getting harder to write so I can't do updates everyday anymore.
I will be updating Tuesday's & Friday's between 1 & 3pm pacific time!!