Ricky

In the Office

         He didn’t get called down to the office often, but Ricky knew he wasn’t in trouble. If he was, they wouldn’t have waited until his study hall to call for him. Then what could it be? As he was thinking, he involuntarily slowed even more. As he almost reached the office, he picked up his speed again. He was curious by now, still not knowing why the principal wanted to talk to him. When he opened the door to the office, he glanced at the clock and saw that it had taken him five minutes to get there. That was the longest walk through the school he’d ever managed. He stepped up to the desk and showed the secretary his pass.
         “Mr. Bitely wants to talk to me, I guess,” he explained. The red-haired secretary, Mrs. Vonner, nodded and gestured towards the door that read ‘Principal’ on it.
         “Go on in, honey. He’s waiting for you,” she told him, kindly, before returning to her work. Mr. Bitely’s door was ajar, but Ricky knocked anyway, as he opened it. The principal was sitting at his desk, looking at some papers, but looked up as Ricky entered. The room was somewhat boring, with a plant in the corner and degrees on the wall, but it had always seemed forbidding to most students, mostly because of that man with the brown hair and brown eyes that seemed to stare right through any lies he was ever told. Mr. Bitely seemed intimidating to most, but Ricky had no trouble with authority, and he didn’t lie to the principal, so he never really had a problem with the man.
         “Hello, Ricky. Why don’t you close that door and come have a seat over here," Mr. Bitely suggested calmly, gesturing toward the chair on the other side of his desk. It was a simple wood chair, but beautifully carved. Ricky always wondered why the principal risked having it in his office, but today, his mind was elsewhere, filling him with curiosity as he closed the office door and strolled over to sit down, setting his book bag on the floor next to him and sat back, not showing that his mind was racing, yet not supplying any answers. Hopefully, though, Mr. Bitely would explain everything and Ricky could relax. It didn’t work out quite that way, though.
         “Ricky, you’re friends with Drake Kennie, correct?” Mr. Bitely asked gently. Ricky couldn’t help it; he was sure Mr. Bitely had seen the suspicion flash in Ricky’s eyes. What did Drake have to do with anything?
         “Yes, sir. Why do you ask?” He returned innocently, hoping that maybe the principal would explain all of this soon, or Ricky’s brain wouldn’t take anymore.
         “Have you known him to fight often or does he have any enemies that you know of?” Mr. Bitely continued, ignoring Ricky’s question. Ricky stroked his chin as he thought about the boy that would do a lot for Ricky, but he couldn’t remember Drake being in any fights or anybody threatening him even. Ricky shook his head.
         “I don’t think Drake is stupid enough to pick fights or anything like that because he’d lose and I’d end up mad at him. He knows all of that, sir. Could you tell me why I’m here because I don’t get this,” Ricky asked. Mr. Bitely looked as though he was about to explain, but, just then, the bell rang to mark the end of Ricky’s study hall. Next, he’d go to science, but right now, he wanted to know what happened to Drake. It was almost annoying that Mr. Bitely wasn’t getting to the point fast enough. Right after Ricky asked, his principal looked uncomfortable, cleared his throat, and straightened up.
         “Well, Ricky, I’m sure you noticed that Drake isn’t here today. The reason is that he’s in the hospital right now. He got in a fight last night and he didn’t fare too well. He’s unconscious and the hospital doesn’t know who to get a hold of. Our records don’t have his parent’s phone numbers because he never turned in the paperwork. Do you know his home number?” Mr. Bitely explained. Ricky had to process that information over again, so the office was silent for a minute or so. Then he thought about the question Mr. Bitely asked him.
         “Actually, I’ve never called him before. I don’t think I even know where he lives, come to think of it,” Ricky realized, which was odd because the two boys were always hanging out together, especially after school.
         “Are you sure? You’re the only one who’d know anything about him, according to his teachers,” the principal questioned, sounding a little worried. Ricky couldn’t blame him because if Drake’s parents weren’t told, the blame would land on Mr. Bitely and Ricky realized that the principal was probably thinking of a lawsuit from Drake’s parents.
         “Yes, sir. Drake doesn’t talk about his home life often, so we tend to act like he has no parents. My parents have practically adopted him, but I’ve never met his before. Hey, could you check police records? We’ve gotten arrested a few times, so they might have his info from then,” Ricky explained, trying to avoid his principal’s suspicious gaze. When he looked back at Mr. Bitely, Ricky saw that the suspicion was still there, but in the forefront of his principal’s eyes, Ricky saw respect. Mr. Bitely must not have thought of involving police. Ricky tried to hide his smile at the trouble the two boys had gotten into. Mostly vandalism, but there was one assault on Ricky’s record that he rarely mentioned when asked about past arrests. Even Drake didn’t know who had made Ricky snap.
         “Actually, yes. If a student doesn’t turn in the forms, the police can tell us. I forgot about that, Ricky. Thank you,” Mr. Bitely commented, pulling the teen out of his memory haze. Ricky glanced up and saw Mr. Bitely pick up his phone and dial a number he obviously knew by heart. The office was silent as the principal waited for an answer at the other end. It didn’t take long.