Chapter One Kami #2
The next day, my father took us to school, dropping me off first near the high school entrance and then pulling down farther to the elementary school lot.
The two schools were joined by a long hallway decorated with art made by all different classes.
Now that I no longer had a car, either my parents drove me or I took my bike.
It was harder on Cam than me—he didn’t start until later.
But, well… When I used to take him, he’d had to wait in the schoolyard, playing video games.
I crossed the parking lot and wedged my way through the packed halls.
I no longer wanted to stay outside with my friends, who stood around laughing, gossiping, and sneaking cigarettes—acting like they were cooler than everyone else.
Plus, I still hadn’t talked to Kate, and the rest of my friends seemed to want to follow her everywhere she went.
At my locker, I took out the books I’d need for my next class.
It was almost November, and that meant midterms were around the corner.
We had projects to do, papers to write, presentations to give, and all that without counting the extracurricular activities we’d need to keep up with if we wanted to get into a good school.
And now it wasn’t just a matter of getting into Yale—I’d need a scholarship. That had changed everything. There’d be no slacking off. My future was at stake, my independence…everything, basically.
“Hey, precious,” a voice whispered from behind me.
I smiled and turned around, and there he was, leaning on the lockers.
“Hey,” I said, feeling that warmth I needed more than ever.
“I told you I could bring you guys in today,” Taylor said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
“Dad insisted. I should have told you, but it slipped my mind.”
“No worries.” His blue eyes traveled over my face as his fingers gently brushed my cheeks. “Have you been crying?”
“No,” I replied automatically.
“Kami…”
I turned, closed my locker, and walked away, saying, “See you in biology.” Why hadn’t I told him about my parents?
One thing I did know was that I didn’t want anyone feeling sorry for me.
I didn’t want anybody giving me pitiful looks or asking me if I was OK.
I wanted what was happening at home to stay a secret as long as possible.
“Hey, Kami, hold up!” Ellie shouted from the other end of the hall. I waited for her to come over. “How was your weekend?” she asked. She looked uncomfortable. I didn’t blame her. I’d kept my distance from everybody except Taylor for the last two weeks.
“It could have been better,” I responded, walking to Mr. Gómez’s class.
“You heard about the party Friday, right?” she asked, trying to ignore my somber tone. “Since Halloween’s on a weekday, Aaron said we could throw a party at his place on Friday.”
Great, I thought. Another party at Aaron Martin’s house.
Just the thought of it gave me a headache, but I did love Halloween.
I loved getting dressed up and decorating my house, and I loved eating candy.
I’d stick to the basics this year and take my brother out trick-or-treating; I could throw on a sheet with two holes in it for eyes.
I could already imagine Taylor laughing as he saw me taking my brother around our neighborhood.
“You will come, won’t you?” Ellie asked.
“I don’t know, Ellie,” I said, biting my lip as I walked into class. I sat in the first row, and she took the desk beside mine.
“Come on,” she responded, disappointed. “You’ve looked like a zombie for weeks now, walking up and down the halls with that sad face, not saying a word to anyone. What’s up with you? You can tell me. We’re supposed to be best friends.”
And we were. Out of all my friends, Ellie was the one I trusted most, the one I loved most, the one who was most like me. But lately I’d felt like a fish out of water.
“Kate even wants you to come,” she blurted out at last. Like I cared. “She said she was hoping we’d all dress up in matching costumes, like you did back in elementary school.”
Ellie was the only one who hadn’t gone to grade school with us. She’d come from the big city, from New York, and she was open-minded. That’s why we got along so well. She didn’t have stupid prejudices like everyone else.
“If I do go, I’m going to dress how I want, not how Kate says I have to.”
Ellie’s face lit up. “So that means you’ll come, right?”
When I saw her brown eyes light up like that, I knew I couldn’t resist.
“If I have to…”
She gave me a hug as the teacher walked in and said, “All right, everyone, take out a pen and paper. We’re having a pop quiz on matrices.”
Ellie and I looked at each other in horror.
Karma, why do you hate me so much?
***
I struggled through the quiz. It’s not that I hadn’t been studying, it’s just that I couldn’t retain anything.
With all the distractions in my head, I couldn’t concentrate.
My eyes would scan the letters and numbers, but my mind was too full of my own problems. Between my parents, my so-called friends turning their backs on me, and Taylor and Thiago…
I just hoped I could get a decent grade, I couldn’t allow myself to simply pass the test.
On my way out of class, I felt my phone vibrate in the back pocket of my jeans. I looked at the screen and rejected the call. It was my mother. No way I was talking to her. If I had my way, I wouldn’t even speak to her for the rest of the year. She called back. I ignored her again.
“Who is it?” Ellie asked. She had been walking beside me on our way to the science lab.
“My mom.”
She made a horrified face, and we both laughed. At that moment, the principal’s voice came over the loudspeaker.
Kamila Hamilton, please come immediately to the principal’s office.
Everyone in the hallway turned to look at me.
“What did you do?” Ellie asked.
“Nothing!”
I felt a twinge of fear. It must have something to do with those unanswered calls from Mom. What if something had happened to my parents or to my grandparents? Or worse?
“I’ll see you later,” I said, turning around.
Five minutes later, I was standing outside Principal Harrison’s office. He was waiting for me.
“Good morning, Kamila,” he said, waving me in and telling me to take a seat.
“What did I do this time?” I asked nervously.
He sat down at his desk and sighed.
“You? Nothing. Which is a welcome change,” he responded calmly. “It’s about Cameron…” Before he could go on, someone knocked at the door.
“Come in,” Mr. Harrison said, and I looked back to see who it was. As the door opened, I found myself face-to-face with the source of all my nightly fantasies. My stomach tightened as our gazes met. He looked away before I could get lost in his emerald green eyes.
“Ah, Mr. Di Bianco,” Harrison said. “I was just about to tell Miss Hamilton why I called her into the office.”
“Good morning, sir. I decided to come here and talk with Kamila directly.” Despite the circumstances, my name coming from his lips gave me a thrill.
He was so handsome. His dirty-blond hair was combed back and he had a five-o’clock shadow. He was tall, imposing. How did he do it? Why did he have to be so goddamn attractive?
“What happened to Cameron? Is he OK?” I asked, remembering all at once what the principal had been saying before Thiago walked in.
“He got in another fight,” Harrison said, his expression serious. Thiago walked over and stood next to the principal.
“I will say, sir, I don’t think Cameron is the one who started it.
I’ve kept an eye on him lately, and these last two weeks he seems to be incredibly lonely.
He doesn’t play with the other kids, he sits by himself at recess, he seems completely absorbed in his Nintendo.
I didn’t want to tell you what was going on until I was certain, but I think some of Cameron’s classmates are bullying him. ”
I felt something shatter inside me. “What?” I asked, voice trembling.
“Are you sure, Mr. Di Bianco? Because at this school, we have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to bullying. If you know of someone who—”
“It’s George Walker, sir,” Thiago said, looking over at me. “He’s the ringleader, and from what I can tell, the kids all do whatever he says.”
“Danny’s brother?” I asked. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“That’s a serious accusation, Mr. Di Bianco. Do you have any evidence?”
Now things were starting to make sense. “My brother’s been coming home for weeks with his face a wreck from fighting,” I said.
“Sir, I only took over PE classes a few weeks ago, but it’s been long enough to realize something isn’t right.”
It was true. Two weeks ago, the PE teacher for the little kids had quit for personal reasons, and since then Thiago had taken over.
My brother had been going on constantly about his new teacher, who was also his neighbor, and how much they were learning and how fun PE had become.
My brother had been begging my dad for a basketball and a hoop so he could follow in the footsteps of his new idol: Thiago.
“What happened to him?” I asked, livid.
“I’ve seen people picking on Cam, insulting him, even hitting him. We teachers have been trying to intervene, but Cam keeps saying they’re just playing.”
“What makes you so sure that they aren’t?” the principal asked.
I shot him a cold stare. I couldn’t believe he’d ask such a thing—my little brother was the sweetest kid around; he wouldn’t hurt a fly.
Thiago answered him in a chilling voice: “Locking a child in a bathroom stall all morning doesn’t sound to me like a game anyone would go along with, Mr. Harrison.”
The principal coughed, nodded, and arranged some papers on his desk.
I understood now. George Walker, just like his brother Danny, was getting special treatment from the school because of his parents’ status. We all knew it. We all knew they’d made a substantial donation so Danny could get back on the team that fall. It was unfair, and it made my blood boil.
“Cameron and George’s teacher tried contacting your mother to explain the situation to her firsthand, but your mother said to talk to you.”
“Yeah, she called me…” I trailed off, not wanting to admit I’d ignored her call.
“If you don’t mind, sir, I’d like Miss Hamilton to come with me to the elementary school to see Cameron.”
Harrison nodded.
“Yes, do that, try to find a solution. I mean, we’re talking about six-year-old kids here. I doubt there’s any real malice.”
Boy, was he wrong. Little kids are the cruelest of all. And I wasn’t going to let anything slide until I knew my brother would be safe at school.
Thiago and I left the principal’s office.
“Come on, I’ll take you to Maggie’s class. She told me she needs to talk to a family member, and since you’re the only one here…”
“Where is my brother now?” I asked. I desperately needed to give him a hug.
“He’s in the teachers’ lounge. I told him he could stay there until I got back.”
Thiago led me down the long, empty hallways. Everyone else was in class. We kept walking and turned left, through the art wing that connected the high school to the elementary school.
“You know, I stop here sometimes to look at the pictures, and I always wonder if there might be one by you,” Thiago said, trying to help me relax.
I’d often looked at those walls, yearning to put up one of my own drawings or paintings, but I’d never mustered the courage.
“Nope,” I said with a shrug.
Finally, we reached the double doors that led to the younger kids’ classrooms. As soon as I was there, the difference between my brother’s school and mine was apparent.
The walls were painted bright colors, unlike the gray and white I was used to.
The walls were lined with kids’ drawings and hooks for little coats and backpacks.
My brother had just started first grade. When Thiago opened the door to the teachers’ lounge, I found Cameron curled up on the sofa sleeping, and tears welled in my eyes.
How he must have been suffering, and meanwhile everyone had been punishing him and blaming him for being so strange the last few weeks.
I should never have listened to my mother. If I’d really thought about it, I’d have known that Cam would never be the one to start a fight. It wasn’t in his nature.
“Thanks for coming, Kamila,” a gentle voice said behind me.
I turned. And I saw her.
There she was: the beautiful woman Thiago had been kissing in front of his house the day before. The same one who had been wearing that tiny miniskirt, passing him his tools and flirting with him.
“I’m Maggie Brown,” she said, smiling sweetly and showing off her perfect white teeth. “I’m your brother’s teacher. We need to talk.”
Seeing her made me want to vomit. Her eyes were sky blue. She was gorgeous. And now she was working side by side with Thiago.