Mental Games - 22. Unusual Admissions

After Adam dropped Mike off at the Georgetown campus, he made the trip to Johns Hopkins alone. It didn't particularly bother him not to have a passenger though, because he was very familiar with the route between the two campuses. He had driven it so many times that it was now like traveling with an old friend. He merely cranked up the music and watched the road ahead for any signs of trouble.

When he arrived at JHU, Adam checked in, unloaded the car and took everything to his room. Then, he went out to see if he could locate any of his friends. He quickly found a few of the Alliance members hanging around the graduate housing area and talked them into going over to The Drinkery for a while. During the time they were there, they tossed back a few drinks and discussed what they had done over the summer. It was a nice, relaxing way to catch up on what the others had been up to.

Once his classes started, however, Adam discovered he had very little time to do much of anything else. The demands on his time were suddenly much greater than they’d been in the past, so he was questioning whether it had been a mistake to open himself up to help all of Baltimore. Fortunately, he didn’t receive any requests from either file until two months into the semester, when he got his first response on the Baltimore account.

"I just found this and hope you can help me," the writer began. "My little brother, Jeremy, is getting picked on at school and no one will stop what’s happening. My parents complained to the principal about it, but he said the problem was occurring off school property so there was nothing he could do. My parents went to the police next, but they said that since the other boys weren’t breaking any laws they couldn’t help either. My little brother is so unhappy that I’m afraid he might do something drastic and stupid, like trying to kill himself. He’s just really desperate to make it all stop, so please let me know if you can do something to help him."

It seemed to be just the kind of thing Adam wanted to become involved with, so he quickly contacted the sender. Even though he didn’t have a lot of free time to spend on this, he was determined to see what he could do to help the brother.

"I need to speak with you. Is there a phone number I can reach you at? If so, please send it to me, along with the best time to contact you." Adam wrote in his response.

Within the hour he had a reply. He was studying at the time, but he snuck away to speak with the person, since the note he received had indicated the person was available now.

“Please tell me more about your brother and what’s happening,” Adam instructed the girl that answered the phone.

“Jeremy is in 7^th grade at Southside Middle School,” she began. “He’s small for his age and there’s a group of 7^th and 8^th graders that have been picking on him for quite a while. It all started last year, but Jeremy says it’s getting worse all the time. The other boys think Jeremy is gay, because he isn’t very masculine and likes doing things most other boys aren’t interested in. It all started when he was in 6^th grade, after some of the other boys in Jeremy’s class found out he was taking dance lessons.”

“And you and your parents can’t help him?” Adam challenged. “You said this is happening immediately after school, so why don’t one of you just show up to meet him after his classes are over for the day?”

“My parents both work and aren’t available at that time,” she answered. “I’m four years older and in high school, which isn’t close to Jeremy’s school. I also get out at a different time, so I can’t be there to help him either. I wish I could, but I can’t, so that’s why I need your help.”

Adam continued the conversation and was able to learn all of the information he would need in order to investigate the situation further. He even got the girl to agree to send him several photos of Jeremy, so he’d be able to recognize the boy when he went to the school to see what was going on. She also told Adam the time her brother got out each day and let him know that Jeremy used the back entrance to the building when leaving. It was closer to where they lived and he had to walk past it anyway, in order to reach his home. Adam thanked her for the information and explained he’d do what he could.

It was too late to do anything right then, since Jeremy would have left school a couple of hours earlier, but Adam decided to go there anyway. After doing a quick search to find out where the school was located, Adam took a drive there to make sure he’d be able to find the building the next day. He also wanted to see how long it would take him to drive there and find a place where he could park and still see what was going on. Once he had all of this figured out, he tried to devise a plan he could use to help Jeremy. He would go to the school the following afternoon and observe what was taking place, so Adam made sure his schedule was free at the time Jeremy would be dismissed for the day.

The next afternoon, Adam drove to the school and parked his car across the street from the rear entrance. This way, he would be able to see the people coming out and could observe what they were doing. Adam was surprised to notice that a couple of boys were already waiting outside, because it was before the final bell had sounded. The boys were standing around and looking back at the school, as if they were waiting for others to join them. Before long, another boy came through the door and the pair greeted him warmly. Then, a much smaller boy emerged and Adam could easily tell this new boy wasn’t happy to see the other three there.

That boy was Jeremy, the little brother of the girl that had contacted him. As Jeremy tried to get away from the other three, they ran up and got in his face. While that was happening, two other boys emerged from the school and came up to Jeremy from behind. As soon as the others joined them, the group of boys began pushing Jeremy around, but not to the point where they were hurting him. Adam could also hear the other boys taunting Jeremy and saying some very mean things, as the poor kid tried to break free so he could go home. As soon as they were off school property though, the others surrounded Jeremy and prevented him from going any farther. That’s when Adam began to put his plan into motion.

‘I want each of you, except for Jeremy, to tell the others your deepest, darkest fear, your biggest secret,’ Adam mentally advised them. ‘I want you to admit to the others the one thing that you never wanted anyone else to know about you.’

Almost as soon as he finished projecting this thought, one of the boys began to speak.

“I know I told you that my dad doesn’t live with us because he and my mom are divorced,” the bully wearing jeans and a Baltimore Raven’s t-shirt began. “That part is true, but I didn’t tell you what happened that caused my mother to leave him or why he never comes around to see me. My father is in prison for killing two girls. They were only 8 and 13 when it happened.”

“Ewww. That’s sick,” one of the other boys commented. “One of those girls was our age and the other one was even younger.”

“Did he rape them too?” the largest of the bullies followed.

“I think he raped the older girl,” the boy sheepishly admitted. “I’m not sure if he did the same thing to the other girl too.”

“Fuck! That’s even sicker,” another of the boys yelled. “Your dad is old and he raped someone our age. That’s really gross!”

Once the first boy had admitted the thing he didn’t want anyone else to know, there was a slight pause before any of the others spoke up. This time it was the smallest boy there, other than Jeremy.

“Do you remember when I said I couldn’t come to your sleepover birthday party two years ago?” he asked one of the other boys, who immediately nodded in response. “I told you I had to go out of town with my parents, but that wasn’t true. We did go away and stayed with my aunt that weekend, but we only did it so none of you would find out the real reason I couldn’t go to your party. I still wet the bed back then and was afraid I’d either pee on you or one of our other friends while we were sleeping.”

“Shit, I’m glad you didn’t come to my party then,” the boy snapped back. “I didn’t want any babies there that we’d have to put a diaper on.”

The boy saying this had a really mean look on his face, while the former bed wetter looked completely horrified. There was another slight pause before the next boy spoke up, so Adam gave them another mental prod.

'Ok, it's time for the next one to speak up,' he projected. 'One of you that haven't shared your secret yet, do so now!' This was enough to get the next boy to confess.

“I really like My Little Pony stuff,” he admitted in a whisper. “I watch the show whenever I can and even own some of the DVDs. I have a bunch of the games too and a few of the stuffed animals. I even have a My Little Pony backpack, but I don't use that one for school.”

“You’re shittin’ me. Right?” the big bully spat out. “You’re picking on Jeremy and calling him gay because he takes dance lessons when you’re doing stuff that is just as bad? Fuck! You are doing shit that is even more gay than what Jeremy is doing!”

Now that he had admitted the one fact he didn’t want the other boys to know, there were only two bullies left to confess their worst fears. After another brief lull and a little more mental prodding from Adam, one of the final two boys spoke up.

“My mom still makes me let her give me baths,” he admitted. He was obviously also one of the younger boys.

“You’re 12, for Chrissake!” one of the others shouted, “and you still let your mother wash your dick?”

“She doesn’t give me a choice!” he whined. “She says I don’t do a good enough job when I wash myself. If I don’t let her do it, then she grounds me and won’t let me do anything.”

“What a fucking wuss,” the biggest boy added, but his turn hadn’t come yet.

He was the only boy left to admit the one thing he didn’t want anyone else to know. Adam could see he was extremely reluctant to say anything, so he gave the boy another warning to motivate him.

‘You either admit it now or I’ll make sure I find out what it is. When I do, then I’ll tell the entire school, not just your friends!' Adam threatened. Eventually, the last boy began to speak.

“I, uh, may be bigger than the rest of you, but I, um, have a really tiny, uh, dick,” he finally spat out, while turning a bright red. The others merely stood there staring at him.

‘Keep going,’ Adam prodded.

“It’s, uh, like a baby dick,” he added. “That’s why I won’t take showers when I play on the school teams. It’s also why I use a stall in the boy’s room, instead of a urinal. I do it so no one else will see how, um, small it is.”

The others were trying to stifle giggles when they realized they probably had bigger dicks than he did, even though he was bigger than them. They also thought it was funny picturing him naked with a really tiny dick. Now that everyone had made their confession, Adam offered all of them a final warning.

‘None of you are to pick on Jeremy or anyone else again. You will also make sure that no one else picks on him or anyone else either,’ Adam instructed them. ‘If any of you do pick on someone else, then I’ll make sure your information is spread around to the rest of the school. Then everyone, including all of your friends and potential girlfriends, will know what you’ve been trying to keep from them. Do I make myself clear?’

Although they had no idea who was telling them this, Adam saw five heads nod up and down. Jeremy, on the other hand, was standing there in total amazement and mild shock. He could hardly believe these boys had just told him and each other these things, so Adam decided to give him a piece of advice too.

‘Jeremy, you are not to tell anyone about any of this stuff either, as long as they don’t bother you again,’ Adam reasoned. ‘If you do, then they will start coming after you again, but next time it will be even worse. Now, all of you go home!’

This was enough of a threat to keep each of the boys quiet, including Jeremy. Suddenly, they all began walking away from the school and Adam watched until each one disappeared from view. Then, he started his car and drove back to campus.

Once he was in his room again, Adam began evaluating what he had just done and how he’d handled the problem. He analyzed his actions, in order to make certain he hadn’t missed anything, but he couldn’t see any weak spots or loopholes in his plan. Each boy had admitted something he didn’t want anyone else to know, but Adam had also given them an added deterrent so they wouldn’t repeat their actions. He even made sure that they’d also protect Jeremy from others and not do this to anyone else. For that reason, Adam felt he had covered every conceivable aspect. He would, however, drive to the school again the next afternoon, just to see how things were going.

When Adam got to Southside Middle School the following day, he was able to park in the same spot he’d used the previous afternoon. This time, however, he didn’t notice anyone outside until after the school bell rang. Then, he saw three boys walking out of the school at about the same time. One of them was Jeremy, but this time was different. No one was pushing Jeremy around or teasing him. They were merely walking behind him and watching as he left the school grounds. As Jeremy headed down the street today, he was no longer encountering any problems.

When Adam realized what had just happened, his face broke into a grin. He had obviously handled the problem and the other boys had followed Jeremy out of school to make certain that no one else bothered him either. Once Jeremy disappeared from view, the other boys took off too, but in the other direction. Satisfied, Adam drove back to JHU.

Adam didn’t hear anything more about Jeremy again until about a month later. That's when Jeremy’s sister sent him another message.

'I don’t know what you did or how you did it, but thank you,' the note stated. 'Jeremy is no longer hiding in his room when I get home from school every afternoon. He used to lock himself in his bedroom after he got home and then I’d hear him crying through the door. Now, he’s watching television or doing other stuff when I get there. He even smiles at me and says hello when I walk inside. I’m so glad I found your information and I’ll make sure to tell others about it too, especially if I hear about anyone else that is having a problem. My parents and I are all very thankful that Jeremy isn’t being picked on any longer.’

Reading her message really made Adam feel good about what he’d done. Not only had he saved Jeremy from what he’d been going through, but he’d possibly also prevented something similar from happening to someone else. He certainly hoped so.

The rest of the semester was pretty quiet for Adam. He didn’t receive any other requests for help, so all he had to do was study and attend his classes. The semester was really tough for him though, so the only other thing he got involved with before the semester break was calling the different groups and businesses he had told his parents to hit up for donations. He also had the list that Mike’s mother and father were going to solicit from, along with the appropriate phone numbers, so he called them too. This was so he could plant the suggestion in the minds of the people making the decision and ensure that each of the groups and businesses donated when called upon.

Although neither set of parents fully understood what Adam was doing for them, they did find those they contacted to be very friendly and quite generous. Adam’s parents even commented that there had been a substantial increase in donations this time, since many of the businesses that hadn’t donated the previous year had done so this year. Once again, Adam didn’t tell anyone how much to give. All he did was to suggest that they contribute as much as they could to help those in need.

Once Mike and Adam had taken their finals for the semester, they headed to Mike’s house to celebrate Christmas. They would be alone with Mike’s parents for a couple of days first and then Adam’s parents would drive down to join them on Christmas Eve Day.

When the boys got there, Mike’s parents were eager to tell them about how much they had collected and how the people running the Mission had reacted when they told them what the money was for. The Mission folks were even more astounded when the Bermans advised them that the two families wanted to help serve the meals too. In addition to thanking them for collecting such a large sum, the Mission staff was also eager to accept their help on those two days. The Bermans were now really psyched about doing this.

Mike and Adam were thrilled to see how enthusiastic Mike’s parents were about being involved. In fact, it was nearly all his mom and dad talked about. When Adam’s parents arrived, the Bermans repeated the story and the Washburns told them they were anxious to do this with them. Then Adam’s parents told everyone that they had made the same arrangement at the homeless shelter where they lived, but unfortunately they weren’t going to be able to see the results of their good deed at Christmas this year. For that reason, they were happy they would get the opportunity to do it here instead.

On Christmas Eve, the two families went to the Mission early, so they could help set up. When the doors opened at 6:00, a hoard of people came rushing in, eager to get a hot meal. Both the Bermans and Washburns were impressed with what the Mission staff had prepared and happily loaded the plates of the eager recipients. For the most part, those getting the meal were in a good mood, but there were also a few curmudgeons in the crowd as well. No one, however, let those people sour their holiday spirit and the evening went off without a hitch.

Once they finished up at the Mission, both families returned to the Berman house and had a late dinner. Judy had prepared it earlier and left it cooking on a very low temp in the oven, so it would be nearly done when they got back. Now, she just turned the settings higher and waited for it to finish cooking. While she was doing that, Rita and the boys set the table and then helped carry the food into the dining room.

The meal was wonderful and the two families honestly enjoyed being together. They had a lot in common, including sons that loved one another, and they had all grown close during their vacation at the lake. After they finished eating, the six of them went into the living room where the Christmas tree was lit. There, they enjoyed a glass of wine with each other, as they listened to Christmas music and chatted.

When they went to bed later, they were tired, but they were also eagerly looking forward to exchanging gifts once they woke up. When they were in bed, Mike and Adam talked about how nice it was to have both families together. They also commented about how it would always make this a very special Christmas for them, since it was the first holiday with the combined families.

Unbelievably, Mike and Adam woke up early the next morning, much the same as they had done when they were little kids. Instead of waking their parents this time, they decided to go down to the kitchen and get everything ready for breakfast. After making a pot of coffee, they set the table and got the food out, before each of them went to wake up his parents. They then told their mom and dad that they would head back downstairs and start fixing the meal, while their parents were freshening up to join them.

“What a lovely surprise,” Mike’s mother stated as they walked into the dining room. “Everything smells so good.”

“Yes, it does,” Adam’s mother agreed. “I could get used to being spoiled like this.”

“Oh Lord! What have you done to me, son?” Adam’s father joked. “Now, your mother is going to expect me to do this for her on her birthday, our anniversary, Valentine’s Day and God knows how many other days.”

“Come to think of it, that’s a wonderful idea,” Rita readily agreed.

They all had a little chuckle over that, while Mike poured everyone a cup of coffee.

Once they finished eating, everyone went into the living room and the stack of presents that were piled under the tree were distributed. Adam’s parents had added their stash shortly after they arrived, so now each of them took turns opening a gift and showing everyone else what they'd received, before thanking the giver.

Once the last of the gifts had been opened, they all wished each other a Merry Christmas again and talked about their plans for the rest of the day. They had quite a bit of time before they had to return to the Mission to serve the Christmas meal, so the women wanted to watch the parade on television. The others agreed that would be fine and settled down in front of the television. Once the parade ended, they decided to watch one of the movies being shown, until it was time to get cleaned up and changed to go to the Mission.

Serving the meal went about the same as the previous evening, except this time it seemed as if a lot more people were showing up. Luckily, the staff had planned on that happening, so there was plenty of food to go around and everyone that showed up was fed. In fact, there was enough food left over that the staff asked the Bermans and Washburns if they’d like to join them. The six of them quickly decided they would and then they’d save what they had planned for today and use it the following afternoon. As they ate, they also chatted with some of those they’d served, as the others sat at the tables around them. It was a truly enjoyable and enlightening experience.

Adam’s parents left the following afternoon, after they had a big meal together. Adam and Mike were going to be joining them in a couple of days and Mike’s parents would come to their house on New Year’s Eve Day. Since the Washburn’s had collected more money than the Bermans, there was enough to provide meals at the homeless shelter for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day as well, so they were going to help serve then too. The Bermans were anxious to do this with them, because they wanted to see the difference between the two places. It was also another opportunity to do something nice for those in need.