Kenny and Peter - Book 1 - 7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Any similarities to persons living, dead, space aliens, goats, or others are purely coincidental. There may be sexual content so if this, in any form, offends you, please cease reading. Also, if you are not of legal age to read this, please don't.

Copyright © 2008 by hh5

Kenny and Peter

By HH5

Chapter 07

Mrs. Jenkins

I thought to myself; don’t tell me this is going to be another one of those Mondays! Brian had better behave himself. He needs to get into this special program. This is the only way I know to ensure his safety at school. Why did he have to be so different! Barry … you had better be listening up there. You have got to help me watch over our kid.

I closed my eyes, and took a long sip of my coffee. When I heard footsteps, I snapped open my eyes and saw a really cute guy and his kid standing in front of my desk. The guy had a nice, natural tan; dark brown hair; and light green eyes. His smile was adorable. For a moment, I thought, I hope he’s available. When he spoke, I had to pull myself back to the reality of my job.

“Hello. Mrs. Jenkins. Mrs. Darwin sent us to you. I brought Peter here for his enrollment placement exam. I am his Foster Parent, Kenny.”

He was incredibly nervous. I figured that he must be a newbie to the foster child system. Peter was so cute—even with a “get me out of here” look written all over his face. Even though Kenny seemed new to all this, it was apparent that he and Peter had developed a trusting bond; they were holding hands.

“Please have a seat,” I said, and accepted the file of Peter’s paperwork from Kenny. I scanned the thin file. Nine-year-old, runaway, abused; that definitely qualifies him for the special program, I thought. I closed the file and asked Peter to follow me into the testing room, next door. He reluctantly let go of Kenny’s hand, but followed me. I saw him look back over his shoulder just before the door closed. Kenny gave him an encouraging smile. I turned Peter over to the secretary, who started a character analysis exam. “Let me know if you need anything,” I said to both Peter and the secretary.

Once back in my office, I explained the process to that cute guy, Kenny. “Now that Peter is occupied, I’ll explain the placement process to you. This morning, Peter will take a character assessment test. After the test, and for the rest of this week, Peter will meet with several different teachers in a setting with three other students. Each of the teachers will evaluate Peter. This process will give us a clear understanding of how a new student will react to the academic environment. Peter will then be placed with one of the teachers who evaluated him. He will remain in this setting as he prepares for high school.”

Kenny was obviously surprised. “Wow, Mrs. Jenkins, a lot has changed since I went to school.”

“Yes it has. The tests will show how much Peter is capable of learning. Each teacher has his or her own unique way of handling the assigned students. We have an observation booth; as a parent, you are encouraged to observe Peter and take notes of your own. We feel that your observations will help us, as well.”

We talked for nearly an hour until the secretary brought Peter in and his completed exam. “Thank you, Jenna,” I said. “Peter, would you please sit next to Kenny? Oh, Jenna, please send in the student who is waiting for me outside. Thank you.”

My son walked in and came straight to my desk, ignoring my two guests. Peter, however, saw Brian, and smiled as if it were love at first sight. Peter’s smile disappeared when Kenny whispered into Peter’s ear.

“You sent for me, Mrs. Jenkins?” Brian said.

“Yes, Brian. Please do two things for me. First, take this file to Mr. Adams so he can set up Peter’s lessons today. Second, please show Peter around the school and bring him back to Mr. Adams when you have done so. And do try to stay out of trouble, please?” Brian shrugged. It was only then that he looked at Peter.

“Peter, this is Brian. Please go with him. Don’t be afraid.” I watched Peter’s reaction, but it was Brian’s reaction that caught my attention. Brian was smiling as Peter had smiled before Kenny cautioned him. If they’re both the same then part of my problem is solved, I thought. My baby needs a special friend.

Kenny’s question snapped me back to reality. “Is Brian going to evaluate Peter?”

I smiled. “Yes, he is. Everything is important in Peter’s placement. Don’t be afraid of this new process. Everything is designed in Peter best interests.”

Brian

My first thought was, He’s cute. I hope he’s gay! He seems different from a regular kid. I hope he gets into all my classes. It would be heaven.

I held out my hand, and asked Peter, “Are you scared?” Peter nodded, so I said, “Well don’t be. I’m here to be your friend. Come on; take my hand. I’ll show you around my school. Ok?” The guy who was probably Peter’s dad gave me Peter’s hand, and the two of us left Mom’s office.

Mrs. Booth

I was busy putting books on the returns cart when I heard the beep counter chirp twice to let me know someone had entered the library. I looked up, and saw Brian and a new boy. They were holding hands. The new boy seemed a bit timid; I thought it was so nice of Brian to make sure that the new student was comfortable.

Brian was giving the new boy the grand tour. “This is the library, Peter. We have a wonderful selection of books. This is Mrs. Booth; she helps me a lot with finding great stories to read. She’s my first friend when I came to this school. I am sure she will be your friend, too. Right, Mrs. Booth?”

I nodded, and said, “Of course. Welcome. Peter.” They both smiled at me, but Peter was too shy to say anything. I smiled back at them, and then continued shelving books. Brian took Peter through the library. When the tour was finished, they stopped by the desk to say goodbye. I wished well on his entrance exam. He nodded thanks, but still didn’t say anything. As they walked down the hallway, I thought, how very proud I am of Brian. His mother and I had spoken often about him, and the difficult time he was having since his father passed away.

I remember when I first met him. He looked so sad and lost: lost in an unfamiliar school, and lost inside himself. His mother had just joined our administration department, and she was too busy to notice when he left her office. I found Brian wandering through the school; he was about to get himself into a run in with an older student. I quickly took his hand, and led him to the library. As I worked, I was able to get him to talk—in bits and pieces. I learned that he likes to read. So, I led him to a section of the stacks that I thought would hold some good stories at his grade level. No sooner had we gotten there than he snapped into a spell of crying. I held him for as long as he needed to be held. Then I told him he would always be welcome to come to me if he needed my help. Later, I introduced him to a lovely series of books: the “Henry Huggins and the …” adventure stories. I gave him the first book of the series. It seemed to snap him out of his spell; I knew he was hooked. Only then did I call his mother to let her know that he was with me. Since that day, Brian has come back many times to read, to chat with me, and to help me shelve books. He has made a big difference in my life; one day I will tell him why, but not until I am ready.

Those thoughts took only a second to flash through my mind. I could still see the boys walking down the hallway, away from the library. I saw that Peter was listening intently to Brian, and was still holding his hand. Brian has made a lot of progress since I first met him. I do worry about him, and I know his mother does, as well. I was happy to think that Peter might become a good friend to Brian. And, like a mother, I proudly watched the pair walking down the hall, hand in hand, until they disappeared around the corner.

Peter

Just being with Brian made me calmer and happier knowing that I was in his trusting hands during our tour of his school. Brian showed me all the school departments and introduced me to the best teachers—the ones that I later found out had made a difference in his life. I was amazed that Brian knew all these people that we met—from students to teachers and including the janitor.

We were headed back to Mr. Adams’ office when this really big guy slammed Brian with his arm stretch out to one side that knocked him to the floor. Brian was out, cold. It was Big Jake, who I later found out, hit Brian with a clothesline move. He disappeared as fast as he appeared, seeming not to care about what had happened to Brian. I was shocked and horrified; I immediately panicked and cried. Something inside me called me to be strong. Its message was very clear. I went to Brian and bent down to listened to his heart just to be sure he was still alive, and then I ran to the nearest office, calling for help.

Mr. Adams

I was glad Mr. Williams, the Principal, had been willing to give me a chance to teach in this new program. When he hired me, we talked for an hour about what my role would be. He emphasized that both my professional and personal experience would be important factors. At first, I wasn’t sure. I had just recovered from a serious breakdown. I had lost my partner and his children in a car accident just over a year ago. A tractor-trailer lost control and slammed into us. The accident wasn’t my fault; but I was the only survivor. Mr. Williams said that because I had survived tragedy, I could be a role model in this program. He said that the children needed to learn how to cope with loss and tragedy. Because I had been through it, I would be better able to help them. I still wasn’t sure, but Mr. Williams said that I could call upon his help at any time.

Less than two weeks later, I was sitting in my office reviewing a new student’s file, when a boy I didn’t know rushed in. He had been crying, and seemed bent out of shape. I knelt beside him and tried to calm him down. I finally understood that he needed help for his friend, who had been hurt. I followed him and found Brian—Mrs. Jensen’s son—lying on the floor. For a moment, I was paralyzed: I saw not Brian, but my partner’s children, lying on the highway, only partly hidden by the paramedics’ tarps. A child needs me, I thought, and pushed that thought away. Remembering the first aid courses I’d taken, I checked to make sure that Brian was breathing, that his heart was beating, and that he wasn’t bleeding. He started to come around, and I felt it was safe to carry him to the nurse’s office.

The boy followed me, never letting Brian out of his sight. I tried to calm him, and assured him that Brian would be OK. “He’ll be fine. He just got the wind knocked out of him.”

After turning Brian over to the nurse, I asked the boy his name. He stammered, “Peter.”

The new boy—the one whose file I was reading… I thought. “Oh,” I said. “You’re the new boy?” He nodded. I invited him to my office, and asked him what had happened. I also gave him a box of tissues. He took a tissue and blew his sorrows into it. After a little more crying, Peter told me what had happened. For the next half hour or so, I consoled him and hugged him. I told him repeatedly that he did the right thing.

“Peter, do you feel up to continuing your evaluation?” I asked.

He nodded, but said, “Can I see Brian?” I agreed that he could, soon. That seemed to satisfy him.

I took him to the Evaluation Room, and asked him to wait while I got the other students. I returned, bringing with me the three students who had been assigned to me by Mr. Williams. Brian, of course, was one. Peter’s face lit up when he saw Brian come in the door. The second was Sally. The last was Big Jake. The smile on Peter’s face vanished, and he became frightened—looking like a scared kitten—when he saw Big Jake. I had talked to Brian on the way to the room, and gestured for him to go to Peter.

Brian sat beside Peter, and took his hand.“I’m okay, Peter … Don’t cry … Be strong, my friend … You did well going for help … Thank you for being there for me.” Brian gestured, and Big Jake walked toward Peter. Peter got behind Brian and held on to him; the boy was scared shitless. Brian took Big Jake’s hand in his own left hand, and Peter’s hand in his right, and joined them together. “Big Jake is sorry he scared you,” Brian said.

Big Jake

I was afraid to look Peter in the eye for what I did, so I looked down at my feet and spoke, “Mr. Williams caught me in the hallway. He asked me if I seen anybody hit someone down in the hallway. I realized from what he said that maybe I did hit someone when I was pretending to be a wrestler. He took me to the nurse’s office. I saw Brian waking up on the table. I turned to Mr. Williams and said that I was sorry. He said it was not him I should apologize to. I saw the nurse checking on Brian. I waited for him recognize me and sit up. I told him what had happen and made an apology for doing something so stupid.”

I knelt down to look Peter in the eye. When I looked into his eyes, I saw anger and confusion in the little guy, the kind of look I saw in my father’s eyes. I spoke in fear, “Peter … please forgive me for scaring you … I didn’t mean to hurt your friend … If it makes you feel better you can hit me for hurting him” I closed my eyes waiting for Peter to deliver my punishment; a punishment usually given by dad. Peter was taking a long moment to decide. But instead I felt him hug me. I opened my eyes and realized that all was forgiven.

The moment ended when Mr. Adams smiled and said, “OK, Everyone. It’s time to get started. Please go to your seats.”