Chapter Text
Chapter 15: Meanwhile, On the Outside 2: Breaking Points
Friday Morning…
Ann felt a prickling fear and sadness as she walked down the school hallways. Nothing made sense to her. Her friend was in the hospital. She might’ve become schizophrenic, but Riley was so healthy before this week. How could something like this happen?
Last night still hung in her mind. After making it home, she’d immediately given her mother a tearful hug. Telling her everything. Trying to push her fears out through her arms. She couldn’t just shake off her emotions, but her mom did promise to help after hearing Ann’s desire to go back to the Andersens if Riley didn’t wake up tomorrow.
“ This isn’t just about Riley anymore. It’s about her whole family. And we’ll support them through it all.”
Later that night, her dad came into Ann’s room before she went to bed. After hearing the news, he’d come straight up from his shift at the hospital. Ann wasn’t entirely sure if he helped with Riley’s care, but she still remembered his words.
“ Riley’s in good hands. I promise we’ll take care of her until she comes out of it.”
Ann then took Jordan’s music advice. She didn’t know what could be considered relaxing after the pain she was feeling, so she ended up going with a shuffle feature for “comfort music” on her phone. And, to her surprise, Jordan was right to a degree. The mixture of both sorrowful and soothing music did help her fall asleep.
However, her dreams weren’t exactly comforting. She had trouble fully remembering them, but there was something about Riley calling for help inside a giant brain. A part of a dream where she was swimming through a river of tears. And there was a brief dream when she’d seen a monster with Tracy’s signature skull t-shirt trying to drag Riley away from her. Honestly it was a miracle she’d slept through it all, but somehow she woke up shaken, but rested.
“What a week,” Ann thought to herself as she mechanically moved down the hall. “It started off so nice, but Riley just kept getting worse and worse! Thank God it’s Friday. I don’t think I could focus on school one more day after all this!” It was just before lunch time, and she made her way towards her locker. Ann let out a sigh. She’d held her emotions together, but it hadn’t been easy. She just wanted to be done with it all. Not worry at all about…
“Hey Ann! Where are all your friends now?”
Ann bit back a sharp remark about Jordan’s locker being in a different hallway. Instead, she closed her locker, and walked a few steps away to meet Tracy in the middle of the hall.
“What now Tracy? After what I called you on Wednesday, I thought you’d be more careful with your words.”
Tracy rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “Well it won’t be the last time I’m called something that rude. You’ll have to try harder if you really want to hurt my feelings.”
Ann brushed past Tracy. Determined to just walk away. “I have nothing else to say to you.” she said briskly.
“And I suppose you have much more you’d like to say to Riley?” Ann stopped, and turned her head slightly to look back at Tracy. “We both know she’s been out of school for two days now.” The hallway began to get quiet. Kids paused in putting their stuff away as they watched the two girls in the middle of the hall now staring each other down. Others mumbled that it was a little strange Riley wasn’t with them today. “You wouldn’t happen to know where she is, would you?”
Ann kept her mouth shut. The last thing she wanted right now was to lose the grip she had on her emotions since this morning. Or give Tracy any more reason to tear down her friend.
“Nothing?” Tracy sniffed haughtily, then took a few steps closer. “Well, after how she’s been acting, maybe she just couldn’t handle being around normal people anymore.”
“Stop it,” Ann spoke with a growing anger, as she turned back towards Tracy.
“We all saw the signs. Even YOU can’t deny what Mr. O’Brian was teaching us about Schizophrenia.”
“Tracy-”
“Maybe you just can’t admit that Riley’s finally getting the help she needs.”
Ann’s eyes narrowed, even as she could feel a lump coming to her throat. She murmured, “Riley IS getting the help she needs. But…” Ann hesitated again, trying very hard not to get into it.
Tracy almost looked relieved hearing that, but then narrowed her own eyes back at Ann. “But what? Isn’t this right? Riley is finally EXACTLY where she belongs. And she’ll never ever threaten us again.”
Ann took in a sharp breath. She could feel her hands start to tremble. Her breath became quicker. She lowered her head to hide her eyes. With as much effort as she could, she gave a very shaky, barely controlled, “W..hh.aaat?”
“You heard me,” Tracy said. “Riley Andersen is exactly where someone like her ought to be. I’d think after how she’s treated you, you’d get it. We’re better off without that dangerous, crazy freak!”
Things went dead silent in Ann’s Headquarters. All her emotions stared in disbelief at what Tracy just said.
Sadness could already feel a tear welling up. Joy began stammering in shock. Fear regained herself a second later, but then slowly turned to look at Disgust and Anger who both looked absolutely furious.
Anger began moving towards the center of the console. Fear quickly stepped in front of her. “Now Anger, let’s not…”
“I’VE HAD ENOUGH OF TRACY!” Anger bellowed. Smacking Fear away from the console, She marched to the very center where two levers were waiting. “IT’S TIME TO GIVE HER WHAT SHE DESERVES!”
Sadness then stopped Anger’s arm before she could do anything. Anger looked ready to push Sadness away too, but she spoke before Anger could act. “Let me back you up. Tracy NEEDS to understand what she’s done!”
Disgust stepped onto the other side, also placing a hand on Anger’s shoulder. “Me Too! It’s time to cut this poison out of our lives FOREVER!”
Anger gave a cold nod to Sadness, and a growl of acknowledgment to Disgust. While they both stepped up to press buttons, Anger grabbed the levers, and thrust them up, screaming as loud as possible while her hair caught on fire.
“RRRRAAAAAAAAHHHHH…..”
“AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!”
For two seconds, the entire hallway was silent, and then Ann screamed. With a quick motion, she reeled back and punched Tracy across the face. Tracy was caught completely by surprise. She spun around from the momentum, nearly landing against one of the lockers. But Ann immediately followed up by slamming Tracy against them, her eyes filled with rage and tears, her mouth in a furious expression.
“ Take it back! Take it back RIGHT NOW !”
Despite her initial surprise, Tracy scowled back. “Why should I? You KNOW it’s the truth!”
Ann’s snarl only deepened, as tears began falling down her face. She slammed Tracy against the locker again. “You don’t know anything Tracy! You don’t get to say that anymore!”
“What are you-”
“RILEY’S IN THE HOSPITAL YOU IGNORANT COW! SHE COULD DIE!”
A terrible silence briefly settled over the hallway. All the kids nearby started at Ann’s declaration. Several of them started to whisper to each other in surprise and shock. Some looked with sympathy. Some also hardened their expressions at Tracy, while others were afraid at Ann’s enraged face.
“NOW, TAKE! IT! BACK! Or I’ll send you to the nurse’s office in Black and Blue!”
Tracy looked terrified on one hand, but another emotion danced across her face. Ann was too angry to notice, but Tracy knew exactly what she was feeling: regret.
“I….Ann, I…”
A new voice suddenly cut in. “What is going on here??”
“I’m not done with Tracy!”
“Oh, I think you are, Ann Jones!” Hearing her full name, Ann finally turned her head, seeing the principal standing to the side of her. “You’re going to let her go, and then we’re going to my office to sort out what just happened here.”
Ann seethed. She wanted nothing more than to knock Tracy’s lights out in front of everyone. But, her sadness finally eclipsed her fury, and she dropped Tracy, while wiping her eyes. She still felt that burning anger inside, but it was being tempered by reason and grief. “Fine!” she growled. Ann then shot Tracy one more hard glare, and shouted, “Don’t EVER talk that way about Riley again!”
The principal took Ann’s hand before she could say anything else, but also gave Tracy a firm glance. “You go to the nurse’s office for now Tracy. Make sure nothing got bruised or cut. I’ll come by to see you after you’re checked out.”
As Ann was led away, Tracy very quietly mumbled to herself, “Sorry.”
Ann sat in the principal’s office. Staring at the wall. She wished she was anywhere else right now, but not out of fear. She felt disgusted to have to talk about what just happened. This wasn’t right. Not for Riley. Not for her. If anything, she wished Riley had just given in to her anger and done something like this sooner.
With a huff, she then looked out the window. Wiping her eyes which still were a little poofy. She was also missing lunch soon. She sighed. Hopefully they’d finish up sooner rather than later.
The Principal came back in after conferring with his secretary. Ann gave him the angriest glare she could muster, which admittedly wasn’t nearly as intense as what her Anger produced earlier. He had a serious look on his face as he sat down on the other side of the desk. He gave her an expectant look, but Ann still didn’t say anything. The Principal then sternly spoke. “Well Ann Jones, care to explain what happened out there?”
Ann growled. “My actions speak for themselves.”
He raised an eyebrow at that. “You know we have a zero tolerance policy for fights of any kind in this school. I can easily give the most harsh punishment possible if you don’t explain what happened.”
Ann looked away at that, her face stubbornly set. A flicker of uncertainty came across her face, but she muttered, “You wouldn’t understand.”
He sighed. “Maybe then you can tell someone who might understand.” Ann was startled out of her brooding by that. And seeing her confused reaction, he elaborated. “If you don’t trust me, then I know someone on staff who you might be more comfortable telling your side of things to.”
Ann rolled her eyes, but shrugged. “Whomever you pick, it probably won’t work.”
At that, the principal gave an arrogant smirk. “Oh I think it will. Wait here.”
As he walked out, Ann still stared straight ahead, determined to never give another inch. She waited for what felt like 5 minutes, until finally the door opened again.
“Hello Ann.”
Ann immediately felt herself freeze. Indeed, she knew that voice quite well. She immediately turned around. “Mrs Adams?”
It was Jordan’s mom. She looked a little frumpy, but gracefully took a seat. Not in front of the desk, but in one of the other chairs on Ann’s side. She gave Ann a wane smile, then leaned back. “I never thought I’d see BOTH of Jordan’s friends getting in trouble this week.”
Ann growled slightly. “Tracy started it!”
Mrs. Adams held up her hands. “All Principal Black told me is that you were heard threatening Tracy with violence. I haven’t heard from any other students yet. I know this is complicated since we know each other outside of school, but I’m not here to take sides. I just want to hear what happened from you.”
Ann backed down slightly, before swallowing. It would be easier to tell Jordan’s mother what happened, but her internal thought process was muddled. She didn’t know how to talk about Riley to any adult who might not care or understand everything Riley thought or went through this week. Ann sniffed, then mumbled, “I don’t know what to say.”
Mrs. Adams pressed again. “Well, why don’t we start with how things are going outside of school?” Ann looked confused at that. “No matter your past with Tracy, I know you wouldn’t become so aggressive without something else affecting your mood.”
Ann crossed her arms. Sarcastically saying, “Of course. You’re our counselor after all.”
Mrs. Adams smiled. “Like I said, I’m not here to take sides. But I know you Ann, and I know this isn’t normal behavior for you.”
Ann could feel herself getting emotional again. She swallowed, still angry, but again feeling her sadness fighting for space again. “Please,” she whispered. “Don’t make me say it. I’ve cried enough these last few days!”
Mrs Adams then interlaced her hands, and leaned forward. “This has to do with Riley, doesn’t it?”
Ann turned her head away, desperately trying not to open up. “No! I mean…why do you think that?”
The councilor now gave a wane smile. “Because I know what happened to her Wednesday night. And I’m pretty sure you know too.”
Ann whipped her head back around. “What?! How do-”
“Does it matter?”
“Of course it matters! How can Riley ever trust us again if our parents keep finding out our secrets??”
Mrs Adams shook her head. “This wasn't a secret. It is a tragedy.”
Ann could feel her walls of emotional control start collapsing again, but this time she diverted her pain through her anger instead. “Tracy never should've said such horrible things! She called Riley a crazy, dangerous freak! I had to do something!”
Mrs Adams jolted back at that. Clearly shocked by the accusation. Then she took a deep breath as if she also needed a minute to breathe. “Did she know Riley was in the hospital?”
“She shouldn’t ever say something like that! Even if Riley was here.”
“Ann-”
“Tracy’s wrong! Riley doesn’t belong in a hospital!” Ann could feel her voice rising as she could feel herself beginning to rant. “Riley can't die! She can't! Why didn't she just get help? Why didn't she know how much we cared about her?!”
Mrs. Adams swallowed, and shook her head in sorrow. She got it. She fully understood how big this had gotten for Ann. “The mind is a mysterious thing. We can't know her reasons until she's better.”
Ann looked down, her mind filled with both anger and sadness. “I hate Tracy. Bad enough she nagged Riley into thinking I’m a traitor, but to call her that? It’s too far!”
“Ann-”
“I won’t apologize! I won’t! She doesn’t deserve it!”
Mrs. Adams held up her hands again. “I never asked you to.” Ann calmed down a little at that. So then the school councilor spoke again. “Ann, you’re emotionally compromised from all this.” Ann opened her mouth, but Mrs. Adams beat her to it again. “I’m going to recommend that Principal Black call your parents to take you home. You’re in no condition to focus during class. Especially since you have 3 more classes with Tracy.”
Ann snorted in anger. “I suppose so.”
Mrs. Adams then gave Ann a sad look. “I’m sorry this got so bad. But if you want to talk about it more, I’m sure your mom and I can discuss it when we meet up this afternoon.”
“What?”
“If you’re going to Riley’s home after school, the Adams family will be coming with you too.”
Ann didn’t say anything to that. Then she looked down. “Is this going on my record?” The councilor nodded. “Well, that’s just great,” she grumbled. She got a pat on the shoulder afterwards, but for Ann, the worst part of the day was decisively over. No more school, and no more Tracy.
Friday Afternoon…
Bill and Jill Andersen were back home. Bill was currently working on taxes. And Jill was restocking the refrigerator after a grocery run. Both of them had somber looks on their faces, but both were seemingly holding together alright.
Bill looked up at his wife. “Sorry I couldn’t get time off work until after lunch. We had an emergency meeting come up.” Jill looked back, but shrugged. Seemingly unbothered. Bill went on. “You went in to visit Riley today, right?” Jill nodded. “Any change?” Jill shook her head. “Did you tell her any stories while there?”
Jill gave a half smile at the question. “I tried reminding her of when we went on that full day hike when she was 8, and she begged me to carry her back home after lunch.” Both of them chuckled at that. “Yeah, I would’ve sworn she’d wake up from the embarrassment alone.” Their laughs trailed off after that. Jill finally finished putting away some chicken, sighing to herself, before turning back to her husband as she closed the refrigerator. “Bill, what are we going to do?”
Bill looked down at his hands as he put down the pen he was holding. He looked just as distressed, and nervously rubbed his fingers, trying to come up with an answer. Finally, he looked back up and murmured three words. Three words that neither of them liked. “I don’t know.” He took a deep breath, then continued. “We can keep doing what we are now, but there’s nothing else to be done until Dr. Cooley has more to work with.”
Jill looked down. Anger, sadness and fear laced through her voice. “How could Riley end up like this? All the symptoms for Schizophrenia were there. Why didn’t she trust us about getting her diagnosed? And how could she have such a massive headache and not have it diagnosed?”
Bill shrugged sadly. “It is…disturbing in its own way. I just don’t get how everything this week went so wrong.”
Jill bitterly muttered, “At least Riley finally asked for help right before she collapsed.”
Bill replied, “No changes and no messages at least means there’s no new bad news. And with my startup’s new healthcare plan, we should be fine financially at least for now.”
Jill looked Bill in the eyes. Distress still all over her face. “This is our daughter! Our only child! How can you be so calm about this?”
“I’m not!” Jill flinched at that statement. “Of course I’m not! But worrying about it without anything else changing won’t help us.” Bill stood up, pacing a little. Then he came over to Jill’s side of the table, putting an arm around her. “I’m terrified and angry, but none of that will make Riley better. The only thing we can do is hold together, and keep trying to figure out what to do next.”
Jill bit her lip. As the idea in the back of her head from yesterday came out again with a vengeance. “Bill, I was thinking…” Bill looked down at his wife. She looked back up, an uneasy look on her face. “If Riley does come out of this, maybe we should have her move in with my mother for a while.”
Bill was surprised by the declaration. “What? You want to have Riley move again ?”
Jill stepped away from Bill so she could look him in the eyes straight on. “Look at what’s happened ever since we moved.” Bill didn’t immediately answer that, so she pressed on. “In the first three days from when we got here, she almost ran away back to Minnesota.”
Bill nodded in acknowledgment at that. “Yes, but that was because we didn’t communicate properly with her. And she learned to love this place. Especially once she got to decorate her room.”
“Then there was the broccoli incident.”
Bill shrugged. “Accidents happen. And Jordan did admit it was his fault.”
“And now all this? Riley’s supposed to be growing up normal, but all these abnormal things keep happening. It’s like she’s becoming troubled just from being here.”
Bill then crossed his arms. “And you think moving her again will be any better? After what happened the first time, wouldn’t being sent to small town Ohio just make it even worse?”
Jill looked away at that. Her husband had a very good point, but she wasn’t fully convinced yet. She took a deep breath. “I never thought parenting would be easy, but this is a nightmare. I don’t know why Riley started hearing voices or drawing such odd things. But whatever happened, it got to her. I won’t have my daughter fall apart before she even hits her teenage years, and if we need to try a new setting to clear her head, then maybe it’s for the best.” Bill looked a little offended at that, but then Jill hugged herself, and her expression became even more distressed. “And it’s been hard for me too, Bill. As nice as the neighbors and school parents are, it still doesn’t feel like I have the same close friends we had in Minnesota. If Riley recovers, maybe we all need another fresh start elsewhere.”
Bill’s expression softened immediately. He reached out again, taking one of Jill’s hands. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you felt that way.”
Jill looked at him. Her eyes filled with appreciation, but also fear. “Maybe if we had more support, I’d feel differently, but it’s so scary Bill. I love you, but we need to think about what’s best for Riley. I want her to recover, and after all the yelling and reports I heard from school and hockey this week, I don’t know if she’ll ever fit in around San Francisco again.”
Bill squeezed her hand. “It’s easy to jump to conclusions when we’re scared and tired, but-”
*Ding Dong*
The two stopped, and turned towards the front door. Bill hesitantly asked, “Are we expecting anyone?”
Jill shook her head. “No, but I think I know who it is.” She dropped her hand, making her way to the door with Bill right behind her. “And we’re not done with this conversation,” she warned her husband. Bill looked like he wanted to say something else, but kept it quiet for whatever was awaiting them.
Opening their door, it was exactly who Jill was expecting, but also way more. Ann was at the front door again, but alongside her was Jordan, and 3 of their parents.
“Whoa.”
Jill’s Disgust turned to look at her Fear. “You said it. We’ve never seen so many people at our door since Minnesota.”
Anger gave a light frown. “I hope they aren’t here to throw a pity party. We didn’t need any help.”
Joy however looked touched. “Look at them all. They showed up when we didn’t expect anyone else. Don’t you see ladies? We do have close friends around San Francisco.”
Sadness gave Joy a slight side eye. “I wouldn’t say they’re necessarily friends, Joy. Keep it polite, but we don’t have to accept or do anything until we have a better idea of what's going on.”
Jill responded first. “Ann? You brought…everyone with you?”
Mrs. Jones stepped up besides her daughter. “Well, not everyone. My husband is still on his shift at the hospital.”
Bill defensively crossed his arms behind Jill. Trying to support her while expressing his own feelings. “We didn’t want this to get out. Riley is our child, and we’ll manage fine without anyone else.”
However, Mrs. Adams stepped up next. “Hey,” she soothed. “No parent should go through something like this alone. I’m not here as a teacher, but as a parent like you both. We can’t change Riley, but we’re here for you all.”
Mr Adams then came up with some tupperware in hand. “We made a meal so you both don’t have to worry about cooking this weekend.”
And Mrs. Jones also brought up a bouquet she was carrying. “No lilies, I swear. These are for hope. And to brighten up your home when Riley comes back.” The Andersens looked ready to say something, but she cut them both off. “Riley WILL come out of this. She’s too strong to be brought down no matter what she’s been struggling with the last few days.” Then she looked down at Ann who was somewhere between screaming and begging in her eyes. “And when she does…she’ll have all her friends to make sure she knows just how loved and supported she always was.”
Jill felt the emotions she’d kept at bay finally start to leak out. All the stress and fear had already cracked her facade, but with this outpouring of kindness and optimism? It awoke something inside, and the loneliness she’d experienced began to dissipate from her heart. She held herself to Bill, trying to keep together. But Jill knew she’d lose her composure if nobody else said something.
Bill looked at his wife, then looked at the families on his porch. All of them with eyes of sympathy and pity. He swallowed, but also smiled, realizing an important truth. “ You were wrong Jill. We do have close friends around school. We just didn’t recognize them.” Outwardly, he gratefully said, “Thank you. Thank you all. This means a lot to us.”
Seeing the distraught look on Jill’s face, Jordan’s mom looked at the kids. “Ann, Jordan, can you wait outside for a little while?” Seeing the protests on their lips, she held up a hand. “It’s boring parent stuff. Just, give us a few minutes.” The two kids sighed, but nodded. Leading the way, Bill and Jill brought the three other parents inside, and gently closed the door behind them.
Ann and Jordan took a seat on Riley’s steps. Jordan looked over at Ann. She still looked agitated, but substantially calmer since he saw her earlier in the day. He reached out a hand, and put it on top of Ann’s. She glanced to the side with a questioning look.
“Hey, you…okay now? You looked pretty upset earlier today, and when you disappeared after lunch, I got worried.”
Ann sighed. “Okay is when I see Riley all better.” Then she gestured her head back to the house. “You told YOUR mom about Riley?”
Jordan shrugged. “After you told me Riley was hospitalized, I felt like I needed advice on how to support her. And my mom is too smart. She figured out something was wrong with Riley thanks to reports from the other teachers and wanted some information from me.”
Ann grumbled, “Makes sense I guess. Though I wish it wasn’t true.” Ann then stared out at the street. “Did you see my fight with Tracy?”
Jordan shook his head. “I did hear rumors though. I heard you really scared Tracy. I heard one of the lockers got damaged. And something about violent threats?” Looking over at Ann, she had a slight glare on her face. Jordan raised up his hands in a placating gesture. “Just rumors.”
Ann bit her lip, but shook her head to get out of her mood. “I lost my temper, but I’m not sorry for what I did.”
Jordan didn’t respond to that, feeling the icy mood coming off his friend. Then he followed Ann’s gaze out over the street. “Some week, huh?”
Ann swallowed. “No. I’m going to stick to my promise. I’ve done enough crying,” she chided to herself. “I still don’t understand how this could happen.”
Jordan shrugged. “Life is always messy and mysterious. But what matters is that your band walks through it together.”
Ann looked over. “Where’d you hear that one?”
“Made it up just now.”
Ann finally smiled a little. “You bonehead. How’d I ever become friends with a doofus like you?”
Jordan gave a grin, but didn’t respond. Instead, he looked up at the 2nd floor of Riley’s home. “You know, we haven’t seen Riley’s room yet. Maybe we could do a sleepover once she’s better.”
Ann gave Jordan a deadpan look. “You WANT to do a sleepover? With two girls, who are your friends?”
Realizing the implications, Jordan immediately shook his head. “Uh…forget I said that. Maybe we can just get Riley to show us her room sometime on a weekend?”
Ann gave a small smirk. “That’s what I thought.” She then turned to look at the door. Pondering everything that happened this last week. “What are they going to do when Riley wakes up?”
Jordan had a look of unease as he thought about the question. “Who knows? At this point, it’s out of our hands.” He frowned sadly.
Ann tapped a finger, thinking about the last few days, before then looking back at Jordan. Trying to clear the bad memories away. “But no matter what, we’ll be there for her.”
Jordan nodded, his expression growing stronger. “Because true friends don’t give up on each other.”
Ann smiled hearing that phrase again. “It’s practically our catchphrase," she commented, which Jordan smiled at too. Then the front door opened up, and their parents came out.
Mr. Adams looked down at the two kids, who now were both standing, expectantly. He gave a little nod. “You two can visit Riley tomorrow afternoon.”
“Thank you dad,” Jordan quickly replied.
“Thank you,” Ann gratefully said. She took another calming breath, then took her mother’s hand. “Why don’t you come over to my house, and we’ll go together Jordan?”
Jordan gave a small smile. “Sounds like a plan.” The two families began walking off to their cars. Before turning away, Jordan gave Ann a wave. “See you tomorrow.”
Ann nodded, then moved back to her car seat. Her mom, after stepping into the driver's seat, quickly reached back to take her hand. “You okay Ann? I know it’s been a lot since I had to come pick you up.”
“Okay is Riley being all better.” Then Ann added, “But I’m doing better than earlier for sure.”
Mrs. Jones frowned, but nodded. “Just…try not to get into any fights next time.”
Ann snorted in disgust. “I can’t believe I was ever friends with Tracy. I bet she’s not even sorry about what she said!”
Tracy sat in her room, staring at her math homework. She was supposed to be getting it done so she could link up with the other cool girls for a get together tomorrow. However, her day at school rattled her badly. She hadn’t been sent home or anything, but the encounter in the hallway still haunted her thoughts and emotions.
She still didn’t fully understand why though. Why did she feel regret after Ann told her the truth? Was she…empathizing with Riley? Tracy tapped her pencil on the desk in frustration. Why on earth would she care about someone who stole one of her friends away? It didn’t make sense. Why were her feelings so messy? And why did she get a sinking feeling in her stomach when she thought about someone else she knew in the hospital? After all these years, she thought she was over that.
“Tracy?”
Tracy froze mid tap. It was her father. Why was he home early? He was NEVER home before 8 on weekdays.
“Tracy, can you come down here? We need to talk.”
Tracy almost felt like an alien in her own body as she began walking down the stairs. But reaching the ground floor, it was no joke. Her Papa was standing there, a look of disappointment on his face.
“Papa? What are-”
“I got a call from your principal today.”
Tracy immediately clammed up. “Ann started it!”
Her Papa folded his arms. “So you didn’t call your classmate Riley a Dangerous Crazy Freak?”
“So? It’s True!” He gave her a raised eyebrow. Tracy held her ground. “And why do you care? Nothing happened!”
Papa gave a small growl. “You getting slammed into a locker and me getting called isn’t nothing.”
“So you’re upset because I didn’t fight back?” Tracy accused.
He shook his head. “No.”
“Then why are you back now?” Tracy asked in slightly angry confusion.
Her papa’s expression softened. She raised an eyebrow at that. But then he got down on her level. Tracy hadn’t quite hit her growth spurts yet, so they were roughly on eye level. “I left work early because I was worried about you. And I realized I hadn’t kept my promise to your mama.”
Tracy flinched at that. Neither of them talked about Mama all that much anymore. “Well, I’m fine now. Are we done?”
He shook his head. “I’m worried about you Tracy. I thought you were fine, but after hearing about this, I’m concerned. Maybe you haven’t been honest with me lately.”
Tracy snorted. “What else is there to tell?”
Her Papa reached an arm out, putting it on her shoulder. “Why was Riley bothering you so much? I thought you didn’t care about her.”
“It’s nothing. No-”
“Tracy. You looked rattled after we ran into her at Pizza Planet. And I haven’t seen much of you these last 3 days. I just remember hearing you sounding unnerved when I checked on you Tuesday, and sounding positively terrified on Wednesday.” Tracy opened her mouth, but he tightened his grip. “Be honest. Why did Riley Andersen scare you so much this week?”
Tracy looked down. She didn’t want to say this, but her fear and anger finally compelled her to talk. “She’s sick! She…” Tracy looked back up. “She thinks her emotions are controlling her. I know that she thinks it because she keeps trying not to have us hear her talking to someone we can’t see. She’s schizophrenic! She’s erratic. She’s too dangerous to ever stay around our school.”
That got his attention. He gestured to the table, and they both took a seat. He leaned forward. “And this just started this week?”
“Yes.”
“And…you couldn’t just ignore her if you were so scared?”
“She’s a danger to me!”
Her Papa raised an eyebrow at that. “Did she ever hurt you?”
“She stole my friend!”
Papa shook his head. “That was almost a year ago, Tracy. That’s not relevant to this week.” Tracy opened her mouth, but her Papa asked again. “Did she ever hurt you?”
Tracy bit her lip. “No, but every time she talks about it, or looks at me, I get a scary feeling. Like somehow what she’s doing is wrong and dangerous. A-And she almost hit me on Wednesday.”
He nodded. That would be legitimate to be scared about. “And what about the last few days?” Tracy’s expression immediately changed. And her Papa immediately saw it. “Tracy? What did she do?”
Tracy swallowed, then confessed. “She didn’t do anything Papa. I just found out that Riley’s in the hospital now.”
“She is?” He now looked very confused. “For what?”
“I don’t know, but it sounded pretty serious. Ann told me that Riley could die.”
Her Papa was very surprised at that. Then he stood up. His expression was hard to read from Tracy’s perspective. “Tracy, there’s something I want you to do tomorrow. For me, for Ann and for yourself.”
Tracy was dumbfounded listening to what her Papa wanted, but given his conditions, there would be no disagreements until she got it done. Internally, her anger and disgust screamed in outrage, but there was no other way forward. Instead of meeting with her friends, Tracy would have to go deal with the consequences of her actions.