A Case of Innocense

A funny thing happened on the way to class.

A Case of Innocence

 Today started out like any other typical school day. The bell rang promptly at 7:55, always without fail. If only it had failed today perhaps I wouldn’t be sitting in Mr. Davidson’s office trying to explain why I had done what I did. It was horrible really, and I shouldn’t have done it. But it wasn’t entirely my fault either. Mr. Davidson, however, wasn’t interested in minor details, all he wanted to know was "why."

 “Why oh why,” he asked, “did you punch Gabe Robertson in the mouth and smear your Snickers bar in his face?”

 Why indeed was a good enough question, but I could barely come up with a plausible enough excuse. 

 How could I expect Mr. Davidson to understand if I couldn't understand it myself?

 I was in deep trouble, but in all honesty, I was quite proud of what I did.

 Gabe was a bully. He weighed well over 200 lbs. and was about six feet and three inches tall. I, on the other hand, was about a foot shorter and barely tipped the scales at 100lbs.

 What happened was nothing less than miraculous. 

Poor Gabe had to be escorted to Nurse Edna’s office where she called his mother.

 He ended up with three stitches to his upper lip. I had no clear recollection how his lip got cut, but I’m almost certain I must have been the culprit.

 So there I sat in Mr. Davidson’s office, covered in Gabe's blood, contemplating the question..."why."

 Mr. Davidson stared at me waiting for my reply, but I couldn't come up with anything.

 “Well young lady, are you refusing to answer?” he asked.

 “No Sir,” I replied respectfully.

  I didn’t, as a rule, get in trouble, and for sure had never been sent to the office. This experience was all new for me

 “It’s just that,” I stammered. “I…I don’t know Sir.”

 “You don’t know, or you don’t remember?” asked Mr. Davidson.

 “Maybe a little of both Sir,” I responded. “Everything happened so fast. Karli and I were walking to class when, BANG, Gabe plowed right into her. He knocked her to the ground on purpose Sir."

 I looked directly at Mr. Davidson and replied, "Sir,” I said matter of factly, 

“Gabe hasn’t liked Karli since second grade when she called him a freak of nature, yes sir, that's what she called him, a freak of nature. I believe it's true too.”

I scratched my head and then continued with more details of today's main event.

 “Mr. Davidson,” I whined pitifully, “Gabe just stood there and laughed at poor Karli lying on the ground.  It just didn’t seem right. I guess I just snapped or something. That’s the only explanation I can think of. Besides Sir, don't you think somebody has to teach that big bully a lesson? I figured it might as well be me as anyone.

 Mr. Davidson leaned back in his big plush leather chair and stared at me. I thought for an instant I saw the beginnings of a smile, but it quickly, and frightfully, changed into a scowl.

 “Look.” He said analytically as he surveyed my frail little frame, “I know you didn’t do this alone. Somebody had to help you. I doubt you could squash a mosquito by yourself. Tell me his name and things will go much easier for you.”

 “With all honesty Sir,” I replied, “There was no one else. It was all me; by myself.”

 He glared at me with great intensity and grumbled, “Impossible girl.”

 Well, it did all seem a little improbable. If I were Mr. Davidson I wouldn’t believe me either. Gabe is the top ranked wrestler in the state of Texas. Things don’t get much bigger than that, unless you’re in Alaska. I don’t think they have much wresting in Alaska. Opponents have been trying to take Gabe down for the past three years. So far nobody has been successful at it. I guess I took him by surprise, which is exactly what I told Mr. Davidson, but he wasn’t buying any of it. He was convinced a coconspirator was involved.

 “OK then young lady,” Mr. Davidson said with a scowl, “Since you’re all so keen on taking the blame yourself, then you’ll suffer the consequences by yourself. I have no other choice but to send you to the BRIG. How does two weeks sound to you?”

 “The Brig, Mr. Davidson, but…” before I can finish he interrupted.

 “Yes, the Brig,” he said.

 The Brig was really another name for Off Campus Suspension. Mr. Davidson liked to call it the Brig. This was no doubt a throwback from his days in the Navy.

 I had heard that Mr. Davidson’s Brig was not a pleasant place to find one’s self. I wasn’t looking forward to it. Students were marched from one location to another in military formation, just like in boot camp. There was absolutely no communication amongst students. No electronic devices were allowed; no cell phones,  no Mp3 players, nothing.  It was total isolation. I was almost certain my life was over.

 “But Sir,” I pleaded, “What about Gabe? What does he get?”

 “Nothing,” Mr. Davidson smiled. “I have no proof he did anything wrong.”

  Proof, he wanted proof. He wouldn't get it from Karli, she was afraid of her own shadow.  I would have a better chance of winning the Boston Marathon than having her say anything. She was a sweet girl, but just a bit on the timid side of things. She’s very soft spoken. Sometimes you hardly know she’s around.

 No one else would speak up either. Everybody was afraid of Gabe and his band of Ape men. That’s what everyone called them because they walked funny and grunted like gorillas. I don’t know if they had an actual vocabulary or not, all I ever heard was the grunting. Apparently they had some sort of vocabulary because they seemed to understand each other just fine. I suppose it took one to know one, or in this case, understand one.

 With no willing witnesses, I prepared myself for what was to come.  Mr. Davidson called my mother who was furious. It was just the most horrible day of my life. Not only would I get to spend the next two weeks of my life in the Brig, I also had to go home and face my mother, and then my father. My parents were great actually, it’s just …sometimes they don’t always get the complete picture. I swear, I don’t believe either of them had ever been young; NEVER. I believe they were born just as they are, completely grown and married. Lucky them, they never suffered the pangs of growing up. Being a teenager was the worst thing that ever happened to me, until today.

 Mr. Davidson dismissed me from his office and said, “Young lady, be out front tomorrow at 7 sharp. We’ll transport you and all the others to the Brig facility. Is that clear?”

 “Yes Sir,” I replied, “I’ll be sure to wear my Army boots too.”

 “What was that?” he growled.

 “Nothing Sir,” I hesitated a moment before leaving his office, turned and commented, “Mr. Davidson, you know me pretty well don't you? I’m practically the All American Girl. I never get in trouble and I like just about everyone, even you.  You know I wouldn’t have done what I did if I hadn’t been swept in by Gabe’s mean hearted personality. What he did was just plain wrong. What's even worse sir is I get to go to the Brig for it. Somehow that just doesn't seem fair. 

 Isn’t there some other way we can settle this. I’ll write a hundred reports about self-control and anger management if you’ll just let me off just this one time.”

 I was practically begging him, oh, who was I fooling, I was begging,

 “Please Mr. Davidson, please don’t send me to the Brig.”

 “Sorry girl,” was his reply. “You made this mess, now I’ll clean it up. You’ll learn to keep your hands and fist out of other people’s faces.”

 I turned and slowly walk away, head drooping, eyes focused on the ground. I felt like a complete outcast of society.

 Suddenly there was a loud BOOM. I looked up and saw Josh, one of Gabe’s Ape men. He was lying on the floor wreathing in pain and shouting,

 “She shoved me, did you see that, she shoved me. Oh my arm, I think it’s broken.”

 Shawn confirmed it.

 “Yeah I saw it,” he said. “She shoved him down for no reason. I think she may have broken his arm.”

 Oh great, I had been set up, and this time there was a witness

  Shawn was one of Gabe's  Neanderthals.

Could my day get any worse?

 Mrs. Laney further confirmed the report. Poor Mrs. Laney, she wore glasses shaped like Coca Cola bottles. She could barely see her hand in front of her face. She had actually been declared legally blind, but she was convinced of what she allegedly saw. The school only keeps her around because of some crazy law. I don’t know what it was exactly, but it had something to do with being handicapped or something.

 I turn and march back into Mr. Davidson’s office and say, “Sir, you’re not going to believe what just happened.  I think you should probably add another month to my sentencing Sir.”

 I found Mr. Davidson rolling on the carpeted floor practically hysterical.

 “Mr. Davidson,” I called out, “Are you OK? Are you having a seizure?”

 “No, no” he said as he tried to regain his composure. “I’m fine.”

 He got up and sat back in his chair. He looked at me for what appeared to be forever.

  “Young Lady”, he asked, “What day is today?”

 “Wednesday Sir,” I replied.

 “No, no, I mean, the date, what is todays date?”

  “It’s Aproooh…oh no, I’ve been had, haven’t I?”

 Today is April 1^st; April Fool’s Day, and today I am the fool, the biggest fool of all.

 “Who put you up to this Sir, and what about Gabe’s lip and all that blood, and stitches?”

 “It was your mother,” he laughed. “Gabe’s blood, it’s Ketchup, the stitches...fake. The Snickers bar was real though.”

 “But what about poor Karli, huh?”

 “She was in on it too. She did most of the planning.”

 “KARLI!!! I’ll kill her for this. You’ll have to give me a lifetime sentence in the Brig when I get done with her.”

 The nurse walked in and reported Josh had actually broken his arm. His planned staging of his mishap had not gone exactly as planned. He snapped it in two places.

 I took in a deep breath and a sighed in relief.  I pondered the lessons I had learned today; one, never trust your mother on April Fool’s Day; two, never trust your best friend on April Fool’s Day; and three, never trust ANYBODY on April Fool’s Day. I know I never will; NEVER.

The End

Reviews

[Kreative Kana]

Lol lol lol! I actually thought the narrator was a boy. I had no idea! I was so fooled I didn't see what was coming. Hilarious wit, I am loving the character here. Awesome flow, brilliant work, super plot, and the best three rules to use on April Fools day.

One thing: But isn't Gabe a bully? I didn't really think bullies and their 'apes' would do an April fools. I thought they would do something mean totally on purpose.

Question: What is the characters name, and was Mr. Davidson in on the joke, or was he just informed?

Anyway, great job! I love it! You definitely should publish this as a children's short story book. Keep writing and don't ever stop!

God bless,
Kana

[Woody]

good solid story, M.E. not devoid of wit. dialogues flow nicely and the outcome was impossible to guess.
good story telling. you know how to keep the tension till hte very end that is impossible to guess.

[Megan Simpson]

Oh my gods, I did not see the ending coming! I really like this

[Benita-Staebell M - Kin..]

Yes this would of been nice for April first I don't read long stories or books but nice work.

[Marie]

This is quite a story. I'm only sorry you didn't post it on April 1st. I was completely fooled.