Chapter 2
By
the next morning the whole town knew what had happened the previous day at the
local high school. News travels fast in a small town like Foresville.
Josh
reluctantly got out of bed that morning finding out that it wasn’t a bad dream
like he had hoped. He’d still decided to go to school that day. He’d debated it
and eventually chose to go, he didn’t do it and he was determined to prove it.
Staying away from school would sent out the unwanted message that he was hiding,
that he didn’t want to show his face and people would see that as an act from
someone who was guilty. Although he was convinced this was the right choice it
didn’t make getting out of his warm, safe bed any easier.
“Are
you sure you want to go?” his dad asked for what seemed like the millionth time
during breakfast.
“Yes
I’m sure dad, I have to go, I can’t run away from it. They’ll think I’m guilty,
I have to prove them I’m not” Josh said full of confidence but his stomach was
twisting into knots, apparently not quite as convinced as he wanted to be.
His
dad nodded in acceptance, proud of the courage of his son hoping and praying he
would still feel the same at the end of the day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“What
the hell do you think you’re doing” Frank, Ashley’s brother, grumbled pushing
Josh away from the school’s entrance.
“Same
reason as you; go to school” Josh said trying to push passed him but Frank
pushed him further away, fiercer this time almost like a warning not to come
any closer.
“I
don’t think so, I think you better leave before I loose my temper” he said
pushing him again.
“I’m
not leaving” Josh stated not caring about the group of people who were quickly
surrounding him.
“We
don’t need a rapist in our community do you understand me” Frank said, he
wasn’t asking, his tone of voice was nothing like a question. Josh glared at
him,
“I’m
not a rapist” he said through gritted teeth.
“You
little shit…” Frank said furiously grabbing Josh’s T-shirt pulling him closer,
ready to punch him when a stern male voice cut through the noise of the crowd.
“Stop
it right now!” Principal Green yelled while he pushed his way though the crowd.
“Mr.
Chasez can I talk to you in my office for a second” the principal said in a
cold tone of voice. Frank slowly let go of Josh but he didn’t break eye
contact.
“I’ll
deal with you later, Frank” the principal said waiting for Josh to walk out in
front of him. He turned, walking after the young man, faintly hearing the
comment of a boy in the crowd behind them,
“Be
careful sir, it ain’t safe to be alone with him”
Although
it hurt Josh to hear someone say something like that about him, he kept his
chin up and walked inside the school building with the principal close behind.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Josh
what are you doing here?” the principal asked while he closed the door,
offering Josh a seat.
“What
does it look like I’m doing sir?” Josh retorted after he sat down, looking the
principal in the eye while he moved around the desk and sat down in his desk
chair.
“It
looks like you’re asking for trouble” Principal Green stated simply seeing the
insulted look in the young boy’s eyes.
“I’m
not here to cause any trouble sir, I came because I have a right to have an
education, falsely accused or not” Josh said determined.
“Josh
don’t get me wrong, I admire your courage but I have to think about my
students”
“I’m
your student too” Josh said indignantly.
“Who
says I’m not thinking about you?” Josh glared at him.
“I
think it’s better for everyone including you Josh, if you go home” the
principal said looking him in the eye.
“What
happened to innocent till proven guilty?” Josh asked angry he would be sent
home.
“Didn’t
you just see what happened Josh?” the principal asked incredulously gesturing
wildly, pointing in the direction of the entrance of the school.
“Yes,
but I have a right to get a decent education and I’m innocent. I’m not going to
let them get to me I’ll prove them I’m innocent, I’ll prove them and this whole
town wrong”
The
principal was stunned so Josh continued, “If you’ll excuse me I have an English
class that starts in a couple of minutes” Josh stated, he wasn’t going to allow
the principal to send him home. The principal sighed, frustrated this kid
didn’t took his advice but he admired his courage,
“Ok,”
he nodded. “But I’ll have to warn you that this will not be the end of it for
them”
Josh
nodded, “Thanks” his eyes softening.
“I
appreciate that sir” Josh said moving to stand up.
The
principal nodded before Josh shuffled out of his office, leaving his principal
with a strange feeling; he admired his student’s courage, although a little
misplaced, but he still admired it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Josh
walked down the hall, feeling every pair of eyes staring at him. He kept
walking.
Seeing
the disgusted looks he got from the girls as he passed them. He kept walking.
Hearing
the words ‘pig’, ‘rapist’ and ‘asshole’ from untraceable sources. He kept
walking.
Noticing
the people whispering something to each other after they pointed at him.
He
still kept walking, it hurt him but he kept walking.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He
quietly picked up his tray of food at lunchtime, seeing the cafeteria lady
who’d always been nice to him since the first day he’d moved here a little over
three months. He offered her a small smile but it was not returned. The lady
averted her eyes and started talking to another lady in whispered tones; Josh
knew they were talking about him. He turned away from her, shielding himself
from the hurt she caused when she pretended she didn’t know him, ducking his
head not wanting to meet anyone’s hate filled eyes.
He
sat down at the first table he came across, he expected nothing more than the
people who were already sitting there to pick up there food and move away from
the table the second Josh had put down his. It had happened in class and it
happened now. He hadn’t expected this, of course he knew he wouldn’t be
everyone’s favorite person and he realized that people who didn’t know him
would whisper behind his back, would turn away from him the moment his eyes met
theirs but he’d expected his friends, the people who were supposed to know him
to trust him he didn’t have anything to do with the rape.
Those
were the people who should have no doubt in their mind that he wouldn’t do that
but he’d only made a handful of friends in the three short months that he’d
been here and those handful of supposedly friends dropped him like a ton of
bricks. Pretending they’d never been to the movies together, pretending they
never played ball together and pretending they never talked about unimportant
stuff. They pretended they didn’t know him to prevent the people in town from
associating them with a rapist and Josh knew he had no friends left, if he
could even call them friends…..
