Catching Fireflies (29 page)

Laura regarded her with sympathy. “I know that must be hard, but it’ll get easier. In a few days they’ll forget all about you and move on to something else.”

Misty gave her an incredulous look. “Like that’s ever going to happen with some big rally on Saturday. You might as well put a big sign on me that says Bullying Victim or Big Crybaby.”

Laura frowned at her perceptions of herself. “First, you are not a crybaby. I don’t want to hear you describe yourself that way. And while you were absolutely a target for Annabelle, only you can allow yourself to be perceived as a victim. That’s a mind-set over which you have control.”

Misty didn’t look convinced, but she was clearly intrigued.

“What does that mean, that being a victim is a mind-set?”

“You can choose how you respond to what other people do,” Laura explained. “If you hide out and act ashamed, then not only will people think of you as a victim, you’ll think of yourself that way.”

“What am I supposed to do?”

“You find a way to stay strong,” Laura said, then held up a hand to stop Misty’s protest. “I know that’s not as easy as it sounds, but you surround yourself with friends who know who you really are. You fight back, appropriately, of course.” She gave her a meaningful look. “I think it might even help if you got on that stage this weekend and told your story. Let people hear how what happened affected you. Take back your self-esteem by speaking out for others. Keep this from ever happening to anyone else.” She shrugged. “Just a thought. It’s up to you.”

Misty seemed to consider the idea, but her expression remained skeptical. “You really think what I say could make a difference?” she asked.

“Absolutely, and it’s a way to show everyone—yourself included—just how strong you are.” She studied Misty, gave her some time to think it over, then asked, “What do you think?”

“Will you be on stage, too?”

“Me, Dr. Fullerton, Mrs. Donovan, Frances Wingate,” Laura confirmed. “Maybe Hamilton Reynolds from the school board.”

“What if the kids start heckling me?” Misty asked worriedly.

“What if they do?” Laura said. “It’ll say more about them than it does about you. And I imagine the crowd won’t tolerate it for more than a second. If anything, any hecklers will be proving just how important a rally like this is. You know Dr. Fullerton and the rest of us won’t allow it to get out of hand. We’ll be right there with you.”

“Can I think about it?” Misty asked eventually. “It would be good to feel strong and in control again. I’m just not sure I’m ready to stand up in front of a crowd like that. Public speaking’s never been my thing. I want to throw up when I have to give a book report in class.”

“Think about it for however long you need,” Laura told her. “And no matter what you decide, it’s okay.”

“You won’t be disappointed in me if I say no?”

“Not a chance. I just think this is a great opportunity for you to move forward.” Laura reached in her desk and drew out a notepad with her name printed on it and wrote a note for Misty’s next class. “Here you go. Now run along to your next class. And anytime things get tough around here, come find me or go to Mrs. Donovan’s office. No more hiding in stairwells, okay?”

Misty regarded her with surprise. “How did you know that’s where I was?”

“Lucky guess,” Laura admitted. “I’d looked practically everywhere else in the building. Now you’ve confirmed it, so you’ve blown your cover. If you skip again, it won’t take me more than a minute or two to track you down.”

“Maybe Mr. Jenkins will let me sit in the closet with the mops,” Misty said, her expression thoughtful, but a twinkle in her eye.

“Don’t even think about it,” Laura said sternly. “Now run along. I’ll see you in class tomorrow.”

Misty was almost to the door when she turned and ran back to embrace Laura. “Thank you,” she murmured, then raced off, her cheeks flushed pink.

Laura stared after her, tears welling up in her eyes. Over the years she’d wanted desperately to believe she was making a difference in the lives of the kids she taught, a difference as powerful and lasting as the one Vicki Kincaid had made in hers. Now, with Misty and this terrible situation, she honestly felt she could say she had, at least with one student.

* * *

J.C.’s day had been filled with frustration. Two parents had the audacity to bring up what had happened to “poor Annabelle” and expressed outrage that she’d been suspended over something they considered to be so minor. To their shock, he’d delivered a stinging lecture on the possible consequences of bullying that had sent them scurrying off looking chagrined.

He was about to write his notes in the file for his last patient of the day when Bill walked into his office.

“Exactly what did you say to tick off Delilah Jefferson and Jane Trainor?” Bill asked. “Debra says they left here muttering about switching to a doctor in Columbia.”

When J.C. started to respond, Bill held up a hand, a grin spreading across his face. “She also told me they deserved every word you said.”

J.C.’s quick rise of temper cooled. “I suppose that’s something,” he said, appreciating his nurse’s support. He explained about both incidents. “I couldn’t let what they said go unchallenged. If that bothers you, I’m sorry, but this is one subject about which I intend to take a stand.”

Bill nodded. “I gather half the town is taking a stand on one side or another. I talked to my son last night. Ty says Annie’s smack in the middle of planning this rally on Saturday.”

“And I’m one of the speakers,” J.C. said.

Bill nodded slowly. “Something tells me I need to be there as a show of support. I may not have seen anything as extreme as what’s gone on with Misty Dawson, but I see kids all the time starting in grade school who suddenly don’t want to go back. They develop stomachaches and every symptom known to man to avoid having to go to school. It can almost always be traced to some other kid picking on them, stealing their lunch money or knocking their books out of their arms and pretending it’s an accident.”

J.C. regarded him with surprise. “I don’t suppose you’d want to speak on Saturday, too. Maybe if these parents hear just how early bullying affects their children’s lives, they’ll take it more seriously and pay more attention to the signs. This whole business of thinking it’s just part of growing up is nonsense.”

“I couldn’t agree with you more about that,” Bill said, looking thoughtful. “Okay, sign me up, if you think it’ll help to have another perspective.”

J.C. grinned. “It’ll help. Since we want to keep the rally fairly short, the more speakers we have, the less each of us will have to say.”

“When have you ever been short-winded when it’s a subject you’re passionate about?” Bill taunted. “You spent a full hour trying to convince me we needed to hire Debra’s friend as a nurse practitioner. Her credentials alone would have been enough to convince me.”

“I figured you already knew we needed the help,” J.C. countered. “I just wanted to be sure you had all the data you needed to support making the decision and spending the money.” He gave Bill a long look. “You know, there could be another benefit to having you get up on that stage on Saturday.”

“What’s that?”

“It might make you a real hero in your daughter’s eyes. Katie was the one who made sure Misty got the help she needed. Not that anyone’s mentioned that to me directly, but all roads point in that direction.”

Bill stiffened ever-so-slightly. “Katie and I have done okay since the divorce.”

J.C. regarded him doubtfully. “Seriously? How many times has she put you off when you had plans? I know you’ve mentioned it to me on several occasions.”

Bill shrugged, though his expression said he was anything but indifferent. “She’s a teenager. None of them want to spend time with a parent.”

“Maybe that’s all it is,” J.C. conceded. “But just in case, this couldn’t hurt your cause. She may have been, what, just six when you left Maddie? But now she’s old enough to understand everything that happened back then, and she may be a whole lot more sympathetic to her mother.”

Bill winced. “I know you’re right. She’s even made a few comments, and, just as you guessed, she has been pulling away. It tears me up that I ruined my relationship with my kids for an affair that wound up going nowhere. Now I have a son in Tennessee I hardly see and three kids here who spend as little time with me as they can manage. I never thought my life would turn out like this. Let that be a lesson to you, J.C. When you have someone incredible in your life, do not do something stupid and thoughtless to ruin it.”

J.C. nodded, thinking of Laura. “Advice I’m doing my best to heed.” He regarded Bill curiously. “Do you think Delilah Jefferson and Jane Trainor really will take their kids over to Columbia to see other doctors?”

Bill shrugged. “So what if they do? Their loss, not ours.”

J.C. admired the cavalier attitude but still felt the need to reassure his partner. “I’ll do my best not to chase off any more patients, okay?”

“While I’d appreciate that from a business perspective, when it comes to saying what needs to be said, I don’t ever want you to hold back,” Bill said clearly. “Understood?”

“Understood,” J.C. said. “And appreciated more than I can say.”

18

L
aura made it a point to go outside after school and linger where she could be seen by the students as they walked to the parking lot or headed home on foot. She noted that Betty Donovan and several other teachers were visibly scattered outside the school, as well. The usual clusters of chattering students seemed to break up quickly and move on.

Satisfied that they’d done what they could to ensure there would be no torment of Misty, at least on school grounds, Laura was about to return to her classroom when she saw Diana Dawson heading her way.

“Do you have some time?” Diana asked.

“Of course, come on inside. Were you here to pick up Misty?”

Diana gave an exaggerated roll of her eyes. “Are you kidding? She’d rather die than have me wait outside for her.”

“They do develop a healthy independent streak at this age, don’t they?” Laura said with a laugh.

“You say independent streak. I say aversion to all things parental,” Diana replied. “You should have seen her expression when I offered to drive her over here this morning.”

“I can imagine,” Laura said.

As soon as they were settled in her classroom, Laura asked, “Was there a particular reason you wanted to see me, beyond being worried about Misty, of course?”

“I came to thank you for being so quick to spot what was going on with my daughter. I’m very sorry to say that I was so lost in my own misery, I didn’t realize how much trouble she was having. I can’t forgive myself for that.”

“You shouldn’t blame yourself,” Laura consoled her. “I know parents are supposed to see and hear everything, and I truly do believe they have a responsibility to pay attention to what’s going on with their kids. That said, I also know just how good kids are at keeping things from their parents. I know Misty was doing her best to deal with this on her own, because she didn’t want to upset you. She found what she thought was the best way to handle it.”

“Skipping classes,” Diana said with a shake of her head. “What was she thinking?”

“It was a terrible solution,” Laura agreed. “But it’s exactly what caught my attention. Students as smart as Misty generally have no reason to skip a class unless there’s some other problem. I’m just sorry it took me so long to pinpoint what that problem was.”

“If I wasn’t to blame, then neither were you,” Diana said fervently. “I think what really woke me up to what lousy parenting I was doing was realizing that Misty was trying to avoid upsetting me.” She regarded Laura with dismay. “My daughter’s job isn’t to protect
me.
It’s mine to see that she’s safe and happy.”

She gave Laura a plaintive look. “Is she now, do you think? Safe and happy, I mean?”

“Not entirely,” Laura said candidly. “It was tough for her today. She stayed behind when my class ended. She told me the kids were whispering behind her back. I tried to convince her that will pass, but she’s not quite ready to believe it when all the evidence is to the contrary.”

“I tried to tell her the same thing this morning,” Diana said wearily. “She wanted to stay home from school one more day. Maybe I should have let her.”

She looked so lost, Laura patted her hand. “Don’t second-guess yourself. I think sending her to school was exactly the right thing. A few days off last week was understandable, but longer would just have made coming back that much harder.”

“That’s exactly what I told her,” Diana said.

“The whole staff kept a very close eye on things today. There may have been a few whispers which unquestionably upset her, but no one was openly ganging up on her. We will stay on top of this, Diana. I promise you that.”

“Thank you,” Diana replied, then straightened up, her expression determined. “Now, tell me what I can do to help you with Mariah Litchfield’s vendetta. Whatever you need, consider it done.”

“Thanks,” Laura said. “Just be there for the rally on Saturday. I tried to convince Misty to say a few words about this experience. I think it might help her to reclaim her self-esteem if she feels she’s in charge of her life again and can speak out to help others who are being bullied. You could encourage her to do that, if you agree.”

Diana nodded. “I do agree. Bullying needs to have a face and a voice. Who better than Misty, if she feels up to it? I won’t push her, though. I can’t do that.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to,” Laura said. “She’s a great girl, Diana. You and your husband have done a wonderful job with her. She’s smart and ambitious, and there will come a time when this will just be a small, unfortunate blip in her life.”

“I hope so,” Diana said. “Teenagers take things so seriously. Everything’s life or death to them. It scares me when I think how easily a good kid’s life can be derailed by an incident like this. This could so easily have turned into a tragedy.”

Laura understood her distress. “But it didn’t,” she reminded Diana. “Misty has a lot of support. She’s going to be fine.”