They all nodded, their expressions grave.
“It was spreading like wildfire through this school before summer break,” Ben spoke up. “Just before the end of the last school year, we had no less than 15 kids drop. Ten of them were pulled by their parents to go to rehab. Four, however, were actually arrested for possession and dealing of the drug, and two of them are currently serving sentences as they were 18 at the time of their arrest.”
“And what about the 15th kid?” I asked.
A look of severity passed between Ben and the teachers before they answered me.
“The 15th kid,” Ben said slowly. “Died of an overdose, Everett. He died.”
Chapter Three
Vivienne
“Did you enjoy the movie, Jane?” I asked as I turned the TV off.
“Yeah! Elsa is my favorite!”
“Mine, too!” I beamed back at her and then glanced at the clock on the wall.
“How much longer ‘til my daddy is here?” Jane asked.
“Shouldn’t be too much longer,” I told her. “You know, your daddy is very nice,” I said, switching the topic up a bit, not wanting her to get anxious.
“Yeah, he is. I love him very much,” Jane replied with a smile.
I wondered if I should ask her about her mother. She hadn't mentioned her so far, which was unusual for a child of her age. Part of me was curious about it, but another part cautioned not to pry too much. I figured maybe I could drop some indirect hints to see if I could glean any information that way.
“Do you see your daddy every day?” I asked.
“Yeah, every day. Always with daddy,” she replied.
“And nobody else?”
“No, just daddy, and my bears.”
“You have bears?”
“Yeah, they're my friends. I got lots of bears – big bears, small bears, medium bears, daddy bears, and daughter bears.”
“No mommy bears?”
“No. Just daddy bears and daughter bears.”
I nodded. I guessed she didn't see her mother all that much. It was unusual, of course, and I had to admit I wanted to find out more, but it wasn't my place.
“What do you wanna do now, Jane?”
She yawned and stretched her tiny little limbs.
“I'm tired. Can I go sleepy time?”
I smiled. “You sure can. Come, I've got a nice little bed you can lay down on.”
I took her by the hand and lead her to one of my guest rooms, which had two twin-sized beds in it for when my friend Kerry visited from out of town with her son, who was four years old. It hadn’t been long since their last visit, and so I still had a few things in the room I’d brought home from the daycare and hadn’t taken back yet.
“Here you go; isn't this nice?” I said as I lead her over to the bed, picked her up, and set her down on it.
“It's so blue in here,” she said. “I like pink! My old room was pink, and my bed was pink. And my bears like pink. And daddy's gonna make my new room pink.”