Angela stood in the kitchen while drinking a cup of water. She glanced into the living room and saw Uncle Billy still lounged on the couch like he had been ever since he got home hours ago. He was watching some kind of action movie, with the music and explosions blaring through the sound bar.
She set the empty cup down on the counter and left the room towards the stairs. As she neared them, flashing red and blue lights caught her attention through a side window. Angela stared at the lights as they intensified and seemed to hover right in front of their house.
Then the doorbell rang.
What’s wrong? She thought as fear raced through her body. No, not again. Please, let everything be okay.
She felt her stomach knot up as she took heavy steps towards the front door. The last time a cop spoke to her was when her parents died. She feared the worst.
The loud sound effects in the living room stopped abruptly. She noticed Uncle Billy just standing near the front window staring at the flashing lights around the curtains. The beer can in his grip shook along with his hand.
“Why are they here?” he muttered nervously as he set the can down on an end table.
He looked Angela in the eyes, almost as if he wanted her to answer the door instead of him. She started to take a step forward to open the door, but her uncle waved her to the side. His shaking hand unlocked the deadbolt and he twisted the door knob.
As he cracked the door open, Uncle Billy stared at a police officer that was dressed in all black. He had a golden name tag and a silver badge pinned to his shirt. His serious demeanor made Uncle Billy at a loss for words. Standing behind her uncle, Angela was unable to see the officer, but was close enough to listen.
“Good evening, Mr. Jensen,” the police officer said.
Uncle Billy replied, “Um, hello. Who are you?”
“I am Officer Casey. The reason I am here is because of an incident regarding your nephew, Andrew Jensen.”
Angela put her hands on her face and was near tears. Please, no.
“What did he tell you?” Uncle Billy demanded. “That boy is nothing but trouble and full of lies.”
The officer said, “He says that you are his legal guardian, and that he lives here. Is that true?”
“Yes,” Uncle Billy said rudely. “That doesn’t mean any of it is true.”
“I’m afraid that it is.” The officer looked Billy over with a critical eye. “This is a very serious matter.”
What is going on? Angela thought confusedly. Where’s my brother?
Uncle Billy put one hand on his stomach and the other to his mouth. He looked like he was going to throw up, but instead he belched in the officer’s face.
“I would advise you not to do that again.” Officer Casey’s voice hardened. “Have you been drinking tonight?”
“I have a right to do whatever I want in my own home,” Uncle Billy said with attitude. “Furthermore, I don’t appreciate you disrupting my evening.”
“Maybe you don’t fully understand the gravity of this situation. Wait right here.”
As the officer turned and walked back to his vehicle, Uncle Billy glanced over his shoulder and realized that Angela was still standing there behind him.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he said. “Did I tell you to stay there and snoop?”
Angela crinkled her brow and snapped, “I saw the flashing lights and I just wanted to know that Andrew is alright. Shouldn’t you care about your own nephew?”
Her uncle retorted, “Of course I care about the brat, I mean, your brother. But, I don’t like a cop at my door. Now, get upstairs and let me handle this.”
Before Angela could move, her uncle turned to peek outside and saw the police officer escort Andrew to the door.
“There you are,” Uncle Billy said his voice suddenly sweet as rotted pumpkin pie. He extended his hands toward Andrew. “I was very worried about you.”
Andrew stood there with his head lowered and did not say a word.
Angela stepped to the side to see past her uncle. When she saw Andrew there, she could tell that he was upset and embarrassed.
Uncle Billy turned to the police officer with a forced smile. “This little boy is like a son to me. My concern for him made me a bit puckish. So, please tell me, what’s this all about?”
The officer raised both eyebrows at Billy as if to tell him his playacting hadn’t fooled him, and then he said, “There were several teenagers that were trespassing at Westview High School. Apparently, they were there to vandalize the school building.”
“What?” Uncle Billy said, seeming almost relieved. “And, Andrew was there?”
“The night janitor caught him in the hallway with a spray can in his hand.” Officer Casey looked hard at Andrew.
You wouldn’t, Angela thought in disbelief. Why would you ever do something like that?
Then she thought about their argument after the football game, and the degrading things he said about the cheerleaders.
I don’t even know you anymore, she thought painfully.
As her worry for Andrew turned to anger, she ran upstairs to her room.
Uncle Billy asked with a happy inflection in his voice, “You mean to tell me that you are just here about that?”
“This is not something to take lightly,” the officer said sternly. “This matter is being investigated as we speak, and the principal of that school has already been notified of the incident.”
“What’s going to happen? You’re not going to arrest him now, are you?
“Principal Thorton of Westview High has decided not to press charges as of yet,” the officer replied. “But, as I said, this is being investigated.”
“Is there anything you need from me?” Uncle Billy said. “I’m always here for the police.”
“As a matter of fact, yes. As the legal guardian, I need you to meet with Andrew and Principal Hart at his school to discuss this matter with him tomorrow morning at eight o’clock in his office.”
Uncle Billy frowned. “Is that really necessary? I can discipline Andrew myself.”
Andrew glanced up at his uncle to try and see if that was a threat.
Officer Casey saw Uncle Billy stumble a little, and he shook his head. “Andrew, you can go ahead inside. I need to talk to your uncle alone.”
Uncle Billy tensed up as Andrew slipped through the doorway past him and ran upstairs to his room, leaving him with the officer.
“Mr. Jensen,” the officer said, “You are—”
“No,” he exclaimed, “you can’t arrest me.”
The officer gave him a hard look. “Is there some reason I should?”
Uncle Billy fell silent. After a few awkward moments he said, “No. Of course not. I’m just a little tired, that’s all. And worried about the boy. His parents just didn’t raise him right. I’ve been trying to help him, but there is only so much a working man like me can do, you know?”
“What I am trying to tell you,” Officer Casey said ignoring Billy, “is that you need to speak to Andrew’s principal if you want to help keep this incident off Andrew’s record, and honestly, to make sure Andrew isn’t expelled.”
“Fine,” Uncle Billy said with feeling, “I definitely want the boy in school. We’ll meet with the principal tomorrow.”
“I’ll be in touch if needed.”
Officer Casey nodded and then returned to his police car.
This is insane, Uncle Billy thought. That boy brought a cop to my house. He’s really going to get it.
He stormed up the stairs with his fists clenched, but as he neared the top steps he recalled what he first thought about when the police officer arrived. He stopped in the upper hallway and pondered what to say to his nephew.
Uncle Billy knocked on Andrew’s bedroom door, but there was no reply. “Hey, Andrew, open up.”
When Billy tried the doorknob, he discovered that it was locked. He could hear alternative rock music playin
g from inside the room. When he knocked again, the music became louder.
Yeah, just ignore me, Uncle Billy thought with annoyance.
Inside the room, Andrew laid in bed staring at the ceiling.
Just go away, he thought. Just leave me alone.
To his surprise, he heard the steps creaking as someone walked downstairs.
I can’t believe this is happening to me, Andrew thought. My whole life is a mess and it’s just getting worse.
Andrew crossed the room and turned off the radio. He flipped the light switch and he laid down in the darkness. His stomach growled, but he realized that he could not eat without going downstairs and facing his uncle. He sat up and slammed his fist against the bed.
“I didn’t want any of this to happen,” Andrew said while staring up at the ceiling. “I don’t deserve this. Please, don’t do this to me.”
19