Adam covered his eyes with the book cover. "Stop making me laugh so I can read this book about hiking," he quipped.
"You really are going to read it then?" she asked hopefully, putting her hand on his shoulder.
"Of course I will," he said, trying to focus on her eyes with limited success.
"Well then you're a good friend, Adam — see, I always knew you had it in you," she said, shaking his shoulder with her hand and chuckling.
Then Ms. Alvarez suddenly opened the door and loomed over them. Nicole looked a lot more confused than Adam, but her face still clung to a dazed grin.
"Good, now that you're both finally seated ... 45 minutes into detention," the counselor addressed them bitterly.
"Wait, where's Mr. Barnes?" Nicole asked, a hint of alarm finally registering on her increasingly pale face.
"I relieved the poor man quite awhile ago and you've treated me to a fascinating show ever since," Ms. Alvarez said as sarcastically as she could make her sharp voice sound.
"What?" Nicole asked, wondering why Ms. Alvarez's face looked downright hostile.
"Here's what's going to happen ... if you can follow along in your drug-induced state," she said authoritatively while pointing her right index finger here, there and everywhere. Nicole's dilated pupils followed the flashes of Ms. Alvarez’s crimson nail polish everywhere they went, like she was tracking a bloody fly. "Your father, Adam, and your mother, Nicole, are on their way to school right now to pick you up because, let's face it, you are in no condition to drive yourselves home."
"What?" Nicole skipped like a vinyl record.
The counselor ignored her and continued. "I suspect you're both high on LSD because that is Thomas Harvey's drug of choice and he, no doubt, supplied his friend Adam here with said drug, so now all three of you can be suspended together," she said firmly.
"I don't understand what ...," Nicole began to protest as Adam smirked.
"Just be quiet, Nicole, and listen to me for a minute," Ms. Alvarez commanded. "Being high on drugs in school is an automatic three-day suspension, especially when you did it while already being punished for something else."
"No, no, no ... I'm just really dizzy, but I can still drive," Nicole interjected while blinking rapidly and trying to gather herself.
"Yes, Nicole, and I'm really Oprah Winfrey," the counselor deadpanned.
"Good one," Adam snickered, though he seemed to have completely forgotten their earlier conversation.
"Now let's go upstairs so Nurse MacCormack can check you guys out. She just told me on the phone that the effects of LSD can last from six to 14 hours, depending on the dose," Ms. Alvarez said.
"What?" Nicole asked yet again. "You're not making an ounce of sense."
"Very small dose, very small," Adam said, squinting and pinching his thumb and finger together.
"Do you really want to admit that to me, Adam?" she asked.
"Why? I've got nothing to hide ... I'm an open book," he replied, flapping "Wild" toward her for dramatic effect.
Ms. Alvarez just shook her head and tapped her black shoe on the floor.
"It looks like you'll have plenty of time to read that open book over the next few days, Adam," she said.
...
Nicole's mother, Lynn, was on the verge of tears as she sat across from Principal Connie Wheeler, a 40-something woman with the charisma, poise and perfectly coifed blonde-gray hair to be a veteran anchor on the TV news. Ms. Alvarez stood off to the left of the principal's cherry wood desk, leaning against a file cabinet and studying Nicole's mother carefully.
"I just feel like I've been losing touch with her since, I don't know, spring or early summer," said Lynn, wearing a burgundy blouse and black dress pants. She had left her job at a local bank early to deal with her daughter's transgressions.
"The communication, or lack thereof, has been alarming .... and now this," she added, reaching for a tissue as the principal offered her the box on her desk. She dabbed at her eyes and shook her head.
"It's very common," Principal Wheeler said empathetically. "This is the age when they're becoming more independent, searching for who they are and who they want to become ... experimenting ... not always with the right things."
"But LSD? Nicole has never done drugs that I know of. I didn't even think that drug was still around," Lynn said.
"Oh yeah, it's been making a bit of a comeback lately because it's cheap," Ms. Alvarez noted. "The good news for you, Ms. Barrett, is that I'm quite sure Adam Upton duped your daughter into taking it right before they had detention together. I don't believe it's a regular occurrence with her."
Lynn rolled her eyes. "There is no good news here because I didn't even know my daughter had detention in the first place, never mind why," she said. "She called me and told me she was staying late today to rehearse for 'Romeo and Juliet.'"
"The auditions for that show don't even start until next week," the principal said.
"So she's lying to me left and right, basically."
"Mostly lies of omission, Ms. Barrett," Ms. Alvarez pointed out.
"They all hurt just the same. Why did she get detention?"
"Obviously she didn't tell you about the incident on Friday then, right?"
"No."
"She meant well actually," Ms. Alvarez said. "A boy was mocking another boy with cerebral palsy in the cafeteria and she kind of pushed Adam's buttons about it, so Adam got up and leveled the kid. I wasn't even going to give Nicole detention, but she got all testy with me when we discussed the incident this morning."
"See, that's not like her either — battling authority," Lynn said. "Something is going on and I feel like I have no clue what it is. I didn't even know she was friends with this Adam boy until now. She's falling in with the wrong crowd at the absolute worst possible time. This is when she needs to have her head on straight and get ready for college."
"I couldn't agree with you more," Ms. Alvarez said pensively, weighing whether to tell Lynn about her daughter's ominous dream and the possible reason why she was hanging out with Adam. She decided against it. "I would just encourage you to spend as much time as possible with Nicole over these next three days and reconnect with her on any level you can. My hunch is she'll open up to you about what's going on."
"Absolutely right," Principal Wheeler added. "Look at this as an opportunity to get her, and the two of you, back on track. Nicole is a very bright and talented student with no previous disciplinary issues. I see no reason to panic or get too down about this. The teen years are extremely challenging for every parent, myself included."
Lynn nodded and composed herself. "Thank you both very much," she said, getting up to shake their hands. "I plan on taking a couple of personal days off from work and I'll do my best to get her back on course."
"Great," the principal said. "We look forward to seeing Nicole back here in school on Friday then, and next time, hopefully, we'll see you under much better circumstances."
"Nicole is resting in Nurse MacCormack's office. We'll give you a sheet about the side effects of LSD and how long it'll be before she feels normal again," Ms. Alvarez said, guiding Lynn out of the principal's office and into the hallway.
Gary Upton had arrived and was waiting to enter. The big man was leaning against the wall and looked like he had just come off a construction site. He smiled at Lynn, hoping to de-ice their awkward stare.
"I'm Gary Upton, Adam's father," he said, extending his hand.
Lynn refused to shake it. "I hope it's not true that your son tricked my daughter into taking LSD before detention today," she said coldly.
"The truth is I don't know what happened yet, Mrs. Janicek ..."
"It's Ms. Barrett," she quickly corrected him.
"My apologies," Gary said, "but I just want to say that you have done a great job raising your daughter, Nicole. She gave my other boy, Brody, a ride home when he needed one on his first day at this school, and she's also been the best, most real friend Adam has ever
had."
Lynn and Ms. Alvarez both looked stunned at this revelation. Nicole's mother needed a moment to process it.
"Thank you for telling me that," Lynn finally said, "but right now it seems like my daughter is raising your sons, and you and I are failing miserably as parents."
CHAPTER 12: INSIDE INFORMATION
Nicole's iPhone rang and Lynn scurried over to the kitchen table to check who was calling. It was Candace. Nicole had finally fallen asleep around 9:30 p.m. after intermittent bouts of nausea, scary hallucinations and confused restlessness.
After hesitating for several seconds, Lynn decided to pick up her daughter's phone and answer it on the fourth ring.
"Hello Candace," she said.
"Hi ... Nikki?"
"No, Candace, this is Lynn."
"Oh, hi Ms. Barrett," Candace said, sounding slightly confused. "Is Nikki OK?"
"No, I'm afraid she's not, Candace."
"What happened?" Candace asked, though she already had a pretty good idea thanks to social media.
"I don't know where to begin, but I guess I'll start with Nicole and Adam Upton taking LSD before detention today and making a fool of themselves in front of Ms. Alvarez," Lynn said. "They've both been suspended from school until Friday. Now she's sleeping it off after being sick and crazy for the last several hours."
"Holy ... wow," Candace said.
"Yes, my thoughts and then some. Candace, maybe you can help me try to understand what's been going on with Nikki because, clearly, I've been missing something. She's been particularly strange and distant since you guys went on that hike in late August. I've asked her about it and she says nothing. Then I find out she's friends with this strange boy who may or may not have tricked her into taking drugs today."
"Yeah, I guess you could say something happened on the hike, but I'm not real comfortable talking about it behind Nikki's back," Candace replied.
"I respect that, Candace, I really do. I'm glad your my daughter's best friend. I would never have let her go on that hike with anyone else but you because you have a level head and common sense," Lynn said. "I let Nikki go against my better judgment because she's 17 and she needs to spread her wings, but now she's crashing after an acid trip and I'm a very desperate mother searching for answers."
The phone conversation went silent for several heavy seconds.
"Well," Candace finally said, weighing what to reveal. "Nikki had a really weird dream that night on the mountain and she's been on this mission to be friends with Adam Upton ever since."
"A dream?"
"Yes, but she told me it was more like a warning or a vision that something bad might happen."
"Was she doing LSD then?" Lynn asked, afraid of the answer.
"No, Ms. Barrett, I swear ... I never touch drugs and I've never seen Nikki take them either."
"Can you tell me what the dream warned her about?"
"A shooting at our school," Candace acknowledged after some hesitation.
"A shooting? Why would she dream about that? You feel safe at Lakeview, don't you, Candace?"
"Most of the time. There are a few weird kids, but I'm sure there are those at every school."
"Is Adam Upton one of those weird kids?" Lynn asked.
"Probably, but Nikki, Adam and I did a short hike at Rainbow Lake yesterday and he seemed better than I expected actually," Candace replied. "I think Nikki is having a good influence on him."
"I'm more concerned about the bad influence he's having on her, especially given today's developments ... I mean LSD? A three-day suspension?"
"Yeah, I was shocked by that, too," Candace agreed. "I hate to say it, but I kind of knew about what happened with Nikki and Adam before I called tonight because some of our classmates are buzzing about it on Tumblr, Facebook and Twitter."
"What, the LSD?"
"Yeah, and the fact that her and Adam are the ones involved. I wanted to warn Nikki about it in case she hadn't seen any of the posts. I also got worried when she didn't respond to my texts earlier this evening," Candace said.
"Well, a bunch of gossip is the least of our concerns right now, but I want to thank you, Candace, for telling me a great deal about what's going on with Nikki," Lynn said, fighting back tears. "I'm embarrassed that I have to ask you ... that I don't know what's going on with my own daughter."
"It's OK, Ms. Barrett."
"No, it's not, and I'm sorry I put you in this position, but I didn't know what else to do. You're a true friend and Nikki is lucky to have you. I want to help her through this and now maybe I can."
"We all make mistakes, but Nikki's awesome," Candace said. "She always means well. I just hope she doesn't hate me for telling you."
"I'll make sure that doesn't happen, Candace."
"OK, let me know if Nikki needs anything over the next few days."
"I will. Thanks again, Candace, and goodbye."
"Bye."
Lynn turned off Nicole’s iPhone, checked on her sleeping daughter and then went to her own room to cry.
CHAPTER 13: THE PUNCH HEARD 'ROUND LAKEVIEW
"I can't believe I have to wait til Friday to razz Nikki in person about this," Valerie tittered to Melanie as they slowly strolled up the walkway toward the school's entrance. Even the light rain didn't quicken their pace. Gossip like this was meant to be savored. "I don't know whether to call her Lucy, as in 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,' or Eve, as in Adam and Eve. Maybe I'll switch off ... even days Lucy, odd days Eve."
Melanie chuckled. "I was just telling her yesterday how you told me about Thomas Harvey getting suspended for three days, and then she goes and does the same exact thing — only for LSD instead! And with Adam Upton? OMG!"
"I warned her, Mel. How many times did I tell her she was headed for a trailer-trash train wreck with that psychopath?"
"Like a million," Melanie instantly computed. "I couldn't believe she gave his little brother a ride home last week after Adam punched him. She said she had a good reason, but she never told me why. And then she becomes friends with Adam? Come on, Nikki."
"I told you she's certifiable. Hell, I told her that to her face so no one can accuse me of talking behind her back," Valerie said as she yanked her red backpack off her right shoulder and slung it over her left.
"I'm starting to think you're right, Val," Mel said, pointing toward Candace, who appeared to be waiting for them under the overhang in front of the school's main entrance. "There's Candace."
"Let's see what dirt she's got on Nikki ... I mean Eve. Today's the 9th after all," Valerie noted with a smirk as Melanie laughed.
Candace didn't look pleased as they approached her, glowering at them with her auburn hair pulled back tight.
"You two are pathetic," she snapped.
"Oh relax, Candace," Valerie shot back.
"Way to kick Nikki when she's down and spread it all over the Web," Candace said, aggressively pointing at both of them.
Melanie flinched and took a step back, but Valerie inched closer. Nearly the same height at 5-feet-9, the girls challenged each other with their eyes.
"Nobody forced her to hang out with trailer trash and drop acid, Candace. We're just spreading the truth," Valerie said sharply.
"You don't know shit about anything, Valerie. You have no idea what's going on with Nikki, or anything else for that matter."
"I thought you agreed with me when I told her she was insane for talking to that kid when we were all in the bathroom last week," Valerie said, pointing back at her adversary. "Now all of a sudden you're defending her. You're a pathetic flip-flopper ... that's what you are!"
Candace's fury spread from her eyes through her clenched jaw and down to her hands. She violently shoved Valerie back four feet as Melanie's eyes bugged out.
Valerie flung her pack to the ground and charged at Candace with her right fist ready to throw a punch at her face, but Candace beat her to it, connecting a strong right hand to Valerie's gut and doubling her over in pain.
Mr. Richardson had witnessed the brief melee in disbelief as he sauntered up through the parking lot like he did every morning. His pace suddenly quickened and he pushed his way through the dozen or so wide-eyed students who began to flock around the pugilists.
"Stop fighting right now!" he yelled.
Candace already had stopped. She, too, look surprised at what had happened. Valerie slowly stood back up after regaining the wind that had been knocked out of her.
"Are you OK?" Mr. Richardson asked, putting a hand on Valerie's shoulder. He recognized both girls but didn't know their names because they weren't in any of his classes.
Valerie angrily grunted that she was OK through a couple of teary-eyed sobs. She tried to compose herself as quickly as possible to save face in front of a growing number of buzzing spectators. Then she pointed at Candace and shouted, "This bitch just pushed me and punched me for no reason!"
Melanie nodded but couldn't manage to utter any words. Her eyes were stuck in the aghast position.
Candace rubbed her punching hand with her left hand and now seemed more at peace with her snap decision to fight.
"Keep blasting Nikki on social media like a coward and I'll punch you again — only next time I'll hit you in the face, take a pic and post it for the whole goddamn world to see ... bitch!" Candace said loudly and firmly.
Mr. Richardson had never stumbled upon a cat fight like this in his entire teaching career and he seemed in over his head at the moment, but the name "Nikki" certainly caught his attention and he just had to ask.
"OK girls, let's just calm down all the nasty talk and take a deep breath for a moment," he said. "This Nikki you're referring to wouldn't happen to be Nicole Janicek, would she?"
"Yes," Candace replied.
"She's a student of mine," the teacher said, turning toward Valerie. "Why would you cyber-bully such a nice girl as Nicole?"
Valerie's face turned to disgust at Mr. Richardson's sudden lack of objectivity and, in her mind, unfounded charge of cyber-bullying.
"You need to go back to school yourself apparently, because that nice girl Nikki you're talking about won't be sitting in your classroom today, tomorrow or Thursday," Valerie said bitterly.
"Why?" he asked incredulously.