Chapter 8: School and Football

The rest of the week was chaotic beyond belief and the Dream haunted Sean and Megan. The two boys who had been forced to pick the fight with AJ and Scott, had let everyone know what had happened. They had been in the thick of the whole episode, after all. Unfortunately, the boys also embellished what had happened just a bit.

The Ford Bronco stopped in a parking space in the high school parking lot on the third day at school. AJ turned the key and the big engine rumbled to a stop. There was silence in the vehicle as the six of them looked at the high school.

"Driving is a lot better than riding the bus," Sean said noncommittally.

Sean didn't really care about driving or riding the bus. He was concerned about what the new day would bring. The previous day had been chaotic, but that wasn't the core of his concern. Lian's reaction to his decisions the day before weighed on his mind. The Dream the night before was even more troubling. The problem was, the Dream didn't give a clue as to his current path or the bearing on the decisions he had made.

The Dream was again in sets of three, the same as previous Dreams, but that was where the similarity seemed to end.

The first 'window' was supposed to be in the past. The earth was shattered by a giant, hammering blow. It was impossible to tell what had caused the blow. Lava spewed and the land rippled like tsunamis crossing the ocean.

The second 'window' was supposed to be something current, something that was happening now. The second scene looked like something seen from outer space. The peaceful, blue green gem of Earth floated in the blackness of space. Lazy clouds drifted across the land masses and the oceans. It had no relation to the first scene.

The third 'window' was supposed to be something in the future, but the view seemed to be nearly the same as the first window. The only similarities to future visions he had previously received of the third window was the hazy, not quite complete possibility that the image was real. The image was nearly the same as the first window, except for the haziness. The earth shuddered and volcanoes erupted around the world. Water and stone alike were vaporized in heartbeats and the world darkened before disappearing in a cloud of ash and rubble.

Sean had talked to Megan, silently, during the long drive to school. Megan had experienced the same Dream, and it had shaken her as badly as it had Sean. Neither of them were closer to a 'why' for the Dream they had received than they were at the beginning of the drive. They had even speculated that Lian's relating what she had Dreamed had caused theirs.

"No kidding!" Bell laughed, from the back seat, in answer to Sean's comment about driving being better than riding the bus.

Sean's and Megan's silence on the drive in had put a damper on all their spirits. Bell was trying to liven it back up. It was one of her unspoken roles in their group.

"I wonder what's going to happen today?" Bell asked, while unbuckling her seat belt.

"There's no telling," Lilly said from the back seat.

"I don't understand," Scott said. "We've been going to school for all these years. We've had more turmoil in the last two days than we've had in the last ten years."

"Obviously, it's all Megan's and Sean's fault," Bell said confidently. "I vote we fire them both."

"I could only wish," Sean said laughing, more than half serious.

"I'll second that," Megan said with a frown as she opened the door. She was having trouble shaking the somber mood.

There was a surprise when they approached the front of the school. Students hanging around the front steps started elbowing each other. The normal buzz of conversation abruptly rose in volume then solidified in a low chant of, "Me-gan, Me-gan, Me-gan, Me-gan, Me-gan."

Megan looked around in shock for a moment, looking for the reason for the chant. All the eyes were on her.

Megan edged behind Sean slightly and asked Bell, "Why are they looking at me?"

"I don't think it's a bad thing," Bell replied, in a guarded tone of voice.

"I think you're a celebrity," Scott said over his shoulder as he continued walking towards the front entrance to the school. He was walking on Sean's other side.

Joel Fisher, the guy that had tried to fight Scott, hurried up to them.

"I hope you're not mad at me," Joel said breathlessly. His face was scrunched up with fear and concern.

"Why would we be mad at you?" Scott asked. "Yesterday wasn't your fault. I told you that. You told the truth in Mr. Casey's office. That's what's important."

If anything, Scott's words only seemed to intensify Joel's concern.

"Everyone was asking about what happened," Joel said defensively. "I kind of told them what happened. Benny, the guy that swung at AJ, he kind of did too. The, um ... between the two stories ... ah, it kind of grew and got out of proportion," he said with a wince.

Lilly sighed before asking, "How bad is it, Joel?"

Joel winced again at the question, but he answered after a brief hesitation.

"They kind of think that Megan is Wonder Woman in the flesh," Joel said, blushing.

Joel's shoulders hunched in as if expecting to be hit when he looked at Megan from the corner of his eye. His look of awe was very obvious.

Bell snorted.

Scott made a strangled sound like he was trying to swallow hiccups.

Lilly and AJ looked at each other before bursting out in laughter. Bell and Scott couldn't hold their laughter in once their friends lost it and started laughing with them.

Sean and Megan looked at each other in confusion. That wasn't a natural state for either of them and they didn't like it.

"What's going on?" Megan demanded.

Lilly threw her arms around Megan and hugged her. Bell just rested a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Megan, you're ... gasp, going to ... gasp, have a fun year," Lilly managed to get out.

"I don't get it," Sean said.

Sean's forehead was wrinkled in thought as he tried to figure out what was going on. He and Megan were very smart in a lot of ways and knew a lot about a lot of subjects. They didn't know anything about crowds of people and the fickle nature of a crowds mood.

"Sean," AJ gasped, getting better control of his laughter, "Megan is the hero of the school, now. Everyone with any kind of problem, especially with bullies, will be asking Megan for help."

Megan shook her head before dropping it into her cupped hands. "This is going to cause so many problems," she moaned.

"Why should it cause problems?" Joel asked, mystified. Everyone had forgotten about him standing there.

"Joel," Sean said, chuckling slightly and clapping him on the shoulder. "We only get one year in a regular school. All the rest of our school years have been home-school. We were really, really hoping, and looking forward to some, ah, normalcy."

Joel nodded his head doubtfully and said, "I guess I can understand that." It was clear from his tone of voice that he didn't.

"They were trying for just being one of the crowd," AJ explained drily. "Even Wonder Woman had an alter ego so she could lead a normal life. How would Wonder Woman lead a normal life if everyone knew who she was when she wasn't working?"

The light of understanding turned on behind Joel's eyes and he nodded again. "Geese, that would be, um, impossible."

"That's right," Sean said thoughtfully, considering ways to defuse the situation.

Sean really did want a normal school year, and he knew Megan did too. Also, notoriety was dangerous at this stage in his and Megan's life. He wished nothing had been said about what Megan had done, but Lian had taught him that wishing was a waste of time. Then a solution dawned on him, and he smiled.

Scott and AJ noticed his smile. Scott groaned and asked, "What are you planning?"

"I'll tell you later," Sean said, smiling at his friends. "I need to okay something with Lian first."

AJ shook his head doubtfully and said, "Have your arguments ready. I'm not sure if she will agree with anything after last night."

"She will," Sean said confidently.

"What are you thinking about?" Megan asked, hopefully.

Sean sighed before answering. "We can't change what is already said and done. Right?" Sean asked.

Megan shook her head.

"Events have already happened and repercussions have been started. The results are moving forward. We can't change what has happened, so, all we can do is change the direction that the results are going," Sean explained.

"And?" Megan asked impatiently.

"And, we give everyone something different to focus on besides your Wonder Woman skills," Sean replied grinning.

"I'll Wonder Woman, you!" Megan promised. "What the hell are you talking about, Sean."

"Joel said everyone thinks you are Wonder Woman because of what you did to Bob Clancy and his idiot friend," Sean explained. "So, we prove that it wasn't that big a deal and that anyone can do it."

"And, how will we accomplish this magic trick," Megan asked, curious now because she knew Sean would have a solution. She just didn't understand it yet.

"We make arrangements for Lian to come in to give self-defense classes," Sean said with a grin. "You, Lilly, and Bell will help her, since all three of you are already taking Lian's self-defense classes. It wouldn't be full bore classes like we have. Strictly self-defense. In the meantime, we'll spread the word, with Joel's help, that what you did wasn't a big deal. It was just some self-defense moves that you learned."

Megan nodded slowly and a smile grew on her face. "That might actually work," she said.

"We need to get Lian's agreement, and approval from the school," Sean warned.

"Lian might be a challenge," Megan conceded. "The hardest thing about getting approval from the school will be figuring out when to schedule it."

"Can you just make up classes and schedule them?" Joel asked doubtfully.

"With the right kind of encouragement you can," Megan said with a smile. She grabbed Sean's arm and said, "And, Sean can always provide the right kind of encouragement. Let's get to class. We have to learn about tools today."

Joel followed the six teens up the stairs and into the school. There were calls of, "Good job, Megan," and, "Way to go, girl" ringing out behind them as they entered the building.

They had just sat down in their first period class when they were called to the office. A member of the School Board, a friend of Bob Clancy's father, insisted that the High School follow district policy.

"Everyone involved in a fight, must be punished," Sean heard as they walked into the office. The door to the principal's office was open a couple of inches. "They need to be suspended. They were involved in a fight. It's the rule."

The voice was obviously male, but had an irritating, high pitched screeching sound to it.

"Mr. Slovenes, those students were the victims of a crime. Suspending them would be wrong," Mr. Casey protested angrily. "Wouldn't that be punishing the victims of a crime? What should we do next? Punish the victims of muggings for being mugged?"

"Mr. Casey is right," a sweet, feminine voice said angrily. Sean recognized it as belonging to the senior class counselor, Miss Reynolds. "I've complained about the bullies in this school for the last two years. Bob Clancy was one of the worst of the lot. You wouldn't do anything about it. The school board wouldn't do anything about it when I brought it up in closed session either. Well, someone has done something about it, now, and I won't stand by and see them be punished for it."

"We didn't have proof of anything, before," another male voice protested. Sean thought it was Mr. Stanwood, the Principal, but he wasn't sure because he had only heard the Principal speak once.

"That's because everyone that could testify was too afraid to speak up," Miss Reynolds said heatedly. "Maybe, if they keep the Clancy boy in the hospital long enough, we can get some official action, this time."

"The police got a statement yesterday," Mr. Stanwood pointed out. "There will be official action this time."

"There were official statements to the police last year with that Snyder girl, too," Miss Reynolds said, furious at the memory. "She retracted the statement. I found out later that she retracted it after the Clancy boy 'talked' to her."

The emphasis on the word talk was clear, even through the partially open door.

{That's troubling, } Sean thought to Megan.

{Yeah. We may need to provide some protection, } Megan replied.

Sean looked around the office and saw the secretaries straining to hear what was being said. He leaned over the counter and tapped the desk in front of one of the secretaries.

The secretary jumped and blushed at being caught listening.

Sean smiled in understanding, and sent a wave of calming to her as he said, "Would you let them know that we're here?" His smile broadened into a grin when he continued with, "I think their conversation would be a lot more productive if we were in there."

The secretary grinned back. She had briefly met Sean a few times through the years. Martha sometime brought him to district PTA meetings and school board meetings. She liked the boy. He always seemed to be attentive and interested in everything going on around him. She also knew that removing the Clancy boy from the student body was a good thing for the school.

She nodded and pressed the intercom button on the phone. "Mr. Stanwood, the students that you asked for are here."

Sean could hear the echo of the intercom through the cracked open door.

"Send them in please," Mr. Stanwood answered quickly.

The secretary waved her hand towards the door with a worried smile and mouthed, "Good luck."

Sean mouthed, "Thanks," and augmented the wave of calming he had sent her with a wave of peace and contentment.

The six teens filed into the principal's office. The four adults were sitting in the only chairs, so the teens stood in a row to one side.

"All of you will need to be suspended for fighting," the man that looked and sounded like a weasel announced, as if he were handing down tablets from on high.

Sean ignored him. He calmly looked at the principal and asked, "Mr. Stanwood, is this an official proceeding?"

The principal and Mr. Casey exchanged looks. Mr. Casey winced before nodding. Looking back at Sean, Mr. Stanwood said, "It can be. Why?"

Sean shrugged, like any other teenager, and said, "If this is a legal proceeding, defined as any proceeding that may impact our education, we should be represented by a lawyer, or at least have our parents here. Also, shouldn't there be a recording of the procedure? If this meeting causes a court proceeding, accurate records could save the school district a lot of money. Mr. Casey made a recording of all the proceedings yesterday. He explained that the recording was for the protection of the school, in case anything goes to court."

Mr. Casey nodded and, jumping up, left the office.

Mr. Slovenes said, in his high, whiney voice, "Do you let the students dictate how you run your meetings? No wonder this high school is having so much trouble. I'm glad that I'm not one of the board members who voted to hire you. Your actions won't fall on my shoulders."

"Mr. Slovenes," the Principal said sharply. "Thank you for your clarification. It relieves me to know that I don't have to worry about trying to win your support on the board. Now, if you would, please, hold any further comments until this meeting is officially convened."

Mr. Slovenes harrumphed, but didn't say anything.

Moments later, Mr. Casey returned, and set the voice recorder on the desk. He pressed a button, the red light came on, and he sat back in his chair.

"Thank you, Mr. Casey," Mr. Stanwood said with a hint of a smile. He looked around the room and clearly said into the recorder, "This meeting is convened in the Principal's office at the Prescott High School. The subject of the meeting is the ramifications of students defending themselves when attacked."

"But," Mr. Slovenes sputtered.

Mr. Stanwood fixed the little man with a stern glare and pointed a finger at him. He shut up.

"Attending the meeting is myself, Principal Stanwood, Assistant Principal Casey, Senior Class Counselor Miss Reynolds, and Mr. Slovenes of the Prescott School District School Board," Principal Stanwood said formally. Looking down at a list of names he continued, "Also attending are Sean Flynn, Megan Cavalla, Asija Begay, Scott Plamondon, Lilly Plamondon, and Bellona Sandoval, all senior students at the Prescott High School. The question has been asked, by Sean Flynn, if this is an official meeting."