Chapter twelve: Charlie who? Pt.2

A/N: final chapter for vol.1!! yahoo! I finally made it…I finally completed a story! This chapter has a bit of French in it. Here are some definitions: mon lapin (my rabbit), chocolat lapin (chocolate rabbit) and monsieur misérable ( mr. misribale).

He sat fuming with anger, waiting silently for a response from a startled; yet speechless assistant principal. The woman of nearly forty held her round, blushing face in finely manicured pig-like hands.

“Reese, this must all be-I don’t know, some sort of misunderstanding; you’re a very intelligent boy, straight ‘A’ student, and on honor roll. Doing this, sexual harassment, do you know how serious of an offense this is!?” she finally said, her small beady eyes rather large now, over pouring her designer frames.

“But Mrs. Willington, I didn’t do anything to that kid! All I wanted to do was take a leak-that’s it! And now I’m in trouble?” he spat, slamming his fists on Mrs. Willington’s desk.

“See, I told you he isn’t as perfect as you said he was he’s nothing but a wolf in sheep’s clothing!” Mr. Perkins said nestled over in a plush armchair, arms folded across his chest, face as expressionless as ever.

“Bill Please, I really don’t need this right now,” Mrs. Willington said rubbing her hands frantically, as if she had sanitizer in them. “Who was the boy that he did this to?” she asked.

Kit looked widely around the classroom for signs of his missing friend; fear arising deep within his bones, his ‘Reese senses’ were tingling!

“Are you having some sort of seizure Fitzgerald?” Kanami asked skimming his Social Studies textbook, trying to find a definition.

“No, I’m just worried…Reese should’ve been back by now.” He pouted biting at the tip of his thumb.

“Aww, mon lapin, don’t worry chocolat lapin must’ve fell in the toilet or something.” René assured petting a whimpering Kit lightly on his head.

“Right…he fell in the toilet, maybe he’s just trying to get out of our group assignment.” Kanami mumbled sarcastically, jolting down another answer.

René glared at the nonchalant boy, hoping his gaze would have some sort of effect on its target.

“Your soo rude monsieur miserable!”

“Whatever.”

“I’m gonna go find him!” Kit said, crouching on all fours, crawling towards the open classroom door.

“I’m coming too Lapin!” René whispered, following Kit’s lead.

Mrs. Willington pulled a thick manila folder from her student records drawer. In its top left corner, printed on a white label it read: ‘Erikson, Charles’.

“This is the boy, right?” Mrs. Willington asked, withdrawing Charlie’s picture and handling it to Mr. Perkins.

“Yup, the kid that transferred from Canada; picking on fresh meat, eh Fischer?”

“I wasn’t picking on him! How many times do I have to repeating myself before you actually listen to me?!” Reese yelled

Mrs. Willington gave a frustrated sigh, removing her glasses in the process, “This is something I can’t overlook,” she then lifted the receiver of her desk phone to her mouth, “I must contact your parents about the matter at hand.”

The pink-haired youth moved about the hall like a hyperactive miniature dog. Sniffing the air, passing students, and teachers.

“What do they put in the food around here?” the familiar teacher asked sipping his coffee in bewilderment.

“Oh, sorry Mr. Rockwell, we’re looking for someone.” René laughed blushing slightly.

“Uh-hum…okay, he’s a strange one isn’t he?” He asked looking on the sight of Kit licking a passing student.

“A little bit eccentric, but who am I to say such things?” René then spirited down the hall trying to keep up with his partner, “Again, very sorry Mr. Rockwell!”

“Wait Christopher-lapin!” a breathless René yelled as he ran through the heavy double doors leading to the back of the school; the sudden rush of afternoon sunlight making his baby blue eyes water.

“Did you hear m-?”

“Shh!” Kit said resting his finger on René’s lips. Aside from a faint whistle blowing at the running track, sobbing also disturbed the air.

“Reese is crying.” Kit said, tears forming in his eyes, running in the direction of the sobbing. “Don’t worry Reese! Kit’s here to make it all better!” he yelled, jumping in a nearby bush, flinging his arms around a startled Charlie.

“Ahhh! Please don’t eat Charlie!” he squealed

“Hey…you’re not Reese, where is he?” Kit asked pinning the boy down on the ground, their faces just inches apart.

“P-please…Charlie’s begging you.” Kit flashed the frightened boy an impish smile all the while giggling.

“’Begging me’? I won’t hurt you, let’s be friends instead. That’s more fun, right?” Kit asked. Charlie nodded silently at the boy’s question giving him a sheepish smile in return.

“Methinks he wants you off of him Lapin.” René said, lifting Kit off of Charlie, dusting him off, “sorry about my friend, he gets excited rather quickly.”

“I-It’s okay…umm who were you looking for?” Charlie asked this time around he wore the school’s gym uniform (navy blue shorts with two white vertical strips on either side of the pant leg; and a white shirt with the school’s crest on it.)

“We’re looking for Reese, he’s this tall,” Kit said while reaching a couple of inches above his head,” and has very short hair, pretty blue eyes and has brown skin. I say that because he really isn’t black, but at the same time he is black and it sorta confuses me!” Kit said yelled, pulling at his hair.

“Reese…he sounds like the boy that was I the bathroom with Charlie.” He said kicking at the dirt with his sneakers.

“With you or with someone else?” Kit asked, flustered from confusion; Charlie pointed to himself.

“So Chocolat Lapin didn’t fall in the toilet!? Thank Jesus!” René rejoiced with Kit, chanting as they jumped up and down.

“But if he didn’t fall in the toilet,” Kit said stopping abruptly, “then where is he?”

“W-well…you see-“Charlie then told them the story of his traumatic ordeal. It left both Kit and René in tears; Kit wiping his nose with René’s skirt.

“B-b-but why didn’t y-you say a-anything.” Kit sniffed trying to keep snot from escaping his nostrils.

“Charlie was so afraid, too afraid to say anything. Charlie’s really sorry!” Charlie said groveling at both Kit and René’s feet.

“Who took him, that’s what we need to find out.” René said forcing Charlie up from his degrading position.

“A man took him away.” Charlie said, his eyes trained to the ground his red hair falling into them.

“Did he look like this?” Kit opened his eyes as wide as he could, his face frozen in an expressionless blob, ‘Like he had botox or something?”

“Yeah, kinda like that.”

“Mr. Perkins.” Kit and René said in unison, they both grabbed one of Charlie’s’ pudgy wrists.

“Where are you taking-“

“To get Reese out of this mess, come on!” Kit said, “Don’t worry Reese, I’m gonna save you!” he yelled triumphantly.

She dialed his house number in about .5 seconds, four beeps later and she was answered by the voicemail message. She returned the receiver back to its rightful place, flipping threw her numerous contacts.

“Around this hour Reese where is your mother, at work- at home?” Mrs. Willington asked stopping at the ‘F’ contacts running her manicured finger down the list until she got to ‘Fischer’.

Three names were listed; Michelle Fischer (his mother), Octavian Fischer (his father), and Ronnie Fischer (his sister).

“She’s away on business, I Hong Kong.” He spat

“And you’re Father?”

“My parents’ divorced ages ago; my father went back to Sydney…that number isn’t any good.’ He said, starching his head.

“Well who’s ‘Ronnie Fischer’, older brother perhaps?” she asked, crossing off his father’s number.

“My older sister, she has classes today.”

“High School student?” she asked

“No Ma’am, college.” He said staring out of the window, his mind running wild with crazy thoughts; he then heard Mrs. Willington dial the ten digits in less than a second, instantly getting a response.

“Hello…yes, this is Sandra Willington from Carter Middle School…” she paused for a moment. “Yes…no-Reese is okay, I assure you he isn’t hurt.” Another brief pause, she then took the phone from her ear. “She talks so much. “ Mrs. Willington whispered.

Reese shrugged while rolling his eyes.

“No…I’m still here dear…no he didn’t murder a cat-wait, why would he do something like that?” she asked flabbergasted.

“L-look dear, I need you to come here right now…I understand but this is very important Reese has-!”

A tremendous bang erupts around the room; Mrs. Willington’s office door falls to the floor in a cloud of dust, as a pink blur rushes into the room, landing on her desk. Kit’s finger pointed directly at his thin nose.

“Objection!” he yelled in a Phoenix Wright sort of way, “my client is not guilty of such a cluedicrous inquisition!”

“What the hell Kit!” Reese yelled jumping fifteen feet in the air.

“What I think you mean, Kit is ‘ludicrous’ and ‘accusations’.” René corrected, Charlie trailing after him.

“W-what is the meaning of this, why aren’t you children in class?” the assistant principal yelled, brushing Kit’s finger out of her face.

“See, he has a whole mob of hoodlums that helped him!” Mr. Perkins said emerging from behind the armchair.

“For the millionth time, I’m not a gangsta!” Reese yelled at the man, snatching him up by the color. At the sound of Reese’s voice, Kit jumped off of Mrs. Willington’s desk and on to his back.

“Reese, Reese! Your okay-I told you I’d rescue you!!” Kit said smothering his friend with kisses.

“Kit, I was never in any danger, idiot. Now that’s enough okay, I’m happy to see you too.” He said while releasing the man from his grip.

“And he’s back to finish the job.” Mr. Perkins said catching his breath.

“T-that’s not t-true.” Charlie said stepping forward, his words silencing the calamity.

“Charles sweetie, take a seat and please tell us everything he did.” Mrs. Wellington said in a motherly tone. Charlie sat in the seat Reese once occupied, shifting around anxiously.

“Now tell me what happened in the restroom, okay…you’re not in trouble, understand?”

The ginger boy shook his head ‘yes’, rubbing his knees, “It wasn’t R-Reese…Reese was really nice to Charlie…he tried to help, but Charlie was really scared.” Warm tears ran down his hands, as he clenched his shorts tightly, his knuckles turning white.

“I-it was a group of eighth graders that did it…they were the one’s that hurt Charlie…” he croaked, sniffling, René resting caring hands on the boy’s shoulders.

“W-why did they do this Charles, what-“

“Because they were picking on me and I told on them!” he yelled while dropping the whole third person act, “WHY IS IT THAT EVERYTIME I OPEN MY MOUTH, BAD THINGS HAPPEN!?”

“How many of them were there, can you remember?” Mr. Perkins asked in an uncharacteristically caring tone.

“It was four of them, the on that hurt me…he was short and they called him ‘Boss’.”

“Are you sure it wasn’t Fischer, take a good look at him.” Mrs. Willington said, Charlie gazing at a sullen faced Reese.

“Yes, Charlie’s sure it wasn’t Reese, he’s too nice to do such a thing.”

Mrs. Willington sat back in her chair and closed her eyes in a deep thought, “Okay, Reese you and your friends are free to go back to class, Charles stay behind so you can identify these boys.”

“Kanami where’s your group?” Ms. Song asked, wondering exactly why he was the only one present. Kanami looked up from his work, violet eyes as cold as death itself, this sent chills down her spine.

“I haven’t got a clue as to my classmate’s whereabouts. I didn’t see anything and I-!”

“We’re back!” Kit said emerging into the classroom, riding on Reese’s back. Everyone turned their attention on the newcomers, Kanami’s face frozen in a stupor.

“Where have you been, all of you? And Reese, you were suppose to be back almost a while a-“The bell than rang, everyone packed up and quickly and ran out of the room.

“Reese, Kit, René, Kanami. All of you here, after school!” She said

“What! But I was at Mrs. Willington’s office!” Reese protested

“I had to rescue Reese!” Kit interjected

“And I had to help!” René concluded

“Wait hold up,” Kanami said, “I was working my ass off the whole time!”

Ms. Song, her face twisted with fury, began to speak as calmly as she could, “Detention for swearing.”

“Damn it now my Dad’s gonna kill me!” he spat

She then wrote all their names on the board, “No excuses, report here after school, have a nice and productive day boys.”

End chapter

End Volume1

A/N: I’m sooo proud of myself pats on the back good job! Volume1 of Strawberry Lemonade is over! Thank you for those who have stuck in there since the beginning! Thank you to those that have reviewed were it good or bad:

-chan (you’re a doll, thanks soo much for adding me as your fav author…you were the first person that did that! Your awesome)

Destiny (thanks and sorry to hurt your poor virgin eyes)

Daigo245 (thanks for reading!! You’re the one that’s on deviantart, right?)

Kitty (Thanks for the reviews…happy I converted you to the Gabe and Rockwell side…they have cookies!)

Ragnarok (thanks for reviewing and your right, I’m a very lonely soul with nothing else to do with my time)

Yun Yun (I love your penname and I’m very happy that you’ve reviewed).

Well, I just hope that all of you keep reading and stick around for volume 2!

Peace, love, and the joys of living

Alexander Rowe