For the last two years and change, Iโve always walked Bobby right to the front door when I dropped him off at school. There is a drop-off line by the front entrance, but I always parked and walked him to the door. I always wanted to watch him go into the school, and there was the extra bonus of getting to chat with the other mothers.
But today, when I get to school, I donโt want to get out of my car.
Leo is going back to school today. That means Julie will be there. And even without Julie, itโs been awkward showing up at school since the accident. Everybody seems stiff and uncomfortable when I come over. Likeย Iย am the one who pushed poor Leo. It doesnโt help that they all think I brought a bunch of contaminated food to the bake sale.
โI think weโll do the drop-off line today,โ I tell Bobby.
Heโs strapped into his booster seat in the back. He doesnโt say anything when I make this suggestion. But he doesnโt sayย notย to do it. So I pull up alongside the school.
โOkay, honey!โ I try to keep my voice as chipper as possible. โHave a wonderful day at school. I love you!โ
Bobby doesnโt budge.
Thatโs unusual. Most days, he leaps out of the car and is running for the school, and Iโm left racing to keep up. But now he is just sitting there in his booster seat, not making any moves to unbuckle himself.
โBobby?โ I donโt have much time. This is not a parking area, and if I linger too long, other parents will start honking at me. โTime to get out.โ
He still doesnโt budge. And now his lower lip is trembling.
Right on cue, somebody honks at me. โBobby, honey, whatโs wrong?โ
I hear another honk. Somebody yells something at me, possibly an obscenity.
โBobby?โ
Heโs just sitting there. Hisย Star Warsย backpack is on his left side, stuffed with God knows what. We need to go through that backpack tonight. Last time, I found theย rocksย inside. Like five legit rocks. But thatโs the least of our problems right now.
Thereโs a rap at the passenger side window. Itโs a teacher.
โIf youโre not dropping off a child,โ the teacher says, โyou need to park in a different area. This is the drop-off line.โ
โI understand that. But my son is very upset andโโ
โBut this is the drop-off line. We need to keep the line moving. If youโre not getting outโโ
โAll right! Iโll move!โ
I throw the car back into drive. I pull out of the drive-through line and off to the side. My hands are shaking on the steering wheel. The early bell has already rung and weโve got about five minutes before the late bell rings. Iโll probably have to walk him in and get a tardy slip.
โBobby,โ I say as calmly as I can. โWhatโs wrong? Why donโt you want to get out of the car?โ
Finally, his little face crumples. Tears start to stream down his cheeks. โEverybody hates me!โ
I canโt believe what Iโm hearing. Bobby has always been very popular. Heโs one of those kids everybody likes. He gets it from his father. โNo, they donโt. Why would you say that?
โThey think that I pushed Leo. But I didnโt!โ
โOh, Bobbyโฆโ Iโm not sure entirely what to say. People always say โlittle kids, little problemsโ but this is a big problem. I donโt know what kind of advice to give him when Iโm not dealing with it any better than he is. โListen, the other kids will forget all about it. I promise.โ
I end up going in the backseat and the two of us talk for another ten minutes. Part of me wonders if I should just take Bobby home for the day. On the other hand, why should he have to stay home? Bobby did nothing wrong. Owen is the one behind everything.
I finally manage to persuade Bobby to go to school, and I have to walk him inside and he gets a tardy slip. His first tardy in over two years of school.
After sending Bobby off to his classroom, Iโm about to leave for home, but then I see Julie Bressler coming out of the nurseโs office. My first instinct is to cover my face and make a run for it. But of course, she sees me.
โApril,โ she says. I take it as a positive she didnโt ignore me.
โHi, Julie.โ I force a smile, which is the hardest thing Iโve had to do yet today. โHow are you?โ
She ignores my question. โI need to speak to you.โ โUmโฆโ I shift in my flats. โOkay… when?โ
โNow, if possible.โ โUm, okayโฆโ
I get a sick feeling in my stomach. Is she going to serve me with a lawsuit? How does that even work? Or maybe she believes me about Owen, and sheโs asking for my forgiveness.
No, not likely.
Whatever it is, Iโm not sure I want to hear about it.
My legs feel like jello as I follow Julie to her office on the first floor. Itโs not really an office. Itโs just a spare room that they let the president of the PTA use for work, but she likes to call it her office, and Iโm not going to argue with her. Sometimes I do think Julie ought to go back to practicing law.
The office consists of a small conference table, and Julie sits on one side of the table. She gestures at a chair on the other side. โSit down,โ she says.
โNo โpleaseโ?โ
My attempt at humor is met with silence. I slide into the chair, not a moment too soon because I feel like I can barely stand up. Iโm getting upset over nothing though. Julie isnโt serving me with a lawsuitโthat doesnโt make sense. She probably just wants my help with something for the PTA.
Julie leans forward in her seat and folds her hands together. The purple circles she had under her eyes yesterday are gone. She has the best makeup. โI want to talk to you about the silent auction.โ
My shoulders sag in relief. I knew it had to be PTA related. And the auction went amazing. She probably wants to start planning for the spring. โYes?โ
She pauses, her face a mask. โI was looking at the app you used to record the bids and accept money into the PTA fund. And I noticed that there was a second account recorded. That a percentage of the money was being filtered into an account that wasnโt related to the school.โ
Any relief I had been feeling a moment ago has vanished. โWhatโฆ what do you mean?โ
Her eyes become slits. โI mean, somebody created another bank account thatโs been stealing money from the silent auction that was supposed to have been going to the PTA.โ
I clasp a hand over my mouth. โOh my God. Who would do something like that?โ
โYou. You did it.โ
I feel dizzy. I canโt believe this is happening. Itโs like some sort of a horrible dream. โDo you think Iโve been stealing money from the PTA?โ
Her lips are a straight line. โYes. I do.โ
โJulie, I wouldย neverย do that.โ My words are coming out in a jumbled rush. โYou know you can trust me. I wouldย neverย steal from the PTA. Why would I do something like that? Elliot and I have plenty of money. And I get all that advertising money from my show. Itโs crazy!โ
โYouโre always talking about how Elliot is getting angry at you over your spending,โ she reminds me. โHow you want to buy this or that for your show, but you canโt afford it. Maybe you decided to skim a little off the top. I donโt know. All I know is that money is missing, and youโre the only one who had access to do it.โ
โButโโ Something suddenly occurs to me. โMaria! She and I were working on the silent auction together! She also had access to the account.โ
Julie lets out a loud huff. โIt wasnโt Maria.โ โHow do you know?โ
โBecause it wasnโt.โ
I nearly asked her how she could be so sure, but then it hits me. Everything suddenly makes sense. โMaria is the one who told you to look at the account, didnโt she?โ
Sheโs silent for a moment. โI received an anonymous text message telling me to look into it.โ
My whole body goes cold. My anonymous tormentor has struck again. But now it seems like they have upped the ante once again. My head is spinning.
All I know is my gut is telling me Maria Cooper has something to do with this.
โLook,โ I say, โMaria set me up. She created this false account, then she โdiscoveredโ it. And now it looks like Iโve been stealing money! But you have to know, I wouldย neverย do something like that.โ
โAprilโฆโ
โMaria is evil!โ I spit out. โSheโฆ sheโs been tormenting me for months by sending me threatening text messages.โ
For the first time since I sat down with her, Julie seems slightly rattled.
Sheโs finally taking me seriously. โShe has? How do you know?โ โI just do.โ
She frowns. โWhat sort of text messages? Can I see?โ I hesitate. โIโฆ I deleted them.โ
โYou deleted them? Why would you do that?โ
I open my mouth, but I realize I donโt have a great answer to that question. I canโt tell her that I deleted them because whoever is texting me is reminding me about things that I would rather they not know. Things that could destroy my career and my marriage if it got out there.
โLook,โ I say, โyou saw that Facebook post saying I had a stomach bug. I didnโt make that post! Maria made it to torture me!โ
โHmm,โ Julie says. But I can tell Iโve lost her. I wish I hadnโt deleted all those text messages. But at the same time, I could never show them to Julie.
Thereโs a lump in my throat. โYouโve known me for years! You really believe her over me?โ
Just like the other night when I came by with the pie, Iโm holding my breath. Hoping our friendship holds more weight than Mariaโs claims.
โListen, April.โ A deep groove forms between her eyebrows. โIโm not going to turn this matter over to the police, but I expect you to return the money. If you donโt, well, then it will be a police matter.โ
โReturn the money! But I donโt have any money to return!โ
โThatโs not my problem.โ She holds up her hands. โIโll give you five business days to give me a check. Then Iโm going to the principal, and weโll be contacting the police. And obviously, you are no longer a part of the PTA. Iโll be disabling all your access.โ
I donโt want to cry in front of Julie, but if I donโt get out of here quickly, itโs going to happen. Itโs an unstoppable force.
โJulie,โ I gulp. โThis is a huge mistake. Believe meโฆโ
โIโm sorry.โ She gets to her feet. โThe only reason I havenโt gone straight to the police is that weโre neighbors and I donโt want a scandal. But I expect to get that money back.โ
Then she leaves the room without looking at me again. Iโm surprised she left me alone in here. After all, I might steal everything that isnโt nailed down.
I thought I would start crying as soon as she left, but now that sheโs gone, the tears arenโt coming. The truth is, Iโm not sad. Iโm pissed off. Even though Julie denied it, I know Maria is behind this.
And I am going to confront her.