Of course, my first thought is of Bobby.
He’s in the gym. I saw him go into the gym. Bobby could be hurt.
It’s my only thought as I abandon the bake sale table and race into the gym. I feel the same cold fear I did that day when Bobby disappeared from the backyard. Please, God, let him be okay. Not that I want some other kid to be hurt, but I really, really don’t want it to be mine.
And my prayers are answered. As I enter the gym, I see Bobby on the sidelines. He is sobbing, but he’s not hurt. He’s not part of the mob of parents surrounding the injured party. I race over to him and throw my arms around his skinny frame. He’s so shaken that he doesn’t even squirm to get away.
“Did you see what happened?” I ask him.
“Leo…” Bobby gulps. “Leo… fell. Off the slide.”
He must be talking about Leo Bressler. I follow his gaze to the bouncy house slide. The top of the slide is at least eight feet in the air. There’s a mat below, but it’s still a big fall.
Owen Cooper is standing nearby as well. He isn’t crying like Bobby though. He’s looking down at his dirty sneakers. I wonder if the boys were with Leo when he fell. If so, they’re probably both traumatized by the whole thing.
Sean emerges from the crowd, looking a little pale. I still feel the sting of humiliation from the way he rejected me earlier, but I push it aside. “Is Leo okay?” I ask him.
He doesn’t answer right away, which really scares me. “He has a broken arm,” he finally says. “I’m going outside to wait for the ambulance so they know where to find him.”
“Did you see it happen?”
He shakes his head. “I was at the other bouncy house.” He rests a hand on Owen’s shoulder. “Why don’t you come outside with me, Owen?”
Owen’s lower lip trembles. He looks up at his father and blurts out, “Bobby pushed him!”
What?
“No, I didn’t!” Bobby screams through his tears. “You pushed him!”
Owen slowly shakes his head. “No. It was Bobby. Bobby pushed Leo off the slide because it wasn’t his turn.”
“Bobby.” I look at my son’s tear-streaked face. “Did you push Leo off the slide?”
“No!” He wipes snot from his little nose with the back of his hand. “I didn’t! It was Owen. I swear!”
I look over at Sean, who has a weary expression on his face. “It doesn’t matter right now whose fault it is. I’m going outside to wait for the ambulance.”
I look wildly into the crowd. Quite a few people are staring at us and heard Owen’s declaration. But they can’t possibly believe Bobby to be the one at fault, could they? Bobby has been going to the school for over two years, while Owen is the new kid. They must believe Bobby over Owen, right?
Before I know what I’m doing, I find myself pushing through the crowd surrounding Leo Bressler. After that little production, people seem willing to part to let me through. After a minute of pushing, I see him. Seven-year-old Leo, lying on the ground, sobbing and clutching his arm.
Well, at least he’s alive.
Julie is bent down next to him, stroking his tawny hair. But when I get closer, her eyes snap up to look at me. And they’re boiling with hatred.
“Look at what Bobby did,” she hisses at me. “He should be expelled.” “Bobby didn’t do anything,” I say in a tiny voice.
Julie puts a possessive arm around Leo’s shoulders as he sobs louder. “I should have you arrested for assault.”
“Assault?” I take a step back. “You can’t have a seven-year-old child arrested for assault!”
Julie narrows her eyes at me. “Not Bobby. You.” I have made an extremely powerful enemy.
“Julie.” I’m trying not to sound desperate, but it’s hard. “Bobby didn’t do this. You have to believe me.”
But my pleas are interrupted by the arrival of the ambulance. The EMTs lift Leo onto a stretcher, and Julie hurries along with them. I watch them leave, keeping my fingers and my toes crossed that Leo is going to be
okay. That even if his arm is broken, it will just be something simple that requires a splint or cast—not surgery.
Just as the crowd is dispersing, I see Maria in the corner of the room. She’s talking quietly to Owen. I don’t know what she is saying, but he keeps nodding solemnly. Then she squeezes his shoulder, and she gives him a hug.
I try to catch Maria’s attention. I need to talk to her about what just happened. I wave my arm frantically, hoping she’ll notice me. For a split second, our eyes lock. But then she looks away, and the next thing I know, she’s gone.
