Peter and his dad arrived at seven in the morning and we left for Crane Academy. Peter was nervous, I could tell and so was I, and he probably knew that.
"Good morning gentlemen, I'm Dr. Ian Webb, this is Dr. Charles Carter, our Dean of students and Physics head."
"Very nice to meet you, which of you is Jules?" Dr. Carter asked.
"I'm Jules, this is my dad Dr. Daniel Randall; he's a scientist, and this is Peter Keswick and his dad is John, but I don't know what he does," I reported.
"Ah well, it's Dr. Keswick and I'm in the Physics business but I can't comment beyond that."
"The plague of our profession, we understand, Sir," Dr. Carter replied.
"Let's start with the tour and we'll take care of your interviews and then you can audit a few classes and see what you think, agreed?" Ian suggested.
We all agreed and we began the tour of the facility. All the boys we saw wore a simple uniform consisting of dark blue trousers, light blue shirt and a dark blue blazer or sweater. Socks were the same dark blue but footwear was all over the map although they were all black and low cut. Boys had a lanyard with a photo I.D. badge and they used them to unlock the doors to the various buildings.
We were shown to the athletics area first; the showers were in stalls and they were in use as students readied themselves for their P.E. class.
Some of the boys looked at us but weren't affected by our presence.
The Science building was next and then the Computer Studies building after that. We toured the library and then the History and Art departments. The Math building and then Language studies were next and finally the huge Music building. We saw boys with every common instrument you can name. Even a few that were unknown to me.
We were assigned a student guide for the class auditing portion and we sat in on a Calculus class, Chemistry and an Art class. It was enough to get an impression of how serious both the teachers and students were about learning.
That brought us full circle and we returned to administration for the interview portion of the visit.
I sat in Ian's office and he began asking questions.
"What did you think of our school, Jules?" Ian inquired.
"It's a beautiful campus and the facilities and everything I've seen is of high quality," I replied.
"Our interviews are not very complicated Jules, we have just a few questions. I will give you three in writing and a fourth I will ask and you will answer verbally is that clear?"
"Yes Sir, I think I understand."
Ian handed me a sheet with three printed questions and space under each to provide an answer.
The first was about plagiarism and what my actions would be if I discovered my work was similar to a published paper.
I wrote that I would report it and ask for time to write a new paper.
The second dealt with bullying and what I would do if I saw a student abusing an underclassman.
I answered that I would either intervene for the underclassman or summon help and then intervene.
The third was more difficult. It asked what I would do if I knew someone took something from another student without asking.
I decided after a bit of thought that I would tell the person who took the item that they should return it and that I would not lie to protect them if they were caught beforehand.
It took fifteen minutes to complete and I handed the paper to Ian.
Ian made a few notes on the worksheet and put it in a folder.
When he faced me, he asked what I would do if I was accepted and Peter was not.
I didn't need to reflect on that. "In that case I would have to decline respectfully any offer to enroll here sir."
"And your reasoning behind that decision? Ian asked."
I took a moment to consider my words. "Peter is an important part of my life. I've only just found him. I've had one very close friend taken from me already. If it weren't for Peter, I would not be here today. He helped me to solve a long time problem in my life and I'd rather attend public school with him than attend a palace like this without him. He and I have worked to make our present school more tolerant of difference and prevent the kind of behavior that stops people from being their true selves.
Ian stared at me blankly for a moment and then a smile formed and became wider.
"That was very eloquent Jules, you have a very good way with words and with little preparation."
"Well Jules, let's go see if Dr. Carter is done with Peter and then you gentlemen can go about your day while the committee reviews your responses and other data."
"Yes Sir, thank you." I replied
We stood in the lobby and Peter came through another door and our dads joined us with Ian and Dr. Carter.
"Okay gentlemen, we'll have the results of the committee meeting around two this afternoon and you will be notified. Thank you for coming in this morning and taking the tour and for your interest in attending our school."
"Thank you for your time, Dr. Webb, Dr. Carter, I enjoyed the tour," I offered.
"That goes for me too, thank you both for your time," Peter followed.
Dad and John each thanked them and we walked to the car.
Our dads drove us to Kennedy to finish out the day and Dad told me he'd pick us up when school was out.
We checked in at the office and the secretary took our notes and would contact the attendance monitor.
We had arrived ten minutes before the lunch break was to begin so we wandered over to the cafeteria area and just chatted.
"So what did you tell them about going there if they rejected me," Peter asked.
"I told them no, I just found you I'm not giving you up for any reason that I can control. What was your answer?" I inquired.
"I told them I'd drop you like a hot rock and leave you to rot here at Kennedy... what do you think I told them? I won't give you up without a hell of a fight!"
The cafeteria lady noticed us and opened her window.
"What are you two doing here?" she asked.
"Waiting for lunch, we each had appointments this morning and we're starting late," I replied.
"Well come on up and put your order in so you'll be out of the way when the crowd arrives."
We ordered our chicken nuggets with fries and fruit and grape punch.
We sat at a table near the riser for the speaker's platform. The white board showed who was going to speak that day and the first name on the board was Kenny Dawes.
The crowd arrived and there was lots of activity and chatter. Kenny walked to the riser and turned on the mic.
"Hi, I'm Ken Dawes, most of you know me as a jerk that gives people crap for no good reason. I'm here to apologize for that. My dad and my brother told me I had to be tough when I came here or I'd get picked on. I'm really sorry for acting that way, I found out they were wrong. Something bad happened recently, my dog had to be put to sleep because she had cancer. I was very upset and went behind the handball courts to get it together before my brother picked me up. Someone I had ragged on before saw me there with tears in my eyes and instead of giving me crap, they gave me sympathy and understanding. They made it possible to go see Popper one last time before they gave her the shot. I'm not that guy anymore, I just wanted you to know and to ask for a second chance, thanks."
The people there were mostly stunned. Usually the mic gets used to tell boring stories or crappy jokes or to talk about a trip that nobody really wants to hear about.
As Kenny walked by with his lunch bag in his hand, I invited him to join us. He slid into a clear spot and said hi to Peter as I sat next to Kenny.
"Those were good honest words Kenny; I think people listened, now all you have to do is live it."
"That won't be hard, as long as I get a chance. I never liked that Kenny and I don't want to be like that. Maybe I can just be me."
"That sounds good to me," said Wyatt as he slid in next to Peter. That was a nice speech Kenny, if you were serious, I think everyone will forget the old Kenny. Now maybe you can show people the real you. I heard you might make honor roll this quarter."
"Well, I have been trying harder, maybe so. The work isn't that hard, I just get distracted at home. I started doing my homework at the bench in the garage where I can't hear the TV or my brother's stereo, it seems to be working," Kenny added.
The first bell rang and Wyatt, Peter and I walked to the gym for P.E. and Kenny headed for Algebra.
We changed, ran our laps and then played handball with three other guys. Wyatt was a killer at handball.
When we walked to the curb after our last class, Dad and John were waiting in Dad's car. We knew better than to ask if they knew the results so we said "hi" and sat quietly.
We stopped at Peter's house and all went inside. Our dads each held out a white envelope with Crane Academy printed on the front. They hadn't been opened so I looked at Dad and he nodded. Peter and I opened ours at the same time and each got the same shock when we read the first line.
Mine read:
Dear Master Randolph, We are deeply sorry that we must delay your enrollment here at Crane academy until the start of the next quarter. This will however, give you adequate time to obtain the necessary supplies, uniforms and equipment to facilitate your attendance here.
A list of supplies is attached and also recommendations for laptop computers that are suitable for the work you will be doing here. Once you've obtained them, please bring them to the academy so that special software can be installed.
We recommend eight complete uniforms and a spare blazer and jumper. Footwear must be black and dark blue stockings are required. Please consult with the listed authorized suppliers on all questions regarding clothing.
Soon you will receive an information packet including rules of comportment and code of conduct. Read it carefully, please.
Thank you for taking the time to visit our campus today, we look forward to your attendance.
Sincerely, Charles Carter Phd. Dean of students.
I looked at Peter and he had tears in his eyes but a huge smile on his face. Our letters were identical except for the name. I hugged him tight and he hugged back and when we had finished we hugged our dads. Iris arrived with the twins and Missy and more hugging ensued. Both Peter and I would be walking on air the rest of the evening. John told him to pack a bag with his school clothes and put it in our car. We can't see separating you boys tonight. It didn't take long to comply and we kissed the twins goodbye and Dad drove us to our house by way of the market to get ice cream.
When we walked through the door there was a banner in the main hall that read "Congratulations Boys!"
"Surprise!" shouted many voices.
Jack and Geneva, Iris and John, the twins and Missy were there with Benji, Bobby and Wyatt and of course my parents.
"I guess we know why it was so urgent to pick up ice cream before we went home," I whispered to Peter.
As the excitement drew down, Wyatt walked over and kissed us both as congratulations.
"You should really consider the Crane Academy Wyatt, it's a pretty cool place."
"I want to finish out this year, I want to see if this resolution really does its job as we planned. I'll miss you guys though, I might consider it next year, I'm pretty sure I've got the grades. I just need to be a bit stronger emotionally," Wyatt explained. "You guys have helped a lot with that."
"Well it's up to you of course, but I think we're going to like it and we'll still be home every night so we can still hang out and we can tell you all about the place."
"I actually know a boy who goes there, his name is Bryce Gehrule. He's a real nice guy in ninth grade. You'll probably meet him he's pretty active with underclassmen which is what you'll be," Wyatt smiled.
"I guess we'll see what happens when we finally get there," I speculated.
"It's going to be an adventure for sure," Peter added.
The End for Now