Chapter 46

“Have a seat, boys,” Mr. Jennings said.

They took seats on either side of their respective dads. Tyler looked over at Tommy. He had a cut on his lip and a bruised cheek. Fuck! He thought. Eddie really did a number on him. Meanwhilea quick glance at Eddie showed that his son had emerged from the encounter without a scratch.

“Tommy!” Hank exclaimed. “Jesus Christ! Are you okay?”

Tommy nodded.

“We had the school nurse look at him, and she treated his injuries. She assured me there was no serious damage done,” the principal said.

“But look at him, he’s a mess,” Hank went on. He turned to glare at Tyler.

“I assure you, Mr. Erlich, Tommy’s injuries are superficial, but if you want to have a doctor look at him—”

Hank interrupted the principal. “You bet I will and have him pay for it, too!” Hank pointed at Tyler.

“Of course,” was all Tyler could manage to say.

Hank grunted and crossed his arms over his chest.

Mr. Jennings continued, this time addressing Eddie and Tommy. “I’ve asked your fathers to be here because this is a very serious matter. We need to figure out why this happened and what we can do to help.”

He looked from one boy to the other. They both lowered their eyes as if studying the tile patterns on the floor.

“So, can you tell me who started it?”

Tommy raised his head, gave Eddie a sideways glance, and said, “He did.”

“Is that right, Edward?” Mr. Jennings asked.

“No, sir,” Eddie said without looking up. “Tommy started it.”

“Did not!” Tommy said, bending around his father to look directly at Eddie.

“Did, too!” Eddie retorted, glaring back at Tommy.

“That’ll do, boys,” Mr. Jennings intervened. “Since we’re not going to be able to determine who started the fight without calling in witnesses, can you tell me what you were fighting about?”

Neither boy said anything.

“There must have been some reason the two of you felt the need to fight. Tommy?”

Hank shifted in his chair.

“I was just standing there. I wasn’t doing nothing and he comes up, spins me around, and punches me,” Tommy said.

Tyler saw Eddie shake his head.

“For no reason?” Mr. Jennings pressed.

Tommy shrugged.

“Edward?”

Tyler saw Eddie’s jaw clench, the way it always did when he was angry. Tyler held his breath

Eddie snorted and then looked at Tommy with eyes blazing. “He said my dad and his friend Ward were…were…the…the F word!” he spat out.

Oh dear God! Tyler thought.

“I don’t quite understand,” Mr. Jennings said. “What do you mean by the F word?”

Eddie looked at his father. Then he said, “You know, it’s a word like the N word, only for…for…guys who like other guys.”

Mr. Jennings looked surprised. Apparently this was the last thing he’d expected. “Tommy? Did you say that?”

“Yeah,” Tommy said, reverting to studying the tiles on the floor. “But I didn’t say it to Eddie. I said it to his brother.”

“Why would you use a word like that?”

Tyler could see Mr. Jennings had been unsettled by this turn of events.

Tommy shrugged. “That’s what my dad says they are.”

Mr. Jennings looked at Hank. This time the man squirmed uncomfortably under the principal’s gaze.

Tyler rested his head on his hands and closed his eyes. He wished there was a rock handy which he could crawl under.

“I didn’t know what it meant,” Tommy continued. “I just said it to Jack yesterday on the playground. Honest, I didn’t know it was a bad word.”

“Eddie, was Jack upset when Tommy said this to him?” the principal asked the boy.

“Well, no. He didn’t know what the word meant neither. So Jack asked Dad and Dad explained it’s when two men like each other—that the F word was a bad thing to call people like him and Ward. Dad said it’s okay for them to like each other and that two men can even get married—that him and Ward maybe would do that. He said there ain’t nothing wrong with them doing that.”

“The hell there ain’t!” Hank exploded.

Tyler closed his eyes even tighter.

Evidently, Hank wasn’t able to take any more talk of positive support for gay relationships. He threw caution to the wind regarding his position at the mill.

“It’s a abomonician…abomanotion…ah…whatever against the Lord. People like that should be…be…”

Tyler sat up and looked in Hank’s direction.

Hank’s voice had trailed off. The stern look of warning Mr. Jennings was giving him must have prevented him from expressing whatever vile end gays should be subjected to.

The principal returned his attention to the boys. “Both of you will receive punishments. Edward, yours will be five recess detentions for starting a fight. You’re lucky. It’s only your good record that keeps me from suspending you.”

“But he called my dad a…a…you know,” Eddie blurted out.