Astronaut

Chapter Twenty-Two: Detention

After leaving Miss Jones's classroom, Kenny makes his way down the main corridor on the lookout for the redheaded boy; he finds him out in the car park standing next to the locked Secret Service car, walks towards him and asks with confusion:

"What are you doing out here?"

"I want to go home!"

"So, did you think you'd be able to break into the car, hot-wire it and attempt to drive it?"

"Yeah,"

"Well, I'm sorry to break it to you, buddy, but you can't drive until you're 16, you've got 10 years to wait until then. And also, we can't leave here and leave Caroline and John on their own; come on, I think you've got to go to the principal's office again,"

"Ugh! Fine!" Harvey groans in frustration and throws his head back as he drags his feet on the concrete to try and irritate the man in front of him, he walks alongside him as the two walk across the car park back in the direction of the school; getting back into the main corridor, Harvey makes his way toward his head teacher's office and makes his way into the room with Kenny beside him. The man looks up at the visitors in front of him, noticing the redhead he says to him:

"Harvey, what's this I hear you were fighting with a boy from seventh grade again? And to top it all off, you walked out of class without permission?"

"Yeah, because the boy that I was fighting with this morning was the same one who was bullying me on Friday, and this morning he threw water on my pants and called me names again, then I shoved him into the wall and was about to punch him in the face again but Kenny stopped me. Which is what lead me to walk out of my teacher's classroom," Harvey explains in detail to the older man

"Well, I'm glad you stopped him when you did, Mr O'Donnell," the man says to Kenny in a grateful tone

"Harvey, this is twice now that you've been caught fighting, and with the same student no less. I'm sorry that it has to come to this, but unfortunately I'm going to have to put you in detention, starting from after school at three o'clock,"

"What?! That's not fair! Kenny, tell him!" Harvey protests to the federal agent beside him. Kenny looks down at the boy with a sorry expression on his face as he says to him:

"I'm sorry, I can't help you with this one, buddy,"

"Fine!"

"That's settled, then. I'll see you and some others in detention at three o'clock," his head teacher tells him as he gets up from his chair and makes his way toward the door to lead the two out of the room

"Okay, I'll see you then, sir," Harvey answers as he looks down at the floor as he follows Kenny out of the room. Going back out into the corridor, Kenny says to the disheartened boy who is trailing behind him:

"Your parents will definitely not be happy to hear that you've landed yourself in detention," Harvey continues to stare at the floor

"It's not my fault, is it?" he says accusatory to the man above him

"I know technically speaking, it's not your fault but you know your teachers won't see it that way," Kenny explains to him trying to make him understand the fact that even though he is the one that's being bullied, because he is the one that's retaliating the seventh grader's terrible taunting, the school won't see the fact that it's him who is the victim and not the other way around.

"See, that's why I think the system is messed up! Maybe my dad can do something about it?" He states feeling hopeful

"Maybe someday in the near future, but right now I don't think he'll be happy that you're in detention,"