Theo And Reed's Lesson Plans

Chapter Sixteen

Theo's relaxed feeling continued on as he and Matt discussed his troubling conversation with MJ Keller. Matt had agreed with him. He felt the girl was most likely not involved with the shootings. He also felt that Preston was being unfairly targeted because of who his brother was.

" By me? ," Theo asked.

Matt smiled gently. " No. By everyone who was essentially harmed in this tragedy. The boy could just be another innocent victim. Who says he knew anything more about it than MJ ? He's being made guilty because of his birthright. That's wrong. My father was an abusive homophobic butler but I'm not one. I'm not saying he didn't know but we should give him the benefit of the doubt. Now this Scott kid. He gives me the creeps when you talk about him. Reminds me of a preppy Eddie Haskell. "

Theo laughed. " You watch too many reruns with Saint. "

Then the kids came running into the kitchen for both a snack and a hug from their father and one from Uncle Matt.

Baylee was excitedly telling them about how her best friend Shell could hold her breath a whole two minutes on the playground.

Benji gave his father the preteen once over ( concerned but not too much) until he was satisfied Theo was ok.

They both gathered up chocolate chip cookies and glasses of milk and then took off to do homework.

The two men turned back to the discussion at hand. Matt wondered if Scott had been as protective of Preston before Derek had killed himself and others. Theo thought hard on it and concluded finally that he had not. Scott had always been closer to Derek. When you saw one you saw the other. Derek was smart and Scott was smarter. Derek , when Theo reexamined him in his mind, had also been very arrogant. And Scott seemed even more so. They hadn't been bullied. They had set themselves apart from the other students. Like they were on a different plane. The mood in the kitchen seemed to shift as he mentioned that eerie little smile on Derek's face as he revealed the gun and shot Lindy. As he told him to lock the door. As he had........

Matt saw the change come over Theo and he hated it. If he could have he would have wiped just those memories from his friend's head forever. Yet he couldn't.

" What about Scotty boy ? How do you see him? "

Theo paused as he thought. " I don't really. I really don't. Scott was and still is just another version of Derek. You got one you got the other with those two. "