The Unknown

Library part 2

Mike's pov

After getting the necessary intel from Mindy, I went over to Shane's room to discuss the situation.

Shane admitted letting the girls check out an 'Elm Street' movie, which I supposedly forgot to check out for them before leaving for Africa. He also informed me that the girls told him it was a fourth grade version of Sesame Street. God bless him. Sometimes I forget he's a foreigner. Did he really think ten- year-olds would watch anything remotely related to Sesame Street?

When I told Shane the girls watched this R rated movie which I forbade them from seeing before I left, he was beyond livid. The fact that they watched it at 1am with Rick's girls, just added fuel to the fire.

"I'm going to kill them! No, first, I'm going to whip them mercilessly, then I'm going to kill them," Shane rants, as he paces restlessly. "I can't believe they played us against each other. You say no, so they come to me to get a yes."

"One of the oldest tricks in the book," I say. "Pitting parents against each other. It was bound to happen at some point. I agree this punishment needs to set a precedent but let's call killing them our plan b. Alright?"

"I notice you didn't dismiss the whipping them mercilessly idea. Should I assume I have your approval to mete out that portion of their punishment?" Shane gives me a sly smile as he pats me on the back. "Seriously though, Mike, what are we going to do with these girls?"

"We are going to set a precedent, that much I know. I think we need to start with the ringleader."

"Lisa, right, since she's the one who asked you to check it out from the library in the first place?" Shane asks.

Chuckling and shaking my head, I respond, "No, my money's on Julie. I can almost guarantee it."

Julie's pov

We're chillin' in our room. Carrie answers our phone before turning to me and saying, "Julie, it's Mike. He wants you to come to Shane's room right away."

"Fuck! What did they find out I did?" I ask, panicking. I'm trying to run through my mind all the possibilities. "It can't be the movie thing cuz they would've summoned the three of us." I gesture toward Stacey and Lisa. "Maybe they found out I faked sick to get out of gym Monday." We're doing tumbling in gym now. God I hate gymnastics. It's the one sport I absolutely suck at. "No, it can't be that. I don't think the nurse or Mr. Shim even knew I was faking and if they did, they wouldn't have waited this long to call Mike."

Think Julie think, I admonish myself.

"You don't think they know I broke curfew Tuesday, do you? Or maybe it's because I took $5 out of Shane's wallet so I could get hot lunch on Friday. Maybe Mrs. Harris told them I swore in class Wednesday. No wait, it can't be that cuz she promised she wouldn't say anything if I didn't tell them she twisted my injured wrist when she got mad at me. Hmmm, what could it be? Oh, I know. Maybe Jody tattled that I shoved her off the swings at recess Thursday."

"Good lord, is there a day of the week you haven't been in trouble?" Lisa asks, laughing at my laundry list of misdeeds. "Maybe you should start with the list of things you haven't done wrong. God knows it would be shorter."

"Shut up, Lisa. If you're not part of the solution, then you're just part of the problem." I stick my tongue out at her and laugh so she knows I'm joking.

"Okay, now we can add being rude to your sister to the list," Lisa says, grinning while pretending to write on an imaginary piece of paper.

The phone rings, interrupting my brainstorming session.

"Awww! That's all the time we have today folks, on this edition of 'WTF did Julie do'. Please tune in next week for an all new episode." Stacey's holding an imaginary microphone in her hand, doing her best game show host impression.