Page 42 of The Golden Boy's Guide to Bipolar
I pretend I’m not bothered as I get up and head out the door. The walk to Principal Cappa’s office is excruciating as I try to figure out what could be going on.
Maybe Mami found out about what I did and she’s taking me out of school for the rest of the day so she can kill me?
When I finally get there, the office lady tells me to have a seat until Principal Cappa’s ready for me. I sit and bounce my legs, resisting the urge to get out my phone and text Jamal, since he probably wants nothing to do with me now. Which is good. That’s what I wanted. Right?
“He’s ready for you,” the secretary says, and I get up on wobbly legs, not bothering to appear confident anymore since there’s no one to perform for. But as soon as I reach for the handle, I regain my composure. It’s like an instinct for me around adults to be ascharming as possible. It’s worked out for me most of my life, so I’m not about to stop anytime soon.
“Hey, Principal Cappa,” I say cheerily as I open the door and walk in, but the charming facade vanishes the second I see who’s in the room. “Mom?”
“Have a seat, Cesar,” Principal Cappa says, and my mom nods to acknowledge me. She looks pale, like she just got food poisoning or something.
I sit in the empty seat next to my mom. “What’s going on?”
“I’m sure you’re aware we have a no-tolerance policy when it comes to illegal activities.” Mr. Cappa turns to his computer and types for a second, then tilts the screen toward me.
Oh. Fuck.
The picture of me and Bianca kissing the tequila bottle is pulled up on my Instagram. Bianca must have posted it and added me as a collaborator, and I must have accepted like a dumbass. I don’t remember doing that. Why would I do that? Bianca probably didn’t think twice about posting it, but this is Slayton. Here, people have no shame about snitching, so it was only a matter of time before the administration got ahold of that picture.
“He’s a good kid, Principal Cappa. It won’t happen again,” my mom pleads, and he looks at me with a raised eyebrow.
“Is that true, Cesar?”
I just shrug. I don’t care to lie right now, so I don’t. “It’s not like I was drinking on campus. What’s the big deal?”
“Thebig dealis that by attending this establishment, you are representing this school and our values whether you’re on our campus or not. Not only that, but we’repayingyou to do it. Cesar,I’m afraid I can’t let this go unpunished.”
“Please, he’s worked so hard for his spot here. He’s been at the top of his class every year since he started high school until... well, he’s been through a lot recently. Trust me, you’ve never met a harder-working kid.”
I let out an involuntary laugh at my mom’s inability to see what’s right in front of her. Since when was I a hard worker? I got good grades because it waseasy, not because I tried. Both she and the principal look at me like they expect me to say something, but I just clear my throat like I didn’t just laugh out loud at my mom.
“I promise you he won’t do anything like this again,” Mami continues, her voice more desperate now.
Mine comes out like ice. “You can’t make promises for me.”
She shoots a fierce glare in my direction. She probablyisgonna kill me, but I don’t care. I don’t care about any of it. Mami turns back to Principal Cappa. “Obviously he’s not himself right now. You can see that, can’t you? If you just give him another chance—”
“You can’t fix everything for me!” I snap, surprising all three of us. “I don’t need you to fight my battles! That perfect version of me you have in your head is made up, okay? He doesn’t exist!” I turn to Principal Cappa, so I don’t have to see my mom’s reaction to what I say next. I already convinced Yami and Jamal they’re better off without me, but my mom might need an extra push. “Just because she says I’ll be good doesn’t mean I will. I’m not her puppet. I did that shit, okay? Don’t coddle me for her sake.”
“All right, then. I think it’s settled.” Principal Cappa shakes his head, like he’s not looking forward to whatever he’s about to say. “I’m sorry, Cesar, but I’m going to have to expel you from this school.”
My mom bursts into tears, but I don’t react. I knew I was gonna be in trouble, and even if an expulsion isn’t what I was expecting, I somehow can’t bring myself to care. None of it matters.
“And to be quite frank with you, you’re lucky I’m not getting the authorities involved. You’re both free to go.”
He gestures toward the door. I don’t wait for my mom to say anything or to move. I just get up and walk out the door. It takes my mom a few seconds to follow me out. When we get to the waiting area, my mom stops by the front desk.
“Will Yamilet be coming down?” she asks the lady behind the desk.
“We got ahold of her, but she asked if you wouldn’t mind her staying the rest of the school day.” The office lady types away while she talks. Getting my sister out of class is probably not the highest on her list of priorities. It’s no wonder Yami doesn’t want to come home early. She probably wants to spend the least amount of time with me as possible.
The bell rings, which means I’ll have to walk past everyone with my mom. They’ll probably all know I’m expelled before I even make it off campus.
“Did you tell her the situation?” Mami asks anxiously.
“She’s aware.” The lady nods. “Should I call her down here to talk with you?”
“I’ll be by the car,” I say, not bothering to hear the rest of the conversation. I don’t want to be in the room if Yami comes in here. I walk out the door without giving my mom a chance to answer. Maybe at least this way I can save face by going to the car alone.
