chapter 24: reno gets suspended

~reno~

       "You should really be at school, you know," Weisz says, moving his board piece over a few spots. Despite constantly telling me that, he hasn't forced me to leave or anything. Not that I would if he tried. Well, if he really wanted me to leave, I would since I want to make sure he's completely comfortable, but this is more of him worrying about my grades if I'm constantly skipping.

       "Nah, school sucks," I say. "This is a lot more fun."

       Weisz furrows his eyebrows. "Being stuck in the hospital with me while I'm on chemo is more fun than school?"

       I grab the pair of dice and roll them before moving my piece the correct number of spaces. "Playing a board game with you is more fun than going to school. You don't have to worry about me skipping too much. My grades are good enough."

       "If you say so..." Weisz rests his head back and closes his eyes. "I need to rest for a few moments."

       "Okay," I say. Weisz gets weak by doing basically anything but resting, and I really hate to see it. He can barely get out of the hospital bed, so he feels stuck there. There's a game room and teen room for patients who are in the pediatric ward for a while, but Weisz can't even go there. It's why I keep skipping school to come here instead. I want to help him feel entertained and no bored out of his mind.

       As Weisz keeps his eyes closed, he asks, "How has school been?"

       "Boring," I say. "Annoying, too. Neil and Jessica has been pestering me about where you've been. And not just simply asking where you've been. I think they've been insinuating that I murdered you or something."

       "What makes you think that?" 

       "Neil asked if I murdered you."

        Weisz sighs. "Of course he did. Stupid Neil and his stupid thought process. I'm sorry he thinks of you as a criminal."

       "It's okay. I don't care what he thinks about me. I've gotten used to all those ridiculous rumours, anyway. If anything, I'm sorry that everyone thinks you've been murdered."

       Weisz opens his eyes to look at me. "Everyone?"

       "Yeah, Neil might have spread the rumour around," I say. "He says it's the classic 'someone gets jealous and murders their boyfriend'. The best part is that a lot of people believe it. I hear them whisper about it all the time."

       "Right, because someone who murdered their boyfriend would be free to still go to school and not be locked up in a prison cell." 

       "Hey, I didn't say they were logical rumours," I say. "Nothing about Neil's rumours is logic."

       "I can see that," Weisz says. "I don't know how you've put up with it for so long." He looks at the game board. "You know, I'm surprised you didn't try the move the pieces while I was resting my eyes."

       "Wow, you really think I could stoop that low?"

       "Reno. The last game we played, you tried moving your piece out of jail when you thought I wasn't looking. So yeah, I do think you would stoop that low."

       "Huh. That's odd. I don't remember doing that at all. That definitely doesn't sound like something I would do. I am a completely honest person who has never once told a lie in my life."

       Weisz smiles at me. It looks weak, but it's still a genuine smile. I'm glad I can make him smile. "That's a very long way of saying that you are a liar." He takes his turn with the game, once again pulling ahead of me. Part of me is tempted to cheat in the game, but that only will prove to Weisz that I am the type of person to move my board piece while Weisz rests his eyes.

       As Weisz and I continue the game, my cell phone suddenly rings. I do ignore it which I probably shouldn't since it could be important, but I would rather continue to spend time with Weisz. However, I soon get a text and quickly look it over. It's my dad, telling me to call him as soon as I can because it's urgent.

       I get off the hospital bed. "I have to quickly call my dad back."

       "Okay," Weisz says.

       "Try not to move the board pieces," I say as I head to the door so I don't disturb Weisz while on the phone.

       "Please, I'm not you," Weisz says.

       I smile at Weisz before stepping outside of the hospital room. After I close the door, I call my dad back. He answers right away, saying, "Reno, why aren't you at school? Again?"

       "I'm... sick." I fake cough. "See? So sick."

       "Right. So you're not at the hospital visiting Weisz like you have been three days in a row?"

       I sigh. "Look, I know I should be at school, but come on. Both his parents work, his grandma can't make it every day, and his sister is at school. I don't want him to be bored, so I come whenever his grandma can't."

       "Reno, I'm not the one who cares. I know a few days isn't going to affect your grades because you always make sure you're caught up, and I know Weisz is struggling right now. It's great that you want to be there for him, but your principal called me. She decided to suspend you for three days."

       I take a few moments to process what my dad just told me. "I'm sorry, she what? Because I skipped three days? Are you serious? She didn't even talk to me about it."

       "Yeah, I know," Dad said. "I'm pissed about it, too. I know for a fact that other students skip all the time. I see teens around town all the time during school hours."

       "I always had a feeling she hated me," I say. "Also, why suspend me for skipping school? That just gives me more time to not go in school."

       "I should warn you that I will be meeting with her tomorrow," Dad says. "I know you would rather not go to school, but the suspension is unfair. That's going to go on your record."

       "My record is short. I never get in trouble. But thank you, for fighting it. I would myself, but I have no energy. And you're scary to people, so you'd have a better chance of winning."

       "We'll see. Your principal has always been a stubborn person."

        She really is. I'm surprised I haven't gotten into trouble from her already. I always had a feeling she hated me. Maybe I tarnished the perfect image she tried to give the school. Maybe she heard all those rumours and believed me. 

       Whatever the case is, it's making me less likely to want to go to school. In fact, I hate it there. A lot. Weisz is the only reason I started to find it tolerable, but he won't be going for a few weeks. Even when he's out of the hospital, he won't be able to go until the doctor gives him the all clear to be in public settings. Who knows what that will be?

       After hanging up the call, I walk back into the hospital room. "So good news and bad news. The good news is I'll be able to visit you the next three school days in a row."

       "Really?" Weisz asks with a smile. "Wait, what's the bad news?"

       "The bad news is the school decided to suspend me for skipping school."

       Weisz stares at me for a bit. "You're kidding, right? You skipped school so they suspended you? Do they suspend everyone who skips?"

       "Nope, just me." I sit back on the hospital bed. "I'm started to think the principal is just taking the rumours she heard and is using it against me."

       "Reno, that's not fair that you got suspended," Weisz says. "You should fight it."

       "Nah, my dad's going to fight it for me," I say. "It would be better for her to hear from my dad than from me."

       "Let's hope so."

___________________

i also hate reno's school. you're probably going to end up hating it a lot more :D