Chapter Text
The bathroom tile was cold. It was probably really gross too, but Stacy had to push that thought very far away right now. Right now, she was kneeling on the floor of the family sized restroom at Mr. Keane’s office holding Steph’s hair back for her while she heaved into the toilet. So Stacy couldn’t think about how gross the floor was.
Stacy was scared. The previous night, her mom sat down with her and Steph and talked them through what the meeting with Mr. Keane would be like. None of them quite knew what the path forward would entail yet. The main focus of this meeting was going to be to talk through some options and figure out what was going to be best for Steph. Stacy had come for moral support but really she was feeling very helpless. What was she supposed to do? She was only seventeen herself, she was still a kid. Family court was well out of her depth.
So Stacy knelt on the floor of the dirty bathroom while Steph threw up. She held her hair back and soothed her crying and helped her up to wash her hands after. Stacy did everything she knew was in her power to make things easier for Steph. After all, if Steph didn’t have to worry about all these little things then she would have more energy to spend on the big things. No matter how much Stacy reminded herself that all the comfort she could provide was helping her friend, it didn’t feel like enough. She worried nothing would ever feel like enough.
When Steph was finally ready to talk to Mr. Keane, Stacy had to stay outside. It felt silly since she would just be told everything later anyway. It wasn’t about what information she had access to, though, it was just because the grown ups were talking. So Stacy was left to pace the hallway practically jumping out of her skin feeling young and helpless.
After what felt like an hour of pacing but was likely only ten minutes, Stacy collapsed into a chair under the window. It felt very melodramatic to be draped over an armchair staring out at the snow covered parking lot fighting back tears. But in the seclusion of the hall, while Steph was tucked away in the capable hands of grown ups, maybe it was the perfect time for some dramatics. Stacy always felt bad crying around Steph. She didn’t want Steph to think she wasn’t in good hands. She didn’t want Steph to think she couldn’t come to her with anything she needed. So Stacy held back her tears as well as she could and she made sure she was there when Steph needed her.
But Steph wasn’t here right now. Steph was in Mr. Keane’s office with Stacy’s mom. She was being taken care of by real adults who cared about her and could help her. She was in better hands than Stacy could provide. So out here, Stacy cried. The horror of it all came crashing down on top of her all at once. Every terrible thing Steph’s dad said to her, every horrible name he called her, all the stories Steph had relayed echoed through Stacy’s head. She kept picturing the rich purple bruising over Steph’s arm the night her dad put his hands on her. All the times Steph had to film herself taking the birth control she hated played on a loop in Stacy’s head. Her whole body wracked with sobs that seemed to be amplified by the linoleum floors and heavy filing cabinets.
This was the sort of thing Stacy never expected to encounter. She knew people struggled with this, of course. But she never anticipated having to deal with all this in her own life. It was always the sort of thing that happened to other people on the internet or in the newspaper or something like that. Her best friend wasn’t supposed to be abused by her own father. Stacy felt like she might be sick now.
Before the storm of overwhelming feelings could settle down, the office door opened. Steph, Mr. Keane, and Stacy’s mom stepped back into the hall. Steph’s eyes were red and her cheeks were covered in a splotchy flush but she didn’t appear to be crying. Until, of course, she spotted Stacy with tears still pouring down her face.
“Oh Stace,” Steph said while fresh tears sprang to her eyes.
Stacy bolted to her feet. In half a second, she was wrapped in Steph’s arms. The two of them held each other and cried in the cold hallway. Distantly, Stacy heard her mom and Mr. Keane speaking in hushed voices but all that really mattered in that second was Steph’s grounding presence. They breathed together as their tears finally subsided. The connection Stacy had with Steph had grown to great depths over the past several months. She was the one person Steph wanted on her side when she and Pete started their big fake relationship. She was one of the few who Steph trusted to talk to about her dad. They were beyond best friends, in Stacy’s eyes. They were sisters now and Stacy would be by Steph’s side no matter what. And she knew Steph would be there for her if she needed it, too.
When the two of them had finally pulled back, Mr. Keane handed them a box of tissues. They both huffed a weary laugh and dried their eyes.
“Everything is going to work out okay,” Mr. Keane said, “I know the situation is scary and overwhelming but Steph is in good hands.”
“Okay,” Stacy said with a weak smile, “Okay.”
Mr. Keane had kind eyes. His presence was warm and calming and Stacy was grateful for that. She was glad the kids in Hatchetfield had someone like him looking out for them.
“Are you girls ready to get home?” Stacy’s mom asked.
“Yeah, I’m okay,” Stacy replied.
“All right. I’m gonna drop you two off then swing by the grocery store for some dinner supplies.
“Oh, actually,” Steph cut in with a hoarse voice, “Could I go with you? I never get to go grocery shopping.”
“Of course, hun. Stacy, do you want to join us?”
“Yeah, let’s do it,” Stacy answered quickly.
Steph held Stacy’s hand tightly. Stacy had no plans to let go.
***
Duke Keane had been in the social work business for a long time. He had seen plenty of cases and plenty of different circumstances. He preferred to meet with kids at Miss Retro’s instead of in his office. He found that the more casual setting tended to ease kids’ already frantic nerves. So when the mayor’s daughter all but begged for their meeting to be held in a private location where no one would know about it, well, that told Duke a lot about the situation right off the bat.
It told him first and foremost that Stephanie Lauter was being controlled by a lot of fear. She was terrified of what her father would do if he even found out she was talking to a social worker. It told him that Steph was being carefully surveyed. It told him that the mayor would not take lightly to what he would view as essentially some sort of smear campaign. He cared about his image more than he cared about his daughter and if she was not serving him then she would face the consequences. That all told him she was definitely right to come to him.
Steph had been hesitant to explain her situation at first. She kept wanting to back out and minimize and wave away. Duke had seen plenty of that. It was especially common in cases that involved primarily verbal and emotional abuse. If these poor kids weren’t getting physically harmed then it was harder to explain in words the kind of damage that was being done. It was easy to see a bruise. It was hard to see the long term deterioration of Steph’s self esteem. Duke tried as best he could to validate her experience and treat it with the gravity it deserved. If a judge was going to take Lauter’s abuse seriously, Steph had to first take it seriously herself. She needed to trust herself and know that despite everything her dad had taught her, she deserved better. Duke was going to help her get to something better.
The case was going to start off fairly straight forward from what Duke could tell. Lauter was abusing his daughter, there was no way around that. She had plenty of evidence of involuntary medication, pictures of the bruising on her arm. It would be easy enough to get witness reports from her friends and maybe even some evidence that her phone was bugged. Plus, Duke had an inkling that Steph’s ADHD was going completely ignored. She might not even realize she had it despite the clear signs. The real trouble for Steph would come afterwards. From what she told him, Duke suspected that Solomon Lauter was not going to go down without a fight. Accusations of child abuse were going to ruin his career even if he managed to win the case somehow. His whole facade was going to crumble and he would likely never be re-elected in Hatchetfield or any nearby towns. That is, if the town didn’t call for his immediate removal from office. Duke felt like a bit of a heel for falling for Lauter’s little publicity game. After all, Duke knew better than anyone that public domestic facades were often not everything they appeared to be. He felt like a fool for falling for it but he always wanted to believe the best in people. Leave it to a slimy politician to be so convincing.
The aftermath of the hearing was going to be where the real mess came in. If Solomon Lauter was really as vindictive as Steph said (and Duke was always inclined to believe the kids that came to him) then he was going to make Steph’s life very difficult. He would likely drag his feet kicking and screaming through any child support proceedings with the hope to time it out until Steph turned eighteen and Lauter no longer had any obligation to her. He would likely prevent her from keeping any of her belongings they hadn’t already removed from his house. He would definitely run a publicity campaign trying to cover it all up or even publicly gaslight Steph. A defamation lawsuit was not out of the question but it would require him to have any evidence pointing to him being in the right or else he would just come off looking worse.
Duke was going to have a bit of a bumpy road ahead of him making sure that Steph was properly taken care of after the hearing. Obviously, he wasn’t just going to drop her and run after it ended. He would have to be in contact with the school and make sure Steph’s guardianship was updated and her performance was being monitored during her transition. He could probably make some calls to get her talking to a therapist and he definitely wanted to make sure the Whalens’ were prepared to support a second teenager. Yeah, this one might be a little messy. But Duke was going to get Steph somewhere safe. He was sure of that.
***
Pete could tell Steph was overwhelmed by the situation. And of course she was, who wouldn’t be? After years of abuse, she was taking her dad to court and fighting like hell to be emancipated from her family. That was a lot for a seventeen year old to handle. She spent a long while after coming over just laying in Pete’s arms. There was something really off about her lately that Pete couldn’t quite put his finger on. She was worn out. The light in her eyes wasn’t there like it always was. It broke Pete’s heart.
After Steph had gotten her fill of cuddles and seemed a little more renewed, she had asked Pete to help her organize her next steps. Finally he felt like he could actually do something tangible. Objectively, Pete knew that providing comfort and emotional support was helping but it never felt like enough. Getting organized, on the other hand, now that was Pete’s specialty. This he could do.
He cleared off the corkboard over his desk and pulled out his color coded index cards.
“God you’re such a nerd,” Steph laughed.
“And what does that make you, then?” Pete sent her a cheeky smile while he sorted his cards.
“I looked it up, the term is ‘sapiosexual.’”
Pete choked on air for a moment. He was still coming to terms with the fact that Stephanie Lauter, who was cool and beautiful and so incredibly kind, was into him. It gave his ego a much needed boost every time she laughed at something he said or moved her seat to sit closer to him. He was still reeling over the fact that she liked kissing him. It took everything in him to focus on the task at hand and not get sidetracked by the hot girl sitting on his bed. But Pete planned on giving Steph literally anything she asked for ever so if she wanted organisational assistance then she was going to get it.
“Okay, so the first step was meeting with a social worker,” Pete said as he pinned a blue index card to the top of the corkboard, “You met with Mr. Keane yesterday so we can check that one off already.”
“He told me to just call him Duke,” Steph said.
“His name is Duke? Like for real?”
“That’s what he said.”
“Damn, lucky him.”
“Oh, I think Pete’s a perfectly good name,” Steph snuggled up against Pete’s shoulder.
“You’re making it very hard to stay focused,” Pete teased as he wrapped his arm around Steph’s shoulders.
“I can’t help it, you just make me feel better.”
Steph leafed through the colored index cards spread out before her. She picked up the stack of green ones and Pete’s sharpie to start jotting some things down.
“I’m happy to help anyway I can,” Pete said sincerely, “I mean it, Steph, anything you need just say so.”
“Will you testify for me?” Steph asked almost timidly, “At the hearing next week?”
Steph held up one of the green cards. She had written out five cards for the second step. ‘Text Screenshots,’ ‘Birth Control,’ ‘Phone Bug,’ ‘Bruises.’ The one she handed to Pete read ‘Witnesses.’
“I’m asking Stacy and her mom too,” Steph continued, “But you’re one of the only people who has seen the real side of my dad in action and not just seen my reaction to it. God, he was so mad that night. When you had the black eye, remember?”
Pete remembered. It was all but burned into his memory. He nodded in understanding.
“He let his guard down,” Steph trailed off distantly for a moment, “Anyway, Duke said your testimonial would be important. If you’re okay with that, I mean.”
“Hey, look at me,” Pete said gently.
He ran his fingers gently across Steph’s cheek to sooth away the worry on her face. She turned up to look at him and Pete felt like he was going to melt away into a sad little puddle at the scared look in Steph’s eyes.
“Anything you need, Steph,” Pete said.
He tried to convey all the big, soft, protective feelings he had for her as well as he could with just a small touch and the look in his eyes. And in a little forehead kiss just for good measure. Pete was starting to understand the full depth of his feelings for Steph. He knew the word for how he felt and he knew the great lengths he would go to for her. But to vocalize all of that now felt not only terrifying but also, in the middle of everything she was dealing with, unfair to ask her to carry. So he would stand by her side and offer her his arms and his reassurances and have faith that the time would come someday for them to talk about their feelings even more. For now he would offer her his help in any way she wanted it.
“Just say the word,” He said.
***
The bell above the door at Beanie’s jingled when Richie and Steph stepped in. The pair of them had stopped into CCRP to talk to Richie’s uncle Paul so he could do some poking around in Steph’s phone to see if there was any evidence it was bugged. Steph had told Richie he didn’t need to come with her since she sort of knew Paul since he was dating Pete’s older brother Ted but Richie insisted that it would be weirder that she was hanging out with his uncle without him even there. Literally what were the odds on that, by the way. Richie didn’t even know Paul and Ted worked together but apparently they’ve been living out some sort of coworkers-to-work-friends-to-real-friends-to-lovers storyline in the boring, grey, overly lit halls of the CCRP office building. Weird relationships were popping up all around him.
Paul had clocked out for his break and suggested they take a walk to Beanie’s to conduct their business there. While a busy coffee shop during lunch hour did not appeal to Richie, it was definitely a preferable option than squeezing into Paul’s cubicle and getting a headache from the harsh lighting. So they bundled up and made the walk.
The place wasn’t as crowded as Richie had feared it would be. It seemed like the January cold had kept most people away. Paul’s face lit up when they waited through the short line and realized the one extra crabby barista was behind the counter.
“Hey, Emma,” Paul greeted cheerfully. Apparently he was on a first name basis with the staff.
“Hey, Paul, welcome in,” She replied with significantly less vitriol than Richie was used to, “What’s with the Mystery Gang? I thought you only had like three weirdo friends from work.”
“Ha ha, very funny,” Paul’s voice was thick with sarcasm, “This is my nephew Richie and his friend Steph.”
Emma gave Steph a significant look over that Richie could not understand.
“Yeah, I’ve seen you guys around,” Was all Emma said.
“Yeah, I don’t think I ever really thanked you for that time last month, by the way,” Steph said, “I don’t know if you remember but my boyfriend and I got in a fight and you brought me hot chocolate and water and it was just really nice of you. So thank you.”
“Yeah, don’t tell anyone though. I’ve got a mean reputation to uphold,” Emma said with a smile.
“Will do,” Steph replied.
Paul offered to pay for their drinks and they all took a booth by the back windows so Paul could get to work.
“Before I look through this,” Paul said, holding Steph’s phone up, “Is there anything on here you don’t want me to see?”
“What, like nudes or something?” Steph said.
“I’d rather you not mention it!” Paul’s ears turned bright red and his voice went all squeaky, “You’re legally a child. But is there anything at all I should be worried about?”
“No, you’re all good.”
Paul took a deep, calming breath and set to work.
“So how are you, I don’t know, feeling, I guess?” Richie knew the general gist of what Steph’s answer would be but it felt like he was supposed to address it somehow.
“Nervous,” She replied, “Like, I know Duke said our case is solid but just, I don’t know. What if this doesn’t work?”
“It will.”
Richie answered quickly but if he was honest with himself, he was also worried. He and Steph hadn’t gotten super close at this point but she was still his friend. She stood up for him and he enjoyed her company. Plus, she made his best friend really, stupidly happy. Above all else, Steph was kind. She deserved kindness in return and Richie was disappointed to learn she wasn’t getting it.
That was the word really: disappointed. At this point in his life, Richie fully understood that bad things happened to good people all the time. He had eighteen years of experience to back that up. But still, it was one thing for some teenage asshole with delusions of grandeur to throw a punch at the scrawny kid he hardly knew just to feel powerful. It felt like something entirely different for a grown man entrusted with the love and support of a child to hurt his own daughter like that. After getting to know Steph more and more over the past several months, Richie had been surprised to learn how much depth she possessed. He never really thought much about the inner workings of the popular kids but Steph was really smart and welcoming and she had passions and insecurities and fears. Against all odds, she became Richie’s friend. And he wanted her to be! He really liked Steph. So when Pete had explained the situation to him and Ruth, the prevailing feeling that draped itself over all of Richie’s thoughts was disappointment. He had hoped she would’ve been safe from all of the shit that the rest of them went through. Surely, someone had to be safe from it.
“It’s gonna work,” Richie continued, “And if it doesn’t work then we’ll regroup and you’ll talk to Mr. Keane again and Stacy’s mom and we’ll all figure something else out.”
Steph gave him a weak smile. Richie wasn’t much for physical comfort but there was always something he liked about holding hands. It was grounding. It helped him keep his fidgety fingers still and prevented him from scratching too heavily at his arms. Pete and Steph seemed to like it a lot, too if their little hand squeeze gesture was anything to go by. He reached across the table to hold Steph’s hand in his, hoping that he could provide her with even some of the comfort Pete always seemed able to.
“I just want this all to be over,” Steph said. Her voice was thick with tears she was holding back.
“It will be,” Richie said.
He was hoping it was true.
***
“Mom?” Ruth’s voice sounded weak even to her.
At the kitchen table, Ruth’s mom looked up from whatever paperwork she was looking over. Her curious gaze turned serious after one look at Ruth’s face.
“Ruth, what’s going on?” She asked after Ruth didn’t continue.
Ruth took a deep breath and steeled herself. She hated that she had to talk about something like this. She hated that this whole situation was happening.
“I have to miss school next Thursday,” She said, “I need you to call me out, please.”
Ruth was proud of how even she had been able to keep her voice.
“What?” Her mom replied, “That’s two days after you get back from break. Why?”
“Well, you know- you know my friend Steph?” Ruth could feel her hands shaking.
“The mayor’s daughter?”
Ruth flinched at the reference to Steph’s dad.
“Well, her dad actually...isn’t that great. And she’s trying to do something about it. On Thursday.”
“Ruth, hun, you’re not making any sense,” Her mom gave her a perplexed look.
Ruth took another deep breath. She knew she was going to have to say it. Steph said they were supposed to use the word. Because that’s what it was and they needed to treat it with that level of severity in order for her to get the proper help.
“Steph’s dad has been abusing her,” Ruth said. Her voice was clear and even as she kept going, “He has been her whole life and it’s only been getting worse. He’s been telling her horrible lies and controlling everything she does and they have evidence he tapped her phone. And- And he put his hands on her. He hurt her. She had bruises all over her arm, I saw them. And she’s going to court to get emancipated and the hearing is on Thursday and we have to be there.”
Ruth’s mom stood from the table to wrap her in a hug and Ruth suddenly realized she was shaking. As her mom held her, tears started to flow down her cheeks.
“We have to be there for her,” Ruth continued through her tears, “She’s so scared. Steph got everyone to stop bullying me and Richie and Pete and everyone else and now she needs help and all we can do is sit there and be there for her so we have to. We have to, I can’t miss it.”
Ruth’s tears overtook her. She stood in the kitchen crying in her mom’s arms, sobbing at the thought that Steph’s mom isn’t around to do this for her and her dad never would. If all they could do was sit in the courtroom and be present on Steph’s behalf, then that’s exactly what they would do. They would all hold her together like Steph deserved.
“Of course, Ruth,” Her mom cooed soothingly, “You’ll be there. We’ll make sure you’re all there for her.”
When Ruth felt a little calmer, she pulled back. Her mom’s eyes were wet but she was keeping herself strong. She was doing it for Ruth’s benefit. Ruth wondered how many times Steph had had to put on a brave face and smile for someone else’s benefit. For her dad’s benefit.
“She’s going to be okay,” Her mom insisted, “She’s in good hands, I’m sure. No one is going to let her keep living somewhere that isn’t safe. Okay?”
Ruth took another deep, calming breath.
“Okay,” She said.
***
The first day back from winter break, Stacy pulled Brenda aside after cheer practice. As everyone else gathered their bags and coats, the two of them climbed the bleachers to take a seat. Stacy caught Richie’s eye and she sent him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. He gave her a little wave in return before making his way to the locker rooms. He would be waiting for her after. Right now, Stacy had to focus on her conversation with Brenda.
“So what’s up?” Brenda asked.
The two of them hadn’t talked much over break. The whole thing with Steph and Pete and Max had gotten really messy and Stacy wasn’t really sure where to pick up from there. Sure, it likely felt extremely hurtful to have been left out of the loop by all your friends. But to tell Max Steph’s secrets with the explicit intention to hurt her was over the line. So beyond some surface level holiday wishes, Stacy and Brenda hadn’t really been in touch.
Stacy had to talk to her now, though. She would be missing school and practice this Thursday to testify at Steph’s hearing and even if she wasn’t, she would be there showing her support. Stacy had offered to be vague about the reason and just say it was a family thing or a trip to the dentist or something but Steph insisted she wanted Brenda to know. The three of them had been friends for ages and if there was any hope of Steph and Brenda patching things up in any way she didn’t want to keep any more secrets. Besides, the news would be out soon. So Steph asked Stacy to tell Brenda the truth.
“Richie and I won’t be at practice this Thursday,” She said, “Steph has a family court hearing to get emancipated from her dad and I have to be there to testify. Richie’s coming out to support her with the others.”
“What?” Brenda was shocked, “What’s going on with her dad?”
“He’s- he’s been abusing her. And- oh my god, Brenda, some of the stuff he’s done to her is just- it’s awful.”
A light headed, flustered feeling was rushing through Stacy as she rushed through her explanation. She desperately wanted to convey the severity of the situation to Brenda but the idea of having to rehash everything made her feel sick. The storm was back tearing through her as she desperately tried to keep herself together. Brenda grabbed Stacy’s hands in her own.
“No,” Brenda breathed. The horror was evident in her voice, “That can’t be real. That’s not- please tell me it’s not real.”
Stacy could only let out a choked sob in response. Brenda’s shoulders all but collapsed.
“Oh my god,” Was all she said.
They sat in the empty gym just holding onto each other and breathing deep, calming breaths.
“Is Steph doing okay?” Brenda asked after a while.
“As okay as she can be I guess,” Stacy replied, “She’s scared, she’s hurting. But we’re trying to fix it. She’s gonna come live with me and my mom.”
“Does she know you’re telling me this?”
“She wanted you to know,” Stacy nodded emphatically, “I know you two have been...tense since you found out about her and Pete but-”
“She’s forgiven,” Brenda cut in, “She’s been forgiven. I mean, I won’t lie, it hurt when I found out but god. The look on her face when Max told the whole school? I have never regretted anything more than I regret telling Max her secret. Plus she was right, I absolutely would not have kept my mouth shut if she had told me. I will about this though, oh my god. Is this a secret? I swear I won’t tell anyone!”
“It’s not a secret but like, it’s not not a secret either. She doesn’t want to advertise it to the whole school or anything but like, people are gonna know eventually, so.”
Brenda heaved a heavy sigh and Stacy felt it in her bones.
“How are you doing?” Brenda asked her.
“Oh,” Stacy was surprised by that, “It’s not really about me. I just want to be there for Steph.”
“Right, obviously. And when I see Steph I’m gonna let her know that I love her and I’m here for her and no matter what’s going on between us that’s always gonna be true. But Steph isn’t here right now. Stace, you’ve been doing a lot of emotional heavy lifting for months- and this is not a dig against Steph for needing that! But you’re my best friend too and I want to make sure that you’re okay and you have people in your corner. This is all really fucked up and we’re like, still kids. So you know. How are you holding up?”
Stacy thought about what Brenda had said. It was all true, of course. It was something Stacy herself had been thinking about for a long time. She felt emotionally drained. Anytime she had a moment to herself, she was so tuned out from everything. She locked in on her Switch games and cried in the shower and plastered a smile on her face before she went downstairs for breakfast. She felt guilty for feeling so exhausted because Steph needed her and she would never ever blame Steph for that. But that didn’t stop it all from feeling too heavy for her to hold sometimes.
She leaned her head against Brenda’s shoulder and Brenda wrapped a comforting arm around her.
“I’m ready for this all to be over,” She said.
***
The bell rang signalling the end of fourth period. The students sprung to life, bustling about to get their things together. Tom watched carefully as they all filed out of the classroom, waiting just long enough to catch Steph just before she stepped into the hall.
“Oh, Steph, could I speak with you please?” He asked, “It’s nothing bad, I promise.”
He watched Stephanie exchange a look with Hannah. Steph had taken it upon herself to be Hannah Foster’s new shop class partner and personal defense team against some of the older kids who liked to pick on Hannah. Tom was relieved to see they were finally starting to lay off. He knew Lex appreciated it, too.
“Come on, Hannah Banana,” Lex said, “I’ll walk you to class. We’ll let them talk.”
Lex put down the rag she had been using to dust off the table saw and crossed the room to steer Hannah toward the door. Before leaving, Hannah turned back to Steph.
“Good ending this time,” Was all Hannah said before she and Lex stepped out of the room.
Steph stood in front of Tom fidgeting nervously with the hem of her flannel. Tom leaned against his desk gearing himself up to break out his softer side.
“She really likes you, you know,” He said, gesturing after Hannah, “I appreciate you looking out for her. Lex, too.”
“It’s no problem. Hannah’s cool,” Steph replied.
Tom sighed and trudged on
“Listen, Steph. The guidance counselor, Miss Holiday, asked us not to overwhelm you,” He said, “I volunteered to speak on behalf of all of your teachers. We’ve been made aware of your situation at home and first of all, I want to say that I’m really sorry you’ve been living with that. That’s a really fucked up thing for a kid to deal with, excuse my language.”
“Thanks, Mr. Houston,” Steph said. Her voice had faded into a timid whisper that was so uncharacteristic of what Tom knew of her.
“We all wanted to let you know that if you need anything from us, any help in class or any extra time on assignments, anything we can do to make things easier on you right now, please don’t hesitate to reach out. And that goes for all your teachers. Okay?”
Steph only nodded. The shift in her posture and the lack of eye contact once the topic of her home situation came up was impossible to miss. It made Tom sick. As a father- one who had also lost his wife, at that!- he couldn’t fathom looking at his son and being able to lay his hands on him. He couldn’t imagine any possibility in which he could speak to Tim the way Steph’s father had apparently been speaking to her. There was no way Lauter could possibly justify that. If Tom ever caught him on the streets, well. Steph didn’t need to worry about that. What Steph needed right now was reassurance.
“Listen, Steph,” Tom said, “I know you’ve got your friends and plenty of grown ups in your corner. I’m glad you’re in safe hands. If there’s ever anything I can do to help, please just let me know. I mean it.”
Steph looked back up at him for the first time since the door had shut behind Hannah and Lex. The sad, tired look in her eyes broke Tom’s heart. Under all the rugged machismo, he was really just a big softy. His son had a permanent place in his heart, of course. Lex and Hannah had crept their way in there too. Now it appeared that Steph was making an appearance as well.
“You’re a good kid,” Tom continued, “You’re a role model for your peers and the younger students. You’ve got a big group of people who care about you all standing up to help you when you need it and they’re not just standing by you out of principle. You make people want to take care of you. You’re gonna be okay, Steph. We’re all gonna make sure of it.”
“Thanks, Mr. Houston,” Steph offered him a weak smile.
“Here,” He said softly, “Let me write you a note for your next class.”
“Thank you.”
***
Grace needed to talk to Steph. The two of them only had one class together this year but Steph had disappeared down the hallways with Pete before Grace had a chance to catch her attention. Now the final bell had already rung and Grace knew Steph wouldn’t be in class the next day and she was feeling a little frantic in her search. Her window of opportunity was closing. Luckily, Grace had a pretty confident guess as to where she could find Steph at this hour. Sure enough, as she turned the corner, Grace spotted Steph leaning next to Pete’s locker. The two of them were standing far too close together and Steph was fixing Pete’s collar and touching his neck and that just would not do.
“Leave room for Jesus!” Grace called from half way down the hall.
“God, butt out Chastity!” Steph groaned.
“I will not ‘butt out,’ Stephy,” Grace replied, “We’re at school! Young students come here to learn and to better themselves. Imagine my surprise when I turned the corner only to see you and Petey in Carnal embrace!”
“‘Petey’” Pete echoed in confusion.
“Do you think you could excuse us?” Grace turned to Pete, “I have something really important I need to talk to Stephy about. I’ve been looking for her all day.”
Pete looked to Steph hesitantly for a moment before Steph let out a heavy sigh.
“Go on,” She told him, “Ruth and Richie are waiting.”
“You sure?” He asked.
“I’ll survive.”
Pete smiled down to Steph and leaned in to press a lingering kiss to her lips. Scandalized, Grace let out a gasp and covered her eyes to block out such inappropriate behavior.
“I’ll text you, okay?” Pete smiled at Steph once again.
“Okay,” She replied.
While Grace could never support the sort of premarital sexual activity Pete and Steph engaged in in such a public manner, the love shared between the two of them was undoubtable. Grace saw the same looks they exchanged reflected in her parents every day and she hoped to one day find that sort of connection with someone. Some day, though. Not today. Today, Grace had more important matters to take care of.
“Stephy, I wanted to talk to you privately about something very serious,” Grace said once Pete left for the library.
“What is it, Grace?” Steph asked with an air of disinterest.
“Well, my dad was at town hall the other day talking with your dad about some potential business partnership when Mr. Keane came in. You know, the social worker?”
“Yeah, I know him,” Steph had gone pale and quiet.
“He tried to speak to your dad privately but your dad kept insisting her make an appointment for next week and eventually, Mr. Keane just barreled through the conversation to serve your dad a court summons for your case and...”
Grace trailed off when she caught Steph’s eye. There was a sad, hollow look that Grace had never seen before. Not on Steph, at least. Without a thought, Grace reached out to run her hands comfortingly over Steph’s arms.
“Stephy, I’m so sorry that happened to you,” She said softly, “It shouldn’t have.”
“Thanks, Grace,” Steph replied meekly.
If there’s one word that felt like it should never be used to describe Stephanie Lauter, it was meek. Grace had always admired Steph’s conviction. Even though the two of them were often on different sides of an issue or went about things in different ways, at their hearts they were both trying to take care of the people around them. They were trying to protect the people they loved in the best ways they each knew how. And Steph needed to be loved right now so Grace was going to do what she knew best. But at the same time, Grace had been thinking a lot about much of what Steph and Pete had said to her in the past few months. She wanted to help Steph which meant she would have to do something that Steph would appreciate not just something Grace thought Steph should appreciate. So Grace decided to ask for permission.
“I want to help,” She said, “But I don’t want to impose. I don’t know where you’re staying right now but would it be okay if I try to set up a meal train for you? Just a small one! My mom’s really good at them, she would take care of a lot of it. And I’m sure Pete’s family would want to help and maybe Ruth. That way you and whoever you’re living with now wouldn’t have to worry about cooking while you move and deal with the court hearing and all of that. I just- I want to help.”
“That’d be really nice, Grace,” Steph said softly. Despite the lingering weakness in her voice, there was a small smile on her face.
“I wanted to ask you first. I didn’t want to overstep if you wouldn’t want that,” Grace said.
She tried to convey how much she had cared and tried to listen to everything Steph had tried to tell her. She was trying really, really hard to grow. Steph put a hand on Grace’s shoulder and Grace knew that she understood. She felt tension leave her shoulders that she hadn’t even realized she’d been carrying and she smiled at Steph.
“Here,” Steph said, “Let me give you my number so I can get you the address. Stacy’s allergic to peanuts but I don’t think there would be any other issues.”
“Okay!”
Grace felt a little thrill rush through her. She did the right thing! There were ways to grow and compromise and be good and help the people around her. She just wished she could do more.
***
Clouds covered the sky on Thursday morning.
It was six o’clock on the day of the court hearing.
Steph felt like she was going to be sick.