"That's the Chad I remember."

 

When the school got demolished, I found this in the wreckage of he wood shop and kept it.

Back in the day, I had this vice principal.

This guy was just a dirtbag.

Not in the usual sense of, "I'm a problematic student," in the Pink Floyd sense of, "There were certai tehacers who would hurt the children in any way they could..."

He was that kind of guy.

Once, in art class, a guy and I were flirting with the same girl and he decided to snort Crystal Light to impress her. I told him this would hurt, don't do it, but when he told me to fuck off and did it anyway, yeah, I laughed. He decked me.

When I got in trouble, I had this VP tell me it was my fault and I have "this remarkable ability to make a black-and-white situation seem gray."

This seemed strange to me, as I was always taught physical violence like this is unacceptable, but that's Joe for ya.

Since my mother is now one of his employees, I thought he should know about the abuse she enabled.

Did I really think he would help me?

No, but I wanted it on the record.

First, he pretended not to remember me. Then, he slipped up and I got, "That's the Chad I remember."

Then I got police at my door.

Thanks, Joey, I've got the police at my door for reporting child abuse. You're supposed to protect children, not get your rocks off to abuse.

But that's the Joe Webster I remember.

In ninth grade, a classmate's ister had her iPod stolen. I figured out who stole it, played dumb, and then took the iPod and ran when I was suppoed to "buy" it. I went to Joey and turned it in, as this situation had to do with my former school.

Joseph was happy to take the iPod, but when I asked if I could stay in the school for a few minutes because the guy was out there with a knife—I do remember hi gleeful grin as he said, "Nope."

Anyway, he's gone from VP to principal now. I think it's just great, right?

I used to want to TP and egg this asshole's house so bad, but I neer did it. What I do remember is that I knew his house. Right by a rich part of town, kinda a "rich person starter pack."

You, too, can own such a beautiful house right near one of the wealthiest part of town—all you gotta do is cover up some abuse.

I wonder if he thinks about that, and about how my parents are just down the road and are a step higher on the social ladder.

"I won't fight back.You gonna top me physically?"

I know one thing, as I hang up from another 911 call and being told they won't investigate my lder brother because wrong department.

I would never commit unspeakable crimes.

But if I did, I'd probably be rewarded instead of in trouble.

That's a problem, so I'mma keep reporting bad things to the proper authorities because that's all I can do.

And then I'm having a drunk about it.

It sickens me to the core—knowing I'm in trouble.

Reliving whatI went through.

Thinking about the enablers. 

I always figured: turn it in, you did the right think.

But in reality,  just go back to that porch. Back to the burning pictures. Back to mom telling me to shut up, or else, because protect your big brother the hero.

Protect kid diddler Ken!

I think they're all the same.

Alice, Scott, Joe, Kenny, Jasmine: an abused child should be everyone's problem.

Especially if you're a Mandated Reporter like Alice or Joey.

If you're a parent, like all of them.

At some point, I don't think there's a difference between "ironically" laughing at a child's abuse and "meaning it." That kid's still been abused and you're enabling it to continue.

Oh.And your big hero now has a child nearing his preferred age for victims. Seems like a fucking problem.

And I mean... on one end, the guy's protecting a pedo.

On the other, he's recognized for supposedly caring about abuse?

As if. Joe knows how abuse works, I'm sure he got the same training my mom did as a Mandated Reporter—probably more.

He's got weasel words. Just like Mommy.

But when mom burns the pics, you don't have proof, then you get mocked, and they get away with it.

I had another visit from the police and another night of terror. 

I relived, again. And I wondered why. I don't hurt people. I don't molest kids. 

Joe's resource officer? When I went there?

A guy who got canned for getting handjobs.

You, too, can be like Ron Moore: all you have to do is threaten to pull a gun on a kid siting down with his hands behind him because "he was a threat." "We're all 17," is a crime, after all, and he never asked for our ages, it was for mine.

Great fucking team.They care.