Read Online Cold Calls by Charles Benoit - Free Book Online Page B

the fronts of their desks. Eric had liked it better when they sat in rows. It was easier to ignore people, especially when you didn’t know who they were. Now when one of them spoke, everybody looked.
    Ms. Owens sighed. “Give me a break here, people. This is our last video clip, and then we’re done. But I gotta have some participation before I let you go.”
    Annalise and the scared kid—whose name was Cody—raised their hands.
    â€œI thought it was good,” Annalise said. “I liked how it worked out like that in the end.”
    Ms. Owens nodded slowly. “You too, son? Okay. How about the rest of you?”
    They all mumbled agreement.
    â€œThink it was realistic?”
    â€œSure,” Greg said. “Chip apologized and Matt said it was cool and they moved on. Done.”
    â€œI think Chip’s girlfriend has a real attitude problem,” the girl apparently named Docelyn said. “I don’t know what he saw in her, anyway.”
    Eric and Greg exchanged knowing glances that made Cody giggle and Annalise and the goth girl roll their eyes.
    Ms. Owens made them wait, then said, “What did you think of what Chip said to the counselor?”
    The girl with the headscarf, Fatima, looked up from her scribbling and raised her hand. “I think it showed that he understood how Matt was feeling and how his actions were hurting other people. I think that that was his life-changing, empathetic, breakthrough moment,” she said, checking her notes and lifting a line from the film.
    â€œI see,” Ms. Owens said, still nodding. “Any other thoughts?”
    They all said no, that pretty much covered it, Fatima had said what they were thinking, each of them sneaking a glance up to the clock.
    â€œWell,” Ms. Owens said, really smiling for the first time. “Either you’re all a bunch of liars, or you’re dumb as posts. Which is it?”
    A girl named Sandra sat up. “I don’t like being called a liar.”
    â€œAnd I don’t like being lied to. And for the record, you could have picked being called dumb.” She rolled the TV cart out of the way and pulled up a chair. “Honestly, do any of you really think it’s going to be that easy for you to go back to your school? That all it’s going to take is one five-minute talk with a school counselor and everything is going to be fine? That the kids you bullied are going to forgive you? Ever? Their parents can still press charges—you know that, don’t you?”
    â€œI thought that this program—”
    â€œ
This?
Girl, please. This is a waste of your time, my time, Rick’s time”—she nodded to the security guard—“taxpayer dollars, and the gas it took to drive you here.”
    Greg shook his head. “Then why are we here?”
    â€œBecause you
have
to be here. Your principals identified you as bullies, and in this county that means you have to attend this workshop and watch these videos—which
somebody
bought two years ago, sight unseen, and now we’re stuck with them. And you were stuck watching them.”
    â€œIf the program’s no good, then why don’t they do something better?”
    â€œYou don’t deserve anything better, that’s why. At least from their point of view. Remember,
you
are the problem,” Ms. Owens said, making eye contact with each of them as she said it. “
You
are the bullies.
You
are the ones that ruin a school’s reputation and lead to bad rankings on statewide lists. All this program does is remind you of who is really in charge. And it ain’t you.”
    â€œGreat,” Annalise said, laughing. “So when I go back to school next Monday—”
    â€œYou’re
still
the problem. And nothing’s going to suddenly change, either. Your parents still won’t trust you, your teachers will still assume you’re a disciplinary issue, the good kids will