Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare for Everyone Else)

  Chapter Two

  “Is she going to be okay?” Principal Francis asked, watching the girl sob heavily. “What a mess. I’ll make sure that the school takes note that that young man’s actions were not appropriate Globe School District behavior.”

  Leo finally released his daughter, taking a step away from her. “I hope you’re looking towards the ground, Heaven because you are no longer worthy of such a name.”

  “Leo, stop!” Bea shouted. “We don’t even know if what Clark said was true.”

  “I wish I had a son,” Leo said.

  “Dad, please,” Heaven said through her tears. “Will you stop being so dramatic? I’m standing right here, you know.”

  “I gave you everything that a child could ever want,” Leo went on, “and this is how you repay me? By conducting yourself in such a manner that you were shamed like this in front of the whole student body? Don’t you realize what this will do to your reputation? If those pictures start circulating around the school—”

  “There are no pictures,” Heaven said. “I’m sure Clark knows that in the back of his mind.”

  “I still can’t believe he acted like that,” Bennett said, shaking his head. “Clark’s rash, but I never expected that.”

  “He’s acted rashly before,” Beatriz snapped. “You know how Clark can be. He’s so trusting of others. It doesn’t matter where the words come from, so long as he can understand them.”

  “Alright,” Bennett said, “but, Beatriz, were you with Heaven on the night Clark was talking about?”

  “I don’t think so. I can hardly remember—”

  “Then it’s true!” Leo shouted. “That’s even more proof! You two are never separated! You’re always together! Why would Clark lie? What would Donnie or Jason hope to gain from it? He was a good guy and I was happy that you two were dating in the first place. To think that he was so upset that he would make a scene like this.”

  A throat was cleared loudly behind them. “You all must calm down,” Principal Francis said, looking around. “I’ve been the principal at this school since Heaven was a freshman so I’d like to think that I’m pretty aware of what is going on in my school, especially with our more popular students. I don’t think what Clark said is true.”

  “She’s guilty,” Leo said. “You saw how Clark reacted.”

  “I also saw how your daughter reacted,” the principal went on. “We must give her the benefit of the doubt. Heaven, did you have anyone in your room these past few nights?”

  “No one!” Heaven shouted. “I don’t even know what they’re talking about. I wasn’t in my room with another guy.”

  “Not even Andrew?” Leo said.

  “No,” Bea said. “They were never alone.”

  “So you see it’s not true,” Heaven said. “Dad, if there was ever a case where you thought that I was acting indecently you would’ve been the first to know because I’m not able to keep secrets from you.”

  “Then it’s obvious,” Bennett said. “The guys are misunderstanding something. I trust Donnie and Clark, though they can both act like idiots, but I don’t trust Jason being involved. Why was he suddenly hanging out with all of us? Donnie and Clark said nothing to me, but Jason kept on showing up with this shit-eating grin on his face. I don’t trust him.”

  “You just better hope this is a rumor and there isn’t real proof,” Leo said to Heaven. “You’ll stand no chance of getting into a decent college.”

  “Now, now,” Principal Francis said. “Let’s not overreact, Mr. Clark—”

  “But,” Leo interrupted, “if they are making up lies to ruin my daughter, they will have to deal with me. I’m not so old that I can’t take on a pair of cocky, ignorant boys. If they made this up I’ll chase them all down – Jason included – to the ends of the Earth if it’s found that my Heaven is innocent and forced me to speak to her in this manner. I know where they want to go to college and I have many friends. I will destroy their futures for trying to ruin my daughter’s.”

  “Please, calm down,” the principal said. “I understand that you’re upset but I do not condone interfering with these young men’s futures.”

  “They are not my children,” Leo shot back.

  “Regardless,” he said. “What we need to do is clear. Are you caught up with your school work, Heaven?”

  “What do you mean?” Heaven asked through her sniffles. She was finally beginning to calm down.

  “I think it best that you take a leave for a bit,” the principal said. “Maybe a small vacation…”

  “We can say that you were too embarrassed to show your face back at school,” Bennett said. “It’s going to be a mess here. That’s actually not a bad idea.”

  “What will that do to solve the mystery?” Leo asked.

  “Clark and Donnie may be men, but they’re not monsters,” Beatriz said. “They’ll regret making Heaven feel so terrible that she doesn’t feel comfortable returning to school. We can draw on Heaven’s locker and make it look like she’s being abused.”

  “They won’t like that,” Bennett said, smiling over at Beatriz. “Clark won’t be able to stand hearing anyone else calling her the same things that he just said.”

  “We can also create doubt,” Heaven said. “Bennett, Bea, you have to talk to Donnie and Clark and find out who told them about this. Do they actually have proof? Did they see my face? They say that they saw things through my window, but why were they there in the first place? The more doubt there is, the more it will feed into Clark’s guilt.”

  “I agree,” Principal Francis said. “It’ll keep things clean at the school.”

  “What if this doesn’t work?” Leo asked.

  “Well…” Principal Francis said, “We’ll just have to hope that there is no proof to these rumors.”

  Heaven looked shocked. “How would we do that? And what’s going to happen to him? He’s the one who—”

  “We could always move,” Leo agreed. “Away from the eyes, tongues and minds of those who are too ignorant to listen to both sides of the story.”

  “I don’t like it, but it’ll have to do,” Bennett said. “Even though Donnie and Clark are my good friends, I’ll do my best to help out. I’ll talk to both of them.”

  “Thank you, Bennett,” Heaven said, smiling wearily. “I know how hard this’ll be for you.”

  “Not nearly as hard as it will be for you,” Bennett said.

  “We don’t have a choice in the matter,” Leo said. “Heaven, until this rumor is cleared up, I’ll play my role, but you are still in a lot of trouble until we can prove this didn’t happen.” He noticed the tears building up again in his daughter’s eyes and, not able to look at her, he turned away. “Come, I’ll take you home,” he said, dropping his camera’s memory card in the trash can as he walked past. There was no need to look at those pictures.

  “I must return to the dance,” the principal said, leaving Bea and Bennett standing behind the stage, looking uneasily at one another.