"I don't have any money," Teddy responded while trying to give the packet back.   "My brother, Michael, told me not to take anything from strangers."

     "Michael?  You don't mean Michael Kirkpatrick."  He patted himself on the back for picking out Michael's brother for this.  "So you're Michael's brother.  Tell him Leo says 'hi'."

     "I don't want this," Teddy shoved the bag into Leo's hand and moved away quickly.

     Halfway to Michael, a hand suddenly caught Teddy's arm and pulled him from the crowd, away from the snack stand.  Realizing it was an adult, Teddy didn't struggle until his internal alarm bell rose to panic.

     "What's the matter?  Where are you taking me?  You're a stranger."

     Assistant Principal Martinez kept walking.  "Just come with me."

     "Michael!" Teddy yelled.

     Michael glimpsed Teddy disappearing behind the bleachers,  He ran as fast as possible through the crowd and stopped short when he saw Teddy being held by Mr. Martinez.

     "What are you doing to my brother?" Michael yelled as he pulled Teddy to him.  Holding Teddy tightly, Michael glared at the vice principal.

     "This is your brother?"  Mr. Martinez knew Michael and had heard about Michael's mentally-challenged brother.  "I'm sorry, Michael, but I just saw him hand off a plastic bag to an older boy.  I was just going to ask your brother about it.  That's all.  I'm sorry if I scared you, son," he added directly to Teddy.

     Mr. Martinez's apology seemed sincere to Michael, but it still sounded as though Teddy were in some kind of trouble.  "What are you accusing Teddy of?" Michael asked through tight lips.

     "You know we have to check out suspicious things like this."

     Michael turned to Teddy.  "What about it, Bud?  Did you give something suspicious to someone?"  Suddenly Michael realized that something was not quite right about the situation.  "Wait a minute..." Michael turned back to Mr. Martinez.  "Where is this other person?  Who was it?"

     "It was Leo," Teddy broke in.  "He said he knew you, Michael.  He told me to tell you 'hi'."

     "If it's the guy I think it is, I've heard of him.  Teddy, you are never to have anything to do with him.  Understand?"

     "Yes, Michael.  Are you mad at me?"

     "No.  Just tell Mr. Martinez what happened."

     After Teddy finished relating the events, Michael was more than satisfied that Teddy had proven himself innocent of any wrongdoing.

     Looking pained, Mr. Martinez said, "Turn your pockets inside out, Teddy."

     Of course, Teddy had no drugs or any incriminating residue.  But Mr. Martinez explained that no matter how innocent and inadvertent Teddy's actions had been, he had handled the plastic bag and the school had no choice but to place Teddy on OCS - on campus suspension - for two weeks.

     "What?  That's not fair!"  Michael was so incensed he bellowed his remarks at the vice principal, drawing the attention of everyone nearby.  "This Leo guy doesn't get in trouble but Teddy is on OCS?  He can't even wait for me when basketball practice starts?  I'm not going to tell Coach I'll miss practice because Teddy can't stay home alone - YOU tell him."

     Mr. Martinez's mouth dropped as Michael led Teddy away.  The school wasn't going to like this.  The basketball coach wasn't going to like it.   But rules are rules...aren't they?

                                  *          *          *

From this beginning Michael soon finds himself plunged into the world of drugs among teenagers and finds he must either find some way to stop them or risk seeing Teddy unwittingly drawn into that world. 

 

                                  *          *          *

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