wendycrosses

Chapter Three
Wendy Crosses The Line

    Wendy had heard of Ricky�s run in with his teacher, Mr. Parker and their father, and when she plucked Sam out of the rec room the next afternoon after lunch, he told her Ricky was very upset and wasn�t coming downstairs. Wendy wrote Ricky a note and had Sam take it to him. A few minutes later, Sam returned with the note. Wendy took it from him, found a private corner, took a deep breath and opened the note. As her eyes scanned the page, tears filled them. Ricky wasn�t coming downstairs. He told her he was fine, but that he just wanted to be alone. Wendy moped around the entire rest of the day. Though he said he was fine, Wendy couldn�t help but to worry. She finally took the note from her pocket, scribbled a response and sent Sam back upstairs. When he returned a few minutes later, he didn�t have the note.

     �Is he coming down?� she asked.

     �He said he was sorry, but that he doesn�t want to right now,� Sam replied. He is really mad a Daddy for not letting him explain what happened yesterday.�

     Wendy hugged Sammy. �Thanks for trying.�

     Sammy smiled, and ran off down the hall. Wendy took a seat on the steps that lead to the girls side and waited. As she sat waiting, she saw her father, mother and another adult standing at the end of the hall chatting. Wendy jumped up and started toward them. As she got closer she noticed, her father started laughing. Anger and frustration surrounded her, for she didn�t understand why her father could punish Ricky and not be bothered by Ricky�s choice to stay in his room. Wendy clinched her fists and continued down the hall.

     �Ricky won�t come downstairs and it�s all your fault!� she shouted.

     Mark stopped smiling and turned to Wendy. �What is this all about?� he asked in concern.

     �How can you just stand here and laugh like nothing is wrong? Like you didn�t do anything wrong!�

     �Calm down, Wendy,� Patricia said as she reached for Wendy�s arm.

     �Wendy!� Mark scolded.

     Wendy threw her arms into the air. �You didn�t even give him a chance to explain. You don�t even care how he feels or that he hates it here. He hates you now and that doesn�t even bother you! Maybe I should hate you too!�
Wendy continued to shout.

     �I don�t know where this is coming from, but I think you had better stop this behavior before you come to regret it!� Mark scolded.

     �You know what I think? I think you should regret what you did to Ricky!�

     �That�s it, young lady! Get up to your room!� Mark grabbed Wendy�s arm and turned her around. �Now!�

     �No I won�t go upstairs! I�m never listening to you again!� Suddenly she felt someone clutch her arm. She turned and looked up, but fear wasn�t what she felt, she still felt angry, and couldn�t keep her mouth closed.

     �I do not understand this defiant behavior coming from you,� Mark scolded as they walked briskly down the hall.

     �I think you�re mean!� Wendy yelled.

     �And you need a cool down time!� he scolded.

     As they continued on, Wendy�s rude behavior didn�t stop. Her rude disrespectful comments kept coming until they reached one of the room down the hall from the infirmary.

     Mark opened the door and then turned Wendy toward him. �As much as you need to be across my knee right now, you need a cool down time more. I think once you come to your senses and realize what you have done, you will feel bad. I will not tolerate such behavior, and I will not discuss Ricky, or his punishment with you. If you had been civil, I might have, but I won�t now. Now get inside!�

     �I won�t!� Wendy yelled.

     Suddenly, Wendy saw a familiar body come around the corner. Her eyes widened when she saw Mr. Parker, and she scurried into the room.

     �You will stay in here until I come back for you, do you understand me?�

     Wendy just scowled and turned away. Mark closed the door.

     �What is going on?� Mr. Parker asked. �I could hear the commotion all the way down the hall.�

     �I don�t know what has gotten into those two lately,� Mark said. But I intend to find out and put a stop to it.�

     Wendy took a deep breath when she heard the two voices fade away. She was too angry to fully understand the severity of what she had just done. She paced the floor of the small room that contained a single bed in one corner, and a small table in the other. Finally she stood by the door, and when she heard nothing, she checked the doorknob. It wasn�t locked, so Wendy opened the door and peeked out. She didn�t hear anything and she didn�t see anyone. Before she could think, and before her anger subsided and the magnitude of what she had done, hit her, she bolted from the room. He had told her to stay, but she wanted him to know that if she didn�t want to listen to him, she didn�t have to and wasn�t going too. Wendy walked to the end of the hall, and out of the exit door into the side yard.

     �He will be sorry!� she grumbled.

     Mark went to his and Patricia�s private quarters and paced the floor as Patricia sat and listened as he expressed his frustrations.

     �I do not know what that was all about. Wendy has never been so disrespectful.� Mark said.

     �It is shocking behavior. Do you think she has been up to see Ricky today?� Patricia asked.

     �I wouldn�t think she would do such a thing, but after he display a few minutes ago, anything is possible.�

     �Well, how do you intend to deal with this situation?� Patricia asked.

     �The day is still early. I think she can just sit in that room and think. I will take her supper later, and see if she has come to her senses, and then the two of us are going to have a long talk.�

     Mark gave himself some time to cool down, and as he was sitting at the supper table, he noticed the other children staring at him. When supper was over, he pulled all of their kids aside and told them what had happened and that Ricky was in his room by choice, but that Wendy was being confined because of her rude, disrespectful behavior. Most of the children understood, but Alex worried. She was shocked at what Wendy had done, but she didn�t want her to be spanked. After most of the kids went about their business, Mark picked up Wendy�s supper and headed for the room. Patricia took supper to Ricky.

     Mark paused outside of the door, hoping that the confinement had given
Wendy some time to think and to improve her attitude. When Mark opened the door, he dropped the tray of food onto the floor. Mark shook his head in amazement as stared at the empty room. He slammed the door, and headed up to Ricky�s room. Patricia and Ricky were talking when he entered, and he could tell by the look on Ricky�s face, that Wendy had not been up there. Mark alerted a few other adults and with the help of some of the other children, they searched the school. Wendy was nowhere inside of the school. Mark finally went into Mr. Parkers office and called the authorities. The next few hours passed as Mark drove around looking for Wendy. Finally as it grew to dark to see, Mark returned to the school just in time to help Patricia tuck the other children in. Finally, Mark went in to talk to Ricky.

     �Did you find her?� Ricky asked.

     �Richard, if you have any idea where she might go, I want you to tell me�

     Ricky thought for a minute and then turned toward Mark. �I don�t know for sure. She is just mad so she wouldn�t go too far.� Suddenly Ricky�s eyes widened. �What about the church?�

     Mark�s eyes widened. �I haven�t checked the church because it is so close I didn�t think she would go there.�

     �It doesn�t mean she will be there, but she might,� Ricky replied.

     Mark quickly headed out of the door, down the hall and out of the school. There were always some lights on in the church in case one of the neighbors wished to come in for private prayer, so no one would have thought anything of it if the light inside was on. Mark hurried up the steps and through the doors, making sure to be quiet. He slowly opened the double doors that lead into the sanctuary and stepped inside. He looked around, and though the lights were dim, he didn�t see anyone. He walked down the center isle toward the pulpit and then back toward the doors. Wendy wasn�t in the sanctuary. �Classrooms?� Mark whispered. He quickly left the church and headed toward the building where the Sunday school classrooms were, but the building was locked. Mark headed back toward the school. As he reached the steps of the school, he heard a car pull off of the main road into the school. Mark turned to see a police car pull up and park a few feet away.

     �I think I have something that belongs to you,� the sheriff said as he stepped out of the car and opened the back door.

     Mark approached the car and bent down to look inside. Wendy sat in the back seat with her hands cuffed behind her back. Her eyes cast to the floor of the car.

     �You cuffed her?� Mark asked.

     �That little girl can be feisty with those hands of hers when she wants to be. I told her she�d better stop of else, and as you can see, she chose the latter of the two.

     �Where did you find her?�

     �Out on route six,� the sheriff replied.

     Mark bent down again and peeked in. �You ready to get out, or should I just let the sheriff book you into detention?� Mark asked.

     Wendy sniffled and then scooted toward the door.   As much as she didn�t want to face Mark, she didn�t want to go to juvenile hall even more.

     The sheriff turned her around, and removed the handcuffs. Are you going to behave yourself, or do I need to leave them on? He asked.

     �You can take them,� she whispered.

     When the cuffs came off, Wendy immediately started rubbing her wrists.

     �Well, Mark, you can sleep easy knowing she is here and not on the streets,� the sheriff said.

     �Thank you, Sheriff.�

     The sheriff nodded and then got into his car and drove away. Wendy suddenly felt alone and scared. She knew she had done something really bad, worse than anything she had ever done since she came to be at Barrington Hall.

     �It�s late! While you�re still able, I suggest you get your butt back into that room where I left you, and into bed!� Mark scolded.

     When Wendy turned toward the building, Mark gave her a quick swat on the seat of her skirt. �Hurry up!� he yelled.

     Wendy jumped and ran toward the building. She ran down the hall, around the corner, past the doorway that lead to the cafeteria, past the stairs, around the corner again and down the hall toward her new room. When she entered, she ran and threw herself onto the bed and cried. �How will I ever make him forgive me?�

     Wendy lay on the bed drowning the pillow with tears when she heard the doorknob turn. She quickly turned and watched. What would she ever say to him. How would she ever get through the punishment her father was sure to administer. What would she say to her mother about how she behaved, and worst of all, what would Ricky say?� Wendy jumped up and quickly wiped the tears from her eyes when she saw Ricky slip through the door. Wendy started to cry again as Ricky came closer. Looking forward to his hug and shoulder to cry on, she walked toward him. Wendy�s stomach took a leap into her throat when he grabbed her by the arm.

     �How could you scare me like that?� he asked. �What were you thinking?�

     �I was angry at Dad for what he did to you!� she cried.

     �Wendy, how many times do I have to say it? I can take care of myself, and you running away cause you get mad at Mark for whippin� me, doesn�t help either of us. All it does, is gets you strapped too. How do you think I feel knowing what�s going to happen to you? I can take a whippin� but I can�t take him giving you one. It pisses me off, and when I get pissed I do stupid shit. Shit that doesn�t go anyone any good, especially me. Got it?�

     Wendy looked down at the floor, �Yeah I got it!� she replied.

     �Where did Mark find you?�

     Wendy looked up at Ricky. �The sheriff found me and brought me home.�

     Ricky shook his head. �What did the sheriff say?�

     �He said I could have gone to Juvenile Detention,� she replied.

     �I won�t ever let that happen,� he replied.

     Ricky wrapped his arms around Wendy and held her tight.

     �What am I going to do, Ricky? I said some really awful things to Daddy. Really bad things and I think Mr. Parker may have heard some of it.�

     Ricky looked at Wendy in worry, as she stood in front of him and told him everything that she had said to Mark.

     Ricky pulled Wendy away and then held onto both of her arms gently. �You said all of that and then ran away?�

     Wendy nodded.

     �Wendy, you have to listen to me very carefully. I was hoping he wouldn�t do more to you than ground you, but if you said all of those things, I know it�s going to be worse than that. When he comes back, you better tell him how sorry you are. I know it won�t save you from getting whipped, but it might make him be a little more lenient with you. As much as I didn�t really want to, when he whipped me earlier, I made a decision to not add to it, so I did what he said and I didn�t fight it. I took it the best I could, and it was over quicker than if I had put up a fight. I know your sorry.�

     Wendy jumped in. �How do you know I�m sorry?� she asked.

     �Because I know you, and how much you care about Mark. You let your anger take over and now you�re in deep shit cause of it. If he decides to wear you out, you have no choice but to take it, but when you do take it, learn from it and learn not to do it again.�

     �I don�t understand? You should take your own advice,� she said.

     �Wendy, I don�t mind it here all that much, but that�s because I don�t plan on being here forever, and as far as Patricia and Mark are concerned, I don�t want or need parents, you do. I don�t really care about them, you do, and I don�t plan on sticking around, but I promise when I do go, I will come back for you when your old enough to leave.�

     Wendy looked at Ricky and tears ran down her cheeks. �Ricky!�

     Wendy, It�s late. We can talk about this later.� Ricky picked up Wendy�s pajamas and handed them to her. �Hurry up and change.� Ricky turned around and Wendy quickly changed into her pajamas.

     �I�m changed,� she said.

     Ricky reached over and pulled the covers back. I heard what Mark told you, now get into bed,� he said.

     Wendy jumped in and Ricky covered her up. He then sat on the edge of her bed. �Don�t think about tomorrow, think about us and how much I love you. Sleep, and think about tomorrow, when it gets here.�

     �You think Daddy will come back tonight and whip me?�

     �I think if he was gonna whip ya tonight, he would have done it already, don�t you?�

     Wendy looked up at the ceiling for a minute and then looked at Ricky. She nodded.

     Ricky sat with Wendy for a few more minutes. When he stood to leave, he leaned over and kissed her right on the lips as if he didn�t even care that it was against the rules. Wendy knew that was what she liked most about Ricky. He wasn�t afraid of anything.