The Summer of Our Discontent -- One Phone Call

[parallax23]

One Phone Call

Episode: Post 5x09

Summary:  When the kids are forced to spend summer vacation at school, Noiret allows them each one phone call to explain it to their parents.


June 2008

They had lined up neatly in front of Jacques Noiret’s office as he had instructed them.  Ivan, Marcos, Carolina, Vicky, Roque and Julia tried to retain their composure while waiting for their next dose of medicine.  The first dose had already been dispensed when they agreed to stay at the school without causing a fuss.  The second dose would require them to call their parents to explain that they were going to spend the summer at Laguna Negra.  The story was that they were taking extra credits for college preparation, not that they were being blackmailed through bio warfare to keep silent.

When Noiret stepped out of his office, he paced in front of the line to size them up.  He knew they were stifling their urge to rebel quite nicely.

“Well, who is going first?” asked Noiret.

“Me!” said Ivan, stepping forward as Julia tried to hold him back.  “I need to call the asylum and let them know that they have the wrong parent of mine locked up for being insane.”

Noiret strolled over to his son and stared at him coldly.  “You need to remember who’s in charge here.  We could have done this the easy way.  Now you’ll have to earn your dose with kindness to me.”

“Ivan, don’t be an idiot,” Julia said.  “He’ll just hurt the rest of us.”

“Smart girl,” Noiret said.  “Probably too smart for my son.  You’ll go first.”

Julia looked at Ivan and the others.  They nodded for her to follow him, so she let go of Ivan’s arm and stepped forward boldly.

“Fine.  Let’s get on with it,” said Julia.

Noiret casually strolled over to the entrance of his office and waited for her.  “After you.”

She boldly walked inside, and from the corner of her eye, she saw that Ivan was standing close by the office.  Noiret shut the door behind them when he entered, and he proceeded to sit down at his desk.  He pushed the phone on the table towards her.

“I’m sure that your mother will be disappointed not to have you home this summer,” he commented sarcastically.  “Maybe she can finally date someone without worrying about you stealing him away.”

“You’re a real son of a bitch,” Julia said as she picked up the receiver and started dialing her home phone number.

“Tsk-tsk.  You’ve spent too much time with my son,” replied Noiret.  “Your stepfather wasn’t a fan of swearing when I knew him.”

Julia opened her mouth to give a him more unkind words, but her mother’s voice stopped her.

“Hello,” her mother said through the phone.

“Hi, Mama,” said Julia.

“Julia?  Is everything all right?  Aren’t you supposed to be on the bus home?” she asked.

“No, I’m still at school.  Didn’t the office call you?  I have to stay at school to make up some credits due to my late school transfer,” Julia lied.  She used the version of events that Noiret had suggested to her earlier that day.

“You’re willing to stay at school for the summer?” said her mother in a disbelieving tone.  “No fussing or fighting about not going to the beach or seeing your friends here?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t believe it.  Let me guess, that boy you’re running around with is going to be spending the summer there with you?” demanded her mother.

Julia paused.

“Of course.  Why spend the summer with me when you can spend it rolling around with him?  But I suppose I should be happy that it’s a boy your own age this time.”

The comment made Julia feel uneasy.  She and her mother still weren’t in a good place, and lying to her about why she was spending the summer away was not going to help.  “It’s not about Ivan.  I won’t graduate on time if I don’t make up the credits.”

“And the school just happened to realize this when you got a new boyfriend?  I want to hear from someone at the school that this isn’t some trick to run off and spend the summer with him.”

Julia cringed.  Her mother didn’t believe her excuse.  Why would she?  “Listen, I wanted to come home.  Really.”

Her mother sighed.  “Give the phone to your headmaster.  Otherwise, I’m going to drive there myself to get you right now.”

“Fine,” replied Julia.

She handed the phone to Noiret.  “She wants you to reassure her that I’m not going to run away with Ivan for the summer.”

Noiret nodded.  He could have laughed at the irony.  They had foiled his plans, and now he had foiled theirs.

“Hello, this is the headmaster,” said Noiret.  “I apologize for the oversight.  I thought the secretary had alerted you, but apparently not.  Rest assured that Julia will be in good care this summer at our school…”

As Julia watched him lying so easily, she felt sick.  She hadn’t been concerned with her mother’s forgiveness when she was planning to escape with Ivan.  She had believed that with enough time, her mother would have understood her.  Forgiven her.  But things had changed, and time was in short supply.  There was a strong possibility that she would die without making things right between them.

When Noiret hung up, her mother was sufficiently convinced that staying the summer was for the best.  The world felt numb.  She wanted to scream through the phone for her mother to rescue her from this madman, but she couldn’t.  She just sat there because her life was in his hands.

“Next,” he told her coldly.

Julia rose from her seat and stormed out of the office.

A moment later, Vicky entered.  The entire event was hazy for her.  Her parents were disappointed that she was spending summer break at school, and they expected that she would at least spend two weeks at home before school began again in the fall.  Noiret had assured them that it wouldn’t be an issue, nor would they have to pay the bill for her summer session.  The answers appeared to satisfy them, and the call was ended.

“Will you let me go home for two weeks?” Vicky asked.

“If you do as you’re told, and don’t make a fuss, I’ll see what I can do,” said Noiret.

She almost burst into tears.  Vicky had done everything to avoid becoming one of his victims.  Everything had become so much more dangerous since Nacho died.  She couldn’t hide from the horrors of the school.

“Well?  Are you going to leave or sit here and stare at me?” asked Noiret.  “Next.”

“There’s a special place in hell for you,” said Vicky.

“I’m touched that the devil admires my work,” he replied, gesturing for her to leave.  “Now send in the next brat.”

When Vicky opened the door to leave, Marcos pushed himself into the room.  He stood in front of Noiret’s desk and slammed his hand down.

“I want to talk to a lawyer.”

“Well, well, well,” said Noiret.  “What for?”

“Paula.  She needs a guardian.  Arrange it.  I know you’re not letting us out alive, but you leave her out of this,” Marcos told him.

Noiret leaned forward and stared at him.  “Don’t worry.  Mario is aware of the situation.  He’s already taken care of it.”

“Don’t worry?” Marcos laughed.  “I don’t trust Mario.  You owe me a damn phone call!”

“No, I don’t,” replied Noiret.  “I need students with living parents to make calls to stay for the summer.  Hector’s dead and no one gives a damn about you.  You’re lucky that I let you live.”

“You sick bastard.  No wonder Ivan’s all twisted up.  And why your wife isn’t here at all,” Marcos said.

Noiret bristled at Marcos’ comment about his wife.  The boy didn’t know anything.  No one did.  “Get out now, or Mario will have to tell your sister that you disappeared over the summer.”

“This isn’t the end,” Marcos said as he backed away from Noiret.

“Of course not,” Noiret answered his challenge.

Marcos shook his head and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Carol was the next to enter.  She kept her disposition very stiff as she walked in.  She wasn’t going to let him get to her.

“What is with my son and smart girls?” Noiret inquired.  “You’re all aware that he’s not that bright?”

“He has a good heart, which he certainly didn’t inherit from you,” Carol replied coldly as she sat down and took the phone to call her mother.

Her plans for the summer had changed so much in the last year.  Usually, she would spend the days with her mother at the beach or on the set of her latest film.  This year Carol had planned to make more of their time together since her mother’s health was failing.  Instead, she would be locked at this wretched school.

The phone rang until the voicemail answered.  Carol’s heart sank.

“Hi Mom, it’s Carol.  I’m calling because I’ll be at summer school this year, and I didn’t want you to be upset that we didn’t get to go to Milan this year,” Carol said with an empty tone.  “Call me when you get this.”

She hung up the phone and bit down to prevent herself from crying.

“What a shame,” Noiret said.  “I’m sure she’ll get back to you once she’s done trying to book her come back role.”

Carol glared at him.  Of course, he was going to bait her into being upset.  “I’m sure she will.  And then you’ll have to explain to her why I can’t go to her.  What will you do then?”

“Let’s wait and see if – I’m sorry, I mean, when she comes to get you,” Noiret answered.  “Do we have a deal?”

Carol didn’t reply.  She just walked out of the room.

It was Roque’s turn to take his place in front of Noiret.  The boy simply stood in front of his former best friend’s father, his former headmaster, and his current blackmailer, trying to figure out the man’s next role in his life.

“You didn’t think this chance was free, did you?” asked Noiret.

Roque didn’t respond.  He picked up the phone and dialed his mother.  She had sounded distant on the phone, and didn’t seem the least bit concerned that he had failed two classes that year and had to stay in school for the summer.  When Roque asked about his father, she mumbled something about him being away on business and that he would call Roque when he had the time.  He didn’t press his mother for more information, since he already knew about his father’s affair.  He hung up the phone, more focused on his uncertain future than that of his parents.

“Good work.  Lying has become a second nature to you,” Noiret said to him.  “Not surprising since you’ll need that skill to survive.  You’ll be my eyes and ears to them.  I don’t trust Ivan and Marcos not to have a scheme per week.  And you know the girls will just follow them along…  That must hurt?  The girls don’t see you as a leader of the pack.  Not tall, not handsome, no commanding presence…  This will probably be the most worthwhile thing you do with your life.”

Roque gave him a disgusted look.  “I always thought that you were just an asshole.  Now I see that you’re a madman too.”

“And I always saw you as my son’s puppet.  But today, you’re mine,” replied Noiret.

Roque shook his head.  “How could you do this to them?  Ivan is your son.”

“The fact that I can shows you just what I’m capable of if you think of crossing me,” Noiret informed him.  “The virus would be the least of your concerns.”

The boy recognized that he would have to back down.  He couldn’t mouth off Noiret with the knowledge of how far he was willing to go to stay in control of the situation.  “If I don’t swear at you while coming out of here, the others will know that something is wrong.”

Noiret grinned.  “Clever boy.  Don’t make being too clever into a habit.  You’ll live to regret it.”

Roque walked to the door and opened it.  “Don’t worry.  Villains always get what they deserve.”

Noiret clenched his fist as the boy left.  He would keep the kid in line by any means necessary.  Then he opened the desk drawer and took out the medicine box.  He was in control again.

“Well, that went the way it was supposed to,” Noiret said as he stepped out of his office.  “Now good little boys and girls will get their medicine.  As long as they remember who’s in charge.”

The teens exchanged defeated looks as they stood before him.  He had won this round, but they were certain that there would be more to come.  It was going to be a long summer.

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A/N: There was a huge gap left about what took place over the summer that the kids were stuck in school.  There's no set number of how many of these one-shots there will be, and they will not be in chronological order, which is why I'll put in notes about time and if it ties into another one-shot.