INTP

by Nico Grey

Part 7

Josiah didn't give himself any more time to think about his plan. He had considered it thoroughly all afternoon. He was pretty sure that he hadn't missed any details that would undermine his plan.

He had a threat that he thought would force Daniel and Russ to stop bullying Ian. He was pretty sure that he could present it in a way that would convince them that it was real and that he was serious about using it. He had a logical argument that he thought should convince them that the risk of continuing to harass Ian just wouldn't be worth the reward.

The only possible flaw in the plan was that Daniel and Russ might be such idiots that they couldn't let go of their anger to save themselves from potentially ruinous consequences. That was a real possibility. But there just wasn't any way to modify that risk. It was built into his plan; a cost of doing business.

There was no point in giving the idea any more thought. Too much more consideration at this point only increased the risk that he would lose his nerve. And time really wasn't on his side… or Ian's. It was time for action.

As the day was winding down, Josiah made it a point to challenge Daniel and Russ aggressively every time they tried to sneak a sly glance in his direction. He caught their gaze and refused to let go until they were forced to look away. He was certain that would upset them.

Josiah knew that Daniel and Russ would have something to say to him after class. But he also knew that a confident and assertive demeanor would intimidate them and begin to weaken their resolve in advance of a confrontation. Josiah wasn't socially adept, but he had been paying close attention all year to Ms. Porter's lectures about human behavior.

Josiah found them waiting for him in the corridor when class dismissed.

"Hey, boys," he greeted them. "How about we find a bathroom?"

He wasn't entirely comfortable with an isolated location for their showdown, but he thought that Daniel and Russ would probably find the confidence he was demonstrating somewhat unnerving.

Josiah also knew that it would be important for him to keep the initiative. If he had to respond to some unscripted interruption he might lose the conversational flow he had planned out, and that might cause him to lose control of the confrontation.

He threw open the door to the first men's room they came across and was pleased — as well as anxious — to find that they were alone.

"Do you boys prefer a stall?" he asked, aggressively keeping control of the conversation, "or should we do this right here in the middle of the room?"

Daniel and Russ exchanged uneasy glances. "Do what?" Daniel finally asked.

"Just have a little conversation at first," Josiah assured them. "You guys can decide if we do more later."

"We're not going to let you trick us into admitting anything!" Daniel said. He seemed confused. "We're not idiots!"

"You are idiots," Josiah corrected him. "But I'm not going to record anything we say." He took out his phone, demonstrated that it had been powered off, and set it on a countertop behind him.

Daniel and Russ exchanged glances. Josiah thought they might be trying to work up the nerve to do something.

"You're going to listen to what I have to say first, because it could have a profound impact on the rest of your lives." Josiah was absolutely certain of that. He had to be. It helped him convey the confidence in body language and vocal tone that was necessary for this stage of their conversation.

"You're smart to realize that phone could record you saying something damaging to you." Josiah thought he could give them that. "But you might also recall that it already has recorded something that could send you both to prison for years!" Again, he spoke with complete conviction. He was absolutely certain of his facts and assertions so they would be certain, too.

"I hadn't planned to share that with anyone… unless, of course, something happened to me and the police found it in my cloud account." He looked at them confidently. They refused to look at him.

"But you two idiots weren't satisfied with a little revenge on Ian. You just weren't smart enough to get him suspended, thrown out of Physics class, and bully him a little. You're turning bullying into a career. That means I have to do something." Josiah was enjoying watching them squirm. A remote part of his brain observed that bullying could be satisfying, and that bullying bullies was even more satisfying.

"For obvious reasons, Ian doesn't want that video going to the Mr. Harding," he was a very useful ogre, Josiah snickered to himself, "or to the police. That would be pretty embarrassing for him. He doesn't want that happening almost as much as you don't want it to happen." Josiah loved seeing them jump when he reminded them of that fact.

"Look at me!" he ordered. Reluctantly, Daniel and Russ met his gaze.

"Ian is my friend. He hasn't done anything to deserve the way you two have bullied him. I don't want to hurt him by sharing this video with authorities." He gestured toward the phone. "He doesn't need the crap that would bring into his life. But it would hurt him a lot less than what you two are doing to him!"

Josiah raised a finger in warning.

"You better listen to this! If Ian is bullied by you again, or if he's bullied and I even think that you did it, Mr. Harding is going to see for himself what perverts he has in his school. Two seniors who would do something like that to a freshman boy! It's disgusting!" Josiah was having a hard time controlling the satisfaction he felt watching the bullies cower in front of him.

"We can't control what anyone else does to that… to that kid!" Daniel complained.

"Try." Josiah suggested firmly. "He was never bullied before you two started in on him. I doubt anyone else wants to bully him after everything he's been through the past few weeks. Most people around here have too much decency to kick a kid when he's down.

"If anything else happens to him, unless I'm sure that someone else did it, I'm going to believe it was you. And a few days after that, you two will be fitted for orange jump suits." Josiah had an evil impulse, "Probably the kind with a trap door in back."

Watching the blood drain from Daniel's face was satisfying. Russ just stood there looking like the joke might have to be explained to him; maybe more than once.

"I'm done," Josiah said. "You heard what I said. You know what's going to happen if you bully Ian again. You boys want to try to beat me up now? You might be able to. Just make real sure you don't kill me. You probably don't want me to lose consciousness either. There's some pretty bad karma waiting in the cloud for people who do something like that to me." He grinned confidently. "Nothing? Well, if we're done here… "

"We're not through with you!" Daniel tried to snarl.

"Now?" Josiah stepped to him. "I'm right here."

Daniel looked away. "When you least expect it," he muttered weakly. "We'll leave your little pussy alone. But this isn't done." He and Russ edged carefully around Josiah and out the door.

Josiah stayed where he was for several minutes. His adrenaline was so high, he didn't trust himself to move. When he reached out for his telephone, his hand was trembling so badly that he fumbled several times before he could pick it up. But he was feeling confident that he had accomplished his objective. He knew that he would have to maintain that same assertive, confident demeanor every time he dealt with Daniel and Russ. But the school year would be over in… what? A little over four months? He laughed. It wasn't that long. He would find a way. He was going to protect Ian. As long as Ian was safe, then he could be his friend.

Josiah stopped at Ian's home during his after school run. Ian was waiting for him.

"Can we just go to the bakery today?" he asked. "I don't think I can manage a real run tonight."

Josiah was a creature of habit. He was used to running in the afternoon. But it was painful to see Ian looking so depressed. He needed to share what had happened between him and the bullies at the end of the school day — maybe not the full details, but at least enough to give Ian some hope that his tormentors might be through bullying him.

Sharing the story with Ian, Josiah thought the glimmer of hope rising in his eyes was like watching the sun emerging tentatively through an overcast sky. After three weeks of torture, Ian wasn't ready to fully accept that it was now all behind him. But his mood improved enough to order a second brownie.

Josiah briefly considered continuing his run after Ian returned home, but he wasn't able to resist Ian's invitation to spend some time at his house. Ian thought that his mother should hear Josiah's news, and he was really hoping that Josiah would share it in person.

Linda Burton listened carefully to Josiah's story. He was still struggling with the concept that a counselor's neutral expression and direct questioning could be friendly. Not that he assumed she was hostile. But her unemotional and detached demeanor reminded him too much of just about every single conversation he ever had with his parents.

Josiah and Ian hadn't fully considered the consequences of sharing the story with Ian's mother. She immediately focused on the key aspect that guaranteed Ian's future security: What information could Josiah possibly have on the bullies that would prevent them from acting against her son?

Josiah thought about lying… or at least trying to evade the truth. But he was already half-intimidated by Ms. Burton and the image he had built in his head of her as an all-knowing mental health professional. He also didn't want to betray Ian. He stammered uncertainly as he tried to work out a solution to the dilemma.

Ian rescued the situation. Eyes fixed on the floor, scarlet suffusing his cheeks, he admitted most of what the bullies had done to him in the restroom stall.

Linda was outraged. First she wanted to know why the incident hadn't been reported to her and the school authorities the moment it happened. Then she wanted to know why Josiah had kept a video of her son in "that condition". It took several minutes for the boys to explain everything and for them to sort through the situation.

By the time she had calmed down, Josiah was thinking that he much preferred detached and impersonal Linda Burton, psychologist, to the scary mother bear that sounded ready to invade the school single-handed, batter school administrators senseless for failing to protect her son, and perhaps castrate a couple of bullies while she was there. Her reaction was awe-inspiring. But it had also been terrifying! Josiah was immensely relieved that Ian had managed to withhold a couple of the worst details when conveying the story to his mother.

His mother's reaction, on top of a couple of Maureen's brownies, unsettled Ian's stomach. He excused himself to the bathroom. Josiah wondered if he might politely excuse himself, too. Linda reached out and grasped his arm.

"Thank you for being so supportive of Ian!" The words sounded reasonable to Josiah, but there was an intensity behind them that still made him extremely uncomfortable.

"I worry about him. My son is a very intelligent young man. He has many strengths. But he reminds me so much of his father." A wistful expression crossed her face, but it also struck Josiah as regretful.

He wasn't sure how to respond. He didn't know Ian's mother very well. But Josiah thought that it would help Ian if they were communicating from the same perspective.

"I know a little about Ian's father," he admitted. "Jodi told me about him… "

Ms. Burton seemed confused for a moment, then irritated. But she resumed her psychologist's tone and demeanor.

"I don't want to burden you with our problems, Josiah," she said. "But you are Ian's friend. And you matter to him."

She paused to order her thoughts before she continued her explanation. "The Corse family and I don't get along very well. And by extension, they don't always get along with Ian. It's a long story, but I'll share the most important parts with you.

"I met Ian's father during our sophomore year at university. He really made an impression on me. We became friends. I hoped that we might start dating. But James," she paused again for reflection, "he had some issues."

Linda raised a questioning eyebrow at Josiah.

"He was gay." Josiah didn't know where he found the courage to say it so bluntly.

She nodded. "Does that bother you?"

Josiah thought that the question seemed quite important to her, so he answered "No" very defiantly.

She smiled enigmatically, but Josiah thought she suddenly seemed much more relaxed.

"Sometimes when we're young, we think we can change things that really can't be changed. I suppose it's not an uncommon condition in youth," she sighed. "I thought that I could help James change. His sexual attractions created a lot of tension between him and his family. I thought it would be wonderful if I could help him. And I hoped that my reward would by a happily-ever-after with this really wonderful man.

"I guess I probably don't have to explain this next part to you," she smiled softly, perhaps at the memory. "As a result, Ian is here today."

That simple phrase felt so significant to Josiah. He couldn't explain it, but it made him feel warm.

Linda's mood changed. It was subtle, but her memories had definitely turned darker.

"James couldn't change. My dreams weren't based in reality. News that he was going to become a father caused a lot of conflict within his family. But his realization that he was still who he was, caused even deeper conflict in James' heart."

Josiah observed Ms. Burton as she seemed to remove to another place and time. The look in her eyes grew distant.

"Perhaps my hubris killed him," she shook her head and her eyes returned to her living room. "I thought I could help him change. But when reality set in, James couldn't manage his internal conflict. I suppose his feelings of abandonment by his own family, and the lack of hope that his future would bring him anything better, proved more than he could tolerate.

"I'll never know. He had gone home for spring break. I knew he was deeply conflicted. We talked about everything. The coroner said that alcohol was involved. My James never came back to the university. He took his own life," she explained bitterly.

"And that may explain a part of my anger and resentment toward his family. I really don't know what happened to drive him to that extreme. I thought we would find a way to make something work, to raise our child together, to be some sort of family, even if James and I never really were husband and wife. I thought we both wanted to make that happen.

"Afterward, his family was quite cold to me. They demanded custody of James' child, once he was born. And when they found out that my parents were already gone, that I had been raised by a foster family and had few resources to fall back on, they knew which buttons to push to get their way.

"Except," her sudden smile was fierce, "I never gave them the custody of Ian that they wanted. He was born that summer. I knew that I really couldn't raise him alone and still do right by him, so I agreed to temporary shared custody. They probably thought they could intimidate me into giving them their way eventually," she snorted.

"Ian's grandparents cared for him while I was at school. I changed my major from Education to Psychology — James' death had really shaken me and I was determined to learn how to help people in similar circumstances — and stayed in school to finish a master's degree. Then I had to come to East Grange to care for Ian full time. He was almost three years old and I had already missed huge parts of his development. So I lived and worked here while I began part-time study on my doctorate.

"James' family and I fought. We went to court. But I insisted on having full custody of Ian. Mostly to mollify the court and the Corses, I agreed to settle here in East Grange so they could continue to have contact with him. Somehow, over the years, they lost interest in my little angel." She shook her head like she didn't understand how that could be possible.

"Those are the important parts of Ian's story, and mine. I don't know what you heard from… others," she schooled her features, but Josiah didn't miss the faint whisper of contempt that crossed her face first. "I'd encourage you to be skeptical of what you hear about Ian from the Corses; or from anyone, including me. Listen to everyone, but verify everything you hear against what you can actually see with your own eyes. Decide for yourself what's true."

Linda glanced at a clock on the living room wall.

"I'm sorry to burden you with so much, Josiah," she said. "Ian has made lots of friends over the years. I'm sure he still considers most of them his friends. But he's never had a really close friend.

"I'm not trying to impose on you. I wouldn't say anything if I hadn't the strong sense that you feel the same way. But I think that you may become Ian's first close friend; someone on whom he can truly rely.

"I hope you understand why this bullying worries me so much. I'm glad you're helping protect Ian for the worst of it. I hope I don't offend or embarrass you by saying that you're awfully young for me to be asking you this, but do you really think that school, even with you there, can keep Ian safe?"

Josiah wasn't sure how to respond. There was something in Ms. Burton's words, or maybe it was their tone, that triggered a small panic attack in him. He wasn't sure why. But he knew he had to assuage her fear.

"I'm going to protect him, ma'am. I promise. Nothing will happen to Ian as long as I'm there to prevent it." It felt to Josiah like a solemn oath.

Linda considered Josiah very carefully, measuring him intently. He was relieved when her face finally softened and she smiled gently.

"I don't know you well, but I think you two will be very good together." The assessment felt quite official.

"I hope so," Josiah said. He couldn't keep the worry off his face. "We're very different types of people."

"Different personalities often complement each other quite well," Linda said. "I believe that's what will happen with you and Ian. Your differences will make you both stronger."

She paused to think.

"Ian tells me that your Psychology class just took a Myers-Briggs assessment. I suspect that you scored quite high on the Introvert and Thinking scales." She observed his surprised reaction and smiled inwardly.

"Ian is no Introvert. And he leans more toward Feeling than Thinking. But I suspect that you're finding that spending time around some people is good for you. Maybe you're even enjoying it. And the sort of things you've done to help Ian suggest that sometimes you're Feeling rather than Thinking.

"I'm also seeing some changes in him. He seems perfectly happy spending time running with you, rather than trying to get together with a larger group for physical activity. I'm also seeing other changes in the way he behaves and interacts with his environment. It could be that you're both learning from each other and benefitting in the process."

Josiah noticed that there seemed to be less light coming through the windows.

Linda observed his glance and checked the wall clock again.

"I wonder how big those brownies were?" she mused. "I love my little angel, but he does have awfully big ears sometimes."

They heard sudden movement outside the living room door. A few seconds later, Ian bashfully entered the room. He was blushing from big ear to big ear.

Josiah thought that it looked good on him.