Read The Ongoing Reformation of Micah Johnson for Free Online Page B

strange coming out of his eleven-year-old brother’s mouth. “What? No, I didn’t! At least, not the way they’re obviously saying. I was on my way to the shower—”
    “So who dressed you, then?”
    “I don’t know! Look, Alex—” Micah grabbed Alex by the shoulder and pulled him in closer. “You can’t tell Mum or Dad about that.”
    “You said you weren’t going to lie to them anymore!”
    “And you saw what Dad was like just then!”
    Alex sighed.
    “Don’t give me that look! I need you to cover for me.”
    “Don’t I always?”
    “Please, Alex!”
    “Fine, fine. But how are you going to find out what happened?”
    Micah shrugged and winced. Even shrugging hurt. “I don’t know just yet. So what happened after the coach found me like that?”
    “They called the nurse, and you apparently woke up.”
    “I did?”
    “Don’t you remember?”
    “Not a thing.”
    “You said that Will Smith hit you.”
    “What? The Fresh Prince of Bel Air?”
    “You obviously meant your team mate Will—”
    “You think?” Micah was truly perplexed. “But why would I say—I guess that doesn’t really matter.”
    “No. You’ve got other things to worry about.”
    “Continue.”
    “They thought you were fine, so they called us and Will’s dad. They’re with the principal right now. Dad’s wanting to call an ambulance, the police, and our lawyer. Did you know we even had a lawyer?”
    Micah did, actually. His dad had wanted to sue his last school for letting the details of what caused his expulsion get out to the public. Once again it looked like he would have to plead with his dad to stop his love of possible litigation. He meant well, but it was not the way to deal with these things. And after all, it’s not like they were bloody Americans.
    So there he was, in trouble again. Would he ever learn?
    Alex scrambled as the door opened and his parents entered, throwing himself back into his seat.
    “Declan is going to call you tomorrow when you’re feeling a bit better,” his dad said.
    Micah nodded. “I think we should go and see Mrs. Hin and sort this out.”
    “No,” his mother said. “You’re not up to it yet, and I want to get you checked out at the hospital.”
    “I’ll make a deal with you. I will go to the hospital, willingly, if you let me go and see the principal first.”
    “No deal,” his dad said while his mother said, “Deal.” They glared at each other.
    “While you two sort that out, I’ll get Alex to help me down to the office,” Micah said. He gestured at Alex, who gathered up his belongings and followed Micah out the door.
    It only took a few seconds for them to hear the raised voices of their parents as they argued yet again about their wayward son. Micah closed his eyes, guilt making him dizzy.
    “You okay?” Alex asked.
    “Yes. Let’s go.” Micah padded away on his bare feet, and Alex reluctantly followed.
     
     
    AS IT was almost five o’clock, the head office was empty. Micah was glad of that, as it meant they didn’t have to battle the dragons that normally manned the desk and used their power to prevent one from doing anything he needed to do, such as see the principal, stop a boy from being outed against his will, and prevent his father from serving a lawsuit against the school.
    Micah knocked on Mrs. Hin’s door, and Alex shot him a worried look.
    “Calm down,” Micah said. “I know this place like the back of my hand.”
    “If I have to come to school here, the teachers are going to hate me because of you, aren’t they?”
    “Don’t worry, you’re not going to end up here. I won’t let them send you to the two crap high schools I’ve ended up at.”
    The door opened at that exact moment, and Mrs. Hin peered out. She’d most likely heard him saying her school was crap, but all she said was, “Micah, I’m in the middle of a meeting.”
    Micah tried to open the door, but she stood firm.
    “I know. I just wanted to talk to Will.”
    “That’s