Page 3 of Trusting the Grumpy Mountain Man
"I don't think so." She follows, her impractical shoes slipping on pine needles. "If there's an incident involving the juveniles, I need to document it."
I lengthen my stride, forcing her to jog to keep up. When we reach the clearing, I find Darius standing over a collapsed shelter, fists clenched, while Kevin sits on the ground holding his face.
"He hit me!" Kevin shouts when he sees me. "Psycho came at me out of nowhere!"
"You wrecked our shelter!" Darius yells back. "On purpose!"
The other kids have gathered to watch, the universal teenage response to conflict.
"Everyone back to your own shelters," I order, and they reluctantly disperse, though not without casting curious glances at Riley.
I crouch beside Kevin, checking his face. His lip is split but nothing seems broken. "What happened?"
"I said the shelter was trash and we should start over," Kevin mumbles. "He went crazy."
Darius paces nearby, still fuming. "We spent two hours on that! Now we've got nothing, and it's gonna rain!"
"Who's this?" Mia interrupts, eyeing Riley with undisguised suspicion.
I stand, placing myself between the boys. "This is Ms. Chaffeur from Social Services. She's observing the program."
A collective groan rises from the group. They know what that means. Most of them have been through enough programs to recognize when someone's deciding their fate.
Riley steps forward, all professional concern. "Are you alright? Do you need medical attention?"
Kevin immediately plays it up, touching his lip gingerly. "It really hurts. I might need stitches."
"You need to learn not to provoke people twice your size," I counter, earning a sharp look from Riley.
"Mr. Reeves, surely you have a first aid kit?" Her tone suggests this is a test I'm already failing.
"In the admin cabin." I point toward Mia and Tyler. "Escort Ms. Chaffeur to the cabin and show her where the first aid kit is. Kevin, go with them."
"What about him?" Kevin points accusingly at Darius.
"Darius stays with me." My tone leaves no room for argument.
Riley hesitates, clearly torn between following the injured kid and staying to witness how I handle Darius. In the end, professional duty wins out.
"I'll return shortly," she says, the promise clear in her voice.This isn't over.
I wait until they're out of earshot before turning to Darius. "You know the rules. No physical violence."
"He sabotaged our shelter!" Darius kicks at the remains of their structure. "Now we're screwed."
"Look at me." I wait until he meets my eyes. "You've got two options. You can leave the program today, go back to facing charges. Or you can fix this."
He looks away. "Can't fix it now. Not enough time before dark."
"Then you adapt." I point to the fallen log they were using as a base. "Strip it down to the essentials. Smaller shelter, just enough to keep the rain off. You've got one hour."
"What about Kevin? He gets away with destroying our work?"
"Kevin will help Mia and Tyler reinforce their shelter. For the whole night." I allow myself a small smile. "Those two don't particularly like him."
The justice of this arrangement seems to satisfy Darius. "One hour isn't enough."
"It's what you've got." I pick up a fallen branch and hand it to him. "Start with this for your ridge pole. Make it count."
