Rumble (33 page)

more. Some young people have no

one to speak for them. Charlie does.

Charlie, the main character

in
Perks
, could have spoken

for Luke when nobody else did.

Ms. Hannity has just soared in

my estimation, even with her fake

Southern accent. Frank DeLucca,

on the other hand, has plummeted

quite near the gates of hell. Now

I remember, not long ago, Hayden

reading
Perks
. Surely she’s not

involved in this, she and her youth

ministry minions? Dare I ask?

I Catch Her at Lunch

Because I can’t let it go,

and also because I miss her.

Lucky me, I even manage to

find her before she can reach

her friends. “Hey.” I offer

my warmest, most genuine

smile. “Can I talk to you for

a minute? How are your feet?”

She looks confused.
My feet?

“Never mind.” Sometimes

I need to rein in my stupid

sophomoric humor. “Actually,

what I wanted to ask was about

this book challenge thing.”

She goes chill.
That’s my father.

“I know. I saw his letter. But

I was wondering if you agree.

I mean, I thought you liked

Perks.
You’re not supporting

this craziness, are you?” Say no.

The Bible tells me to honor my father.

Good Luck with That

She keeps glancing over

my shoulder, so, “I know

you want to join your friends,

but can you tell me one thing?

Whatever happened to brave,

independent Hayden, the girl

I fell in love with? The one

who fell in love with me, too,

despite what her father had to say?

Where is the determined girl

who was willing to risk eternal

damnation to spend time with me?”

She turns those killer eyes up

to meet mine.
That girl lost her way.

She forgot to put God first, always.

This girl found her way back.

People change, Matt. I’m sorry

you have a hard time accepting it.

She Gets the Last Word

But then, she always did,

except, maybe, with her father.

Anyway, she’s right. I don’t

like change. I prefer a nice,

solid status quo—too bad,

so sad for me. When Hayden

goes, she takes my appetite

with her, so I start toward

Mr. Wells’s room. I can sit

outside the door until he unlocks

it, calls class to order. Almost

there, I notice Vince not far

ahead of me. Engage? Pull back?

Screw it, what
do
I have to lose?

I quicken my step until his arm

is in reach. “Hey, Vince?” I say

as my hand closes on his bicep,

which is boulder strong and

I really hope he doesn’t decide

I’m being aggressive. He stops

without turning around.

What do you want, Turner?

I maneuver around him,

noticing how people scoot

wide of the possible conflict.

“I just want . . . Look, this is hard,

and I don’t expect you to forgive

me, but I hope you’ll at least

consider it. I’m sorry I didn’t

believe you about not outing

Luke. Hayden told me what

really happened and . . . Shit, man.

I should have listened to you,

should have known you better.”

He doesn’t punch me, but neither

does he offer to shake my hand.

He Says

Yeah, dude, you should have.

Then he walks away.

I’m not sure how to

rate the encounter.

Hopeful?

Hopeless?

A big fat question mark?

You tried, and that’s what counts.

It’s Alexa, standing behind me.

When I turn to face her,

she insinuates herself under

my arm, slides her hand

around my waist. As surprised

as I am, I accept her presence.

Anyway, give him some time.

I bet he’ll come around.

“Maybe.” People are checking

us out, no doubt wondering

what we’ve got going on.

That includes Hayden and

the Biblettes, who’ve vacated

the lunchroom. That makes me smile.

In American Culture

Mr. Wells decides to take

a break from fifties advertising,

in favor of a discussion

of book censorship in America.

Some of the most challenged books

are also considered “must read.”

These include classics like
Of Mice

and Men, To Kill a Mockingbird,

and
Slaughterhouse-Five.
Can

anyone tell me some more modern

books that are regularly challenged?

Hands go up and titles are

offered up:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

The Color Purple

The Catcher in the Rye

The Kite Runner

All regularly challenged,
agrees

Mr. Wells.
Also
Harry Potter, Junie

B. Jones
, and
Captain Underpants.

Don’t groan. Some parents think Junie

and the Captain are poor role models.

Let the Discussion Begin

It’s a good one, revolving

around reasons for challenges,

outcomes, the First Amendment,

and parental involvement.

The last because of DeLucca’s

published opinions.

As the period winds down,

Mr. Wells gives an assignment.

I want you to write a letter

to the school board. I don’t care

which side you come down on,

but address the current book

challenge in this school. Please

write to convince. At least three

full paragraphs, single-spaced,

business letter formatting.

Many of you are in my senior

seminar classes. We’ve already

looked at local government and

how it works, so you understand

that your voices can count. If

you’re not in those classes, you

will be next year, so you’re just

getting an early start. Make your

voice heard, whatever your opinion.

After School

I text Alexa, see if she wants

to get food with me. My appetite

has returned with a vengeance.

She meets me at the truck.

“El Tapatio okay? I’m in the mood

for a massive burrito.”

Whatever you want.

You’re driving.

We are seated, with our order

in—à la carte chicken taco

for her, steak burrito for me—

when she comments,

You’re going to spoil

your dinner.

“This totally
is
my dinner.

It’s this or dine with my dad

and his girlfriend. I don’t care

how great she cooks. I’m not

going to share their table.”

Oh.

That’s It?

“Oh? Is that all

you’ve got to say?”

She shrugs.
It’s not really

any of my business, but . . .

“But what? You can’t leave

me dangling here.”

The food comes just as

she opens her mouth

to say something. Instead,

she takes a bite of taco.

After she swallows,

she ventures,
I was just

wondering how long it will

take you to forgive them.

I don’t think forgiveness

is your strongest attribute.

“Maybe you’re right. But why

should I forgive them?”

They’ve flipped me bass-ackwards.

You just asked Vince for forgiveness.

Maybe the price is giving it.

I Haven’t Managed It

By the time I get home. Man,

not sure I can fall for a girl

who can out-philosophize me.

How annoying, although, in

retrospect, sort of lovable, too.

I’m softening a little, but then

I walk past Luke’s room, where

the open door leaks the scent

of new paint. I peek in. Khaki,

aka baby shit green. Lovely.

How am I supposed to forgive

that, not that it surprises me.

Lorelei will forevermore be

synonymous with baby shit green.

That must mean her kids are little

shits. Ha! I will take amusement

where I can find it in this mess.

Speaking of messes, the one that

was my room this morning has

been straightened away. I am not

amused at that. “Hey, Lorelei,

wherever you are!” I yell. “Leave

my messes alone! They’re mine!”

I Lock Myself In

My artificially clean room,

mess up the bed, just because,

and when I peel back the quilt,

I notice she’s changed the sheets.

These smell of some unfamiliar

detergent. It probably has a name

like “Garden of Clean” or “Rain

on Apple Trees.” Too feminine,

and I bet it makes me itch.

I give the sheets time to air out,

go to my desk, and turn on

my laptop, start writing a letter

to the school board in my head.

It would be easy to let emotions

interfere with stating what should

be obvious to any thinking person

in a clear way. I remind myself

not to use obscene language; not

easy when it comes to Mr. DeLucca.

Finally, I Type

Dear Lane County School Board Members:

I am writing to urge you to retain the book
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
in Lane County High School libraries and classrooms. This book is an honest representation of issues every young person is faced with, offering the necessary perspective teen readers need to make informed choices.

Frank DeLucca, the man who is spearheading this challenge, wrote in a recent letter to the editor that many parents aren’t involved enough in their children’s lives. I agree with him there, and nowhere is this more apparent than when it comes to frank (excuse the pun) discussions about sex and sexuality. However, his assertion that dialogues about masturbation or rape somehow equate to pornography makes me worry a little about what arouses the man.

That he chose to involve other members of his church and insinuate God into the conversation is likewise alarming. From what I’ve observed, “high moral standards” are not the exclusive domain of Christians, and the phrase itself is obscure. Who gets to define it or decide which literature fits that definition? I don’t know
that much about the Bible, other than it was written thousands of years ago, which dilutes its relevance. However, I know its faithful followers tend to cherry-pick verses to suit their needs, the same way they cherry-pick words or scenes from other books to label obscene. It’s all about context, and if you don’t read a book in its entirety, there is no context. Have these people who are challenging
Perks
actually read it, or are they relying on Internet research to find objectionable material?

Finally, I must address the “homosexual agenda” accusation. First of all, what agenda, exactly, is that? Demanding the equal rights promised by the Constitution, rights already afforded them by the Supreme Court of the United States? Second, what’s next? Removing books with Muslim characters, because these somehow promote Sharia law? Banning books with Latino characters because they might make readers sympathetic to immigration reform?

In discussing the challenge, my English teacher, Ms. Hannity, said some kids have no one to speak for them. My little brother was one of those kids. Luke was gay, and nobody spoke for him. If he were here today, I’d make sure to give him books like
Perks
, with
characters who could speak for him, so he’d know he wasn’t alone and that he’d find his way eventually.