Cory McBrown: Year 1-Chapter 4

15th of October, 2001

A week later, something happens that I’d been afraid of. My grades start slipping. I get called to Mistress McDowell’s office at the end of the day, Monday. I’m scared. I’ve never been called to the headmistress’s office before.

Mistress McDowell indicates for me to sit, and I do, but I’m having trouble sitting still. “Cory, first I want to make it clear that you are not in trouble. My job is to make sure that all the students have a conducive learning environment. I have some concerns based on reports from some of your teachers.”

“Reports like what?” I ask, nervously.

“Well, your panic attack a couple of weeks ago for one thing. Since then your grades have been slightly declining. I know the nurse asked you if something was going on at home that was causing stress. At the time you said no. But I am noticing stress in your brother, too. Interestingly, though, his grades actually went way up.”

I laugh. “It’s cause he throws himself into work when he’s upset.”

“So something is going on?”

Oops. I can’t believe I just told on myself.

“You know, a lot of students have been coming in with anxiety symptoms since the plane attacks. Has that been weighing on your mind at all?”

Well, aye, sure, I think. Although I admit not as much as my family situation. That may seem selfish, but there isn’t really anything I can do about the state of the world right now. It’s my immediate life I’m worried about.

I decide to tell her what’s going. “Aye, there is. My Mum and Bart aren’t getting along very well. I’m not really sure why except I think it has something to do with my Dad.”

“With Edward?”

“Edward’s not my Dad,” I admit.

Mistress McDowell nods. “I see. That explains some things.”

“How?”

“I mentioned something to Bart about him, and his response was apathetic.”

I nod. “Bart doesn’t like Edward.”

“I understand. Well, is there anything the school can do to support you, academically?”

“Do I have to do school?” I joke.

I’m surprised, Mistress McDowell actually laughs. “Aye, that we are unmovable on.”

“I don’t know. Can I get back to you on that?”

“Of course.”

I smile and thank her, then get up and leave.

That evening, someone knocks on our door. I open it. It’s Sam and John.

“Guess what?” Sam says.

“Devon broke up with his girlfriend?” I say.

“Still The Cranberries thing, and no. But Ms. Conway did say that I could go to the jewelry store to get my ears pierced. And Trudy’s dad said she could, too. Ask your Mum if you can come with us!”

I have wanted my ears pierced forever. I am a year younger, though, so I don’t know if Mum will let me. “Alright!” I say.

I run into the kitchen, where Mum is washing dishes. “Mum! Guess what? Sam said Ms. Conway said she could go get her ears pierced, and so did Trudy’s dad. Can I go with them and get mine done?”

Mum thinks for a moment. “I guess that would be okay if you’re with them. Though, I would feel better if you took someone older with you if you’re going into town at night.”

“I’ll persuade Bart,” I say.

“I think he’s upstairs studying,” Mum points out.

“Aye, but he has trouble saying no to me.”

Mum gives me a mock look. She knows I’ve been able to get Bart to do just about anything I wanted since I was born.

I rush upstairs and open Bart’s door, knocking as I do, but I catch him with Mary- not studying.

Bart and Mary instantly back away from each other. “Cory!” Bart says.

“You’re not studying!” I say.

Bart shuts the door. “Aye, I know that. Shush. What do you need?”

“Sam, Trudy, and I are all going to the jewelry store to get our ears pierced. John’s going with us, but Mum said she’d feel more comfortable if someone older went with us, since we’d be going into town at night,” I explain.

“Cory, I can’t do that. I’m studying,” Bart defends.

“No you’re not! You’re making out with your girlfriend!”

“Shh!” Bart clearly doesn’t want Mum to know.

I fold my arms in front of me. “I’m sure Mum would be very interested to know what you’re really doing when you say ‘I’m studying’.”

“Are you blackmailing me?”

Mary chuckles. I nod.

Bart frowns. Then he sighs. “One of these days I’m gonna learn to say no to you.”

“If it hasn’t happened already, I don’t think there’s much hope,” Mary says, kissing Bart on the cheek. “Come on. You know I love how much you hang out with your sister. I think it’s sweet.”

Bart actually blushes, as he grabs his jacket. “Come on, Cory. Let’s go.”

Bart can’t actually drive yet, as you have to be 17 in Ireland to drive a car. So Edward drives us into town and says he’ll pick us up in an hour and a half.

We walk to the jewelry store and meet Trudy there. Since she and John started dating, Sam and I spend a lot more time with her.

We walk into the jewelry store and tell the jeweler what we want. First, we pick out the earrings we want as starters, the ones we won’t take out for six weeks. Sam has some trouble deciding, but she lands on a pair of small sapphire earrings. Trudy picks round gold studs, and I land a pair of emerald earrings.

Sam sits down first, and I watch her get hers done, and I almost bolk. I didn’t know they did it that way. First they mark her earlobe with a pen, and then they have some kind of miniature nail gun thingy that they’re putting a real hole in her ear with.

“How did you think it was done?” Bart asks when I voice my nervousness out loud.

“I don’t know. I didn’t think about how they would actually do it. I only ever paid attention to the earrings part,” I say.

Sam comes up to me. “It doesn’t hurt, Cory.”

“Then why is your ear red?” I ask.

“Well, I did just get a hole punched into it.”

“Sam!” Bart warns her to not say anything more when I’m already nervous.

Trudy gets hers done, and it doesn’t look any less painful. “I agree with Sam. It doesn’t really hurt. Not that bad anyways,” she says.

“But Sam has a high pain tolerance. I don’t know about you, Trudy. But Sam also told me it wouldn’t hurt to fall off my bike. So when I did, I got a face full of thorns and a bloody nose,” I say.

“Well, I don’t think you’ll get a bloody nose from getting your ears pierced,” Mary tries to comfort me. “Mine didn’t hurt that much.”

I’m still not sure. “Bart, what if you get one done?” Mary suggests.

I perk up. That’s intriguing. “Why would I do that?” Bart asks.

“You’ll probably be able to more accurately determine how much it’ll hurt to her. Plus, you’d look good with a pirate earring.” Mary says.

Now I think I’m gonna bolk over something else. Bart is not yet convinced. “I don’t have a low pain tolerance,” he says.

“Oh, catch yourself on, Bart,” Sam refutes his statement. “Remember last year when we played hockey when the driveway froze over? You acted like I broke your arm when I checked you, and I didn’t even do it that hard.”

“I think you underestimate how unusually strong you were for a twelve-year-old,” Bart says.

“Come on, Bart. Mary does have a point. Sam’s more adventurous than both of us. You’ll be able to tell me if it’ll hurt too much,” I say.

Bart thinks for a moment. Then he sighs. “Alright, fine… Besides, I guess I will look pretty cool with a pirate earring.”

“As long as we don’t have to call you Captain Hook,” John says.

Bart sits in the chair and asks to have his left ear done. The jeweler punches the hole in his ear, and Bart winces slightly.

“Well?” I say.

Bart waits as they clean his ear. “I think if you can play basketball, you can get your ears pierced.”

“But I’ve never gotten hurt playing basketball,” I say.

“Well, then let me put it this way. It hurts about 80% less than the time you broke my collarbone.”

I nod. He did say that hurt quite a bit, though. What’s 80% less actually feel like?

“It kind of feels like biting your tongue. It hurts, but it’s over really quickly,” Bart says.

“That’s a good way of describing it,” Sam says.

I nod and get in the chair after Bart. “Alright. I’ll do it.”

“Good for you,” Sam encourages me.

Mary admires Bart’s new “pirate” earring. “Looks good on you.”

Bart smiles at her. “Thanks.”

The jeweler first wipes my ear with an alcohol swab. She draws the dot, and then she puts the thing on my ear. I’m nervous, but I remember to breathe as she punches the hole in my ear.

Ouch!

Actually, that wasn’t so bad. It actually sort of went numb and doesn’t really hurt afterward. The second one is small potatoes.

Well, now I’m proud that I went through it. I was nervous, but I was brave, and besides, my brother unexpectedly got one, too! Who would’ve seen that coming?

We still have time before Edward comes to get us, so we go for dinner at The Brick Oven- a pizza restaurant here in Bantry. I always like it when it’s just us kids. It’s not that I don’t like hanging out with Mum or Edward. I just feel more independent when it’s everyone under 18.