Signal to Noise(62)

“We won’t laugh. Right, Sebos?”

“No, promise,” Sebastian said.

“He grabbed my boob.”

Sebastian looked at Meche, eyes wide. She turned towards Daniela.

“Who did?” Meche asked.

Daniela kept her hands over her eyes. She pursed her lips.

“Who?” Meche demanded. “Tell us or we’ll find out.”

“Rodriguez,” Daniela whispered.

Meche knew it! She just knew he was an *. There was something unpleasant and oily about him. She wanted to wring his neck like a chicken.

“What?” Sebastian asked.

“He also touched my leg. He said he was doing me a favour.”

Meche grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her up. “Did he rape you?”

“No! But he would have... I ran out and... and tomorrow I’m going to have to see him in school. I can’t. I just can’t.”

“No, you’re never going to have to see him again because he’s going to get his ass fired,” Meche said. “Frankenstrada is going to kick him out on the spot.”

“Yeah... yeah,” Sebastian agreed. “He won’t teach again.”

“I don’t want to tell the principal.”

“We’ll go with you,” Meche said. “We’ll tell her together.”

“What if she doesn’t believe me?”

“She’s got to.”

Daniela uncovered her face. She nodded weakly. Meche sat with her and held her hand.

“It’ll be fine.”





THEY SHOWED UP promptly at Principal Estrada’s office on Monday morning, asking for a brief meeting and were admitted into her office. Estrada sat behind her massive desk, photographs of former students decorating the walls, the history and pride of the institution reflected through the decades. She listened to them, hands clasped in front of her, and sat very still as Daniela spoke.

Once Daniela had finished she placed her hands upon the desk.

“That’s quite a story,” she said.

“It’s true,” Meche said. “Mr. Rodriguez is a creep.”

“Mr. Rodriguez has been with us for five years. He performs very well on his evaluations and has never given us a cause for concern.”

“Well, there’s a cause here,” Meche replied.

“Look, I understand,” the principal said.

Meche sighed with relief.

“It’s hard being a kid these days. All that sex in music videos on the television. There is very little sense of decency left. It’s terribly confusing.”

“What does that have to do with Daniela?” Sebastian asked.

Principal Estrada gave Daniela a kind, motherly look.

“Look, I talked to Professor Rodriguez already—”

“You did?” Daniela mumbled.

“Yes. Yesterday. He told me you tried to kiss him. He was terribly ashamed about the whole thing.”

“It’s the other way around,” Meche said. “He was trying to touch her boob.”

Principal Estrada rose, circling the desk and standing next to Daniela. She stared down at the girl. Daniela lowered her head, as if she were trying to look at something stuck to the floor.

“Did he really try to touch you?”

Daniela did not answer. Meche saw how she gripped the arms of the chair she was sitting in.

“Can I leave?” Daniela asked.

“I asked you a question.”

“No. Can I go now?”

“Yes. That goes for the three of you.”

Daniela rushed out of the office. Sebastian hurried after her. Meche stopped at the door, looking back at Principal Estrada.

Estrada sat back behind her desk, tidying her papers and utterly ignoring her.





“WAIT,” MECHE SAID, running after them and catching up as they exited into the courtyard. “We can’t leave it at that.”

“We are going to leave it at that,” Daniela whispered. “She doesn’t care.”

“She doesn’t care, but we do,” Meche said. “We have to do something.”

“Like what?!” Daniela turned around, clutching her books against her chest. “What can we do?”

“Everything,” Meche said. “That’s what magic is for.”

“What kind of spell are you talking about?” Sebastian asked.

“Something to teach him a lesson, so he’ll never bug Daniela or any other girl again.”

Daniela and Sebastian looked at each other nervously. Daniela stared down at her shoes, biting her lower lip.

“Black magic?”

“Oh, black magic is the shit they say in movies,” Meche said with a chuckle. “Magic is magic.”

“It’s not the same to ask for money as it is to hurt a man,” Sebastian said, feeling terribly uncomfortable with the whole conversation.

“Like I don’t know it?”

“No, I don’t think you do.”

Meche’s eyes narrowed. She grabbed Sebastian’s arm, digging her nails into his skin. Like when they played Where Did the Eagle Land. Only not really, because there was this glimmer in her eye which he did not like. Sebastian brushed her hand off.