‘Did you do this to my son?’She glared at him, her voice a low growl.
Charlie scoffed.Sophie shot him a look.
Steve sat forward.‘Lauren, calm down.’He put a firm hand on her knee, but she pushed it off.
‘Lauren, I need you to have a seat,’ the principal said firmly.
Sophie looked at her, registering her presence for the first time.Agnes Holthouse was a short stocky woman who reminded Sophie of a British Bulldog.She stared at Lauren over the top of glasses that sat on the end of her nose.Lauren sat.When Mrs Holthouse gave orders, people followed them.‘Please refrain from speaking directly to Charlie again.’
Lauren glared at her.‘Well?What does he have to say for himself?’
Steve cleared his throat again.‘Lauren, Mrs Holthouse was just telling me what happened.It seems that Leo hit Charlie first, and then Charlie retaliated.’
Sophie exhaled, surprised and reassured by the new information.
Steve looked at his son.‘Is that true, Leo?’
Lauren scoffed.‘Don’t be ridiculous.Leo would never hit anyone.There’s obviously been some mistake—’
Steve raised his hand to stop her from speaking and looked at Leo, waiting for a response.After a long pause, Leo nodded, his eyes on the floor.
‘What?You did?Why?’Lauren demanded.
Charlie smirked.‘See!I told you that!’
‘Be quiet,’ Sophie murmured through clenched teeth, troubled by the cocky edge in his voice.The lack of remorse.He slumped back in the chair as Mrs Holthouse wrote something in her notebook.
‘Why did you hit him, Leo?’Steve asked.
Leo looked at his dad, then over at Charlie, then back to the floor.He shrugged.
‘You’re going to have to do better than that, mate,’ Steve said firmly.
Leo closed his eyes and repositioned the icepack higher over his eye.He mumbled something.
‘I can’t hear you.’There was clear frustration in Steve’s voice now.
‘I said, ask him!’Leo said, this time loud and clear.
They all looked at Charlie, who turned his palms up and shook his head.‘I don’t know.’
Lauren sighed and looked at Mrs Holthouse.‘Do you think we could possibly have a conversation withoutthemhere?’She tipped her head towards Sophie and Charlie.
‘I think we’ve done enough talking,’ Mrs Holthouse said.‘Regardless of who said what, fighting is unacceptable at Carrinya Public School.It’s my job to ensure the school environment is safe for all students.’She glared at Leo, then Charlie.‘Boys, you are both suspended for the rest of the week.Do you understand?’
Leo nodded.Charlie shrugged.
‘Do.You.Understand?’she repeated, loudly and slowly.
‘Yes, Mrs Holthouse,’ they mumbled in unison.
As Sophie drove home from the school with Charlie in the passenger seat, his face turned towards the window, two thoughts ran through her head.The first filled her with dread:What will Ryan do when he finds out Charlie got suspended?His temper had been getting worselately and this would be sure to set him off.But the second thought was worse:My boy is turning into Ryan.
She shuddered as Leo Berry’s battered face flashed in her mind.It was just a matter of time before Charlie hit adolescence.He was already teetering on the brink of it.What sort of man would he be?An angry man like his father?A man who hurt people?
‘What do you think Dad will do when he finds out?’Charlie murmured, still facing the window.
‘I don’t know.’
