I grabbed a shirt from my drawer, pausing when I realized that it had a subtle Risqué logo on it. I wasn't sure how I'd gotten it, but it could've been something as innocent as a mix-up in the laundry. Or, it could've been Ash doing it intentionally. Either way, I pulled it on, aware that it was a bit too tight, but fuck it. Grabbing my hat and keys, I hurried downstairs and headed out. Thankfully, the drive was a short one.
Pulling up in front of the small building, I hurried into the office. I wasn't the first there. Meredith stood just inside, glaring down at Faith and clearly giving our kid a piece of her mind. Standing just behind her was a boy.Thatboy. The dark rings around his eyes weren't natural, but they matched his black clothes and the anger in his eyes. That was Zeke Harding, my daughter's new pal, and probably the reason all of this had happened.
I stepped in just to catch the last of Meredith's sentence. "...You never acted like that with me."
Faith just lifted her chin. "No, I just cut myself instead."
"Faith, sit," I ordered, checking the clock on the wall for the time. I was a few minutes early. "Not by Zeke," I warned, when she headed that way. "Meredith," I greeted her.
"She never got intofightswhen she lived with me," my ex shot back.
I ignored that and turned to the secretary sitting behind her desk with wide eyes. "If you want to let the principal know we're here?"
"He knows," she assured me.
So I gestured for Meredith to follow Faith. "What happened?" I asked my kid.
Faith's eyes immediately jumped to Meredith. "Olivia said Mom sold me off to Brody for the house."
"You should've told a teacher," Meredith snapped.
"I did!" Faith yelled back. "They said I needed tougher skin. That was the first day of school." She crossed her arms and huffed like a typical teenager. "And I didn't hit her."
"No?" I asked. "So why did they say you were fighting?"
"Because she tried to hit me," Faith said. "And I don't know how to punch. Zeke pushed her off, she hit him, so he hit her, but she said I did it."
I glanced back to the boy, noticing the red mark on his cheek. Ok, maybe I didn't hate that kid as much as I wanted to, but none of this was good. Thankfully, Meredith hadn't realized it yet.
"And the rest?" I asked Faith.
"I may have said she padded her bra because she was hoping to get an older man," my daughter mumbled.
I had to struggle not to laugh. Yeah, that was a good comeback, but I was the parent here. I couldnotencourage her! Especially not with Meredith watching. Still, Faith met my eyes, and her little body relaxed a little. She knew I wasn't actually mad at her, and that was all I needed.
"Mr. Barrett? Ms. Connoly?" the secretary asked. "The principal can see you now." She gestured to a door at the side.
Together, the three of us headed into the office. Meredith took the chair at one side, Faith got the middle, and I claimed the one on the other. Behind the desk was an older man wearing a pale blue polo with Cats Peak High embroidered on the chest. The sign on his desk said his name was Mr. Smith.
"So," the man started, looking between Meredith and me. "I have three girls saying that your daughter punched Olivia. Zeke Harding says he did it."
"The boy also has a pretty good shiner on his cheek," I pointed out. "Faith probably instigated a bit, though."
"I see," Mr. Smith murmured. "But that 'shiner' is why I'm not going to suspend your daughterthistime. She will, however, get detention, which I expect her to serve tomorrow. She's excused from classes for the rest of the day today. This school has a zero-tolerance policy. We will not allow the children to harass each other."
"So, what happens to the girls who've been bullying my daughter?" I asked.
"Luke!" Meredith hissed.
"What?" I looked over at her. "That's what started this, Meredith. Last year, and again now, those three girls have been tormenting Faith. They have asked if she wanted her abuser to do what he did."
The principal cleared his throat. "We can't keep kids from - "
"Then how does zero tolerance work?" I asked, cutting him off.
The man's mouth moved for a moment, but no words came out. Then, "Excuse me?"
"You need to make sure that Anna Marie, Olivia, and what's the other one's name, Faith?"
