"Esther," Faith admitted, then listed off their full names.
"Those girls need to stay away from my daughter," I told him. "I don't care how you do it. I don't care if a teacher has to chase them off. Faith is acting out because she's being tormented every day."
"And because of this custody battle I've heard about?" Mr. Smith asked, looking over at Meredith.
"She was a model student when she lived with me," Meredith agreed.
Faith huffed in her chair. "Except when I yelled at them in class and got in trouble, or when I walked home from school, missing my last class," she pointed out. "I told you, Mom! They won't leave me alone, and Zeke's trying to help because I can't get in trouble, but even when I try to be good, they're the ones who jumped on me! I was just going to my next class."
I looked back at the principal. "Is that true?"
"The whole school knows about Brody!" Faith insisted.
Mr. Smith sighed. "Faith, can you go wait in the hall, please?"
My daughter looked at me, so I nodded, making it clear this was ok. She still sighed, letting me know she didn't like it, but she obeyed. She also stomped her feet a little too much, but as soon as the door closed behind her, Mr. Smith leaned over his desk, looking at the pair of us.
"It's no secret that Brody Jackson was arrested for distributing child pornography. It's also not a secret that Faith and you, Meredith, were living with him at that time. The teachers and staff know, but so do the students. Things spread quickly in a small town."
"Uh huh," I said, refusing to look at my ex. "And how are you making sure that Faith is coping with this? Has she had access to a counselor?"
"Our guidance counselor is only part time..." Mr. Smith tried to explain.
"She needs to ignore it," Meredith said.
That was more than I could take. "In case you missed it, she can't. Our little girl is struggling to get over the fact that your husband took videos of her."
"He did not," Meredith huffed.
I just lifted a brow. "Well, the FBI disagrees. Faith's struggling. I'm not going to lie about that. It's why we're fighting for custody of her. So, how do we fix this problem? The last thing I want is for our daughter to get in trouble because of something other people have done. Doesn't matter if that's Brody, those girls picking on her, or anything else. Faith is here to learn, she wants to learn, and I'm now in a position to make sure she can." I turned my attention back to the principal.
"Are you threatening me?" he asked.
"Mostly the school district," I assured him. "Mr. Smith, Faith has had some difficulties. I have called numerous times, although I'm sure that hasn't been recorded. Thankfully, my phone records prove it." I'd been listening to Cessily a little too much, but I was running with this now. "If my child is attacked in this school again, I can assure you that there will be repercussions."
"She started it," Meredith snapped. "Ever since she's been with you, Faith has been acting out. She knows better, but you let her get away with anything, and that's not how to be a parent, Luke."
"I promise I know how to be a parent," I told her. "We just don'tagreeon how to do it. Telling that girl to sit down, shut up, and take it like a good girl isn't my version of a healthy lifestyle." I paused, forcing myself to shut the fuck up. "Mr. Smith? I'm going to need you to make copies of Faith's records, both her grades and anything else you have. Might as well make a copy for Meredith as well. We are fighting for custody, you know."
"And the school should not be caught in the middle of that," he informed me.
"No, you should just make sure that she's safe while she's here." I jerked my thumb back toward the lobby. "That happened because she's being bullied. She was cutting, Mr. Smith. I've had her getting therapy for that, but it doesn't help much if she's forced to come back and deal with more of it, then punished when she tries to make her abuse stop, or told to shut up and deal with it. She's thirteen years old. She only knows three options. She can run away, she can fight back, or she can hurt herself. That's what kids do, and I can't do this alone. Not while she's here."
"I'll bring it up with the other girls' parents," he admitted.
"And the records?" I pressed.
He nodded. "I'll get you both copies, but you need to figure out how to deal with your relationship problems without dragging that child into the middle of it. She's lashing out because both of you are off the rails. Luke, you can't tear down her mother in front of her. Meredith, you can't contradict everything he says. All you're doing is making sure that child will lash out, and the other kids are going to take advantage of it. That's what kids do. They're vicious little things, so deal with your problems out of sight."
"Where will her detention be?" I asked.
"Right here," the man assured me. "I'll have her spend the half hour with the guidance counselor, if that makes you happier."
"It does," Meredith said. "But we'll need those records too."
Mr. Smith let his eyes close, then pulled in a long, tired breath. "Yes, ma'am. I'll make sure of it."
"Thank you," I told him, pushing to my feet. "I'm sure you have more kids to talk to."
