Mark rolled his eyes then stared at his parents.
Mr. Willis glared. “And if we don’t find it acceptable?”
“The alternative is as stated. Mark will be assigned two weeks of in-school suspension.”
“We accept neither.” Mr. Willis grabbed his wife’s hand. “You’ll hear from our lawyer on Monday. Mark, you’re coming home.”
The threesome stormed out of the room, leaving a wake of negative energy.
Principal Monet crossed his arms behind his back. “I’m sorry your family was brought into that.”
Cecily sniffled, tears of remorse rolling down her cheeks. “Will they really get a lawyer involved?”
“No.” He handed her a tissue. “I’ve dealt with this family since their oldest son attended this school. It wouldn’t be a school year if they didn’t make that threat at least twice.”
“I’m really sorry. I promise I won’t let my anger get the better of me again.”
“I know you won’t.” The principal smiled at Cecily. “You’re one of our best students. My advice is to steer clear of Mark. The entire family loves to get a rise out of people.”
Serena stood up. “Do you need anything else from us?”
“If you could sign this document, please, verifying that we had this discussion. I’ll send another home with your daughter that outlines the actions taken.”
She leaned over the desk and scrawled her name. “If there’s anything else that comes up, please call us.”
“I will.” Principle Monet extended a hand to Lucas. “It’s an honor to meet you, sir, even under these circumstances. Thank you for your service to our country.”
Lucas nodded—Serena had quickly learned he felt uncomfortable when thanked for his service though he appreciated the sentiment. “Hopefully next time we meet it will be for a better situation.”
Cecily was dismissed to return to class. Serena left with Lucas at her side, and she exhaled loudly once they were out of the building. “I don’t know what to think.”
“That family’s a piece of work. I almost feel bad for the kid.”
“What do we do about Cecily?” She leaned against her car while they finished their conversation.”
“We?” He smirked and pointed to her. “That’s your department.”
She chuckled at his weak attempt to get out of discipline. “You have to take the good with the bad.”
“I know, but, man.” He let out a low whoosh. “It’s hard to punish her when she did what she did for noble reasons.”
“I agree.”
He ran his fingers along his whiskered jaw. “Do you think the school punishment is enough?”
“It will make her miss hanging out in the library, which is about the worst punishment she could have.”
“How about we talk to her tonight, reinforce why what she did was wrong, and discuss alternatives for future occurrences.”
“That sounds good to me.” His solution impressed her, showed his wisdom as a parent. “Are you sure you haven’t been parenting longer?”
His eyes twinkled and he issued a devilish grin. “I spent enough time in trouble growing up to know what to say.”
She broke out in laughter. “That, I believe.”
His eyes sobered and a poignant emotion flickered over them. “Did we just successfully navigate parenting together?”
“I think we did.”
