The woman crosses her arms with a huff.
“Johnny wanted to play with Star. He could see she was lonely and tried to be her friend. Star wasn’t interested.”
When she says nothing else, I growl. “And?”
“And Johnny is very friendly. He tried to wear her down, but she refused. Honestly, Miss Dillion, she doesn’t try at all. I’m not sure why she’s even here to begin with.”
“She’s here to learn. So far, from what you’ve said, she’s done nothing wrong. What caused the fight?”
“I just told you,” she huffs.
I step forward. “Lady, all you’re doing is talking in circles.”
She huffs again before continuing. “Star hid under the table and refused to come out, which upset Johnny because he really was trying hard to be friends. He asked her to come out repeatedly. And when she didn’t, he reached under and pulled her out.”
I blink, looking back at Citi, who fists her hands at her side. “And then what happened?” Citi snaps.
“Star started trying to fight him off, but he eventually pulled her out. Unfortunately, all of her thrashing meant he fell and got knocked into the table behind him, clipping his cheek. He was lucky he didn’t break something.”
Citi drags her eyes from the teacher to the principal. “What I’m hearing here, Principal Parker, is that my already traumatized daughter was continuously accosted by a boy who refused to take no for an answer. The teacher obviously didn’tstep in, so Star hid to protect herself because, clearly, consent is not something that is taught in Miss Finch’s class. Then, again, instead of stepping in, Miss Finch allowed my daughter to be further assaulted as she was dragged out from her hiding spot with enough force to pull a chunk of hair from her head. I have no idea if she received first aid because I wasn’t informed of the incident. And then, to add insult to injury, I find out she is going to be expelled for fighting when she never even laid her hand on that boy. And the boy who did assault my child is getting away scot-free.”
She looks at me. “Did I miss anything?”
“The comment about Havoc being Star’s daddy?” I offer, adding fuel to the already scorching fire. Holy shit, watching Citi turn into a mother bear is the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.
“Oh yes. When I asked to see you and was initially refused, Miss Finch then made a snide comment about me leaving Star with her uncle. She called him her daddy with that sneer of hers when she knows damn well who her daddy is—the whole world does.”
Mr. Parker blinks at Citi, and I see the exact moment everything clicks into place. Who she is, what happened to her, and who Star is.
“When I came to view this school, I met with Vice Principal Blevins, who was wonderful and supportive. Mr. Parker, I believe you were meeting with the school board, who, I’m sure, will love to hear all about what just happened here. Such a shame. I had high hopes for this school.” Citi hammers the final nail in the coffin.
“Wait, Miss Dillion. This has all been a misunderstanding.”
“No, this has been a travesty. Do you have any idea what that little girl has been through?” She shakes her head, her eyesmoving to the teacher, who now looks visibly worried, thanks to the principal’s reaction.
“Congratulations. You’ve just become another adult who traumatized her. Shame there isn’t a special register for assholes.”
“She can come back. Of course, she can. All of this was a mistake,” the principal blathers.
Citi shakes her head, looking disappointed. “So she can sit with her tormentor and get taught by a woman she can’t trust to keep her safe? No thanks. I’ll find a more suitable placement for her.” And with that, she yanks the door open and storms out.
I turn to face them both—the principal, looking shocked, and the teacher, looking a mix of pissed and pleased.
“What the fuck is wrong with you? All of that she just painted for you, and you still have the audacity to stand there and smirk. You have no idea the hell those two have survived. None. I know the horrors they escaped from, and I’m in complete awe of them both. But to then have to watch someone like you, who wouldn’t last a second of the hell they endured, belittle them makes me feel so fucking ashamed just to share the same air as you.”
I look at the principal. “I’d figure out your safety issue real quick, because I can guarantee Raven Souls won’t be patronizing this school again once it gets out what happened to their princess.”
“Their princess?” Parker chokes out.
“Star is Havoc’s niece. You know Havoc, right? He’s the president of the Raven Souls MC, and he loves that little girl as if she were his own. I dare you to tell him this was all just a misunderstanding.”
I storm out, slamming the door behind me before I stalk toward the truck. Citi is already in the back with Star, but Havoc is waiting for me.
“Explain. Citi was so mad she could barely get her words out.”
I give him the rundown of what happened and watch as his temper goes from zero to sixty in a second. He moves to storm past me, but I grab his arm.
“No. Right now, Citi has the moral high ground. You go in there and knock him out like I know you want to, you’ll fuck everything up.”
