Page 51 of Inseparable
Ayden removes his arm from around my waist, taking my hand in his as he steers me out of the cafeteria after Principal Wells. Sheepishly, I look up at him. “I can explain.”
“Not now.” A muscle clenches in his jaw, and I gulp. I’ve never seen him looking so hurt or so angry.
The principal is holding her office door open, and Ayden lets go of my hand, stepping away without a word. I walk inside, preparing myself to face the consequences of my action.
The principal doesn’t hold back, refusing to accept any explanations or apologies. After she’s torn a few strips off us, she instructs us to wait outside her office until our parents arrive, and we both drop dutifully into seats. Becky and I stare straight ahead, not looking at one another. When the principal leaves to go to the bathroom, Becky casts a surreptitious glance over her shoulder at the secretary. She has headphones on, and she’s tapping away on the computer, not paying any attention to us. “You’re going to pay for this, bitch. You are going to regret the day you crossed me.”
I ignore her, and judging by the way she grips the arms of her chair, I can tell it pisses her off. If I thought Becky was my enemy before, it’ll pale into insignificance in comparison to the war she’s going to wage on me now. I’ve seen how vicious she can be, and now I know I’m going to feel the full extent of her wrath, I’m actually worried. She is going to make the last few months of senior class sheer hell.
Mom sends me a worried look when she rushes into the room twenty minutes later, quickly followed by Becky’s parents.
“Mrs. Ward.” Becky’s dad greets Mom formally, before sending a disgusted look my way.
“Dr. Carmichael.” Mom gulps nervously, and I send her a puzzled expression.
The next half hour is torturous as we are both forced to explain what happened in front of all the oldies. Dr. Carmichael sends a sharp, disappointed look at his daughter as he listens to her trying to downplay the part she played.
“I will be taking statements from some of the other students,” the principal explains after we have finished talking, “considering you are both giving me different accounts. In the meantime, you are both suspended until further notice.”
I hang my head, disgusted that I let that malicious bitch get to me. Now, I’m suspended for the first time in my life, and I hate that I’ve tarnished my reputation with the principal, dented my exemplary record, and, most of all, disappointed Mom.
Ayden is nowhere to be seen when we exit the principal’s office, and that only enhances my shame and my anxiety. I need to find him and explain before he receives some embellished account of what happened with Devin and breaks up with me.
Mom escorts me to the car without saying a word. “I’m sorry, Mom,” I admit, once we have driven out of the school gates. “I shouldn’t have let her get to me, but she’s been on my case for months now, and something inside me just snapped.”
“There is no excuse that’ll ever be acceptable for resorting to violence.” Her voice is low, and now I feel like utter shit. “None.”
Shame shrouds me in a veil of regret. “I know. I wish I could take it back.”
“If Becky has been bullying you, you should’ve told me, and I would’ve come to the school with you.”
“That wouldn’t have helped, Mom. Girls like her are a law unto themselves.”
She sadly shakes her head. “And for it to be Dr. Carmichael’s daughter of all people.” She sighs.
“He works with you?” I wasn’t aware of that fact until now. I thought Becky’s dad ran his own practice in town. I never realized he worked out of the hospital too.
“He’s the director of the hospital. Essentially, he’s my boss.”
Double shit. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry. Will you get in trouble at work?”
“No. He’s a difficult man, but he’s a professional through and through. He wouldn’t allow anything that happened outside of the work environment to impact my position, but I’d still rather it wasn’t his daughter involved.”
“It’s not my fault she’s a class-A bitch.”
“It’s still no excuse for violence,” Mom reminds me.
Ayden shows up after school, knocking on the front door with more vigor than usual. Mom sends me a knowing look. “I know I’m grounded, but I need to explain things to him. He’s pissed at me.”
“Fine, and you can see him for one hour per day, but that’s it. You know I don’t like punishing you, but this is a serious matter, and I need to know you understand that resorting to violence is never the answer. No matter what.”
“I get it, Mom, and I’ll take whatever punishment is coming my way.”
I wipe my sweaty palms down the front of my jeans before opening the door to my boyfriend. Mom has made herself scarce so I walk into the living room with Ayden silently following me. “I was going to tell you.”
He folds his arms over his chest. “Excuse me if I find that hard to believe. You had all weekend to tell me and you didn’t.”
“Because you were in a bad mood when you returned, and I didn’t want to add to it.”
