Page 86 of Punked By the Playmaker
She nodded, wiping the back of her hand under her nose before snatching her bag off the floor. Together, we made our way to the office, and as soon as she spotted her dad, Maisie took off like a shot, falling into his open arms.
Over his daughter’s head, he mouthed,Thank you.
I dipped my chin, accepting his gratitude.
Impatiently, the principal tapped his foot. “If I could have a moment in private, Mr. Nixon and Ms. Cleary?”
“Sit here with Austin,” Levi instructed Maisie while glaring at Principal Jacobs. “We’ll only be a minute.”
Upon entering the smaller room, we were instructed to take a seat opposite the principal’s desk, and the man folded his hands atop the wooden surface.
Gruffly, he spoke, “At Seaside, we have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to fighting.”
Levi narrowed his eyes, challenging, “What’s the policy when it comes to bullying?”
“That doesn’t pertain to Austin’s situation.”
“The hell it doesn’t!” my husband roared. “It’s the whole reason Austin got into that fight!”
Not gonna lie, watching him go to bat for Austin had my heart skipping a beat.
Ignoring the outburst, the principal continued, “As such, I have no choice but to suspend him for the next week. If this happens again, we may have to discuss the possibility of expulsion.”
“So let me get this straight,” Levi huffed. “You’re going to suspend our kid, but the one who used a slur against my daughter gets to walk away scot-free?”
“I think a broken nose is punishment enough, don’t you think?”
Levi stood, slamming a hand down on his desk. “This is bullshit! And I’m pretty sure it’s in direct violation of the ADA, which requires you to handle bullying incidents involving students with disabilities. Forget about hearing from my lawyer; I’ll be taking this straight to the damn news and making sure you lose your job!”
I’d never seen him angry like this. Every muscle in his body vibrated with tension.
“Come on, Arizona.” He dragged me out of my seat and pulled the door to the small office open. Stopping on the threshold, he delivered the parting shot. “You can shove your suspension where the sun doesn’t shine. Maisie and Austin won’t be returning.”
“Levi.” I tugged on his hand in an attempt to slow him down as he stormed out, peeking at our wide-eyed kids. “You need to calm down.”
“No!” He shook me off. “I’m not going to fucking calm down!”
I tried again. “Maybe you should take a walk.”
“Yeah, maybe you’re right.”
Each stomping footstep acted as a seismic wave, shaking the ground as he left the building.
Pulling the keys out of my purse, I gave them to Austin. “Why don’t you two wait for us in the car.” With a stern glare, I warned, “And that’s not code for bring it around front.”
Austin rolled his eyes, muttering, “Jeez, you go on one little joyride . . .”
Swear to God, raising him had easily shaved ten years off my life.
“Go on.” I jerked my chin toward the door, and they rose from their seats, headed for the parking lot out front.
Closing my eyes, I pulled in a centering breath.
It was time to defuse the bomb otherwise known as my husband.
Chapter 25
Levi
