Page 32 of An Unexpected Turn
Deirdre glanced at me, shaking her head before we followed Arlene inside.
I was worried about both of them, but hearing Mike’s name sent my heart crashing into my stomach. I’d have to call Jake and tell him what happened, and I prayed I wouldn’t have to tell him that Mike was seriously hurt. Arlene would have mentioned if he was, but I wasn’t sure if her idea of seriously hurt matched mine.
The two sets of boys were spread out on opposite ends of the office. Hal, one of our security guards, stood in the middle of the room, a scowl on his face daring the kids to try anything. I would’ve laughed if I weren’t worried sick.
The older boys held bloody tissues up to their noses, while Aaron and Mike didn’t seem to have any serious injuries. A raw scrape trailed down Mike’s cheek and Aaron’s shirt was torn, but I exhaled in relief when I didn’t notice any more blood.
“Let’s hear it,” Deirdre said to Brad and Jared. “This is the third time this month I’ve had to come and de-escalate a fight where you’re both involved.”
“We’re the ones bleeding.” Jared’s muffled voice came through the tissue pressed against his face. “Talk to them.”
I strode up to Aaron and Mike. Aaron focused on his shaking knee, while Mike’s red and glossy eyes met mine.
“What happened? Talk to me.”
“For the past couple of weeks, all they do is bother us,” Mike started, glaring at the boys across the room.
“Bother you how?” I urged, still looking Mike and Aaron over for any more injuries.
“Since they were switched to this lunch period, all they do is say nerd this, loser that, and bump into us when they pass us. We told one of the monitors, and they said to shake it off.” Mike looked away and shrugged.
I cut a look to Arlene and Deirdre as rage boiled in my stomach, my usual reaction when bullying was dismissed as boys being boys, but I stayed silent.
“Today, Brad pushed the tray out of Liam’s hand, and he tripped and fell. When we told them to stop it, they put us each in a headlock and asked what we were going to do about it. We managed to push them away, but they pushed us back hard, and we hit them,” Mike said, his voice small. “I meant to just push them away, but I guess I punched him in the nose.”
“You guess?” Brad said, his nostrils flaring over the tracks of dried blood. “Are you stupid or something?”
“I know I don’t have to remind you that fighting is forbidden in this school. Brad, Jared—” Arlene stepped toward them. “You’re suspended for three days.” She turned to Aaron and Mike. “I’m going to have to suspend you both as well, but I’ll give you one day of suspension and two days of detention.”
“You can’t be serious. That’s all they get?” Brad seethed and pushed off the wall he was slumping against.
“That means we can’t play this weekend.” Jared turned to Deirdre, his eyes wide and desperate.
“Yes, it does,” Deirdre said, her voice calm and cold. “Your coach can call me or Principal Swift if he’d like an update on how his players are behaving and how he’ll have no eligible players left if it keeps up. Come, I need to call your parents to pick you up.”
“Come on, guys.” I motioned for Aaron and Mike to follow me. “You can wait in my office as I call your parents.” I’d never condone fighting and understood Arlene’s obligation to punish both sides, but I was still proud of Aaron and Mike for standing up for themselves. It took guts to go back at older and bigger guys who were picking on you, and I hoped that as far as these boys were concerned, Brad and Jared would think twice about antagonizing them again.
I also had a conversation planned with the cafeteria monitors about turning a blind eye to trouble between students. And by conversation, I meant I was filing a complaint report and hopefully getting them both written up for not doing their jobs.
Aaron’s mother was substituting for the day, and once I reached out to her classroom, she grabbed her son from my office and headed home. Mike stayed silent, rubbing his cheek with a hiss after Aaron left.
“Do you want some cream for that?” I asked, dipping my head in hopes he’d meet my gaze.
He looked away with a shrug. “No, it’s fine.”
“I’m not supposed to say this, but I think you were pretty brave today.”
“But I’m suspended anyway.” He dropped his head forward and rubbed the back of his neck.
“I have to call your dad. Sit here and relax, okay?”
I waited until he gave me a reluctant nod, and I ducked outside to the empty hallway, calling up Jake’s contact information in my cell. We’d exchanged numbers to stay in touch when he began working on the condo, but having his name in my phone seemed too familiar and intimate, even if it was for a business reason.
When the call connected and started to ring, I sucked in a deep breath. This call was always harder when it was a family you knew well—and a father you cared about more than you should.
“Peyton?” I cringed at Jake’s puzzled voice in my ear. “What’s going on?”
“Hi, Jake. Mike was in a fight. He’s fine and was defending himself, but school policy dictates that he has to be suspended anyway. He can come back to school on Monday and will have to serve two days of detention next week. But he has to go home now.”
