Chapter 46 #2
Principal Hansley’s eyes meet mine. “We’ll be just a few minutes. Mrs. Jacobson will be here watching you, so don’t try anything.”
“Oh, she won’t,” my father chimes in, looking over his shoulder at me. “Isn’t that right?”
I duck my chin before the door shuts behind them.
I sag forward as I exhale a breath and reach for my phone, pulling it from my back pocket. I start texting Jameson, telling him what’s happening when I hear Mrs. Jacobson say my name.
“No phones on school grounds,” she states.
“I’m just—”
“Getting written up is the last thing you need right now, don’t you think?”
I tilt my head, taking her in. Her blonde hair that’s clearly dyed is pulled back into a tight bun, her pink cardigan buttoned up to the top.
For a second, I think about asking her what it feels like to have a stick wedged that far up her ass.
Instead, I swallow the remark, making a show of tucking the phone into my purse.
She gives me a satisfied smile, as if she’s tamed some sort of beast.
I roll my eyes, shifting my attention to Principal Hansley’s door, waiting for it to open. The minutes drag on and with each that passes, my anxiety only worsens. I would kill for a cigarette right now. Or a drink.
As time continues to drag by, I think about asking to go to the bathroom and slipping outside for a smoke. Just as I’m about to ask, the door pushes open and Garcia steps out, crooking a finger for me to come join them.
I walk in behind him, my eyes finding my father’s, and when I see the fury in them, I dart my gaze back to the door.
I don’t want to be in this room.
“Please, take a seat,” Principal Hansley says, waving his hand to the empty chair beside my father.
I hesitate, feeling Garcia move in behind me.
“Sit down, Samantha,” my father barks.
Forcing myself to move forward, I drop into the chair.
“Let’s get right to it,” Principal Hansley starts. “Juliette’s nose is broken, and her parents have decided to press charges.”
I suck in a breath.
“What this means,” he continues, “is that, in addition to the legal ramifications, you will be given a ten-day suspension, during which time the possibility of your expulsion will be discussed.” He leans forward, steepling his hands on the desk. “Do you understand what I’ve just shared with you?”
“Yes,” I answer, the word clipped.
He sits back. “Good. Now, I’d like to give you the opportunity to share your side of the story. To explain why you acted out this way.”
I want to ask him why it even matters. It’s not like it’s helped any of the other times I’ve sat in this chair. I know he’s already written me off, and each time I let my anger win, I’m only confirming who he already thinks I am.
“What’d this girl do?” my father asks, surprising me. “She say somethin’ to you?”
“Johnny,” I push out.
“Huh?”
“She talked shit about Johnny.”
My father pulls his head back. “What’d she say?”
“I don’t—”
“No,” he cuts in, his voice edged with anger. “You tell them what this girl said to you.”
I turn to Principal Hansley, looking him right in the eye. “She told me my brother was a thug. That she wasn’t surprised when she found out he died. That she thought we were all better off.”
I watch as his gaze drifts past me, briefly looking at Garcia, who’s still standing behind me.
“You got nothing to say to that?” my father snaps.
“Something like that shouldn’t have been said—”
“You fuckin’ think?”
“I know that this is obviously a difficult subject, and I’m sorry for your loss,” he adds, looking between us. “But that is not an acceptable reason to act the way your daughter did. In fact, there is no acceptable reason.”
“I don’t know,” my father leans forward. “Seems like a pretty damn good reason to me.”
My head unconsciously whips in his direction. Did he just defend me?
“Mr. Barlowe—”
“Are we done here?” he interrupts.
“Excuse me?”
“Are. We. Done. Here.”
“Well, yes, I guess so,” Principal Hansley sputters.
“Your suspension is effective immediately,” he says, shifting to me. “And there will be a hearing about your possible expulsion within the next few days.”
My father pushes his chair back. “Let’s go,” he says to me, standing.
I move to follow him out the door, but he turns back to Principal Hansley. “You ever lose someone you love?” he asks. “A child? A brother?”
His face pinches before he clears his throat. “My wife.”
“Think about how you would have reacted if someone said that shit to you. Said that shit about your wife.”
Before Principal Hansley can answer, my father guides me out the door.
“Thank you,” I mutter, my eyes on the floor. “For saying all that.”
He grunts a non-response as we step outside, heading for his car.
I slide into the passenger seat as my father takes his spot behind the wheel and starts up the car.
We drive in silence, and it’s not until we pull in front of the house that he turns to me. “He was wrong. What you did”—he shakes his head—“after what that girl said, was perfectly fucking acceptable.”
I stare back at him.
“There’s gonna be consequences,” he tells me.
“I know.”
“But you’ll deal with it.”
I nod. “Yeah.”
For Johnny, I’ll deal with it.
Because nobody talks about my brother like that and walks away untouched.