Chapter 9 The Circle of Stupid #3
Elyxandre felt herself stiffen. “You say he treats her like a wife?”
“No! I’m sorry. He hasn’t done… at least, I don’t think he’s done anything like that.
She tells me everything, and she’s never said that he’s…
touched her like that. I just meant, she has to do everything at the house—the cooking, the cleaning, parenting her little brother—and if everything isn’t just so, he…
Let’s just say he lashes out first, then yells. ”
He turned to Lucas and pleaded with him again.
“Please, sir. She was only there because I asked her to come along. After the accident last month, he never lets her come out or do things with her friends. I thought it would be harmless. Her dad was home, drunk and passed out. He’d never know she was gone.
I didn’t think anyone would do any actual vandalism.
Kennedy and I, we were only responsible for the window paint.
I know we got caught, and you have to punish us all equally, but please.
Please cut Kennedy a break. Let me take her punishment.
If nothing else, give her an ISS for all of the days, but please don’t call him. ”
Heat rushed from Elyxandre’s center mass to all her extremities. Her fingers itched with the need to clench into a fist and punch something, but she knew she couldn’t let her anger show. “Does Kennedy have any marks on her that you know of? Bruises? Cuts? Anything like that?”
Judah shook his head. “No. Not that I’ve seen. But I swear, if you call home, even if you give her an ISS for a few days, she won’t be back for at least a week.”Flashing a look at Lucas, she begged him to speak—to reassure the boy that they’d protect Kennedy.
“I’m sorry, Judah,” he said. “I can’t hide a consequence. That would be falsifying a school record. If he lays hands on her again, though, she needs to come forward and say something. Then we can pursue it.”
Judah’s eyes filled with hurt and anger. “So, in other words, she has to get hurt for you to do anything? All because of some spray paint and broken picnic tables? That’s worth more than Kennedy’s safety?”
Lucas truly did look sorry, but she, more than anyone, knew that his hands were tied.
He would report the accusation to child protective services, and they would decide whether or not to investigate based on the written law regarding domestic abuse.
If she didn’t have any proof or witnesses, there was little they could do.
It broke Elyxandre’s heart, but it was true.
“Judah,” she started. “Have you ever seen Kennedy’s father hurt her? Grab her by the arm. Slap her. Push her. Has anyone seen him do anything?”
“No. She’s not allowed to have anyone over at the house. Claims it disturbs him when he’s trying to relax.”
“Might anyone have any pictures of her with a visible bruise or injury? Even if it wasn’t recent.”
He shook his head. “The one time someone called CPS, he threatened them with a gun when they came to the door. He was arrested, but when he got home, we didn’t see Kennedy for two weeks.
She failed a bunch of classes because it was at the end of the school year.
She really can’t afford to be hurt again.
I’m worried he’ll kill her.” His last sentence was a whisper.
She looked at Lucas again. He stared back at her.
“Go back to the ISS room, Judah. Stay with Kennedy.”
He nodded, then slunk out of the room, his shoulders hunched in defeat and a face filled with worry.
As soon as the door closed behind him, Lucas hung his head, a hand going behind his neck. “Shit,” he muttered.
Shit, indeed. This had all the signs of becoming a cluster of epic proportions. “You know Kennedy’s dad at all?” she asked.
He grimaced. “Not personally. Everyone knows he’s got a record.
A lot of drunk and disorderly type stuff.
He’s got a no-trespass order for school grounds after an incident at a football game during Kennedy’s freshman year.
She’s a cheerleader, and he created quite the scene.
Since then, I’ve had her in class twice, but he doesn’t respond to phone calls or emails, and he’s never been to a parent-teacher conference that I’m aware of. He never contacted me either.”
“So it’s entirely possible he’s beating the girl?”
“I’ve never known Judah to lie, so it’s entirely possible.” He sighed and pulled his glasses from his face with one hand, massaging the bridge of his nose with the other. “I’ll need to look into her absence record. See if we can line something up, although how, I don’t know.”
“I’ll talk to Lieutenant Axton at the SAPD. See if I can find out anything about her father.” Elyxandre sucked her lower lip into her mouth as she thought. “We can’t call home on that girl,” she warned him. “It’s too risky.”
“What do you want me to do, Officer Hookstead? I was very clear about what their punishment was. If I let her off, I’ll have no credibility, and the superintendent will force me to let them all off.”
“Well, if you’d stuck to the plan we put in place instead of jumping the gun, we probably wouldn’t be in this situation right now.”
Lucas’ face went red. “So it’s my fault if the girl gets hurt. Is that what you’re saying?”
“No, I’m not saying that. I’m saying that you wouldn’t be worrying about credibility if you’d followed through.
” She turned and walked back to her notepad.
After a quick perusal, she offered a solution.
“Judah is correct. According to the video, both he and Kennedy were only responsible for the soluble paint on the front doors and windows. They, technically, didn’t vandalize anything. ”
She crossed to him. “We could give them an ISS today, like everyone else, and during their study hall, have them wash the windows. Hold them to the other punishments, like the other kids who actually committed acts of vandalism, and we’ll issue official warnings as the promised tickets.”
“This is a fucking disaster,” he muttered. “You promise to look into Kennedy’s father?”
Oh yeah. She’d be looking into him. And if he even so much as pinched his daughter, she’d make sure he was taken care of. No one, especially a female child, would be abused again on her watch as long as she knew about it. That shit would not fly.
“I promise. I’ll also try talking to Kennedy tomorrow. She’s too overwrought right now.” She placed a hand on his shoulder. “You’re doing the right thing, Dr. Vaughn.”
Warmth tingled through her fingertips, and that warmth grew when his eyes redirected to where she touched him, then moved to meet her gaze. Whoa. Did he feel that through his jacket sleeve? She retracted her hand as calmly as she could.
He blew out a breath as he stood. “I better get back to my office. I’m sure I’ll be receiving a summons to the superintendent’s office at any moment. Ryker’s a pain in everyone’s ass, but he’s the high school hero quarterback, and his daddy’s pride and joy.”
She cleared her throat. “Right. I’ll start contacting parents and assigning the students to clean up.
Just remember what the endgame is, Dr. Vaughn.
” She resisted the urge to reach out and touch him again.
“We’re trying to shift the students’ culture.
If the student body sees that you’re willing to hold the elite of the school responsible for their actions, they’ll know you’ll do the same to anyone else.
And if we can get the kids who did the damage to flip sides and end up having pride in their school? That’s how you change the narrative.”
Lucas said nothing. He simply exited the conference room, leaving her alone in the space, looking at a slowly self-closing door. She sighed. What a fucking mess.