Chapter 24
Arizona
I was pretty sure Levi broke every posted speed limit during our mad dash to the school.
When I listened to the voicemail left on my own phone, it mirrored the one he’d received. No details were given about the type of incident that had occurred or why it was so imperative that we get there as soon as possible.
Didn’t they have any fucking clue that leaving a vague message like that would give parents extreme anxiety?
In this day and age, when all kinds of unspeakable acts took place within the confines of educational buildings, how could you not at least let them know whether or not their children were safe and unharmed?
As soon as Levi put his SUV in park, we both jumped from the vehicle, running to the doors at the entrance.
My husband pulled on one of the handles, and when the door didn’t open, he used more strength, rattling it on its hinges. Then came a roar of “Why the hell is this door locked?”
“Safety precaution,” I explained, pressing the button on the intercom affixed to the brick exterior.
The speaker crackled to life. “Can I help you?”
Pressing a palm against my racing heart, I replied, “Arizona Cleary and Levi Nixon here for Maisie Thorne and Austin Cleary.”
“Come on in.”
There was a loud buzz, signaling that the doors were temporarily unlocked.
We rushed inside, stopping only long enough to scan our IDs at the guest checkpoint before being granted entry into the school office.
Immediately, Austin came into view, seated on a chair against the far wall, and I gasped at the sight of him. His lip was split, with blood dripping down his chin, and his glasses were askew, one of the lenses completely shattered.
“Oh my God!” I cried, moving as fast as my legs would carry me toward him. As soon as he was within arm’s reach, I cupped his face gently. “What happened?”
The fourteen-year-old glanced at Levi, who now stood beside me, and tried to act tough. “You should see the other guy.”
Not amused, my husband folded both arms over his chest and repeated my question, “What happened?”
Austin lifted one shoulder. “Got in a fight.”
Levi let out a sigh. “Bud, the answer to being bullied isn’t to become a bully yourself.”
The teen reared back, shaking his head. “It’s not like that. I was defending Maisie.”
Levi stiffened, and his head turned on a swivel as he scanned the room. “Where is she?”
“She ran away when the fight started.”
“Fuck.” My husband’s eyes slammed shut. “We need to find her.”
A door opened nearby, and a balding, middle-aged man appeared. “Mr. Nixon, Ms. Clearly. I’m Principal Jacobs. If you could please step inside my office.”
“I’m not doing anything until someone tells me where my daughter is and why Austin is the only participant of this so-called fight that is being disciplined,” Levi snapped.
It was only then that I realized Austin was the only student sitting inside the main office.
The principal calmly replied, “Ms. Thorne has locked herself inside a bathroom stall. A female faculty member is trying to coax her out as we speak. As for any other students involved, I’m not at liberty to divulge that information.”
That wasn’t good enough for Levi. Immediately, he turned to Austin, demanding, “Tell me.”
“Mr. Nixon, I must insist—”
“Excuse me, I was talking to my kid,” Levi barked.
My jaw hit the floor.
Did he—Did he just claim Austin as his?
No, he didn’t really mean that. Clearly, he wasn’t thinking straight in the heat of the moment.
Austin pushed his broken glasses up the bridge of his nose, only for them to slide back down again.
“There’s this eighth grader, Caden Masters, who thinks the only way to look cool is by putting down others.
His group of friends thinks it’s hilarious and cheers him on. Today, he set his sights on Maisie.”
Voice going lethal, my husband asked, “What did he do?”
Rage flickered in Austin’s eyes. “He said it was no wonder she’d been put up for adoption because not even a mother could love a cripple.”
I sucked in a sharp breath, unable to contain my shock that someone could say something so heinous to the sweetest girl I’d ever had the pleasure of knowing. Maisie was always so upbeat; she never complained, never let the fact that she had a disability get her down.
Fists clenched and nostrils flaring, Levi gritted out, “Tell me you knocked his fucking teeth out.”
A humph sounded from Principal Jacobs. “The other student suffered a broken nose and has been taken to the nearest emergency room. His parents have already warned that they plan to pursue legal action.”
Sarcastic laughter fell from my husband’s lips. “Tell them good luck pressing charges when their kid provoked the fight.”
When I placed a hand on Levi’s arm, he flinched away from my touch. That’s how tightly he was wound.
Softly, I said, “I’m going to get Maisie, okay?”
With a stiff nod, he agreed. “Okay.”
Turning my attention to the secretary, I asked, “Which bathroom?”
The woman behind the desk pointed to the hallway straight ahead. “The one next to the auditorium.”
Having been here only a week or so ago for the school dance, I knew exactly where it was located. My heels clicked on the polished flooring as I hastened toward the bathroom where the girl who’d quickly stolen my heart was hurting.
She didn’t deserve to have someone treat her like that. No one did.
When I reached my destination, I pushed inside, only to be met with the sound of Maisie’s quiet sobs, and my heart fractured.
There was a woman with her hand placed on a closed stall, speaking in a soothing tone. “Maisie, I want to help, but I can’t do that if you don’t unlock the door and come out.”
“I’ll take it from here,” I announced.
Having heard my voice, there was a whisper-quiet “Arizona?”
“Yeah, it’s me, honey.”
The lock disengaged, and the metal door swung open to reveal Maisie’s tear-streaked face. Then she was a blur of motion, almost knocking me off my feet as she barreled into me, banding her arms around my waist.
I held her tight, murmuring against the top of her head, “I’m so sorry.”
She blinked up at me with glassy eyes. “Is Austin in trouble?”
My chest lifted on a sigh. “Probably.”
“It’s all my fault,” she wailed.
“No, sweetheart.” I smoothed a hand over her hair. “You didn’t make that boy say those terrible things, and while I don’t agree with Austin thinking violence was the solution, I can’t be mad about him defending you.”
“B-b-but what if he gets kicked out of school?”
“You let me and Levi worry about that, okay?”
Her big brown eyes grew wide. “Is Levi here?”
“Mm-hmm. He’s in the office with Austin. Why don’t you grab your backpack, and then I’ll take you to see him.”
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.