Chapter Eighteen
Tru fidgeted with her purse strap and looked out the office window again. “I’m sure he will be here any second,” she murmured to the principal, Mr. Locke, and the two teachers sitting behind him.
Outside of the office, she could see Bay sitting in a chair with his head down and a troubled look on his face.
She hated this.
Inhaling sharply, she turned for the principal. She had met with him so many times before now. “Look, Mr. Locke. I know he’s on his last chance, but he needs this. He needs socialization—”
“We cannot keep putting the other kids in danger just because he needs socialization. We are not equipped for werewolves. We have failed to come up with any kind of solution for him.”
“Solution for him,” she repeated softly.
“He was in a room by himself and went and hunted down that young man.”
The door swung open and relief flooded Tru as she saw Tabian standing there, taking up the entire doorframe. His eyes were fiery and glowing bright blue. He looked at Bayen and twitched his head toward the room. “Let’s go.”
“Um, we aren’t ready to talk to him yet. This is still just a meeting with the parent—”
“Great, now we’re both here and Bayen can tell you what happened.”
“We aren’t to that part—”
“That should’ve been the first part of all of this,” Tabian barked sitting down beside Tru. He slid his big hand over her thigh as Bayen pulled up a chair on the other side of Tabian. “You got the other kid’s story, right? The humans?”
Mr. Locke pursed his lips but didn’t answer.
“Go on, Bay. Why did you leave an empty room, which is, by the way, absolute bullshit to have Bay isolated the way you do. That’s horrible for a werewolf.”
“As I said, we aren’t equipped for werewolves.”
“But you’ll bend over backward if a human has extra needs in a school environment.”
“Those human kids can’t lose control and Turn someone, or worse, kill them.”
“Anyone can do anything. Happens every day. Have you even talked to him? Have you put him with a school counselor and put any effort into seeing what he’s about? He has all A’s—”
“Look, I don’t know who you are—”
“Werewolf. Friend. I’m Tabian Garr. Bay, what happened?”
Whoooo chills were rippling up her arms. Usually, Tru was the one getting scolded and threatened in these meetings.
“Breah texted me that Holden called her a werewolf-fucker in the cafeteria and threw a full glass of water at her. She’s wearing a white T-shirt, and it made it see-through, and he pointed her body out to the lunchroom.
She was crying in the bathroom when she texted me because she couldn’t find me.
I found Holden and I hit him one time with a closed fist, not the sixteen times he swore I hit him.
He wouldn’t have survived sixteen hits from me, and I had no intention of killing him.
Breah deserved for someone to stick up for her.
The other kids were just standing around and laughing at her.
Now ask me if I would hit that motherfucker again? ”
“Bayen Alexander, easy,” Tru gritted out.
“Yes, I would. No boy is allowed to throw water at a woman and call her names and point out her tits to the whole lunchroom while she stands there frozen in shock.”
Mr. Locke sighed and relaxed back into his seat, staring at Bay. “Holden’s parents are very upset.”
Bay shrugged. “They should be more concerned with their son’s shitty character.”
“Bayen, stop cussing,” Tru gritted out.
Mr. Locke stared at him for three seconds more and then leaned forward and scribbled onto a form. “You’re suspended for three days for fighting.”
“And Holden?” Tabian asked.
Mr. Locke chewed on the side of his lip and narrowed his eyes for a few moments before he said, “I will be suspending him for inappropriate behavior as well.”
“Great. I would like to discuss the school being better equipped for a werewolf now,” Tabian said.
Tru’s eyes went wide and she lowered her gaze. Tabian was staring into Mr. Locke’s soul right now.
“You’ve had a kid in your care, and he is just a kid, for a year now, and you’re still locking him in a room by himself. Why?”
“Because his bad behavior disrupts the class.”
“Bayen, why were you put in confinement today?” Tabian asked.
“I got to class right on time today and was rushing to get to my seat before the bell, but my chair made a screech sound as I sat down and Mrs. Lang said I did it on purpose and sent me away.”
Tabian nodded slowly. “Why were you sent to confinement last Friday?”
Bay frowned as he tried to remember. “Mr. Franklin said I was giving him a look.”
“What kind of look?”
“A mean look. I think my eyes were glowing, but I wasn’t meaning for it to happen.”
Tabian looked at Mr. Locke, and told him, “I can hear the truth in his voice. He’s told me about a dozen more instances where teachers are just uncomfortable with him in their classrooms, so they get rid of him, and he spends hours and hours all alone, teaching himself.
And still making all A’s. He’s still doing the work.
Solitude will make it harder for him to control his animal.
Socialization keeps him steady, and this school is cutting him off from that. ”
The teachers behind Mr. Locke exchanged a glance, but their eyes had gone softer and softer as Tabian had been talking.
“Look, I know this kid can be a great student if you set him up better. Right now, you’re cutting him off at the knees.” Tabian leaned back in his chair. “What do I have to do to sign up to be a chaperone?”
Mr. Locke frowned. “For which class?”
“Weightlifting.”
Tru watched Bay jerk his attention to Tabian, and the shock and hope in his eyes tugged at her heart.
Bay sat up straighter and asked Mr. Locke. “Please?”
“You’re wanting to work out with the football team?” the principal asked.
Bay nodded jerkily. “Yes, sir.”
“You can’t play with them though. I don’t make those rules.”
“I know. I just want to be a part of it.”
Mr. Locke sighed and pulled a form from one of the drawers in his desk. He slid it toward Tabian with a pen. “I’ll have to run a background check, and you’ll have to interview with the coaches. It’ll ultimately be up to them.”
Tabian nodded once and filled out the paperwork. As the scribbling of his pen sounded in the silence, Tru glanced over at Bay and caught his eye. He flashed her a smile.
“I don’t know why you are smiling,” Mr. Locke muttered. “You were just suspended.”
“I’ll have all of my work caught up during the suspension. I’ll do the work. When can I come back and do weightlifting?”
Mr. Locke glanced over his shoulder at the teachers, and one of them nodded. “The day you come back, we will schedule the interview. Does that work with your schedule, Mr. Garr?” he asked Tabian.
“I’ll make it work,” he said as he slid the paperwork and pen back to the principal.
Tabian stood. “My phone number is on the paperwork. I would like to be added as one of his contacts. If you have a werewolf issue that comes up, I can help.” He offered his hand for a shake and Mr. Locke stood and shook it.
Tabian turned to Bay and twitched his head toward the principal. Bay caught on immediately and offered his hand for a shake. “Thank you, sir.”
“Again, you’re suspended.” Mr. Locke sounded tired, but he shook Bay’s hand.
“See you next week,” Bay said, and gave a little wave to the other teachers.
“Not in here, I hope,” Mr. Locke called as Tru followed them out.
Tru was in shock. She was quiet until they reached the parking lot, where Bay started jumping up and down and freaking out about getting to do weightlifting with the football guys.
Tabian was grinning and held his arm out for Tru to slip under it and hug his waist as they walked.
“That dude really said you hit him sixteen times?”
“I mean, honestly, I hit him hard and he went down. It probably felt like sixteen times. He looked pretty confused.”
Tabian snorted. “Yeah well, less of that, okay? The humans like to battle with words and internet bullying.”
“Not my gig,” Bayen assured him. “Can I invite Breah tomorrow night?”
“What’s tomorrow night?” Tru asked.
“A surprise,” Tabian said, reaching a foot out to trip Bayen.
He tripped a little but recovered and said, “Oops. I forgot.”
“Hey, what’s going on? Why do you two have secrets from me?”
“We’re hanging out with the Pack tomorrow night,” Tabian told her.
“Sooo…same as every other night?”
The boys chuckled, and Bayen swooped in and yanked her keys from the open zipper of her purse. “I’m driving your car home. You can go hang out with Loverboy.”
“No joyriding! I only have a quarter tank left and I’m not picking you up off the side of the highway today.”
“I’ll put gas in it on the way home. I have some money left over from working for Tabian on the cameras. Hey, when are we going camping again?”
Tabian pulled them to a stop near his truck. “You really want to go again?”
“Yeah. Tru has weekends off work.”
Tru had thought he was only wanting to go camping with Tabian, so this shocked her, and touched her heart. “You want me to go too?” she asked softly.
“Of course. You don’t gripe at me as much when we are camping,” he teased.
“Yeah, because I’m the one griping at you out there,” Tabian deadpanned.
“See? She gets a break and is way more fun out in the woods,” Bay joked as he walked backward away from them, her keys dangling from his fingertips.
“Love you kid,” Tru told him. “Drive safe.”
“Love you too,” Bay replied automatically and disappeared between two cars, headed to hers.
Tru stood there frozen. He’d just said it at normal volume, like it was the most normal thing in the world.
Tabian’s hand went to the back of her neck and he massaged her gently. “That’s a good feeling.”
She nodded jerkily, trying not to cry.
“Yeah,” she said, climbing up into his truck. “It’s the best feeling.”
Tabian hooked a finger under her jaw and drew her gaze to his. “You know I love you too, right?”
Two I-love-yous in one minute from her favorite people in the world, and she felt so happy in this moment.
How had her life gotten here? It had been so uncertain and uncomfortable, and sad not long ago, but now? Now her days were full of joy. She could feel the bond she was building with the boys, and with the Rogue Pack. She could feel Bay opening up to her. She could feel Tabian’s steadiness.
Tabian leaned in and kissed her. Tru dropped the seatbelt she was about to click in, and wrapped her arms around him, kissed him back.
She was so thankful for him. That could’ve gone so badly in there.
They had been considering kicking Bay out of that school forever, but Tabian had come in and fixed it.
He just did that.
He just fixed things.
She was eternally thankful for him.
She eased out of the kiss and hugged him so tightly. “I love you too.”