Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
MOJAVE
“Does this have something to do with your disability status?”
I gave a small nod, but didn’t offer more.
I knew why she was asking. She needed to know for Frankie.
But I didn’t want to talk about it. The only person in my life I’d ever talked about my history with was Killian, and he’d promised to keep it to himself.
Not even Prez knew much about what happened.
He knew better than to ask. Anxiety crawled along my skin just thinking about it, and I seriously considered backing out of this walk and leaving just to put some space between me and the possibility of sharing more.
If I hadn’t promised Frankie, I would’ve already left.
“You don’t have to talk about it, you know,” Rachel told me, dragging my attention back to her.
Her smile was soft, reassuring, and she didn’t sound annoyed when she said, “I understand that some things are difficult to talk about. And your financial status isn’t really in question right now.
If you were taking custody of Frankie, it’d be another matter, but you’re not.
You don’t need to tell me more than you already have. ”
I nodded, but still couldn’t look her in the eye. I wasn’t proud of the fact that I couldn’t work anymore. I tried, but… I needed the freedom to go for a drive to clear my head or spend a few days at my trailer to have a break from the world. I couldn’t do that if I had a job to go to.
A warm hand touched my arm, making me jump.
Rachel pulled away, her expression apologetic as she said, “I’m sorry.
You looked upset. I just wanted to make sure you knew I haven’t found a single reason not to trust you.
What you’re doing with Frankie is kind. Giving her a safe adult in her life that she knows she can go to if something was wrong is a wonderful thing, Mojave.
I’m glad it was you who found her and offered to walk her home. ”
It wasn’t a big deal. I didn’t do it for some altruistic reason or whatever. She was just a kid, and she looked scared. It cost me nothing to walk her home.
The bell rang and the elementary school doors opened before I had to come up with some sort of response for that comment.
I scanned the crowd for Frankie, narrowing my eyes when she came out with an unfamiliar teacher’s hand on her shoulder, a deep scowl on her face and tear tracks on her cheeks.
I was moving before Rachel even noticed, ignoring the crowds of kids that parted around me, gaping at me.
I stopped in front of the teacher but ignored her in favor of kneeling in front of Frankie.
“What happened?”
She opened her mouth to answer, but the teacher cut her off, her voice terse. “Francine got into another fight today and–”
Shooting her an irritated look, I scowled. “The question was for Frankie, not you.” Giving her back my attention, I put my hand on her other shoulder, lifting my eyebrows when she looked at me. “What happened?”
The teacher didn’t look happy that I was ignoring her, but Frankie seized the opportunity to speak, her words flying out so fast, it was hard to keep up with her.
“It wasn’t my fault! Hunter was picking on me and I told him to leave me alone but he wouldn’t listen and when I told a teacher, they only told me to ignore him!
He tried to corner me at recess and said he was going to pull down my pants in front of the whole school to prove I was a girl so I kicked him in the nuts and ran away! ”
She was getting worked up, angry tears filling her eyes, and her fists were clenched at her sides.
Something cold filled my chest and I stood, staring down the teacher who still had a hand on her shoulder. “Let her go. Now.”
She did, but she looked indignant that the attention had turned toward her. “That’s not true. She’s making things up. Hunter would never–”
“Have there been incidents between Frankie and Hunter before?” Rachel asked.
I hadn’t even realized she’d joined me, but she looked pissed, her eyes narrowed on the teacher.
After Frankie scurried to my side, Rachel took up post opposite me, putting herself firmly on Frankie’s side against the teacher.
The teacher faltered, looking decidedly uncomfortable about the question. “Well, I mean, yes, there have, but it’s always Francine–”
“My name is Frankie!”
I had to grab Frankie’s arm to stop her from lashing out at the teacher. I pulled her back and a few feet away, letting Rachel handle the teacher so I could focus on Frankie.
“I didn’t do nuthin’!” she shouted.
I kneeled to be on her level, putting my hands on her shoulders and leveled her with a look. “Frankie. I believe you.”
She froze, staring at me with wide blue eyes. “You… do?”
“Yes. And we’ll handle it.”
My response seemed to surprise her because she didn’t seem to know how to respond.
She was breathing heavily, eyes searching my face like she was searching for a lie, and when she didn’t find one, the fury broke and big tears slipped down her face.
She pushed past my hands, throwing her arms around my neck and nearly knocked us both to the ground from the force of it.
It was my turn to freeze, uncertain how to handle the situation. I shot a glance at Rachel, looking for some kind of clue, but she was speaking to the vice principal now, the teacher from before still arguing beside him.
Tentatively, I put my arms around Frankie, patting her back like I’d seen some of the old ladies do to their babies at the clubhouse the few times I was around them.
I wasn’t sure if it was what I was supposed to do, but I didn’t know what else I could do.
It wasn’t like I was some kind of kid expert.
It seemed like the right thing to do, and she tightened her grip around my neck when I did, like she needed the comfort.
I wasn’t sure how long we stood there like that. Long enough for Rachel to finish up her conversation. She came back over, a resigned look on her face that put my back up. I frowned at her.
“She did the right thing.”
Rachel sighed, shaking her head. “I understand why she did it, but Frankie shouldn’t have resorted to violence.
I also believe that Hunter’s actions should have been addressed sooner.
Both kids are going to be suspended and I’ll be meeting with Mr. Castillo tomorrow on further action regarding Hunter’s behavior and the lack of response from the teachers.
Frankie should’ve been heard when she went to a teacher.
If she had been taken seriously, it never would’ve escalated. ”
It took a while to get Frankie to calm down. She had a good reason to be pissed, and I refused to believe she did anything wrong. The bully had her cornered and was threatening to take off her clothes. Kicking him in the balls was exactly what I would’ve told her to do.
I got the feeling Rachel wouldn’t agree with that though, so I kept it to myself.
I stayed put where I was until Frankie was no longer sobbing, then took her hand and headed for the clubhouse.
I promised she could go back, and I wasn’t breaking my promise just because some little shit got what he deserved.
We arrived to find the clubhouse a lot more crowded than last time. I almost turned my ass right back around, but Frankie’s hand tightened in mine, reminding me that I wasn’t alone. I grimaced, heading inside and to the right where hopefully there were fewer people.
Buzz noticed our arrival first, back at the pool table like he’d been at the day before. He lifted his hand, a bright smile on his face and called out, “Hey, Frankie! You’re back! Come to play another round?”
She’d been quiet on the walk, kicking rocks and sniffling, but she wiped her face with the backs of her hands, releasing me and running off to join Buzz. I let her go, glad she wasn’t crying anymore. I didn’t know what to do about crying kids.
Rachel stepped up beside me, a deep frown on her face that she’d tried to keep hidden from Frankie on the walk.
Her voice was a low murmur so she wouldn’t be overheard over the noise of the clubhouse, her eyes locked on the little girl who was climbing onto a stool with a pool cue in hand, dirt smeared through the tear tracks and her tongue poking out of her mouth again. “That’s… concerning.”
“What?” I queried, looking at Frankie again with a frown.
“How quickly she recovered. Most kids stay close to a trusted adult, looking for comfort and reassurance after a day like today. Especially after they got in trouble at school. That Frankie can shut it off so quickly and return to her spunky self makes me think she’s been handling things on her own for a lot longer than just before she started following you around. ”
I’d take her word on it. She was the expert on kids, not me. Still, “Isn’t it a good thing? She’s not cryin’ anymore.”
Rachel’s head tipped from side to side. “Yes and no. It’s good that she’s not still upset, but that kind of skill is usually learned a lot later. At this age, she’s supposed to look for comfort when she’s upset.”
Frowning, I rubbed the back of my neck. Maybe I needed to look into those classes Rooster was always talking about.
If Frankie was going to be hanging around, I felt like I should know more.
If they were online, I could probably handle it.
I felt like I was missing a lot because I didn’t know shit about kids.
Rachel must’ve noticed my discomfort because she bumped her shoulder with mine. “You did good today. Giving her space to calm down and comfort when she needed it. It helped a lot.”
I shrugged awkwardly. “It’s what my crew does for me. It’s nothing.”
“It’s not nothing. Not for Frankie.” She turned to look at the little girl again, her lips pressed together tightly.
“How likely do you think it is that her parents will refuse to take time off to be with Frankie while she’s suspended?
Just in the afternoon is bad enough. Most of the day alone isn’t something I can just let slide. ”
“She can hang out with me,” I offered.
That broke her mood a little and she smiled at me ruefully.
“No offense, but I’m not sure it’s better to have her hanging around a motorcycle club all day either.
When I stop by the school tomorrow, I’ll be picking up any class work she’ll miss.
She’ll need a quiet place to work and this doesn’t seem like the place. ”
Maybe not, but we didn’t have to come back to the clubhouse. I didn't actually spend a ton of my time here. I liked to wander around town. It helped keep my head clear. And I knew of a quiet place we could go if Frankie needed to work.
“We won’t come here. Kids should be outside anyway.”
Drawing in a breath, Rachel turned to face me completely, her brows drawn together tightly. “Okay, I have to ask. Why are you doing this? You said you’re not related to her and you have no obligation to help. Why help her?”
She didn’t sound accusatory, just confused. I just shrugged. “She needs help.”