CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Chase offers to come to the school with me but I turn him down as I quickly re-snap my bra and gather my things. I’m still zipping up my pants as I head out of the house and get in my car. I try not to speed as I make my way to the school but it’s hard as concern runs through me.
A fight?
I shake my head, trying to figure out what in the hell happened. The principal didn’t say much on the phone, only that I needed to pick Tanner up and that she’d speak with me at the school.
Tanner has never been a violent kid and I just can’t imagine him getting into a fight.
I whip into the parking lot of the school and nearly jog as I make my way to the principal’s office. The on campus officer gives me a bewildered look as I march into the office and for a second he looks like he’s going to approach me.
“How can I help you, ma’am?” The secretary asks with a frown, one hand on the phone on her desk. As if she just knows I’m going to give her trouble.
“I’m here for Tanner Ford,” I say, trying not to sound too rude. “The principal called me.”
“Oh, yes,” she takes her hand off the phone and I can’t help but notice she still seems put off by me. I try not to think too much of it when she looks at my curly hair and gives it a frown. “Ms. Hendersen?” she asks.
“Yes,” I grit out.
She stands and smooths out wrinkles that aren’t actually there from her pencil skirt. “Just this way.” I follow her down the hall, listening to the annoying click of her heels against the tile floor.
She knocks on a door marked Principal’s Office, before opening it. The room is filled with office furniture and in the middle of the room is a huge desk with a woman sitting behind it. She has dark skin and her hair is pulled back into a tight bun that has to cause a headache. Her hands are on her desk and she purses her lips as she looks at me. Tanner is sitting in the chair across from her and his shoulders are slumped. The secretary leaves and closes the door behind her.
I walk into the room, trying not to let my anger show too visibly.
Just find out what happened first, you got in many fights yourself in school and some of them were justified.
“Ms. Hendersen, I’m Principal Haegans, we spoke over the phone.” The woman finally stands and holds out a hand to me as she leans over the desk. She wears a pantsuit that’s pristinely ironed, not a wrinkle in sight and not a button out of place. The way she frowns as she looks at me and takes in my ripped jeans pisses me off and reeks of a privileged arrogance that has me gritting my teeth harder as I take her hand and shake it before quickly letting go.
She gestures for me to sit in the seat next to Tanner and I do, turning to take him in. He has a scratch on his face that has been poorly covered with a band aid and his hair and clothes are ruffled.
He refuses to meet my gaze.
“I’m disappointed that we had to meet this way, but it seems it was inevitable,” The principal says and my gaze snaps to hers.
“Inevitable?” I question, not liking the judgement I detect in her tone
She opens a file on her desk and flips to a page before turning it around and pushing it over to me. “Yes, inevitable. It seems your nephew here is quite the troublemaker.”
If you keep talking to me in that patronizing tone, you’re going to really meet a fucking trouble maker.
I snatch the file and glance over it, taking in the notes that look to be written by Tanner’s teacher, going back to the third week or so of school.
Tanner was out of his seat at a time other than free time and when told to sit back down, he muttered something smart under his breath.
Tanner and Aiden Bechard were talking loudly during silent time and not reading their books.
Tanner did not do his homework for the past three days.
Tanner went to sleep during class today.
I stop reading, pressing my lips together tightly as I slide the file back over to the principal. “If Tanner is such a troublemaker then why was I not notified of this?” I ask. Not once have I received a phone call from Tanner’s teacher or this bitch of a principal until today.
“Because Mrs. Andersen was giving Tanner the benefit of doubt since…” she purses her look and gives Tanner a glance, “he comes from an unstable home.”
Unstable home?
“Excuse me?”