𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙂𝙞𝙧𝙡 𝙏𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝘽𝙖𝙙

Chapter 23: Distracted

♦ ♢ ♦ Xavier ♦ ♢ ♦

♦ ♢ ♦ Past ♦ ♢ ♦

"Xavier," mom scolds me as we stand in the principals office.

I sheepishly look up.

"Why did you hit Dylan, honey?" She asks gently.

"It hurts so bad, mommy!" Dylan whines.

"Please, Mrs Altson, talk to your child! Oh, my baby!" His mom rages.

Mom sighs and cups my cheek. "Why?" She asks quietly. She's not judging me. She never has.

"He said bad things about you, mom. He said you don't work because you are dumb. I said you worked from home, and he replied, 'Probably cleaning the floors.' So I made him eat shi-"

Mom slaps a hand over my mouth to stop cursing, her grey eyes dancing with humor and pride.

"I said no such thing!" Dylan cries.

I turn around and glare at him, making him shut up and hide behind his mother.

Mom stands up from her kneel in front of me. She's so much taller, but she says I'll surpass her height in no time. I hope so. Even Zara is taller than me. I know she's older, but still.

"Looks like your son has other things to tell, no Mrs Timbre?" Mom asks. "And he hit my son, after saying that."

"Your son could be lying," she protests.

Mom laughs. "Xavier never lies to me."

"Besides," I say. "Kate saw it. I never lie to her, either."

Mom looks down at me with so much love, my chest expands. She ruffles my hair and pulls me into her warm side. I hug her leg, because I'm not tall enough to hug her waist, like Zar.

Ugh.

Older sister privileges.

"Mrs Altson," our principle, Mr James, clears his throat. "Sorry for the inconvenience. We wanted to resolve the issue on our own but Mrs Timbre said otherwise."

"That's no problem," Mom says. "I'd like to be informed of all the things Xavier does," she smiles at me, and I smile back.

"But what about my son's bruise?" Mrs Timbre huffs.

"What about mine?" Mom asks quietly, and that seems to shut Dylan's mom up.

Mom takes me out the office. "You told me the truth, Xavy?" She asks me.

"All of it," I nod. I could never lie to her. She'd see right through me, so it's useless.

"Xavier!" I hear Kaitlyn rushing toward me, tears in her eyes.

I smile. "It doesn't hurt, Kaity."

"It looks like it hurts," Kaitlyn sniffs, her blue eyes wide. "Helen, he hit Dylan because he was saying bad things about you. But he got hit too, and now he's bleeding," more tears rush down her cheeks.