School Part 2

Brad narrowed his eyes.

"If my Olivia hit her classmate, I will apologize on her behalf, and she will be appropriately punished by me. I do not condone violence. But I will not raise her to be a victim who allows herself to be trampled on simply because she doesn't know how to defend herself and stand up for what she believes in. If the school decides to punish her, I will make sure that the person who verbally assaulted her is punished in the same way. Are you absolutely certain that your son's comment was not an act of verbal aggression?"

Mrs. Brawn sucked in a breath and forgot to release it, making her look like an inflated balloon. Meanwhile, the principal appeared very conflicted.

"We do not condone any form of violence," she said, "but children sometimes exchange harsh words..."

"And children sometimes push, shove, and even get into fights, especially when the school tolerates harmful remarks. I know Olivia—she is not an aggressive girl, but she also won't let herself be bullied. She won't start a conflict, but she will end one."

"Honestly, I'm not entirely sure what the comment was..." the principal admitted. It seemed she was about to back down. "Maybe everyone just got carried away..."

"But my son—"

"A proper investigation, punishment for both or for neither," Brad interrupted. "I will have a serious talk with the girls. Mrs. Brawn, if my niece hit your son, I sincerely apologize. She will be punished according to the customs of our household. I trust you will also discipline your son. They are both at a sensitive age, so misunderstandings are bound to happen. Let's hope our guidance will help prevent similar incidents in the future. What do you say, Principal? Will you let them go with a warning and leave the punishment to the parents?"

"Mrs. Brawn?"

The mother of the boy who had been hit was displeased but could do little about it.

"I hope you'll be able to talk her out of using violence. Although, with your background, I doubt it," she added in a much lower voice.

The principal sighed.

"Alright," she agreed. "Just a warning this time. Please talk to your wards. I won't be so lenient next time."

"Thank you." Brad stood up. He felt no triumph. He shouldn't have had to defend his niece from punishment for hitting another student. Olivia shouldn't have hit anyone. If she had... He really would have to talk to her.

He was about to leave when he heard:

"Mr. Lipski, please stay a moment."

Was there something else? A pang of worry hit him.

"Please," principal gestured toward the chair again. "I'd like to talk a little more about Olivia."

"Are there additional... issues?" he asked. Nothing came to mind, unless... No, that was an old case. Long over. Unless it was resurfacing because of that damn...

"Mr. Lipski, the teachers are beginning to worry about Olivia. She isolates herself from the other students. Now this incident... The situation with her father, and your past..."

Shit. So this was the direction they were taking.

"It is possible, even likely, that this was the cause of her conflict with the boy."

Lipski clenched his teeth, angry not at the principal but at himself. Clearly, he still wasn't a good enough guardian for the girls. Maybe he wasn't suited to be one at all.

"Yes, her situation is not easy. Thank you for bringing these issues to my attention."

"Mr. Lipski..." Her voice was strong, yet calm and quiet. "Olivia is at a difficult age. All children face challenges while growing up, and she is in an especially tough situation because of, well, her complicated family circumstances. She is a bright, hardworking girl with the potential to earn scholarships at the best universities. I'm sure you're doing everything you can to make sure the girls are happy, and I can see they are not neglected, but the thing is..."

"Yes? What is it?" He tensed.

"Talk to them. Both of them."

"Is Angela having trouble too?" His heart jumped with worry again.

"Angela is a sweet, cheerful, and very kind girl, but that doesn't mean she isn't struggling after losing her mother and with her father's situation. She just expresses it differently than Olivia because she has a different temperament."

"I see..."

"This is a truly difficult time for children," she emphasized, "and you have to be both their father and their mother. That's a heavy burden for someone so young."

So he really wasn't handling things as well as he should.

"Don't lose heart," she smiled at him kindly. "Given the situation you're in, you're doing an amazing job."

"Tell that to social services," he muttered bitterly.

"I will."

Really? She surprised him.

"And what about today's incident?"

"You're right, words can hurt just as much as actions. But you understand, the rules… I had to act this way."

"Yes, I understand," he smiled faintly. He knew perfectly well where the school's funding came from. He had to appreciate the principal's courage. He looked at her with a slightly kinder gaze. Slim, short brown hair, neither pretty nor ugly, around forty. At first, she had seemed unpleasant to him, but now…

"Thank you, Principal Evans. I'll talk to my girls."

She nodded, and Brad knew she expected nothing more from him.