Page 57 of Apparently, I’m Trouble

Miss Fares turned and said, “Mr Hudson. You’re right on time.”

I let them lead me into the meeting room and tensed at the sight of Kira sitting across the table from Amber. Next to my daughter’s bully was her mother, and if I remembered right, she was the one who bitched about the workload Mia set for her students.

Dislike wasn’t a strong enough word–fuck it, hate wasn’t a strong enough word–for the way I felt about this woman.

Amber’s mother, a willowy brunette, paused mid-sentence as she stared at me. Amber nudged her, but she didn’t move until both Miss Fares and Mia took their seats at opposite ends of the table.

Then she held her hand out as I sat next to Kira. “Hi, I’m Ashley. It’s so nice to meet you.”

I eyed her hand and tilted my chin, then stared at Mia, waiting for her reaction. She fought an eye roll and gestured for me to take the woman’s hand. I didn’t. Kira nudged me, whispered, “Dad,” and I gave in.

I gripped her hand and gruffly ground out, “Mr Hudson.”

“Hudson. Is there a first name that goes with that?”

Her tone was playful, and I didn’t appreciate it. Didn’t she know what her daughter had done?

“Theo,” Miss Fares supplied. “Ashley, Amber, Kira, Miss Walker, and I are all here to discuss what’s been happening in class recently.”

Amber’s arms were already folded. She sank into her seat and pouted.

Mia cleared her throat. “I’ve heard Amber using some inappropriate language in the classroom.” She gave Ashley a pointed look. “And she’s made some accusations about Kira’s work that I’ve had to take seriously.”

Ashley perked up. “She’s been cheating then?”

I pushed out a breath, completely thrown. But then, the glare Mia gave the other woman made me feel a satisfaction so deep, it was almost unsettling.

Mia spoke through gritted teeth. “No. That wasn’t what we talked about.”

Miss Fares cleared her throat, a warning. “Amber said that Kira used another student to do her work. This isn’t true. And the way she’s been treating Kira has been… well, it’s just not okay.”

“And you know that, Amber,” Mia added. “You know better than this.”

The other girl hmphed and stared at the table.

“What you’re saying is that she–” Ashley pointed at my daughter, and I wanted to snap her finger off “–wasn’t cheating. You just don’t like the way my daughter reported that to you. I don’t understand how that qualifies as bullying.”

“It’s the things she said,” Mia bit out, then reached across the table to slide folded slips of paper toward her. “And the things she wrote.”

Ashley’s gaze darted across the small squares of paper. She put them down, then let out a laugh.

“You can’t be serious. You think this is bullying? They’re teenagers. They make jokes like this all the time.”

“This is not a joke,” I growled, and the women around me jumped. “And if you don’t take this seriously, I–”

Kira put her hand on my arm, and I struggled to clamp my jaw shut.

Miss Fares’s voice was calm. “It’s what we would call bullying, Ashley. And if it continues–”

“–Then she’s out of the program,” Mia interrupted. Her voice was edged, a little too loud, and I could tell from the way she stared at Ashley that her anger had reached its boiling point.

As Miss Fares shot Mia a look, Ashley rolled her eyes. “Oh, you’ll kick her out of the program? Please. You shouldn’t even be running it. Amber’s grades are slipping, and it’s because you–”

“Ashley–” Miss Fares warned, cutting her off.

“This isn’t about Amber’s grades.” Mia stood, looming over Ashley. From this angle, the way she looked down at her was almost intimidating. “And I don’t like the way you’re glossing over what she’s done.”

Miss Fares stood too. “Miss Walker, can I see you outside for a minute?”