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Chapter 1
“Ms. Carter, do you understand the seriousness of the situation we’ve found ourselves in today? This is the third time your son has been in my office for fighting this semester.”
“Yes, Principal Woodson. I understand Mav has had a few incidents, but-”
“This is more than a few incidents,” he interrupted her. “The last time your son was here, I warned you this behavior could not continue. Unfortunately, here we are yet again. Your son has to learn settling disagreements with his fists is not acceptable.”
“Yes, sir. I understand, and I agree.” Reese wiped her damp palms on her jeans without taking her eyes off the man seated across the gleaming mahogany desk. A visit with Mr. Woodson had not been on the list of things to do today. It didn’t seem to matter how old you were; being called to the principal’s office still made you nervous.
“Ms. Carter, Reese, I have to do it this time.”
The principal’s tone changed, softening, almost conveying an air of sympathy Reese found laughable. The man couldn’t care less what happened to Mav as long as the donations to the school kept rolling in. The man sitting across from her pretending to care what happened to the students of the school was all an act.
“There is no other alternative. Mav will be suspended from school for the next two weeks.” The principal held up his hand, effectively cutting off Reese’s protest before it could start.
“I know you are a single mother, and I know you have to work, but Mav blackened both eyes and broke another student’s nose today. I spoke at length with the other parents. They have agreed not to press charges. I am not so sure he would be this lucky if something like this happened again. According to our policies, should something like this happen again, Mav will be expelled.”
“Isn’t there something else? Anything else?” Reese tried to reason with him. “Mav is a good student. He gets good grades. None of his teachers ever complain about him.”
“I have done all I can,” Mr. Woodson replied.
“What happened today?”
“Mav attacked another student unprovoked.”
“Mr. Woodson, I know my son, and I find that very hard to believe. Yes, Mav has a temper, and yes, he has been in fights before, but my son does not attack people unprovoked,” Reese glared. Her temper was rising fast.
“As I said, the other student suffered severe injuries. His parents wanted to press charges and have your son expelled immediately. After defusing the situation, this was the best compromise we could reach. Your disadvantages in life can no longer be taken into consideration to explain away his bad behavior.”
“What you are telling me is the other kid didn’t get any kind of suspension or in trouble of any kind from the school. Is that correct? And the compromise you reached did not include me. Tell me, Mr. Woodson, how can we call it a compromise if all parties were not involved. Wouldn’t that be more of a dictate?”
Reese tried to even her response, not to reveal she wanted to smack the pompous man across from her. She watched him squirm in his chair for a moment. Obviously, he underestimated her. Even broke single moms can have an IQ higher than a grapefruit. Reese opened her mouth to blast him again but then reminded herself this was what he wanted. Any excuse to get Mav out of school would be letting him win. The urge to jump over the desk and help realign his vision was very tempting. However, giving in to this behavior would not set a good example for her son. She had to choose her words wisely, keep her hands folded on her lap, and her ass on the chair.
“I hardly consider his injuries to be inconsequential,” he scoffed. “Reese, your son has problems. If you do not seek help for him, I may be forced to call the appropriate authorities to help the child since his mother appears to be incapable of understanding his cries for help.”
Nope, they were done. Snatching her purse from the floor beside her chair, Reese stood clamping down on the remainder of her composure. “Mr. Woodson, I may be a waitress at the diner, but that does not mean I am stupid. I understand Mav has been having problems with a fellow student here. However, I find it odd that my son and I are the only ones being called into your office because of it. I would be willing to bet Mav beat up Brecken again. I do not for one second think that it was unprovoked. Brecken’s parents donate obscene amounts of money to this school. I can see I am wasting my breath trying to convince you this wasn’t all one-sided. Answer me this. What did they promise to donate this time? A new wing of the school or upgrades to the sports fields? Maybe it was new computers or art supplies. Possibly something for your office?”
“Ms. Carter, I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“Whatever makes you sleep at night,” Reese snorted in disgust. “I will not stand by and allow you to push my kid out of school and label him a problem. You go ahead and call whomever you want, but maybe you should run it by Brecken’s parents first. You wouldn’t want to mess up the money train you have come to rely on for such a nice place you have here. Just remember, when Mav is no longer a student here, that kid will set his sights on someone else. Then what are you going to do?”
Reese turned to leave, not wanting to hear the idiot’s response. If she did, she might lose that tenuous hold she had on her itchy hand. The urge to smack some sense into her son’s principal was looking better and better.
She let the frosted glass doors hang open on her way out of the posh office. The difference between his office and the rest of the school was remarkable. His office had every comfort known to man along with a few she had to google to find out what they were. On the other side of the door was a public school building desperately in need of upgrades everywhere. The floors were in sad shape. The lockers lining the hallway looked like they may have been replaced in the sixties. Speaking with Mav’s teachers, she knew the classrooms were in desperate need as well. The only teachers who had what they needed were the ones who had Brecken in their classes.
Mav looked up at her from his seat on the bench outside the entrance to Mr. Woodson’s private palace. Without saying a word, he stood swinging his backpack over his shoulder. Reese held her breath as they strode toward the front doors. High school with a son was not turning out as she expected.
Stealing a glance at him, she saw his sadness, making her heart hurt for him. Mav was a good kid. As a sophomore, he was one of the youngest kids in his grade. He was a good-looking kid, even from a mom’s biased point of view. His blond hair matched hers, but the green eyes came from his father. Thank god that was the only thing he got from the man. She knew he would be taller than her soon. At five foot ten, they were eye to eye, for now.
“Where is the car?” Mav grumbled, pushing through the front door. Searching the parking lot elicited a teenaged groan. “Where did that piece of shit leave you this time?”
“Language Mav,” Reese gave him her best mom glare. “I thought it was a nice day for a walk. It is sunny and seventy. Who wouldn’t want to take a walk on a day like today?”
“No wonder it took you so long to spring me from that hell hole. You walked from the diner to get here. It’s over a mile from there to here,” Mav grinned at her knowing he was right. Her not-so-trusty car left her again.
“Mav, do you think this is a joke? This is the last time you can get into trouble before they expel you.”
“Fine, I will go get a job. It will solve both our problems. You don’t have to worry about being called into Mr. Woodson’s office anymore. I can do something worthwhile and make some money to help us both,” Mav replied with the confidence and logic only a fifteen-year-old could possess.
