I Get A Kick Out of You

Chapter 57

Everything seemed to finally be back to normal. Ethan got his scholarship back, Cillian wasn't stressed out from keeping secrets and it all just seemed in place again. Well, sort of. Ethan was still getting bullied at school, but he didn't mention anything to Cassie or Ben. He knew they worried and that's the last thing he wanted them to do.

Cillian obviously saw these things, but Ethan promised to tell Cassie and Ben if it got worse. He swore it wasn't that bad, so Cill wasn't worried.

Cassie was back to writing after taking a hiatus to make sure Ethan was doing okay. When she gets into writing, nothing in the world matters except for the one she's making. She refused to do that when her son needed her.

Ben had also taken a few days off to be around the family. He knew Ethan needed Cassie, Cassie needed him and Cillian also needed him - because he was going to feel pretty left out. So he took those few days to be there for anyone who needed him. Turns out they all did, but not in an overbearing way. It was in the way he loved to be there for them.

Unfortunately, the bullying got so bad at school that Ethan had to tell them. He told them he had been holding off because he didn't want to make it any worse, but it's been getting worse anyways. They weren't upset - because both of them being the targets of bullying at one point or an other - understood what he meant.

However, Cassie was livid at the school. They were not going to be let down easy. It pained her to no end that he was going through this and that he felt he couldn't defend himself in fear of losing the scholarship!

"If he can't protect and stand up for himself," Cassie told Ben as she was getting ready for her meeting with Gardner, "then I will. Oh, I will, Ben." Ben was getting ready to go into court to try and prosecute a murderer. He was more afraid of his wife than that man.

"Well if you need me to defend you in Gardner's murder, just give me call," he told her with a smile. He knew that would get her to cheer up and it did. She gave him a peck on the lips, then made her way to the school.

It was close to ten, but before the boys left for school, she made them promise to call her if anymore bullying went on before, during, or after the meeting. So far, she hasn't heard anything.

When she walked into Gardner's office, the man looked scared. It pleased her.

"Look, we're going to cut right to the chase," Cassie told him before he could get a word out. "My son is still being bullied. He's getting beat up, called names and I swear to God, Gardner, if he is discriminated against like this when Baseball season comes up in a few weeks, I will have your job."

Gardner cleared his throat as he lamely explained, "Well, Cassie, we can't monitor every student at every minute..." She waved him off as she told him, "I'm not asking you to monitor every student, am I? I'm asking you to do your goddamn job and protect one that is being severely bullied by your students! Are you going to do that, or not?"

He gulped and pulled out a stack of pink slips. "I'll write a note to Ethan's teacher and have him come in to tell me who's been doing it. I'll then send a note to those student's teachers and bring them in separately from Ethan. I won't tolerate the lying and denying it, I promise. They will get punished and if I catch them doing it myself, I will suspend them. You have my word."

Cassie glared at him for a moment longer, then said, "Fine. But if Ethan comes home today and says you didn't do this, or that it's gotten worse, I will personally call every single one of those parents and hold a meeting with you, the superintendent and my son's lawyer present. Do you understand?"

Gardner quickly nodded. "Yes, Mrs. Cumberbatch, I understand." She nodded. "Good. Keep me updated."

When she got home, she had the option of either picking up Madison from daycare, or leaving her there until Brooklyn needed to be picked up. Seeing as she really needed to get some work done, she opted to let her stay. She's been on a roll with these new books and she wanted to get them done so she could get them to a publisher.