For Good

Chapter 26 - Courage

TW for the spanking of teenagers as well as some verbal manipulation/abuse. If you are uncomfortable, please skip this chapter!

Oh and also Mr. Matthews is *very* ableist. I am in no way ableist (also I am neurodivergent) but TW for that.

The ride home was an uncomfortable one, to say the least. Skie was quiet, staring out the window as dread filled her chest with each passing highway sign. Raven seemed equally lost in her thoughts, so it wasn't until the sisters were only a few miles from home that she broke the silence.

"Ky, I'm really sorry."

Skie continued to stare out the window. "You have nothing to be sorry for." She spoke flatly.

"I hope he'll react ok."

Skie snorted. "If he was going to react well he wouldn't have called us home."

Raven fell back into silence and Skie finally looked over at her sister, who was staring blankly ahead.

"I'll be fine, Ray."

Raven nodded jerkily.

"And I'm not telling him about you and Hazel, either."

That got Skie half a smile. She sank back in her seat and did her best to calm the nerves boiling through her stomach, half dreading what was coming, half wishing it would just get over with. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how she looked at it, the sisters pulled into the driveway of their house.

Skie didn't have to wait long. She barely was inside before she heard a shout from the other room, in an imperious tone that made her flinch. "Skylar!"

Skie froze.

"Skylar Grace Matthews, come here immediately."

Skie looked over at Raven, who was watching her with an expression of mixed fear and pity. Skie took a deep breath, then pushed her shoulders back and walked into the living room. Her father was standing in the middle of the room, arms crossed. A piece of paper was on the coffee table in front of him, and even without looking at it, Skie had a pretty good idea of what it was.

"Skylar, do you know what this paper is?"

"No." But I bet even if I said yes I'm going to hear about it anyway.

Her father glared. "Why don't you come read it?"

Skie walked forward slowly and picked up the letter from the table. She scanned the first few lines, confirming her suspicions. She heard quiet footsteps in the hallway and guessed that Raven had come in, which made her feel strangely calmer.

"Read it out loud."

Skie took a deep breath.

"Dear Mr. and Mrs. Matthews, we are writing to inform you that we have gone through with several different stages of testing on your daughter, Skylar, and, based on the results, we have diagnosed her with social anxiety disorder and high functioning autism. East Hill Private Academy's goal is to provide every student with the resources to function and preform at their best. Therefore, we would like to meet with you in the next few days to discuss what accommodations will be best for Skylar. Please contact us by phone at-"

"Alright, that's enough." Mr. Matthews snapped.

Skie set the letter back down and risked a glance at her father, whose face was twisted in something like a sneer.

"Why was I not informed of this?" His voice was dangerously quiet.

Skie gulped. "I assumed the school had informed you."