Where You Lead

Part 8

One morning in April, about a month after Sophie first hurt her arm, she was sitting at the kitchen table, eating breakfast while I did her hair for the day.

"There's a hair on the table" Sophie said.

"Is it mine or yours?" I asked her.

"I don't know"

"Well is it red and a little curly or is it brown and straight?"

She giggled.

"Well?"

"It's red and a little curly"

"Then whose is it?"

"Mine"

——

April 2027.

Sophie was now 12 and in 7th grade.

One morning I was standing in the kitchen, watching Sophie as she got ready for school.

"Can we get me new shoes this weekend?" She asked.

"Sure babe" I nodded.

"Ok, I'm ready" she said as she finished tying her shoe.

"Let's go"

I dropped Sophie off at school before heading to work. Just after noon I was sitting in my office when my phone rang. I picked it up and put it to my ear. "Huntzberger"

Half an hour later I was walking into school. I didn't get the whole story over the phone. All I was told was that Sophie was suspended and that I had to pick her up.

"Mom I-"

"Not now" I said. I was mad, Sophie could see that I was mad and I knew that she wanted to explain herself but having that conversation while I was as mad as I was would only end with me yelling at her and I didn't want to do that.

After I spoke to Sophie's principal and found out what exactly happened, I took Sophie home. The car ride was completely silent. When we got home Sophie started to go upstairs but I stopped her. "Where are you going?"

"Not upstairs?" She asked.

"Not upstairs" I shook my head and pointed to the kitchen island. "Sit down"

"I'm sorry"

"I don't want you to be sorry" I said. "I want to understand why you're acting out at school. I want to know why this is the third time in as many months that I've had to leave work early to pick you up because you keep fighting with the same kids"

Sophie didn't say anything.

"Well?"

"They call me the fatherless freak" she said quietly. "Those girls"

My heart sank. It wasn't easy for her to not have her dad in her life but I had no idea she was getting made fun of for it at school.

"They say that you only wanted me when dad was alive but after he died you were just stuck with me"

"First things first, none of that is true. Not a single word. You are the best part of my life. Secondly, why didn't you tell anyone that this was going on?"

"I did"

"Who did you tell?"

"I told the teachers, and the principal, and the counselor. Nobody cares"

"Ok, well that's not ok. I'm gonna make some phone calls tomorrow and possibly yell at some people" I said. Sophie smiled. "Hey. When stuff like this happens, you don't keep it to yourself. You have to talk to me, ok"

"Ok"

"Good"

——

AN: short chapter, I know. I'm looking for a good way to end this story so of anyone has an idea, I'm all ears.