I Fall Apart

Lin

Nora had stayed home from school for two days, not wanting to show her face.  I sympathized with her, but she couldn't just stay home forever.  She needed to face the music.  I hoped this would be a lesson to her that she wouldn't be so careless.  I was still mad as hell at the three boys involved who'd spread her picture.

The next morning, I knocked on her door around 7.  I was pretty sure she hadn't set her alarm, hoping she would just stay home.  When I opened the door, she must have sensed it because she pulled her covers over her head.

"Nora, sweetheart, it's time to get up," I told her from the door.

"I'm not going to school," she grumbled, her voice muffled beneath the sheets.

"You've had two days off," I reminded her.  "I'm sure the gossip has died down a bit.  You can't just stay here forever."

"Yes I could," she countered.  "I could do online school."

I sighed and crossed the room, then sat on the bed.  I gently peeled the covers back so I could look at her.  "You could, but somehow I don't think you'd be happy doing that."

"Just one more day?" she looked at me pleadingly.

"That's what you said yesterday," I reminded her.  "Come on.  Up"

I patted her hip a few times and she turned over.  When I went back to check ten minutes later she was up, thankfully.  I felt bad forcing her to go, but it needed to be done.  Every day would get a little easier.

Half an hour later, she grabbed a breakfast bar from the pantry, looking highly reluctant to be up.  I pulled her into a hug and kissed the side of her head.

"Everything will work out," I told her.  "All this is just temporary.  Be strong."

She nodded into my shoulder.  I pulled back and gave her shoulders a supportive squeeze.  Nora left with Sebastian to go face the day.  Hopefully he would cheer her up on the way with his non-stop babbling.  I decided to go tackle getting Cisco ready.  V had already left for work, so it would be me and my little man hanging out all day.

A couple hours later, I got a call from school that I needed to come in again.  I asked what it was this time.  Apparently, there'd been a confrontation in one of the girls' bathrooms.  Nora had punched another kid.

I scooped up Cisco and we took the subway down to Hunter yet again.  What I assumed was the other girl was sitting in a chair in the office, an ice pack to her face.  The secretary showed me into the office, where Nora was sitting with the principal.  She sat tall and didn't look at all sorry.

"Hello, Mr. Miranda," the principal greeted me as I took a seat and put Cisco on my lap.  "And who's this?"

"This is Francisco," I said.  "Nora's little brother."

"I imagine he'll be attending Hunter in a few years," he commented.  "But let's get down to the reason we're here.  Nora, would you care to explain?"

"A girl was making fun of me in the bathroom," Nora said.  "I may have punched her. It's a blur, sir."

"Nora, we haven't had any issues with you using violence this year," the principal went on.  "I've been really proud that you've been solving your problems other ways.  Why was today different?"

"Because it was all about that stupid picture," Nora said.  "I'm not gonna let someone insult me like that."

"No, I certainly wouldn't expect you to put up with that, but at Hunter we solve our problems in different ways," he reminded her.  "If you're being bullied, you need to tell an adult."