Something - Quinn Fabray

Chapter 46

"What exactly happened?" Shelby asked, once the two football players were ensconced in Figgins' office.

Ryan scowled. "I didn't do anything, okay? I was minding my own business when those two came up and sucker punched me!"

"Did he say why?"

"Adams said it was because I broke Karofsky's nose," Ryan said sourly. "Which you know I didn't mean to do, and it only happened because Karofsky went crazy when we went to talk to him about Kurt," he added when Shelby opened her mouth to say something.

She gave him a look. "I remember. Did you fight them back?"

"It was self-defense," Ryan argued. "Mostly..." he added under his breath.

"What?" Shelby prodded.

"Nothing, it was nothing, okay?" The outer door opened, and to the surprise of both Corcorans, James came in. "Dad. What are you doing here?"

"I'm supposed to pick you two up, remember?" he asked, looking at Shelby, who belatedly remembered that he was in fact supposed to pick them up that day since her car had died. Ryan had said it needed a new battery or something. "You weren't in your office, so I asked around and one of the students told me you were heading to the principal's office." He looked back down at Ryan. "What happened to you?"

"He got in another fight with a couple of the footballers," Shelby answered for their child.

"What? You really need to stop doing that, buddy," James sighed.

"It wasn't my fault," Ryan insisted. "Azimio Adams just punched me out of nowhere, okay? They're mad because I broke Karofsky's nose last week." He moved to sit up straighter, wincing as he did. Of course, both his parents caught the grimace.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" Shelby asked worriedly, concern overruling her irritation over the fight.

"I'm fine, just a little sore."

James looked him over critically and he crouched down in front of Ryan, a hand reaching out to gently probe the teenager's ribs. He stopped when he felt Ryan flinch. "Shirt up, kid." When Ryan didn't move, James pulled the shirt up himself. Shelby's stomach dropped at the bruise that was quickly forming on his stomach, and a sudden wave of protective rage came over her.

"I am going to kill those punks," James hissed, standing up quickly.

Shelby shook herself and caught his arm. "You can't do that," she told him. As much as she wanted to smash those kids' faces in herself, they needed to do this properly.

"The hell I can't, they hurt my kid," he growled back.

"This is a school, and those 'punks' are two kids. Yes, two stupid kids, but you can't hurt them," Shelby said sharply. Someone needed to think properly here. "So we are going to go inside and talk about this like civilized people. So calm down."

"Fine," James ground out. Some time later, two more adults entered the office, looking slightly uncomfortable. James eyed the middle-aged man in a business suit and the rotund African-American woman before everyone's attention was caught by Sue rapping on the glass door to the inner office. He nodded, tapping Shelby's arm. "We're up."

..

Sue Sylvester stood off to the side, watching as the small parade of parents came into Figgins' office. This was exactly why she'd resigned from the stupid post in the first place. She had been supremely vexed that Karofsky had managed to talk his way back into the school. Those people on the school board were spineless. Bullies like those two idiots weren't going to stop overnight, although she had been a bit surprised to see that Karofsky had started another incident immediately after getting back into the school. Moron.