The Stone Wall and His Weakness [A.H.]

V

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I woke up to the sound of the house phone ringing. I felt around the side of the bed, finding it empty and cold. I sat up slowly, looking over to see a note on his pillow. Dropping Jack off at school then going for a run, be back later. AH X

I stumbled out of bed and out to the living room, picking up the still ringing phone. "Hotchner residence."

"Hello, Mrs. Hotchner?"

"Uh... Speaking?"

"I'm the Principle at Jacks school. I'm calling to inform you that there has been a small incident and I need you to come down so we can talk."

"Oh, uh, sure, okay. Is he okay?"

"Yes, he is. How soon can you be here?"

"Half an hour."

"Great, see you then."

I put the phone back on its charger and went back to the bedroom, sorting through the closet for a button up and jeans. Aaron and I had agreed that I should leave some clothes here. For emergencies, of course. I was changed and out the door in ten minutes, my hair half brushed and shirt untucked. I put my sling back on, not trusting myself to avoid using my arm.

As I walked into the school, a wave of worry washed over me. Surely Jack was okay, the principle had said so. I went into the office and told the secretary my name, to which she told the principle over the intercom that I was here. They kept calling me Mrs. Hotchner, but I couldn't bother correcting them. I didn't feel like dealing with the technicalities.

The first thing I noticed when I entered her office was that Jack was sitting in front of the desk with his head down. "Hi, Mrs. Hotchner?"

"Please, call me Alex. Jack, are you okay?" I sat beside him, looking over him to make sure he was physically okay. He nodded slowly, refusing to look up at me.

"Ma'am, I'm afraid that Jack is actually the one initiated the fight."

"What?! Jack Hotchner!" I turned towards him. He stayed silent, staring at his shoes. I turned back towards the principle, "What happened?"

"From what I understand, some of the older kids have been picking on Jack. Jack retaliated by punching one of the kids in the face. Now, this is his first offense, but we have a strict no violence policy. We're recommending that he's suspended for the rest of this week and all of the next."

"What about the other kids?"

"Ma'am?"

I sat up and crossed my legs, "Well, if you have a no violence policy, then surely you have a no bullying policy. So what will the other kids be facing as punishment?"

"This is the first time we had heard about their bullying, so they're going to be suspended for the rest of the week."

"Let me get this straight," I stood up, left hand on my hip, "You're suspending my son, despite all he did was defend himself, but the kids who were bullying him are getting off scot-free?"