Inferno

~68~ Horrible Person

Luke's POV

As I'm walking into Mills' office, I'm dying. I have never been so mad at my mom. So embarrassed. My mom just flipped my desk over and made me go flying. Surely someone will turn her in for that. Right? RIGHT?

I go in and sit down at Mills' desk. He's furious. I am sitting here for over an hour, and he has been lecturing me pretty close to this entire time. He has informed me that I have a month of Saturday detentions, two weeks of after school detention, and I am suspended from two baseball games. This is insane. It was a stupid beetle. People are snowflakes.

It's the end of the day and Mr. West comes in. School is officially over. I can't believe mom isn't here by now. I'm still sitting in Mills' office, bored out of my mind.

"I have a delivery" West says, handing Mills the beetles with a chuckle. He hasn't seen me yet.

"These things are so freakin sweet" he says, admiring them.

Lance clears this throat and points in my direction. West immediately loses his smile.

Suddenly dad and mom walk in. Just shoot me.

"I'm sorry. I was sleeping. Thanks for babysitting him for me" dad says to Mills. He ignores West completely.

"Ok, I'm going to just ask you. Are you an MMA fighter?" Mills asks mom abruptly.

Mom gets a funny look on her face and West lets out a snort before he can help himself.

"What is he talking about?" Dad asks mom.

"I kinda lost my temper" mom says, embarrassed.

She's embarrassed? She's not the one who went flying.

"What did you do?" Dad asks, getting annoyed.

Lance chuckles. "We have cameras in all of the rooms. Care to watch?" He asks dad, typing something on his computer.

"Oh wonderful" mom mutters under her breath.

Dad goes over to the desk and watches my humiliation. His eyes get wide and then he sighs.

"Eleanor" dad says, frustrated.

"You're not surprised?" Mills asks, completely shocked.

"Nope. Not even a little bit. She's tiny, but she's the strongest woman I know. A month into her job at the firehouse she throat punched a man who was holding a knife to her face. She's a nut" he says, rolling his eyes.

West and Mills are looking at mom in disbelief.

"Are you an MMA fighter?" Mills asks again.

"No boss, I'm not. Just a really angry mother" she says, glaring at me.

"Wanna tell dad what you did? I haven't told him a thing" she says, crossing her arms.

"No, I really don't" I say, closing my eyes and laying my head back against the wall.

Mom sighs and tells him a short version.

"Want the beetles?" Mills asks once she's done talking.

"Taylor, if you take those disgusting things home you are sleeping outside with them" she says darkly.

All the men start chuckling.

"You keep them. She never lets me keep anything cool" he teases.

"Let's go, kid. You're dead" he says darkly.

I get up and grab my bag.

"I'm so sorry about all of this, guys. I'll make sure this doesn't happen again" dad says as he shakes Mills' hand. I notice he doesn't shake West's hand, but he does nod at him.