Page 5 of Losing Faith

You’re already ten minutes late, what’s three more?

When I finally make it in front of the school, my eyes quickly find my kid’s pink dress as she sits on the steps of her school. My annoyance quickly fades at the sight of her smile as she looks up at her teacher but then I notice the dean standing with them.

“Great,” I mumble as I turn the car off and step out.

“Daddy!” Isabelle rushes over to me, and as soon as she’s in reach, I lift her and throw her in the air. Her laugh captures every ounce of my attention and I pull her in for a hug.

“How was your day, penguin?” I set her onto the ground again and she grabs my hand, but I don’t walk off because I feel her teacher and dean watching me like they have a lot to say.

“It was perfect. I got agreatstudent sticker.” She shows me the back of her hand which has a huge gold star.

“Good job, baby.” I fix the bow in her hair before walking over to her teacher. “Hi, I’m so sorry I was late. There was an accident on the highway.”

Neither of them looks like they believe me, although I’m not lying. “No problem,” her teacher, Rose, says, and her tone alone tells me it’s certainly a problem. “Anotherreminder though, her tardies are accounted for and we want all of the kids to be a part of that ice cream party at the end of the year.” Condescendence drips from her tone as she offers me a forced smile.

You shouldn’t punish kids for their parents being a few minutes late at pick-up, but okay.“Thanks for the reminder, Ms. Rose.” I offer her a smile and before she can respond, Dean Carmen joins.

“Do you have some time to come in and speak with us regarding Isabelle’s grades?” She looks down at my kid with a smile, and when I look down at her, she doesn’t look nervous or guilty, so I’m assuming they didn’t tell her whatever problem there clearly is.

“Yes, of course.” I follow them inside and we slow down as we reach a group of kids building Legos.

“Isabelle, why don’t you wait here while we talk to your dad?” Carmen smiles down at her.

She looks up at me for approval and I give her a smile as I nod for the other kids and she takes off.

“Is everything okay?” I ask once she is out of earshot. Both of them share a glance as we continue walking and my mind begins to run wild with the worst-case scenarios.

“Not really, Mr. Carter,” Carmen starts. “We had our first assessment earlier this week and her test scores were concerning.” She opens her office door for me and as I walk in, I turn to her instead of sitting.

“I thought you were working with her after seeing her score for her entry exam?” I look between both of them and Rose raises her brows unamusingly, but I bite my tongue.

These private school people have their heads so far up their asses. Being that we’re moving soon, I enrolled my daughter into this school since it’s closer to our new home, but a part of me is having serious regrets.

Carmen gestures to the chair in front of her desk and I take a seat as she sits in front of me. “We usually like to have these talks with both parents,” the dean starts, her gaze carefully watching me. “Mom hasn’t made an appearance and we think her involvement would be beneficial.”

I force a smile. “Mom won’t be making an appearance. It’s just me,” I remind them. We vaguely spoke about this at registration and like before, their nosy gazes are apparent.

“Well,” Carmen continues, her judgmental gaze clear as day. “We’ve noticed a delay in Isabelle’s development and things like this can happen after divorces. I heavily suggest Mom—”

I cut off her assumptions. “The separation wasn’t recent so I doubt that. What exactly is she delayed with?” I switch the topic, my concern peaking again.

Rose hands me a folder before standing beside her boss. “We have been working with her, but she hasn’t been making much improvement, especially since her uncle is constantly pulling her out of school during her tutoring hours.”

I open the folder and the first paper is how many times she’s been taken out of school early. A bright redtenstares back at me, and while that doesn’t seem like a lot, it certainly is considering school has only been in session for one month. She’s practically missed half of her tutoring sessions.

I swallow my anger and decide I’m killingIsabelle’suncle. The next few papers are a few of her assignments and her last development test. I read through her scores as Isabelle’s teacher speaks up again.

“We can’t stop her from being pulled out of school early, but let’s be honest, there can only be so many family emergencies. She needs to be in school and I think Mom will agree.”

“Iagree.” I close the folder and let my eyes meet their harsh gaze. “She won’t be pulled out of class anymore,” I assure them. I was aware she was being taken out of class for her ice cream dates with her uncle since the school calls me whenever someone picks her up, but I didn’t think it was this bad. Either way, I alreadytold him to stop doing this.

“Jackson.” The dean folds her hands together on her desk. “Isabelle’s promotion to the next grade is in doubt. Considering she’s a new student and on probation, like all new students are in their first year, failing will unfortunately get her kicked out of the school.”

I stare at her for a beat, but she’s being serious. “She’s five,” I point out. “Five-year-olds aren’t necessarily reading novels.” I try to hold back my defensive tone but fail.

“No,” she drawls. “However, she isn’t reaching milestones we like to see in kids her age, which could be for a number of reasons.” She raises her brows as she focuses on my frame.

I keep my initial response to myself. “She has the entire semester to catch up. Children develop at different ages.”

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