Page 61 of Only Temporary

“Do you mind taking Kieran home? I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“I can do that.” He looks wary and moves a little closer to me. “Please stay calm.”

Calm? Not a chance. What the hell is happening today?But I can see how worried he is, and I don’t want him to feel that way. And I can’t blow up at Cason in school or it will cause more paperwork for my boyfriend. “I will,” I assure him, and I tell Kieran I’ll see him at home before we part. I drive to the high school, my hands gripping the steering wheel tight.

How the hell could he do this?He knows everything is on the line right now. Things were going well, even if he’s still pretty sure I’m going to fuck everything up. It’s like he’s accepted that I’m his best option. We were getting along, damn it.

I try to keep my cool as I walk into his school, heading to the office, but I feel like I’m going to blow a gasket. Kieran is being bullied, and apparently, Cason is being a bully. Fucking great.

I notice Tatum is here when I walk through the office doors. “What are you doing here?” He was supposed to be covering for me at work—so our boss is going to be doubly pissed now.

“They called me when they couldn’t reach you.”

My eyes sweep around the room, and I see Cason sitting in a row of chairs, an ice pack on his face. Okay, so it wasn’t just him doing the hitting. I notice his knuckles are bruised. There’s a scrawny kid next to him, holding broken glasses and has an ice pack on his eye. Seriously, Cason? What the fuck? But then I zone in on Blake, who’s sitting two chairs down.

His knuckles are also bruised, and he has a fat lip.What the fuck happened here?

I look at Tatum, who just shakes his head grimly—saying he doesn’t have a clue.

“What happened?” I walk over to Cason—who looks a little guilty—actually shrinking back for the first time.

“That fucker was talking about Rae.”

I look over at the scrawny kid with the black eye and then back at Cason. “I’m assuming you’re talking about Blake.” I don’t even bother looking in that little prick’s direction. Cason nods. “Liam just got caught in the middle.”

Poor kid.

Before I can find out more though, the principal walks out into the waiting room. He looks to be about my age, dressed in a nice suit and tie with his dark-frame glasses and nicely styled hair. He’s wearing a kind smile, though I doubt it reflects how he actually feels. “Mr. Rhodes, you can come in.” He startles when he looks to my right though, looking pale like he’s seen a ghost. “Tatum?”

Tatum stands up from his spot, towering over the principal. “Remy?”

“Wait. You know the principal?” I ask, dumbfounded.

Tatum looks sick and nods his head slowly at me. “Yeah. We were in the same foster home.”

The principal—Remy, apparently—clears his throat. “Um, we need to chat before the other parents get here.” He’s talking to me, I realize, but he’s still staring at Tatum. O-kay... this is weird. “Mr. Rhodes?”

“Sure,” I say and follow him into his office, while Tatum stays in the waiting room but looks dazed. I take a seat, and Remy does too, clearly not unaffected by his reunion with my best friend. “You know Tatum?”

I’m not sure why I’m asking. I’m here to talk about Cason being a moody impulsive little shithead and getting into a fight, but I can’t help but be curious. “I do. From a long time ago, but I... We really need to talk about Cason.”

“Right,” I agree—though still really damn curious. “What happened?”

His eyes are on the waiting room, even with the door closed, but then looks back at me. “It seems Blake was saying something Cason didn’t like, and a fight ensued.”

“Cason threw the first punch?”

He nods. “According to witnesses, yes, but they’re both being suspended for fighting. Liam is the only one who it’s clear was just caught in the crossfire, so he’s going home but isn’t in any trouble.”

“I’m sorry. There was an incident with our sister and Blake...” I stop because Raegan doesn’t want me to say anything. I don’t want to betray her, but I don’t want Cason in big trouble. I know he shouldn’t have hit Blake—but come on, he did have it coming.

Remy’s lips form a straight line—totally impassive—he’s good at this job. “Is your sister okay?”

I shrug. “I don’t know. She says she is, and she doesn’t want to officially report anything, but Cason—hell, both of us—we’re still angry.”

He seems to soak that information in for a moment, letting out a deep breath. “I understand. But we do have a no violence policy.”

“I understand,” I say honestly. “How long is he suspended?”

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