Page 18 of Love Complicated

Is she seriously tattling on him? I give her a what the fuck look. “I’m standing right here. I literally witnessed him spitting, so why are you telling on him?”

She shrugs.

Just shrugs.

I need better rules. There’s gonna have to be more than respect me and others. “All right. I got one more rule. No telling on your classmates. Unless they’ve physically hurt you or themselves, I don’t want to hear about it.”

I stare down at Cash and Grady, both watching me.

What I really want to say is:Unless of course you want to tell me about your mom.

Grady is moving around in his chair a lot. “Why are you moving around so much? Stop.”

He frowns when all the kids look at him. “My. . . underwear are on backward.”

Well shit. Haven’t had that one yet.

Arrow snickers, covering her mouth in a laugh. “He said underwear.”

What an asshole kid. Why is the word underwear funny to them?

Cash whips around in his chair and throws his pencil at her head. “Don’t make fun of my brother, stupid head!”

Stupid head? That’s original. I fight the urge not to laugh.

Have you ever wondered how a war can break out with eight-year-olds? Here’s your answer. Call one of them a stupid head and throw a pencil at their eye.

I want to laugh, but my only thought isfinallyI can call his mother to the school for a parent-teacher conference.

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