Page 22 of The Drowned Woman
“These boys took Nate’s great-great-grandad’s medal.” She stood and pointed to the Homans with her free hand, the other still gripping Luka’s. “And then they called him a very bad name and threw balls at him during recess.”
“Did not!” Billy retorted while Jimmy made a smirky face at her. “Emily lies. Everyone knows that.”
“Yeah,” Jimmy joined in. “Like how she said her dad’s a hero who catches bad guys when he was really just a computer geek who got himself killed.”
Emily dropped Luka’s hand and launched herself at the twins. Two against one, both twice her size? She didn’t care. They couldn’t talk about her daddy that way. But Luka grabbed her by the waist, lifting her off her feet, even as Nate sprang out of his chair.
“Leave her alone,” Nate said without raising his voice. She’d noticed before that Luka did that too—he was most serious when his voice went low and quiet. “Want to pick on someone, you pick on me.”
“No one’s picking on anyone,” came a voice from behind them. Everyone straightened up, even Luka, who gently set Emily back on her feet before turning to face Ms. Driscoll.
Emily could never figure out how old Ms. Driscoll really was. Her hair was all one color, like it had been painted on, and her face was too smooth, maybe because she never frowned or smiled or laughed—she just stared, her two dark, beady eyes like laser beams. When Emily and Nate played Space Aliens, the evil robot overlord was always Ms. Driscoll.
“You must be Nate’s uncle,” Ms. Driscoll said, eying Luka.
He met her gaze without a flinch. “I am. I’m sure we can get to the bottom of this—”
“He shoved me.” Jimmy pointed at Nate. “I fell down. Hurt my arm. Maybe even broke it.” He dramatically rubbed his elbow.
“Right,” his brother chimed in. “It was Nate. He did it.”
Nate stood silently, his face down but his gaze angled up, aimed not at Ms. Driscoll, who would decide his punishment, but at Luka. Afraid. Not of being punished, Emily knew, but of disappointing Luka, of being sent back to foster care.
“They’re lying.” She turned her back to the Homans and focused on the grownups. “Nate didn’t shove anyone. They were hitting him with balls and calling him names. Bad names.”
Billy opened his mouth to interrupt but Ms. Driscoll silenced him with a glance. “My office. All of you. Now.”
They marched inside, Jimmy and Billy bumping against Nate until Luka inserted himself between them, separating them effortlessly as he wrapped his arm around Nate’s shoulders. Emily trailed behind, feeling suddenly very alone.
“What are you doing to my baby!” A shout echoed through the reception area. Miss Ruby ran into Ms. Driscoll’s office. “Don’t you touch my Emily. She hasn’t done anything wrong.” Ruby laid a palm on each of Emily’s shoulders, ready to haul her away if need be. It felt good. Only Emily wished it was Mommy. Where was she?
Emily sighed. Where Mommy always was. At work.
Ms. Driscoll took her seat behind her desk. She smoothed her hands across the paper calendar that covered most of it. “The Homans didn’t answer my calls, so we’ll begin without them.”
There weren’t any other chairs in her office, so they all had no choice but to stand and face her. Ms. Driscoll focused on Nate. “What do you have to say for yourself, Nathaniel Jericho?”
Nate hung his head, both fists swinging at his sides. Emily felt more guilty than ever. It was her fault he was in trouble. She’d only wanted to help, but now she realized that the consequences of her actions might be worse than Billy and Jimmy’s name-calling had been.
Before she could figure out what to say, Luka spoke up for Nate. “Sounds like my nephew is the victim here. I know for certain that he would never willingly part with his great-great-grandfather’s medal. It’s a family heirloom and Nate treasures it. You two,” he turned to the Homans, “need to return it. Immediately and undamaged.”
“Do you have it? William? James?” Ms. Driscoll asked.
They shuffled their feet. “It’s at home,” Billy finally answered. “He can come for it, he wants. We live just down the lane from him.”
Ms. Driscoll jerked her chin as if the issue was settled. Before Emily could protest, Ruby squeezed her shoulders, hard, silencing her.
“Then there’s the issue of Nate shoving James,” Ms. Driscoll continued. “We have a zero tolerance—”
“Nate didn’t do it,” Emily said, summoning all her courage to squirm out of Ruby’s grip and step forward to face Ms. Driscoll’s lethal laser glare. “I did. I tugged Jimmy’s arm. Just a little. He was getting ready to throw another ball at Nate—” She broke off when she saw Nate shake his head at her, frowning her into silence. Why? She was telling the truth, being brave and strong, like Daddy said.
“My granddaughter was obviously simply defending her friend,” Ruby said. “That’s not bullying.”
“It is if she used physical force on another student,” Ms. Driscoll replied, her tone frosty. “And we have a zero tolerance—”
“Yeah, I heard you. Well, I have zero tolerance for ignorant petty bureaucrats who like to use their position to bully little kids and who don’t even know the truth when they hear it. It’s obvious Nate and Emily did nothing wrong here. As far as I’m concerned, this meeting is over.” Ruby extended a hand to Nate, keeping her other one on Emily’s shoulder, using it to steer her toward the door. “C’mon, kids. School’s out early today.”
She marched both Nate and Emily out into the hallway, ignoring Ms. Driscoll’s commands to return. A few minutes later Luka joined them, stretching his long legs to catch up.
