Page 99 of Masked Sins
I wave at Bradleigh’s mom, who’s watching us with a gentle smile. It takes me a second to realize that Bradleigh must go to St. Helena Academy, where Malakai is the headmaster.
“How are you doing? Are you practicing your pirouettes?” I ask, opting not to bring up her absence in case she doesn’t want to talk about it.
Her face falls. “Not really.”
I swallow and look over at her mom. She shrugs, nodding toward the corner of the coffee shop.
“I’m sorry to hear that. Hey, I’m going to talk to your mom really quick, okay?”
Malakai jumps in and offers Bradleigh his muffin. “Go nuts, kid. Let’s get you all sugared up for your mom.”
I walk over to Bradleigh’s mom, and we go to the other side of the room. “Everything okay?”
Her mom is young and pretty. From what I know, she’s a single mom who works hard to make sure Bradleigh has everything she needs.
“Bradleigh is being bullied in school, and she hasn’t really been up for ballet intensive,” she begins. “And I’m sorry, I meant to email you, but work is really busy. I haven’t had a moment to breathe, and?—”
I reach a hand out, taking her hand in mine. “How can I help?” Her lower lip wobbles, and that’s when I see the dark bags under her eyes. The sweatpants. The messy hair. She’s barely hanging on, and I’m sure Bradleigh’s predicament isn’t helping. “What if I took Bradleigh out for a bit this weekend? We could go to the dance store, or maybe we could go get our nails done. Or we could go shopping?” I offer.
Relief washes over her. “That would be amazing, but you really don’t have to?—”
“Does this weekend work? I have a performance on Friday and Saturday night, but maybe I can take her out on Saturday morning?”
Bradleigh’s mom’s eyes glisten with tears. “Oh my God, that would be great. I just need some extra sleep, to be honest. It’s hard doing this alone sometimes.”
I give her a gentle smile, reaching into my pocket for my phone. “I can’t even imagine. What’s your number? I’ll call you on Friday, and we can coordinate.”
We exchange numbers, and then walk back to the table, where Malakai and Bradleigh are playing rock, paper, scissors.
“Come on, sweetie. Time to go. If you get all of your homework done, I told Ms. Rivers that the two of you could go to the mall this weekend.”
Bradleigh’s brown eyes light up. “Really?”
“Only if you finish your homework,” I tell her.
She hugs me, and then they say goodbye. Bradleigh’s mom mouthsthank youover her shoulder before they walk out of the coffee shop. I sigh as I sit down across from Malakai, who clears his throat.
“She got bullied pretty badly last week,” Malakai tells me. “Some of the girls in her class were calling her names.”
I wince. “Of course.”
“They were immediately suspended, and if there are any more incidents, they’ll be expelled.”
I snap my eyes to Malakai. “Good. I mean, I know they’re kids, but?—”
“St. Helena has a zero-tolerance policy for that kind of shit. You remember what Chase did for Jackson Parker, right?”
I squint at him as I take another sip. “Kind of. Didn’t he join the board so Jackson wouldn’t be discriminated against?”
Malakai nods. “Anyway, it’s important to me that children learn that love is love, you know? Bradleigh adores you,” he adds.
“She’s my favorite,” I whisper.
Malakai laughs. “She’s lucky to have you.”
We eat our muffins in silence for several minutes—after Malakai gets another one, that is.
“So,” Malakai says, rubbing his hands together and sitting back.
