Page 110 of Cougar

I purse my lips. “Harper, do you really think I’m blaming you for any of this? You were being bullied. You should’ve said something. You’re a part of our family now, and I will not tolerate those bitches hurting my girls.” I point at her and smile. “Do not tell Jay I said that. I’m proud of her for standing up for herself, but putting her hands on another student makes her just as much a bully. She needs to understand that fighting isn’t okay, unless she has no other way to defend herself.”

Harper nods and lowers her head.

“I’m going to the school to meet with Principal Avery and the other parents. I actually went to high school with Hannah Scott’s father, Harold. Do you have any special requests?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you have any suggestions on how they should be punished? Even though I haven’t lived in this town for over twenty years, I’m still a Mackenzie, and I’ll be playing that card today.”

Harper smiles. “I’ll leave it up to you since Jay is the one who got the worst of it. If I didn’t have my hands full, I probably wouldn’t have fallen.”

That reminds me.“Why were you carrying your books?”

“Huh?” Her brows pinch in confusion.

“Why were you carrying your books instead of using your backpack?”

Harper blows out a breath. “Because Ashton and Hannah cut it up in class. Ashton sits directly behind me and Hannah sits beside her. My backpack was hanging on the back of my chair.”

I narrow my eyes.What in the absolute hell is wrong with these girls?“Oh, those little bitches are going down.” I jerk up from the chair and slip my purse over my shoulder. “Harper, are you sure you don’t want to tell them? David and Patty would be devastated if they knew their granddaughter was being bullied in their own school.”

Harper shakes her head. “I’m not ready.”

Man, I was really hoping to use that card to my advantage, but it’s Harper’s call. “Okay. I won’t push. But when you decide, I’ll be there for you. Whatever you need, Harper.” I pull her in for a hug.

“Thank you,” she whispers.

“Anytime,” I say as I pull away and walk out the door.

Cole is leaning against the far wall, his eyes angry. “What did Mac say about Jay?”

“Her hand is fractured and her ring finger is broken.”

“This is my fault,” he seethes.

“None of this is your fault.” I rub my hand up and down his bicep. “You chose Harper. All you can do is stick with your decision and show them that no matter what kind of shit they pull, it’s not going to make you change your mind. Just don’t do anything stupid. Let me handle this.”

Cole tilts his head and gives me a look that tells me he’s not going to let this go before he walks back into Harper’s room.

I dig out my phone and call Max.

“Hey,” he answers on the first ring.

“Hey. I just wanted to let you know I’m at the medical center with Jay and Harper. There was an incident at school.”

“What happened?”

“High school girl drama over a boy,your son. Harper was being bullied. Jay stepped in to help, and she got hurt—”

“Hold on. Back up. Explain.”

So I do. I spend the next ten minutes filling Max in on everything I’ve learned in the last two hours. “Jay has a fractured hand and broken finger,” I finish. “Dad is putting a soft cast on her now.”

“Harold Scott was a little prick.”

“Apparently his daughter is, too. Anyway, I was calling to fill you in and see if you could get someone to cover for Harper tonight.”

“No problem.”

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