Challenge No.7
School daze. Your character's child comes home with a detention slip to sign, but your character isn't angry. What's the reason that they aren't angry with their child for getting into trouble at school?
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Sabine was still holding her workbag when she was intercepted by her sons.
"Don't be mad," Gabriel said.
"It wasn't her fault," Godfrey added.
"Alright." She drawled. "This tells me two things. It's bad and your sister is in the thick of it."
"Don't be mad," Gabriel repeated.
"Yes. You said that." She pointed out.
"Just listen, please," Godfrey begged.
"Oh, this is bad. Where is she?"
"In the study." They chorused.
Sabine entered the room with the twins hot on her heels. "Alexandria."
"Mum! I got detention! It wasn't my fault! Mr Ozuna says–"
"I don't understand." Sabine cut across. "You have a private tutor. One I pay a royal ransom, by the way. How can you be on detention?"
"Well?" Sabine demanded as the three fell silent.
"Mr Ozuna thinks that the nature of home schooling means that my social skills need work. That I'm alone too much, I need to make flesh and blood friends. So, on Fridays, we go to the track and I train with the other runners." Alexandria started.
"Tell me something I don't know," Sabine ordered.
"Well, today one of the boys I train with asked me for a date."
"Did he now?"
"Yes. And I said no."
"...and? Alexandria, why are you dragging this story?"
"He grabbed her," Gabriel said.
"Then dragged her." Godfrey finished.
Sabine could not believe what she was hearing. "HE WHAT!"
"She broke his nose," Gabriel said.
"She what?"
"...and three ribs. He's in the hospital." Godfrey added.
"There's more," Gabriel warned.
"MORE! HOW CAN THERE BE MORE!"
"Mr Ozuna blamed me. He said I overreacted. All the boy wanted was a date."
"That it?" Sabine was suspicious.
"No. I told him that's it's men like him that encourage the rape culture that women and girls must live in and that my mum sends me to self-defence classes for moments just like this. That when I say 'no' I mean it and I don't expect to be assaulted for my choices and if that's the kind of man he is I'd rather attend public school. I said my brothers attended public school and if it was good enough for them then it was good enough for me. After all, they didn't turn out that bad."
"Oh, thanks... I think." Gabriel replied.
"I see that you had much to say," Sabine observed.
"Yes." Alexandria replied.
"What did Ozuna say?" Sabine prompted.
"Say?" Alexandria was confused.
"When I came in, you said... 'Mum! I got detention! It wasn't my fault! Mr Ozuna says–' you didn't finish. What did Ozuna say?"
"Oh." She exchanged looks with the twins. "He said that if you didn't deal with me, that he'd quit."
"Did he now?"
"Yes. That's the whole story. Sorry, mum." Alexandria was done.
The three watched their mother read the detention paper. When she was done the question was ventured.
"Mum? What're you going to do?" Alexandria's voice was thick with her apprehension.
"Do? Fire Ozuna."
© A. L. Dawn French
7 March 2022
US Copyright Registration No. TXu 2-133-118