The last thing Xisuma expected today was to get a phone call from Parrot's school. It hasn't even been a week and that boy is already getting himself in trouble with not just the students but also the staff. Sighing, Xisuma promises the teacher on the other end of the line that he'll be there in ten minutes and hangs up with a veil of disappointment falling over his shoulders.
It's a short walk to the school and Xisuma collects every bit of information he can about the situation as he rings the buzzer next to the gate. There is a teacher standing at the top of the stairs, looking down at him like he has done the worst crime ever. That is probably one of the teachers Parrot swore at.
Xisuma can't help the dread that comes up his spine. What sort of lie can he make up to cover for the kid? Actually, he could blame most of the violence on Xanthus; say his brother's habits have rubbed off on the boy.
That... could be convincing. Maybe.
He sighs again. Mentally, he notes that this is the most frustrated he's felt in all of his life. You'd think having to care for a child wouldn't cause so much stress but this proves otherwise.
The gate opens soon and he bids the teacher at the top of the stairs a good morning. The response he receives is only a formality, really.
"Mr. Void", a man greets him when he enters the hall. He has short, brown hair and the eyes of a man who has seen it all.
"Hello, Mr. Marriot", Xisuma asks, discreetly scanning the hall for any sign of life.
Distantly, he can hear the yells and shouts of joy coming from the yard. Class must still be in session. He should be worried about the fact that they called him in the middle of class for this and not at the end of the day.
Shoving down the urge to sigh for the umpteenth time today, Xisuma crosses his arms. Mr. James looks relieved that the 'father' of the kid shares the sentiment. The poor man must be exhausted.
■■■
Sitting down with the principal feels surreal. Sitting down to defend a child that isn't his own feels like hubris.
Parrot doesn't look the slightest bit ashamed of what the principal has just told Xisuma. That isn't surprising, given the fact that the boy doesn't shy away from threatening adults into doing chores and homework but they don't know that.
Xisuma doesn't want Parrot to end up in an orphanage; he's heard the stories and he's seen the horrors. God knows if Parrot would ever be fostered or adopted and whether the family would be good to him. Especially since he spends more time playing with his friends in the alleyways than staying at home. That is why he hasn't told anyone about his predicament.
Unless something... unfortunate were to happen, the kid is safe from that scenario.
Unfortunately, Parrot isn't safe from a good scolding on the way home and a retake of the English test his class had today. Who starts a food fight during class?! Who forms a whole resistance in the middle of a test?!
Honestly, Parrot's creativity amazes him.
However, that isn't the reason he was sent to the principal's office. No, no, he was sent to the principal because he bit his desk-mate and called the teacher a bad name.
Oh, and apparently all the notices the teacher sent with Parrot to Xisuma never reached him because Parrot would eat them every time. The boy didn't confess to that but Xisuma wouldn't put it past his capabilities. Children are menaces in unimaginable ways.
"I am so sorry about his behavior. He is a bit of a troublemaker and we moved into the neighborhood only a week ago; he's still adjusting to the new environment", Xisuma tries to explain and hopes to look like a worried father. The principal seems to be buying it.
Parrot huffs and then coughs to cover a sadistic giggle.
"I understand, mister Void but we've had multiple complaints from the parents of Parrot's classmates. If this continues, I'll have no option but to expel Parrot"
Even that threat doesn't wipe the badly-hidden smirk off of Parrot's face. In contrast, Xisuma's face paled. This school is incredibly convenient from a practical standpoint. It's close to his home and Parrot can come and go on foot.
Can you imagine the terror Parrot would cause once he learns that the bulky thing on the keychain is actually his car key?
Xisuma doesn't want to imagine that, which is why he has to correct his kid's– Parrot's behavior.
"I hope you understand my position, sir", the principal continues with the most pleading face Xisuma has ever seen. Can't blame the guy; Parrot is quite the handful.
"I understand but I have to ask you to be a bit more patient with him, please", out of the corner of his eye, he sees Parrot falter.
This must not have been what the little avian wanted. Good. Revenge shall be served in the form of education!
And soon after, they are both escorted out by Mr. Marriot. Parrot is allowed to join his classmates in running laps in the yard, whilst the teacher asks for Xisuma to have a small talk a bit farther away from the moving hazard of sugar energy with legs.
"While he is a troublemaker, Parrot is a good student", Mr. Marriot begins. Xisuma raises an eyebrow at that.
"He works hard", he agrees.
"He excels in Maths and English, though his writing could use some work" –oh man if only he knew who he was actually insulting! "As his teacher, I'd like to know where this behavior stems from so that I can better handle his temper tantrums"
Oooo– kayyy , he is not prepared enough for this talk. Quickly, X, think of something believable that will not make you out to be a bad person! That's easy enough, yeah?
"His mother has been gone for about a year now. He's been having a hard time processing that"
Not great but the best he could think of in such short notice! Inwardly, he cringes at himself. Thankfully, Mr. Marriot is too shocked by the revelation to pick at how even Xisuma's voice was during that big, fat lie.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that"
Xisuma hums, hoping his silence would be enough to discourage further conversation because he has no idea what else to say to soften the blow Parrot's reputation has taken. This will probably save him a couple of notices.
■■■
Amongst the other parents, Xisuma waits to collect his own child from school. Normally, he wouldn't do that because Parrot liked walking home –only because he got to hang out with his street friends before coming back for lunch– but today calls for a talk. After a lot of thought, Xisuma realized that if Parrot was booted from this school, roughly any other would accept a kid with that sort of behavior.
Xisuma really can't afford to homeschool the boy either and at his age, it's better for Parrot to socialize in a controlled environment that has kids of his age. The bell rings for the last time of the school day but what alerts Xisuma to the kids leaving the school is the fuss that they make. Goodness, he used to be as energetic as those kids.
What alerts him to Parrot's presence, however, is the yelling and screaming. When he looks through the iron fence that separates the backyard from the street, he sees a group of kids jabbing fingers at one with familiar, green-tipped hair. From this distance, he can't hear what they're saying but he knows –both from experience and a bunch of TV shows on Netflix– that it can't be anything good.
"Excuse me–", he says as a second thought as he pushes through the river of small humans. There is one teacher tending to the waiting kids, the poor woman overwhelmed with their leftover hyperactivity, so she doesn't pay attention when an adult enters the premises –and neither do the other parents outside.
"Parrot!", he shouts and the kids stop talking. Parrot all but runs to his side, wings ruffled and a scowl on his face. This can't be good. "Is everything alright? What happened?"
" They happened", the boy growls, pointing at the group. Xisuma can't say he's surprised. Is he about to threaten kids that aren't his own? Actually, he should find their parents first.
"Where are your parents?"
They scatter without another word. Xisuma doesn't say another word and neither does Parrot, who has his fingers jabbed in the cracks between the plates of his body armor.
"Did they hurt you?"
"I'll pay them back"
Aaaand it turns out that Parrot can do the threatening all fine by himself. Hopefully, Xisuma won't have a child murderer on his hands anytime soon.
■■■
On the way back, all conversation that Xisuma tries to make about Parrot's behavior in class falls on deaf ears. Sighing, he adjusts the straps of his void mask, and looks at Parrot briefly. The boy has been walking by his side, maybe a step or two in front of him with his hands latched onto the straps of his school bag.
He can't see the expression on Parrot's face but he wouldn't be surprised if he was staring off into space. This is as much progress as they will make, he supposes.
"My house is that way", Xisuma points out when they pass the street. Unsurprisingly, he is ignored. Even though Parrot isn't holding a gun, Xisuma can't help but want to make sure that he doesn't do anything stupid.