Two updates today because I feel bad for my inconsistency :)
It felt as though the organized line of 1 through 4's had walked into a tornado. The moment they passed through the threshold of the cafeteria, the littlest of the littles were seemingly swallowed up by the nearly-hundred "older" littles that shared the lunch space.
While her classmates treated this as normal, Evie was overwhelmed immediately, wishing she was back in the peaceful safety of her classroom. Or, better yet, with her Mama and Mommy. Within seconds she had lost sight of Shay and Vera, feeling completely alone in the sea of little bodies that surrounded her. It didn't take long for the tears to come as she stood unmoving in the onslaught.
That is, until she heard a familiar voice followed by a hand grabbing hers.
"Evie!" Bella exclaimed excitedly. "Come on, you can sit with my friends and I!"
With tears having just started streaming down her face, Evie blindly followed her older "cousin" as she guided them to one of the several long cafeteria tables.
"My friends are coming too, you can meet them!" Bella said as they sat, oblivious to the fact that Evie was wiping the tear stains off of her face.
Not wanting to embarrass herself in front of her cousin's older friends, Evie was quick to compose herself, trying to act a bit older than she felt so that she could fit in.
"Ew, this pizza looks fucking gross." Said a disgruntled voice to no one in particular coming from a girl who sat next to Evie. Another pair of girls sat across the table. These must be Bella's friends. It seemed like they didn't even notice her sitting there.
Bella cut through their curseword-ridden conversation, "Guys, this is my cousin I was telling you about, Evie. Evie, this is Lucy and Julien," she introduced, pointing to the girls across from her, "And that's Phoebe next to you."
The trio of older girls stared at her vaguely.
"The little little cousin?" Asked Lucy in a tone that didn't make Evie feel all that welcome at the lunch table.
Bella nodded, not noticing the hostility towards her cousin as she bit into her slice of pizza.
"Why's she sitting with us?" Asked Phoebe harshly, "Shouldn't she be with the babies?"
Her question earned mean snickers from Julien and Lucy across the table.
"She's my cousin and it's her first day. Cut her some slack, you guys," Bella said, finally coming to her cousin's aid.
"Whatever," said Phoebe dismissively, "As long as she doesn't cry around us."
Evie felt hurt by the degrading words of Bella's friends. She wished she hadn't lost Shay and Vera in the crowd, and wondered if they were looking for her in the crowd of littles.
Bella and her friends conversed throughout the lunch period in complete disregard that Evie was even sitting there. They went so far as to make fun of Evie's class right in front of her, calling them "the baby class" and "the diaper wetters."
Evie began to feel sad, angry, and lonely at the same time. Eventually muttering to herself, "I don't even wear diapers."
"What was that?" Phoebe asked unkindly, even though she had heard clearly what the younger girl had said.
Feeling fed up about her situation, Evie refused to back down. "I said I don't wear diapers." She answered with an angry huff.
"Ohhh, we have a big girl on our hands, huh?" Said Phoebe sarcastically.
"Phoebe that's enough." Said Bella, trying to make her friend stop. "Evie, don't get upset, she just likes to push people's buttons."
"Yeah, I'm just pushing buttons, pal." Phoebe reiterated with even more hurtful sarcasm as she elbowed Evie hard on her arm, causing the little to whimper.
What felt to Evie like bullying seemed to die down for a few moments after that as Bella and her friends continued to speak amongst themselves. Eventually, school faculty members began to walk down each aisle, gradually dismissing littles from the lunchroom to the playground outside for recess.
Right as a teacher that Evie didn't know was approaching their section of the table, Phoebe pulled a black marker out of her pocket and quickly scribbled a set of words right on the table in front of Evie.
"Fuck Principal Paulson" it said in dark black ink.
Right as she finished writing it, she threw the marker down on the table in front of Evie before swiftly standing up and running outside. Lucy and Julien were hot on her tail.
Bella had seen what was about to transpire, and was in a split second dilemma. She could either run off with her friends and maintain her innocence, leaving Evie to brave her fate alone. Or, she could stay with her "cousin" and risk getting in big trouble.
Before Evie could even react, the teacher noticed the writing, and that the marker was opened right in front of her, making her look as guilty as could be.
"Excuse me, what is this?" The teacher asked, pointing to the writing, his voice booming with authority through the noise of recess-bound littles.
Evie didn't know what to do.
"I didn' write it, it was Phoebe!" Evie cried out, panicked tears instantly pouring from her eyes.
She looked beside her, hoping for Bella to defend her. But her heart sank as she saw her cousin walking briskly towards the playground door behind her friends.
Evie broke down as the unnamed teacher guided her the opposite direction of the rest of the littles towards the principal's office. She couldn't even find the words to defend her innocence, only sorrowful tears. In that moment, all she wanted was her Mommy and Mama, with their warm hugs and comforting cuddles.
But all she was met with was Principal Paulson.
********************************************************
An hour later, Camilla and Lucia walked through the front entrance of the school. When they got the call from Principal Paulson about the incident at lunch, neither of them believed a word of it. Their little girl would never even consider doing something like that.
The pair noticed a group of littles playing freeze tag in the gymnasium before they turned towards the principal's office where Evie awaited them. Walking into the large office, the first thing they noticed was their little Evie sniffling and sobbing in a chair across from Principal Paulson who sat at her desk.
"Principal Paulson," Camilla introduced as she shook the older woman's hand, unsure of what to feel in that moment.
"Please, call me Sarah." The principal replied with half friendliness and half authority as she shook both women's hands. "Thank you for coming in on such short notice. I know this probably isn't the first day you were hoping for for your little Evie.
Lucia swiftly picked Evie up from the chair she was sitting in, letting the girl snuggle into her. Evie felt a wave of safety and comfort, which only allowed more tears to stream from her tired eyes.
"I promise, I didn't do it, Mommy," Evie cried as she looked at Lucia with watery eyes.
"I know, baby. I know." Lucia replied as she began to rock her little girl.
"I think this has all been a big misunderstanding." Camilla began to explain. "Evie would never do something like this, I can assure you."
"Well, Mrs. Levarion, I'm afraid there's nothing much I can say to you." Principal Paulson explained somewhat dismissively. "The words were written where Evie was sitting and she had the marker."
"Still, I-" Camilla tried to explain before being cut off by the principal.
"Look, I understand that this might not be normal behavior for Evie. But, this was her first day. A lot of little feel like they need to prove themselves to the other students by pulling stunts like this. I'm letting her off with a warning this time, but if it happens again she will face suspension."
Lucia was silently seething at the principal as Camilla tried to continue the defense of their little. Neither of them believed Evie was at fault. It would be completely out of the ordinary for her and they did not buy the idea that she felt like she had to "prove herself" to the other littles. If anything, it felt like something Bella would do. She probably had something to do with this. Lucia thought to herself.
"Who were you sitting with, babygirl?" Lucia asked Evie, cutting into the conversation between the two other women.
"Bella and her friends," Evie replied tearfully, still hiding herself in the crook of her Mommy's neck. Her thumb had found it's way into her mouth as a way to find any comfort she could in that moment.
"Can we have them come here so we can get their side of the story?" Lucia asked.
Principal Paulson reluctantly agreed and summoned the four girls to her office by calling their teacher's classroom phone. After questioning them briefly, the principal gave them one final question: "Who wrote on the table?"
"Evie." Answered Phoebe, obviously.
"Evie." Julien followed.
"Evie." Lucy copied.
Finally it came to Bella, and all three of the Levarion's had their hearts in their throats. The cousin looked at her friends, and then back to Evie, clearly feeling guilty for having abandoned her. But she also did not want her friends to turn on her for throwing Phoebe under the bus. Bella thought for a moment, which felt like an eternity to the Levarion trio.
"Evie."