Nathan had the expression like he wanted to kill someone.
Or the school's principal to be precise. They were in a tough staring contest and neither of them willing to back down. The tension in the office was enough to make Royce melt in his seat and reconsider his whole decision.
Christopher Wall was a greedy middle-aged man and only cared about things that benefit him. It doesn't matter whether what he was doing is right or wrong, as long as he wasn't on the losing side, he'd do anything to save his very precious reputation.
"I'm telling you to expel them. They've been bullying Royce for years and this time they crossed the damn line." Nathan gritted his teeth, refusing to give in. "Do something about it, yeah?" He was frustrated to the point he had to grip the edge of the desk to keep himself from attacking. Royce noticed his discomfort and placed his hand over Nathan's, locking them firmly, giving him an encouraging smile.
Christopher sighed, not wavering once. "I told you they'll get detention for it."
"Detention isn't enough for the shit they made me go through." Royce snapped, speaking for the first time since they arrived. "Expel them or we'll report to the police. You can forget about saving your reputation then."
"We have evidence too." Nathan piped in, smirking just the tiniest. "And we'll make sure to drag you down along with those kids if you don't do something about it."
"Are you threatening me?"
"Yes." Royce glared at him. "For a fact we sure are."
The principle looked back and forth between them, the determination on their faces was clear as the day. He took off his glasses, leaning back in his chair. "I'll see what I can do."
-
After multiple office visits, some harsh exchange of words, a lot yelling from both ends, and an unnecessarily long amount of time, the five kids were indeed expelled. They won't be able to take admission for the next year in any other schools due to their violent behaviour, bullying, and bad grades.
Royce nearly cried when Nathan came shouting into his room, babbling about how he did it and excitedly showered him with kisses on the face.
It may seem like a pity thing to be happy about but Royce was able to overcome his fear, not fully but somewhat, and fight back. He took a stand for himself instead of hiding in his room and it was the bestest thing ever. He couldn't have done this without Nathan.
To stand up for yourself is never a loss, he learned.