~
“I’ll see you tonight,” Mia said and Kyle got out of the car. She’d been dropping him off in the mornings recently. Even though Kyle grumbled, it made her feel better that she could at least see him off in the morning. “You sure you’re feeling okay to play?”
Kyle grabbed his bag from the back seat and smiled. “I’m sure.”
She watched him walk across the parking lot toward the school. She drove toward exit. In her rear view mirror she saw a couple boys approach Kyle, then all of a sudden, Kyle went down.
Mia slammed on the breaks. She tried to turn the car around but the one way curbs were boxing her in. So she parked it right there, exit be damned, and got out of the car and ran toward him.
“Kyle!”
She couldn’t make her legs move fast enough. Still several yards away, she saw Kyle stagger to his feet, just as three boys surrounded him. Fists went flying and Mia couldn’t tell whose was who. Once she got closer, she saw one kid throw a punch, but Kyle dodged and landed a punch himself.
Mia ran faster and screamed again.
“Kyle!”
The boys heard her this time and fled. She got there just in time to see the one who tried to hit Kyle. She wanted to run after him, to take him down but she couldn’t leave her brother. At least she could ID the little fucker later.
“Help!” she screamed as she got to Kyle and he clutched his side.
“I’m okay. He just sucker punched me. No big deal,” Kyle said trying to gain composure.
Two teachers ran out from the school.
“There was a fight. Three kids ran,” Mia said pointing in the direction that the boys took off in.
The teachers looked perplexed and stared at her for a moment. She snapped her fingers.
“Look for the kid with a black eye,” she said, trying really hard not to curse at them.
She got Kyle’s things and headed into the school straight toward the principal’s office. She’d be damned if these little assholes got away with this again.
~
“He’s off the team,” the principal said.
“What?” Mia yelled, not caring at all that she was staring down her old principal in his office and even with the door shut everyone outside could likely hear. “They jumped him! And this is the third incident I might add and you’ve done jack shit!”
“That’s enough, Miss Blake.”
“No, it’s not enough. Kyle has been bullied and once again, nothing is happening.”
“Kyle hit another student. I have two other boys as witnesses saying Kyle started the fight.”
“The other two boys are the ones who were wailing on my brother. They’re lying.”
Sheriff Branch walked into the principal’s office and Mia didn’t need to ask why he was there. Bullying. Law enforcement gets called. And she didn’t have high hopes Branch would be any help.
“I have Jared and Kyle out there now. I spoke with the other boys and they said Kyle started the fight.” Before Mia could come to her brother’s defense again, Branch held up a hand. “And Jared is the one with a swollen eye. A black eye Kyle admitted to giving him.”
“I can’t believe this!” She would not let Kyle go down like this. Mia stormed from the office just in time to see Tate walk into the school, scowl on his face and looking at Kyle and Jared.
“Tate, you’ll never believe this. It was him the whole time,” she pointed at Jared.
The Sheriff came out behind her.
“Kyle assaulted Jared on school grounds,” the Sheriff said in a board tone. “He needs to be arrested and taken in.”