Walking down the school hallway, Brad tried to ignore the students watching him and whispering to each other. He knew they were pointing at him and commenting excitedly, but honestly, he didn't care. The only thing that mattered to him at that moment was Olivia.
He spotted her sitting in front of the principal's office. Her back was straight, and she stared ahead as if, instead of a blank, boring wall, she was looking at an open space. A little farther away stood a dark-skinned woman, eyeing Olivia unpleasantly, somewhat overprotectively shielding from her a sulky boy.
Brad knew this woman and her son. Luther was in the same class as Olivia, and his mother, Mrs. Brawn, was a member of the school board. Her husband was on the city council. The local elite, one might say.
As he approached, Brad nodded politely to Mrs. Brawn, but his first words were directed at Olivia: "Are you okay?"
The girl blushed—he couldn't tell if from embarrassment or anger. She nodded.
"That's good," he replied, and that was the end of their conversation.
When he received the call summoning him to the school, his heart stopped for a moment. He knew it was impossible, and yet it happened. A cold sweat broke over him. God, if anything had happened to Olivia or Angela… He had looked helplessly at Aunt Sally, and she understood him without words.
"Go," she said. "I'll handle it."
He tore off his apron and rushed to the car he had borrowed from Stacy. He was so tense that if he weren't so familiar with adrenaline, he might have caused an accident.
But Olivia was safe, thank God. Annoyed, angry—but safe. That was the most important thing. The rest, they would deal with somehow.
"Mrs. Brawn, Mr. Lipski, please come in."
Brad stood up immediately. He waited for Mrs. Brawn to enter the principal's office and then closed the door behind him.
"Please, have a seat," the school principal invited them, settling behind her desk. She was young for her position, slim, with short dark hair. Brad knew his nieces didn't particularly like her.
"Unfortunately, an incident has occurred that we cannot tolerate at our school. Olivia struck another student. Her classmate."
The news left Brad speechless for a moment. He stared at the principal, eyes wide, then stammered, "Olivia?"
"Unfortunately, yes. As a result, we must take disciplinary action…"
"Wait, wait, just a moment. I'd like to hear the full story. Why did she hit her another student?"
"Excuse me?" The principal blinked.
"I asked why Olivia hit her classmate. I can't imagine she was just walking down the hall, went up to a boy, and hit him for no reason. She must have had one." Brad figured out that the director meant Luther Brawn.
"She probably did," the principal admitted, her voice full of disapproval. "Everyone who resorts to violence has some justification. But physical violence is strictly prohibited at our school, so…"
"I want to know why she hit her classmate," he cut her off.
"And what does that matter?" Mrs. Brawn protested indignantly. "My son was beaten by that terrible girl…!"
"Let's refrain from insults," Brad gave her a cold stare. "I don't condone Olivia hitting someone, but if she did, she must have had a good reason, and I intend to find out what it was before my niece faces any punishment. That seems fair, doesn't it?" he directed his question at the principal.
"Witnesses say it was a reaction to a comment her classmate made," the principal explained briefly.
"So it wasn't just any comment, because Olivia is not an aggressive girl. Do you know what the comment was?"
„…" The principal pressed her lips together.
"Does it matter?" Mrs. Brawn was genuinely outraged. "My son was a victim of violence at school, and the perpetrator was your niece!"
"There are different kinds of violence," he stated. "Not just physical. If she hit her classmate in response to his comment, then most likely he inflicted verbal violence on her first. If she resorted to hitting him, she must have felt deeply hurt. That means Olivia was also a victim of violence. Surely you're not telling me," he turned back to the principal, "that one type of violence is tolerated in this school while another is not?"