Chapter Twenty-Three

THANE stormed into the nurse’s office, searching frantically for Kit. He found him sitting by the door, nose swollen and eye purpling. His T-shirt had blood splatters on it.

“What happened?” he demanded even as he pulled Kit into a tight hug. Someone had hurt Kit, and they were going to pay.

“Mason, the worst of the bullies, jumped me in the hall. He was yelling all kinds of crap, and he got a punch in. Phillip and Zach grabbed him and held him off while Darcy ran to get Mr. Barnes.”

“Mr. Barnes promised us this wouldn’t happen again. He said you’d be safe,” Thane spat.

“He can’t be everywhere at once,” Kit replied, “and he came as soon as he knew. It’s just a black eye. Mason didn’t hurt me bad.”

“He shouldn’t have been allowed to hurt you at all.”

“Can we go home now?” Kit asked. “I really want to change my shirt. I can’t go back to class like this.”

“Yes, we’ll go home,” Thane said. “Who do I need to talk to?”

“I think the nurse can sign me out,” Kit said. “She went to the restroom. She’ll be right back.”

She’d left Kit alone after he’d been assaulted. Thane wasn’t happy about that either. He’d definitely be taking this up with the principal after he got Kit and Phillip home safely. His anger must have shown in his pacing or his expression, because Kit tugged on his arm.

“Uncle Thane, Mason is with Mr. B., and the other bullies didn’t back him up this time. I’m safe now. He promised.”

Blake had promised once before too, but Thane didn’t say that to Kit. He’d had a hard enough day as it was. Thane didn’t want to make it worse. He’d have words with Blake later, though. This situation had to be resolved. What if Phillip and Zach hadn’t been there? What if the other boy had had a knife, or worse, a gun?

“Mr. Dalton?” Thane looked up at the woman who walked into the office.

“Yes, that’s me.”

“I’m sure you’ve talked to Kit, but just to update you officially, he had a bloody nose, but I don’t see any indication that it’s broken. He’ll have a bruise around his eye for a week or two. We applied ice to reduce the swelling on both his nose and eye, but it will just take time to heal. If you’ve brought him a clean shirt, he’s clear to go back to class.”

“He’s not going anywhere except to the doctor and then home with me,” Thane growled.

“I assure you, we’ve done everything that should be done.”

“That may be, but I’m still taking him home. Can you sign him out, or do I need to speak with someone else?”

“I can sign him out. Let me just check with Mr. Barnes to make sure he doesn’t need Kit for anything else today, and then I’ll fill out the excuse slip.”

Thane saw red. “I don’t think I made myself clear. Kit and I are leaving now. I don’t care if the President himself wants to see him. It can wait until tomorrow. And while you’re at it, sign Phillip out too.”

“I can’t do that. He has no medical reason to leave,” the nurse said.

“Fuck this. Kit, you get in the car. I’m going to find your brother. We’ll be out in a few minutes.”

“Mr. Dalton, please. This is not how we do things here.”

“You know what, lady? I don’t give a shit how you do things. I’m going to Mr. Barnes’s office so he can sign Phillip and Kit out for the day. I suggest you stay out of my way.”

She blanched and stepped aside. Thane tossed the keys to Kit and stalked toward Blake’s office. He didn’t really want to see Blake. He was in a foul mood and that would only make it worse, but he didn’t know who else to talk to.

He made it as far as Blake’s secretary. “Mr. Dalton, Mr. Barnes said you might be in. He’s in a meeting with the parents of the student involved with your nephews, but is there anything I can help you with?”

Thane took a deep breath and reminded himself she was trying to help him. “I’m taking Kit and Phillip home. I need whatever paper or slip or whatever that makes it official.”

“Of course. Give me one minute to find out whose class Phillip is in now and to have him report here. Is Kit still in the nurse’s office?”

“No, he’s waiting in my truck. I just need the paper for him.”

He waited mostly patiently while she looked up Phillip’s schedule and called for him to come to the office. While they were waiting, she filled out two excuse slips and handed them to him. “These excuse them from class for the rest of the day. They’ll need to bring them back in with them tomorrow to show their afternoon teachers.”

“Thank you,” Thane said. “You’re the only reasonable person I’ve talked to today.”

She smiled. “I’m sorry that’s the case, but I’m glad I could help you.”

Phillip came in while Thane was trying to think of what to say next. He gave Phillip a critical once-over, but he didn’t seem to be hurt.

“I’m sorry, Uncle Thane. He got a punch past me before Zach and I could stop him.”

Thane hugged Phillip tightly. “Thanks to you and Zach, it was just one punch. Kit’s already in the car. Let’s go home.”

THANE pushed off the hood of his truck when he saw Blake come trudging out of school, an hour after stage crew normally ended. He was still in his school clothes—not the suit he’d worn on their dates, thank God—so whatever had kept him there that late, it hadn’t been theater related. “You told me they’d be safe,” he growled when Blake drew close to where he stood.

Blake looked up in surprise, then relief. He stepped into Thane’s space and leaned against him. “I’m sorry. I thought it was over.”

Thane glared down at the top of Blake’s head.

“Kit has a black eye, and you’re sorry?”

That got Blake’s attention. He took a step back and glared up at Thane. “I have spent the past eight hours filling out the paperwork to get the other boy sent to the alternative school. He won’t be able to participate in graduation, and he won’t be playing baseball for the rest of the season, which means he’ll almost certainly lose the scholarship he was hoping to get for the fall. I have been yelled at and threatened by irate parents, and I will probably have to spend the next week or more in disciplinary hearings as those same parents try to fight my decision. I know you’re upset, but don’t think for a minute that you’re the only one.”

“Can they win their appeal?” Thane asked.

“Can they? I suppose it’s possible,” Blake said, “but it’s a pretty cut-and-dried case. I have records of the confrontations, I witnessed one, and Kit’s black eye when the other kid didn’t have a mark on him is proof that he didn’t fight back. They’ll try to use the fact that Kit is one of my theater kids to say I’m biased, but Hune messed up this time and went at Kit in view of the security cameras. There’s no audio to hear what he’s shouting, but I have witnesses to corroborate his account, and the video makes it clear that he threw the punch and Kit didn’t retaliate. It will be a bureaucratic nightmare, but I don’t see them winning.”

“Kit and Phillip aren’t coming here if he’s allowed back in,” Thane declared. “I don’t care what I have to do to make that legal. I won’t have them at risk.”

“It won’t come to that,” Blake said. “I won’t let it.”

“You said it wouldn’t come to a fight either,” Thane replied. “You need to stop making promises you can’t keep.”

“Please, Thane, we’re both tired and upset. I don’t want to fight with you. Just go home and call me when you aren’t angry anymore.”

Thane turned on his heel and stalked back to his truck. Blake was right. Fighting among themselves didn’t solve anything, but he couldn’t let it go. Kit had gotten hurt, and that wasn’t something he could forget—or forgive—easily.

THANE still hadn’t calmed down two days later when Kit came home from stage crew and sat down next to him on the couch. “I have to talk to the principal tomorrow about everything that happened with Mason. Mr. Barnes said he’d be there the whole time, but would you come too? I’d feel better if you were there.”

“Of course I’ll be there,” Thane said. He didn’t want to see Blake. He hadn’t gone back to stage crew the past two days on purpose. He wasn’t ready to deal with that yet. He had to focus on Kit and Phillip, especially on Kit. If helping Kit meant coming face-to-face with Blake, though, he’d do it. Whatever Kit needed.

“Thank you, Uncle Thane. I love you.”

“I love you too, Kit.” He hugged Kit tightly, not letting go until Kit pulled away. When he’d wandered into the kitchen, Thane pulled out his cell phone and texted Blake. We need to talk.

Driving. Call when home.

He took the phone and went into his bedroom. He didn’t want Kit and Phillip to overhear the conversation, whatever turn it took. It buzzed at him fifteen minutes later.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Thane. You said we needed to talk.”

“Kit says he has to talk to the principal tomorrow,” Thane said.

“He’s not in trouble,” Blake said quickly. “I made sure Mr. Williams understood that none of this is Kit’s fault. It’s just procedure.”

“Will the bully be there?”

“I don’t know. Usually no, but his parents are putting a lot of pressure on. They’re saying I’m playing favorites because Kit is on the stage crew. That’s why Mr. Williams wants to talk to Kit directly. If I’m not filtering his words, I can’t be accused of favoritism.”

“Kit wants me to come with him,” Thane said.

“You’re his guardian. That’s a perfectly reasonable request. Just try to remember that you’re there to support him, not to get into an argument with the other parents, if they’re there.”

“I won’t start anything,” Thane said. “You can’t ask me not to defend Kit if they start it.”

“You’ll only make it worse. Don’t dignify their comments with a response. You have an example to set for Kit, if nothing else.”

“What example?” Thane asked bitterly.

“That sometimes you have to take the high road, no matter how much it costs you.”