Chapter 2 - The Transfer That Never Happened
Brittany’s father arrived before Emily’s mother.
That told Emily more about power than any economics class ever had.
Victor Cole walked into Dr. Bennett’s office seventeen minutes after Brittany called him.
Rachel Carter, meanwhile, was still helping an elderly patient finish physical therapy because leaving in the middle of a shift could cost her the job that kept the electricity on.
Victor wore a navy suit and an expression of controlled irritation.
“What exactly has my daughter been accused of?”
Dr. Bennett sat behind her desk.
“Today? Harassing and physically tripping another student.”
“I didn’t trip her,” Brittany said.
Logan immediately lifted his phone.
“I have the whole thing.”
Victor looked at him.
Just looked.
Logan’s hand lowered half an inch before he caught himself.
Investigator Naomi Ellis sat beside Dr. Bennett.
“And we’re asking Brittany questions about Ava Morales.”
Victor’s expression changed.
Barely.
Emily noticed anyway.
“My daughter has nothing to do with Ms. Morales transferring.”
“That appears to be the problem,” Ellis replied. “Ava didn’t transfer.”
Victor turned toward Dr. Bennett.
“I don’t appreciate district personnel discussing confidential information in front of students.”
Emily almost laughed.
He was right technically.
Which seemed to be how powerful people liked to be right.
Dr. Bennett separated the meetings.
Emily and Logan waited with Counselor Shah across the hall while Brittany remained with Victor and Ellis.
Emily stared at her damaged lunch bag.
Mrs. Shah placed a small bandage over the scrape on Emily’s palm.
“You don’t have to go back to class today.”
“I want to.”
“You can also go home.”
“My mother can’t leave work.”
“You could wait here.”
Emily looked toward Bennett’s closed office.
“No.”
Logan sat beside her.
“I sent you the video.”
Emily turned.
“What?”
“So you have your own copy.”
“I don’t want it.”
“You might.”
“For what? A memory?”
“For evidence.”
That word made her uncomfortable.
Evidence made the humiliation feel bigger.
More permanent.
“Why did you say Ava?”
Logan’s expression changed.
“I saw what Brittany did to her.”
“When?”
“About five weeks ago.”
Emily had known Ava casually.
They shared biology the previous year.
Ava drew tiny birds in the margins of every worksheet.
“She bullied Ava too?”
“Worse.”
“What happened?”
Logan glanced toward Mrs. Shah.
The counselor looked down.
That was answer enough.
“Brittany and two friends dumped Ava’s art portfolio into a trash bin,” Logan said. “Then Brittany told her scholarship students were basically charity projects.”
Emily felt something twist inside her.
Same cruelty.
Different target.
“Ava reported it?”
“Three times.”
Mrs. Shah spoke quietly.
“Yes.”
Emily looked at her.
“What happened?”
“I can’t discuss another student’s confidential records.”
“But nothing happened to Brittany.”
Mrs. Shah’s silence answered.
Logan leaned forward.
“Then Ava disappeared.”
“She stopped attending,” Mrs. Shah corrected.
“That sounds nicer.”
“Logan.”
“It does.”
The office door opened.
Victor Cole stepped out first.
Brittany followed.
Her face was white with anger.
Victor stopped when he saw Emily.
For one moment Emily expected an apology.
Instead he said, “There are two versions of every school conflict.”
Emily stared.
Logan actually laughed.
Victor looked toward him.
“You find something amusing?”
“Yes.”
“Logan,” Dr. Bennett warned.
Victor turned back to Emily.
“My daughter’s behavior today was inappropriate.”
Brittany looked at him sharply.
“But I would advise everyone against turning a teenage disagreement into something more serious for attention.”
Emily understood immediately.
He wasn’t apologizing.
He was drawing a boundary around what she was allowed to call what happened.
Mrs. Shah stood.
“She was deliberately humiliated in front of dozens of students.”
Victor’s smile became thinner.
“And the school can address that.”
Investigator Ellis appeared behind him.
“We’ll also address Ava Morales separately.”
Something cold entered Victor’s face.
“My counsel will contact the district.”
He guided Brittany toward the hallway.
As she passed Emily, Brittany whispered without looking at her:
“You have no idea what you started.”
Emily’s anger returned.
“You started it.”
Brittany stopped.
Victor touched her shoulder.
“Keep walking.”
They disappeared.
Dr. Bennett waited until the outer door closed.
Then she exhaled.
Logan asked, “Who signed Ava’s withdrawal?”
Bennett looked at Ellis.
The investigator answered.
“Assistant Principal Dean Harlow.”
Emily knew him.
Everybody did.
Harlow ran discipline.
He also coached the donor golf tournament every spring.
“Did Ava’s mother sign anything?”
“No.”
“Then how could he withdraw her?”
“He used an electronic parental authorization.”
“Was it real?”
Ellis shook her head.
“Ava’s mother says she never sent it.”
Emily’s stomach tightened.
“Where is Ava?”
“We don’t know yet.”
That answer made the room colder.
At 4:12, Rachel finally arrived.
She rushed into the office still wearing pale-blue scrubs.
“Emily.”
She hugged her so tightly Emily almost dropped her books again.
“I’m okay.”
Rachel pulled back.
“Who did this?”
“Brittany.”
Rachel closed her eyes.
Not surprise.
Recognition.
Emily noticed.
“Mom?”
Rachel looked toward the adults.
Dr. Bennett spoke carefully.
“We also discussed Ava Morales.”
Rachel went still.
Emily stared.
“You know Ava?”
Her mother did not answer.
“Mom.”
Rachel’s eyes filled with something Emily couldn’t name.
Fear.
“I know her mother.”
“How?”
Rachel looked toward the closed office door.
Then whispered:
“Sofia Morales came to our apartment three weeks ago.”
Emily’s pulse jumped.
“What did she want?”
Rachel hesitated.
“She gave me something.”
“What?”
Before Rachel could answer, Emily’s phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
A message.
If you want to know why Ava never transferred, ask your mother what she hid in the kitchen cabinet.
Emily slowly lifted her eyes toward Rachel.
May you like
Her mother’s face told her the message was true.
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