over, which doesn’t surprise me. There are many reasons why I don’t ask about my father, my mother’s coldness toward the subject being one of them. I tune out the remaining chitchat and instead focus on how I’m going to face my mom after this “incident,” as everyone calls it.
A few minutes later, the door to Principal Waverly’s office opens, and my mom steps out, her eyes red and still moist from crying. She locks those sad eyes with mine and holds out her hand to me. “Let’s go home and have a chat.”
I look from her to the principal before frowning. “I didn’t push Steve. I barely even touched him.”
Principal Waverly gives me a small smile before placing a hand on my shoulder. “I believe you had no intention of hurting Steve, but there are too many witnesses who saw things differently. It’s important for you to take responsibility for your actions.”
Her words aren’t cold in the least, but it still feels like a hard slap in the face. No one wants to hear me out. No one will even consider that there’s another side to the story. It hurts. My chest squeezes. Defeated, I finally take my mom’s hand.
She says nothing as we walk to my locker, then she tells me to empty it. There’s not much to pack up. My course books, a light green jacket I haven’t worn since early spring, and a hanging mirror I used more for looking out for sneak attacks from my classmates than I ever used it to check my own reflection.
I’ve just gathered the last of my things when the bell rings, signaling the end of class. I freeze, and I can see in my mom’s eyes that she’s dreading what comes next too.
She leans in to whisper, “Keep your head straight forward and don’t react. Got it?”
I nod and squeeze my lids together, summoning the courage I know I’ll need. Then we walk toward the entrance. The heckling begins as soon as everyone begins to pour into the halls.
“Look. There she is. Did you see what she did to Steve?”
“No, but I heard about it. Katrina Summer is a freak.”
“Well, I was there. It was terrifying. I hope his parents sue.”
“I doubt they will. He doesn’t have a scratch on him. How is that even possible?”
“Who knows? But Kat’s a fucking psycho. I’m glad she’s leaving.”
“Look at what she’s carrying. Hopefully, she’s gone for good this time.”
“She’s so tragic. I mean, look at that dress. She must have the same one in fifty different shades.”
I swallow over the lump in my throat as my mom pushes open the front door for me to exit first. She leads me to a set of bikes parked on the rack. My mom has never driven, so we walk or ride our bikes everywhere we go.
I assume we’re riding directly to our apartment, but we take a detour to the outdoor ice cream stand instead. It’s always been my favorite, with the top of its small roof shaped like a pink swirl of ice cream covered with rainbow glitter, but it’s not usually a stop we make when I’ve done something bad at school.
“Mom—“ I start, but she shakes her head to cut me off.
“This stop isn’t for you. It’s for me.”
I snap my mouth closed and step back while she orders two strawberry milkshakes. We sit down at a blue table with a matching blue umbrella. I try to enjoy the creamy sweetness sliding down the back of my throat, but it’s impossible with our future conversation looming over my head.
“I didn’t push him.” I can’t hold back the tears anymore. “I barely touched him. I only put my hands on him because he touched me first.”
“That boy put his hands on you?”
I can see the fury in my mother’s eyes. “Yes. After he told the entire school that I slept with him. I’ve never even seen Steve outside of school. And I haven’t—”
“Katrina.” She sighs. “I believe you. I do. And if what you’re saying is true, then maybe Steve deserved to fly out a window, but I’m not worried about that boy right now. I’m worried about you. You have got to learn how to control your anger.” She takes my hand and squeezes it. “I don’t think you know your own strength at times, and that’s not something the school can consider as an excuse. That’s why I’m pulling you from Silver Lake High and enrolling you in online