The Dragon Prince's Crush - Lorelei M Hart Page 0,4

assuming they managed to sneak their phone into class? “Can you tell me what happened?”

“Principal Kelly will explain everything.” Her tone informed me I was getting nothing more from Kate.

“I’ll come straight away.”

Daisy caught my eye as I undid my apron and washed my hands, suggesting she’d overheard my end of the conversation. “Don’t worry, Shaw. I’ve got everything under control. Go and find out what’s going on with our girl.”

Daisy was a sweetheart. She’d be happy to take Sienna shopping for a new dress. On the island. Not the mainland. “Thanks.” After arriving at the school and asking directions to the principal’s office, my feet echoed along the long corridor. Everyone was in class, so the halls were empty.

My sister was sitting outside the office, her face puffy and cheeks stained with tear tracks. Not caring in that moment if she’d broken the rules, I enveloped her in a hug. We didn’t speak, but the door opened and a woman, who I assumed was Kate, invited me inside.

“It’ll be okay, no matter what.” I squeezed Sienna’s hand, and she sniffed and nodded.

“Mr. Miller.” Principal Kelly, who wore a plain navy-blue suit and had her hair tied back, shook my hand, and I sat opposite her. “Your sister threw what I can only describe as a tantrum in first period.”

“Go on.” I’d witnessed plenty of those, but that was between a brother, trying to be a sibling, a parent, and a guardian to his younger sister.

“Mr. James, the English teacher, reprimanded your sister for not paying attention in class. Before storming out, she nudged his Teacher of the Year award off a ledge and smashed it. And made no attempt to apologize.”

While my sister transformed into a fairly typical teen when she walked through the doors of the bakery, she’d alway been a model student at school. Had the issue of not going away with her friends caused her to lash out? “May I ask what she was supposed to be doing when the teacher lectured her?”

“The class was studying Shakespeare. Hamlet. One of my favorite plays.”

I shrugged. So-called classic English literature was lost on me. I’d always preferred the great works from shifter writers. Wolf shifters, in particular. Sadly, there were few of us on the island. My guess was they’d been hunted and decimated by bears, bobcats, or humans centuries ago, and the few that remained, had fled to the mainland.

Judging by my blank expression, the principal correctly assumed I wasn’t familiar with the play and charged on. “The scene where Ophelia commits suicide by drowning. Such a tragedy.” She placed a hand over her chest as though she personally had experienced the death of this Ophelia. “He told the class it was one of the most beautiful, most moving scenes in the play.”

Instead of trying to fathom what had caused my sister’s outburst, I pointed at the computer on her desk. “Got the students’ records on there.”

She jerked her head toward me, my tone telling her my mood had changed. “Yes.” She put a protective hand over the monitor.

“Pull up Sienna’s.” My voice was laced with steel. She tapped the keyboard, her gaze darting back to my face, and I wished I was the one stabbing the keyboard. Would have gotten rid of some of my aggression. “Now, do me a favor and read Sienna’s family history.”

I studied her eyes as they flicked left and right and knew the instant she’d found what I wanted her to. “Read it to me.”

“Your mother… was pregnant… and passed away… at home…” Her bottom lip trembled, but I was determined she had to say the words out loud. “…And your sister discovered her.”

“Quite a traumatic experience for a young child, wouldn’t you agree? Perhaps if you had done your job and informed her teachers of this, Mr. What’s-his-name would have shown compassion for my sister’s situation.”

“I’m so sorry… I don’t understand how this happened.” She tugged at her blouse with the huge bow nestled at the base of her throat.

“A smidgen of empathy would have gone a long way to avoiding her outburst. So, while she should have apologized for breaking some stupid award…” my glowering look was enough to stifle whatever she’d been going to say, “…there will be no detention or punishment. Do I make myself clear?” I stood up. “My sister is taking the rest of the day off.”

When we climbed into the car, Sienna reached out and grabbed my arm. “I’m sorry, Shaw.”

“For breaking some dumb