Chapter Four

I t hurts to breathe. I grab the collar of my dress, loosening it to make room. The teacher ignores my frantic panting and guides me through the narrow hallway, and I miss a step when we pass by Jaxon, who's sitting in a chair, his head leaned back against the wall. Our eyes meet, and the corner of his lip quirks into a cocky smirk.

The fresh memory of what happened in the lunchroom pops into my mind.

Jaxon's expression darkened, his lips pulled back in a snarl as rage twisted his boyish features. Through all the chaos, he found me and offered a grin that held no humor.

I shiver as a chill scatters up my spine. That creepy grin reminded me too much of all the villains in the scary movies I've watched.

His eyes were like dark pits, yawning wide and thirsty for more blood. The lights were on, but nobody was home.

"Cry, little sister!" he'd yelled when the teachers ordered him to the principal's office. He dug his heels into the floor, bouncing with each yank from the older woman and man dragging him out of the room. Jaxon didn't look away from me, and his smug smile morphed into a cruel one.

My breath hitched, and I stood from my seat, my legs trembling.

"Call his parents!" one teacher yelled to another, who stalked toward Jaxon with the intention of detaining him too. I couldn't believe it took three adults to get him to the office.

Jaxon whipped his shoulders and cackled while keeping his bottomless black eyes on me. "Cry, little sister, and I'll kill them all for you!"

"With me," Mrs. Morrison snaps, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I have no choice but to follow her into the principal's office.

The principal turns away from his computer and settles his gaze on me. "This is his sister?" he says as he takes off his reading glasses and stands.

My knees knock together, and I hide my hands behind my back.

"Yes," Mrs. Morrison says. "Jaxon is waiting outside. Do you want him to come in too?"

The principal shakes his head and comes around his desk, standing at the corner nearest me. "He can wait. Thank you for bringing her to me."

Mrs. Morrison lingers in the office, unsure if she should leave me alone with the principal. He shoots her an annoyed look, and she reluctantly leaves, shutting the door behind her. I shift my weight onto one shaking leg, and I look anywhere but at the scary man who turns his glare to me.

"Have a seat," he orders, all emotion gone from his voice. He returns behind his desk and settles back in his chair.

I swallow hard around the lump in my throat and sit across from him. My leg bounces, and I nervously smooth out the wrinkles in my dress while I avoid eye contact with him .

"What's your name?" the principal asks, breaking the tense silence.

"Dahlia."

"Speak up."

I clear my throat and lift my gaze, looking him in the eye for a split second. "Dahlia."

"Well, Miss Dahlia, I'm sure you know why you're here."

I nod, and he folds his hands in front of him on the desk.

"Tell me why your brother beat up another boy during lunch."

I catch a flap of dead skin on my lip and pull it until it stings and blood beads to the surface. My leg bounces faster as I think about what to say and how much to tell him.

"Why isn't Jaxon in here with us?" I whisper.

"What?"

I take a deep breath and look at him head on. "Why isn't my brother in here with me? Shouldn't you be asking him that question?"

Principal Johnson raises his chin. "Because I want both sides of the story and to see if they match up."

That's stupid. The entire school saw what happened, so what's the point?

Instead of talking back, I stay quiet and think about what to say without getting Jaxon into even more trouble. Eventually, I go with the truth, hoping it'll be good enough. "Mickey picked on me, and I think Jaxon saw it, so he hit him."

He raises an eyebrow. "Just hit him? He didn't punch him?"

"Well..." I curl my fingers into my dress on my lap. "Yeah, he did, but he was defending me. I'm being bullied here."

"Speak up, child. I can't hear a lick of what you're saying when you mumble like that."

My cheeks burn with a blush, and I repeat what I said, louder this time .

Principal Johnson leans back in his chair, the hinges squeaking under his weight. He heaves a sigh and adjusts his tie around his throat. "It's still not a good enough reason to hit somebody."

I jump at the knock on the closed door. The principal's attention turns past my shoulder as an older woman pops her head through the small crack as she opens the door.

"Are you ready to see Jaxon?" she asks.

Principal Johnson shakes his head, then huffs when Jaxon slips past the woman and sits beside me. He rocks his chair closer to me until our arms are a hair from touching. He crosses his arms over his chest and leans back in the seat, glaring at the older man across from us. I silently beg him to look at me, but he keeps his narrowed eyes on Principal Johnson, as if he's a threat.

"Thanks, Barbara," Principal Johnson grumbles, and flicks two fingers for the older woman to shut the door. When the door closes behind her and her footsteps fade, he turns to us with a scowl. "Your sister told me what happened, but hitting isn't okay." He leans his elbows on his desk, pinning Jaxon with a glare. "We've already called your parents, and your mom is on her way to pick the both of you up. We take violence and threats of ending someone's life seriously here."

"He didn't mean it," I say in a rush.

Principal Johnson turns to me. "Speak up."

I open my mouth to repeat what I said, but Jaxon speaks up for me. "She said I didn't mean it." He drops his arms and leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. His lips curl back in a snarl. "You should get your ears cleaned out if you can't hear her. Or maybe you should start listening better."

The older man's face scrunches up, and a muscle tics in the corner of his jaw. "I can hear just fine, Mr. Evergreen." He turns to me, and my spine straightens. "You say you're being bullied, but I have heard nothing about anyone picking on you. Maybe these boys who are being ‘mean' are just being boys. It's because they like you."

Jaxon shoots out of his seat and slams his fists on the principal's desk, baring his teeth. The older man jerks back, his eyes widening.

"That's a bullshit excuse if I've ever heard one." Jaxon leans in, intimidating the principal, who looks like he's about to wet himself. "Why don't I bully you and we'll see if you'll say the same thing? I just like you, right ? That's why I'm hurting you, because I like you, right ?"

I shift in my seat and move to stand up to save the principal from my brother, but shock freezes me in place. For the second time today, my mind spins over a thirteen-year-old boy yelling at adults who look like they've just seen a ghost.

The principal's shock disappears, and he sobers. He stands from his rolling chair and leans on his desk, meeting Jaxon's glare head on. "That is very different, Mr. Evergreen, and you know that. Now. Sit. Down."

"Different?" Jaxon scoffs. "Because you're a man and not a girl?"

"Sit. Down," Principal Johnson says through clenched teeth.

Jaxon looks ready to climb over the desk and beat up the older man. I nervously stand and creep to Jaxon's side, my fingers outstretched toward his back. I freeze when Jaxon slaps the table again.

"Jaxon," I whisper.

"No," Jaxon snaps at the principal. "You need to understand the difference between like and dislike. Those shitheads out there have been making Dahlia's life a living hell."

"Language!" Principal Johnson yells.

"Not a single adult in this hellhole has stood up for her. They turned a blind eye to her as these assholes insulted her, shoved her, hit her, and made her feel like shit. All because she's a girl?"

" Language! "

"Jaxon," I say, then touch his shoulder.

He whirls toward me, teeth bared, and holds the same bottomless-pit look in his eyes. He sucks in a sharp breath, relaxing when he sees it's just me, and then his expression softens at whatever he sees on my face.

Jaxon turns to the principal and shoves a finger in my direction while keeping his glare on the older man. "Look what you did. You made her fucking cry!"

"Cry, little sister, and I'll kill them all for you." Jaxon's words rush back to me. It's what he said when he was pummeling Mickey.

I touch my wet cheek and blink away the tears I didn't realize were there.

The principal strides around his desk and shoves me out of the way before he grabs Jaxon's arm. "Listen here, you little shit," he seethes. "I'm sick of your?—"

"Get your hands off of my son."

The room goes quiet, and we all turn to the doorway, where our dad stands, taking up the tiny space. He slips his hands into his pocket and cooly settles his gaze on the principal, who still holds Jaxon in a death grip.

"Mr. Evergreen, I'm glad you're here," the principal says. He moves away from Jaxon, who shakes him off with a harsh shrug. "Your son got violent earlier and badly hurt another student. I highly recommend you have a little talk with him and let him know that hitting people isn't okay."

Dad cocks his head. He doesn't acknowledge Jaxon—or even me—as he steps further into the office. "I'll keep that in mind. Are you done with the kids?"

Principal Johnson straightens his jacket and raises his chin to look just as scary as Dad, but he falls short. "Jaxon is suspended for a week."

My stomach drops. I'm already anxious about being alone in school without Jaxon there. I'll be left with the sharks who will punish me for my brother's actions.

"Step outside." Dad keeps his voice neutral, but a shiver goes down my spine from the undertone of something horrible about to happen.

I back up a step, terrified of what's coming. Sensing my fear, Jaxon comes to my side, acting as a barrier as we leave the office and stand in the hallway. I turn to him, wanting to thank him and ask why he did what he did, what changed, and so much more. Instead, I stand here. Anger still radiates from him in toxic waves, and instead of asking those questions, I keep my mouth shut.

I notice the change when he looks at me. His expression softens, and the tense lines around his mouth smooth. It confuses me because I want so badly to go into his arms and hug him, but I'm terrified he'll get angry at me for touching him.

The principal's door opens, and our dad steps out. "Come, children."

Jaxon and I share a look before we follow him. Every person we pass ducks out of the way.

"Someone get the first aid kit," a woman whisper-yells behind us. I peek over my shoulder, finding Barbara rushing out of the principal's office, frantic and getting the attention of someone out of eyeshot in a cubicle nearby.

I look at Jaxon in shock and find he isn't in the least bit surprised.