Chapter 20

Phoebe had spent the two days since she'd drunk too much, found out Brody's secret, and then accused him of being a bad parent avoiding people. She couldn't do that tonight, as it was the school dance. So here she was watching kids laugh, talk, and enjoy one another's company.

Thank God her hangover had gone, and the bruising had softened. She'd had a mouth like the bottom of a birdcage and a pounding headache all day after girls' night. She'd not be doing that again anytime soon.

The DJ played the modern songs kids loved, and the lights were turned down—but not low enough that those patrolling the room couldn't see in the corners what students were up to.

Phoebe stepped in when she needed to but otherwise just watched. It brought back memories of school dances she'd attended. She'd spent them dancing with Brody, his arms around her while she leaned into him.

She had history with him and couldn't change that, but she would keep her distance again .

"Phoebe, I wanted to ask you something."

Bradley Tobias taught the older kids too. He was an even-tempered man with endless patience and a sweet smile that had the children in his class adoring him.

"Of course. What can I help you with, Bradley?"

His face was flushed, which could be from the heat in here, but she thought he looked nervous.

"Hey!" Phoebe said when a kid ran by. "Walk." The boy shot her a look but did as she asked.

"I wondered if you would like to go out for a meal with me one night, Phoebe?"

She hadn't expected that.

"I don't know that many people in town, and I know you've just returned?—"

"That would be lovely. Thank you, Bradley," Phoebe said. "A meal with a friend would be very nice."

He beamed at her. "Excellent. Perhaps Friday?"

"That sounds wonderful, and we can finalize details next week," Phoebe said.

It would be nice to have a friend and go out occasionally. But she wasn't looking for more in her life at the moment, and she knew that if she was, it wouldn't be with Bradley. A girl just knew if a man was going to be the one, and while he'd be a good friend, she couldn't see them having anything more.

"Ms. Stanway." One of the girls from her class now stood before her.

"Everything all right with you, Cathy?" She wore jeans and boots with small heels. Her top was off the shoulder, and she looked cute and sassy.

"I overheard Jack, and he was going to lure Ally outside and then be mean to her, and we all know he hates her. He was talking to his friends, and I was walking by. They didn't know I was listening," Cathy added .

"Where is Ally?"

"I can't find her or Jack." Cathy looked worried now.

"Okay. You stay here, and I'll go outside and look around. Thanks for telling me, Cathy. You did a good thing."

"Don't tell Jack it was me who told you," she leaned in to say. "He's mean sometimes."

"I won't." Phoebe was over Jack Little and his gang of bullies. First, there was this business with Ally and the blue dye, which she'd apologized and done detention for. When Phoebe had asked what punishment Jack was receiving, Principal Tanner had assured her it was the same as Ally, but she couldn't confirm that.

Thankfully, he wasn't in her class, but she knew his teacher struggled with his behavior. From what she could see, no one wanted to deal with it because of the boy's father.

"Have any of you seen Ally Duke?" Phoebe asked the group of kids from her class. They all shook their heads.

Heading outside, Phoebe looked around, but it was dark now, so she couldn't see much. Security lights lit the way as she walked out of the hall and made her way around the building to the fields. The shriek had her running. She rounded the edge of a classroom and found a circle of students, boys and girls.

Phoebe ran into the middle, pushing kids aside. Ally and Jack were fighting. The boy swung a fist and got Ally in the shoulder, but she retaliated with a jab to his nose.

"Enough!" Phoebe yelled, grabbing Ally and pulling her back just as Jack swung at her again. The fist connected with Phoebe's nose, and while he was just a kid, he was tall, and it still hurt. She staggered back a few steps, taking Ally with her.

To Phoebe, it felt like everyone stopped breathing in that moment as they watched her and Jack in stunned silence. Then the boy moved. Turning, he was about to run, but Phoebe grabbed the back of his shirt.

"I don't think so, buddy. You and I are going inside to have a nice chat with Principal Tanner."

"My father won't let anything happen to me!" Jack said, but she heard the fear in his voice. He struggled against her. "You can't touch me. My dad will sue you!"

She then looked around at the other kids. "You should all be ashamed of yourselves for watching this. Jarrod Kincaid and Louann Sowter, go inside and find Principal Tanner now."

"She deserves it," Jack said, still wriggling to get free as the two students ran to do what she'd asked. "No one likes her or her family. Dukes," Jack jeered. "Losers."

Tightening her grip on him, Phoebe turned him and forced him ahead of her behind the other kids that were all backing away to give her room.

"He didn't hurt me." Ally's voice was subdued.

"Ally, go and ensure a teacher and the principal are coming," Phoebe said. She didn't want the girl to hear any more of the boy's nasty words he directed her way.

"I don't want to leave you."

Her heart sighed a little over that. Clearly she had her daddy's need to protect.

"I'm all right, Ally, and I'll be right behind you."

The little girl ran past her and disappeared.

"The rest of you, leave now," Phoebe ordered the stragglers who were still watching.

When they'd gone, Phoebe turned the boy to face her. His eyes went wide as he took her in, and it was then she felt the trickle of blood on her top lip.

"Being a bully may work for you now, Jack. But let me assure you, it won't soon, because your daddy won't be with you when you step out into the real world. Do you want people to like and respect you because of your father and not you?"

She was probably wasting her time arguing with a ten-year-old. She was angry enough to try.

"I have friends," he said, his eyes still on her face. Clearly the fact he'd made her nose bleed was hitting home.

"I think you have friends because everyone is afraid of your father, not because they like you," Phoebe said ruthlessly.

"Y-you can't speak to me like that," he howled, outraged.

"Look, Jack, I'm only here temporarily, and I don't care what your father thinks he can do to me, because he can't. He has no power over me."

That seemed to shock the boy silent. Clearly he was used to people being intimidated by his father or him.

"What is your problem with Ally Duke?"

"I don't like her," the boy said sullenly.

"How about I take a stab in the dark why? She's not intimidated by you and your bullying?"

"You can't talk to me like this!"

"I can and will, and you'll stay away from Ally from now on. Stop picking on her and her friends. Bullies are cowards, Jack. Are you a coward?"

He shook his head. "I'm popular."

"I'm pretty sure your version of popular and mine are different," Phoebe said. "I like people who are kind and fair. People who don't bully and torment others for the fun of it, because they can, and then hide behind their daddy."

"I'm telling my father you said that."

"Good." She grabbed his shoulder and turned toward the gymnasium, where the dance was being held. "Move it."

"Phoebe!"

"I'm all right, Connie," she said as another teacher arrived. Behind her came the principal.

"Let him go, Ms. Stanway!" Principal Tanner said, panic making his voice high-pitched. "What are you thinking handling him that way?"

"He punched me, Principal Tanner," Phoebe said, raising her face for him to see the blood.

Okay, it had been an accident, but it was about time this kid paid for some of his bullying.

"Dear Lord," Principal Tanner whispered. "This is not good. Not good at all."

"Never had this much excitement at a school dance in my day." Phoebe watched Deputy Dan Duke, in uniform, approaching with Ally's hand in one of his. The look in his eyes was just a little mean.

"I don't think we need your help here, Deputy Duke," Principal Tanner said, looking a little green in the face now.

"I came to pick up my niece, Principal Tanner, and when I found her, she was crying and looking downright terrified. Care to tell me why?" Dan asked. He hadn't raised his voice but had made it carry to all those present.

"Just a misunderstanding," Principal Tanner said quickly. "You know kids."

"How about you call Mr. Little, and we sort out this misunderstanding," Dan said. "Because I can see blood on Ms. Stanway's face, and Ally tells me that this boy"—he jabbed a finger in Jack's direction—"put it there."

"Oh, that's unnecessary," the principal said.

"Here, Phoebe." Connie handed her a wad of tissues, which she'd produced from a pocket. Taking them, she pressed them to her nose.

"What the hell is going on here?"

"That's Mr. Little," Phoebe whispered to Dan as the man stormed to where they all stood.

"Got it, and Brody is about to arrive because Ally called him. He's going to be real unhappy if he sees her upset and you bleeding, Phoebe, so you go on and get that nose cleaned up."

"I'm sure he won't care?—"

"He will," Dan said, looking her in the eye. "Go wash up, Phoebe."

She moved then to the nearest bathroom and, using the tissues, dabbed the blood away. It wasn't bad, just a trickle. After she'd cleaned it, she hurried back to where she'd left everyone. No one was there, so Phoebe headed back inside.

"They've gone to Principal Tanner's office, Phoebe," Connie said. "Brody Duke arrived, and he looked ready to commit murder."

Phoebe ran to the office and in through the open door when she heard the raised voices.

"Brody, shut it down," Dan was saying. "We can't get a resolution by yelling."

"Makes me feel better, though," Brody muttered.

Principal Tanner was behind his desk. Mr. Little stood to one side. Dan was opposite. Brody had taken the front. Effectively, the principal was surrounded and not happy about that. His face was bleached white. Thankfully, there was no sign of Ally or Jack.

"Just the person," Dan said when he saw her. "Phoebe, why don't you tell us what happened."

"Are you all right?" Brody moved to intercept her, his hands wrapping around her arm, turning her to face him. "I heard that asshole's son hurt you. "

"Brody, not helping, bud," Dan said.

"My son is not an asshole! I demand an apology!" Mr. Little said, face flushed with anger. "I insist you arrest him for speaking that way."

"I called you the asshole, not your son," Brody said, still looking at Phoebe, inspecting her face, "but he's who he is because of you."

"I'm fine."

"That's twice you've been hurt this week." He ran a finger over the bruise she still had from the girls' night and then down her nose.

"Let me go, Brody." His eyes told her he didn't want to, but she pushed his chest, so he did.

"Are you all right, Ms. Stanway?"

"Fine, Principal Tanner."

Brody returned to his place, and she moved to stand between the Dukes.

"I demand an apology!" Mr. Little said.

"Now that a child has punched one of your staff members, Principal Tanner, I'd like to know what you are going to do about it," Brody demanded.

"Well now?—"

"Principal Tanner, no disrespect intended," Phoebe said, cutting off his words, "but I've been watching Jack and his friends since the incident with Ally and the blue dye."

"You"—Mr. Little pointed a finger at her—"have no say in this, and I will not stand here and listen to baseless accusations?—"

"I haven't said a word. How do you know I'm accusing your son of anything unless you're already aware of what he gets up to, Mr. Little?"

The Dukes were silent listening to her, but she knew that wouldn't last .

"Your son is a bully, and he gets away with it by telling everyone he can do what he likes because of his father," Phoebe continued. "He's tormenting kids because you give him a free pass to do so, Mr. Little. That may work now, but let me assure you, you're setting your son up to fail when he leaves Lyntacky Elementary. Those tactics will not work out there in the big, wide world."

Little's face was now red with rage, but Phoebe didn't care. The words needed to be said, and as she doubted anyone had ever challenged this man, she was saying them. Principal Tanner could kick her out if he wanted; she didn't need the job.

"Nicely put," Brody said.

"How dare you speak to me that way!" Little looked shocked.

"No one has dared, and that's the problem from where I'm standing," Brody added.

"My son is a good boy and an excellent student," Little said, glaring at her. "I won't tolerate this from one of your teachers, Harold. Deal with it at once."

"I'm not saying my daughter is blameless, Little, but at least I understand she has faults. It's not healthy for anyone to think they're above rules and the law."

Mr. Little's mouth opened and closed twice after Brody spoke. Clearly he wasn't used to anyone confronting him like this. Looking at the Dukes, she may have to revise that, as there was bad blood between them, and they weren't people that took a back step when it came to confrontation.

"Harold!"

"Calm down, Leroy," Principal Tanner said, getting out of his seat with a loud sigh. He looked five years older than he had at the beginning of the dance, Phoebe thought. "To my shame, I have let this go on for too long," he said, looking at Mr. Little. "Your son is a bully, and I turned a blind eye because of the work you do for the school. I can no longer do that, in good conscience, and see others suffer. Tonight, he crossed another line and hit a teacher?—"

"It was an accident, and if you don't deal with this satisfactorily, then I'll withdraw all financial support. Plus, I will not be helping with Lyntacky Elementary's accounting."

"Well then," Principal Tanner said. "Perhaps it is best you take yourself and your son off the school grounds. I must think of the welfare of all students and staff, after all."

"I'm sorry," Principal Tanner said after Mr. Little had left, vowing they'd be hearing from his lawyer.

"We can help with the accounting and funding," Brody said. "I'll call in to see you one day next week, Principal Tanner. For now, we've had enough excitement."