Walking The Line | ✓

Chapter Twenty-nine

"This is unbelievable!" Clutching her Louis Vuitton handbag so tightly her knuckles turned white, Larisa Johnson glared at the principal from across the desk. "I know what I've seen. There's no way my child would have searched or gotten involved in those kinds of things if someone hadn't put him up to it."

I'd been teaching at Kent Denver School for two years, and I'd taught at other schools for five years before that. I was accustomed to dealing with irate parents, but the tall thin woman with hair extensions and fake eyelashes sitting cross legged beside me unnerved me. It was taking every last vestige of patience to keep my mouth shut and my ass on the chair.

"Miss Johnson we take pride in our school and our teachers, I personally monitor their work. Miss Castillo has an excellent record as a teacher. She wouldn't—"

"She did! You can't tell me she wouldn't do it when it is obvious that she did! My son is now lying on a hospital bed, how is that for real?"

We'd been inside the principal's office for half an hour and were still where we'd started. I was glad to know cutting in mid-sentence wasn't something Larisa reserved only for me.

Though I knew it was a wasted effort I tried to reason with her. "Mrs. Johnson I'd tried to speak with you on several occasions about your son, I even recommended a theraphyst—"

"Are you crazy?" Larisa hissed through her teeth. The sound reminding me of a snake. "Julian doesn't need a therapist! There's nothing wrong with him."

"He needs emotional support, someone to talk to about his feelings, he may be struggling with big life changes and a professional would be just the person—"

"Are you implying his family isn't enough?" Her face twisted with rage.

"I just want what's best for him." I managed to keep my voice calm. The last thing I needed was for her to say I was unhinged. "I understand it may be difficult for a parent to accept, but there's been a pattern of unusual behaviours that we hadn't been able to dig into because he doesn't even stay for counseling after school."

"He doesn't need counseling." The woman insisted, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

The principal tried again. "Miss Castillo—"

"—has disliked  Julian from the very first day of school. It's her you should be interrogating, not me. I came here so we could talk about the filth she's putting in the children's heads. I can't control what she says to other kids but I sure won't have her speaking about s-e-x and d-r-u-g-s to mine!"

"Mrs. Johnson with all due respect it is a curricular subject that's very insightful for students, they need those safe spaces were they can open up without being judged."

"She isn't even going to deny it! My son had to be carried on a stretcher because of this. I won't stand for it. Either you take care of this woman or I'll do it for you."

I clenched my jaw knowing she would just twist whatever I said and use it against me.

Take a deep breath.

Count to ten.

One

The principal rubbed his forehead before expelling a long breath. "I understand how stressing this situation may be for you Mrs Johnson..."