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Chapter_31
Sadie’s stomach churned as she stepped into the principal’s office, her heart pounding in her chest. The voice that had just spoken was familiar—too familiar. It belonged to a woman Sadie had hoped she would never have to deal with again. The last time they had crossed paths, it had been nothing but trouble, and it seemed like the universe was bringing this storm back into her life.
Sadie’s eyes locked onto the woman standing in the office, arms crossed and a smug expression on her face. It was Karen, the mother of one of the more troublesome children at Rainbow Kindergarten. Karen had always rubbed Sadie the wrong way, and from the look on her face, it seemed like today would be no different.
“Sadie,” the principal greeted her with a somber nod, his eyes flickering to the situation unfolding before him. “This is Karen. I believe she’s here to discuss the incident involving your son, Noah.”
Karen raised an eyebrow as she eyed Sadie. “Well, it’s about time you showed up. Your son’s behavior is completely unacceptable, and now, my poor Billy is not only bruised from the fight but his car window is shattered. Eight thousand dollars. That’s the price of a new one. And I expect you to pay it.” Her tone was dripping with arrogance, as though she were already counting the money in her head.
Sadie clenched her jaw, trying her best to keep her composure. The anger bubbling inside her was hard to suppress. She glanced at Mia, who was standing next to the principal, looking uncomfortable and avoiding eye contact. Sadie’s heart sank for her daughter—this situation was already too much for both of them.
“I’m not paying eight thousand dollars for a car window,” Sadie said, her voice low but firm. She refused to let Karen manipulate her into paying for something that wasn’t her responsibility. “I understand the fight was serious, but you’re asking for an unreasonable amount.”
Karen smirked. “Do you think I’m just going to let this slide? If you don’t pay, I’ll make sure everyone in this school knows what kind of parent you are. I’ll go to the news, Sadie. Your dirty laundry will be all over town. Is that what you want?”
Sadie’s chest tightened, but she stood her ground. “Go ahead,” she said with defiance. “But you won’t get a penny from me. I’m sure we can work this out in a fair way without threats and blackmail.”
The principal cleared his throat, trying to defuse the growing tension. “Let’s all calm down. Sadie, Karen, please. We’ll discuss the situation calmly. We need to figure out what happened.”
Sadie turned to Karen, keeping her eyes steady. “I’m sure Noah didn’t mean to cause any harm. But I’m not going to be bullied into paying a ridiculous amount of money. If your son was hurt, we’ll talk about compensation through the right channels. But this… this isn’t how it works.”
Karen’s eyes flared with irritation. “You’re making a mistake, Sadie. You’ll regret not paying me.”
Sadie ignored her, focusing instead on the principal. “Can we please talk about how to handle this appropriately? I want to resolve this as quickly as possible for Noah’s sake.”
The principal nodded, taking control of the situation. “Alright, let’s take a step back and review what happened. Karen, I understand your concerns, but we need to address this properly.”
Sadie’s mind was racing, but she focused on staying calm. This wasn’t the time to lose control, even though Karen’s words had dug under her skin. She had been through enough lately with Micah, with her life feeling out of control, but this was for Noah. She had to handle this like an adult.
“We’ll work through this,” Sadie said, her voice steady now. “And I’ll make sure Noah learns from this. But I will not be intimidated.”
Karen looked at her for a moment, her lips tight, then turned to the principal. “Fine. But if you don’t resolve this soon, I’ll be back.”
Sadie exhaled, relieved that the confrontation was over for now, but she knew this was just the beginning. She had a lot of work ahead of her, dealing with Noah’s behavior and trying to avoid being dragged into any more of Karen’s schemes. But for now, she had won a small victory by not giving in to her demands.
As Karen stormed out of the office, Sadie glanced down at Mia, who looked up at her with wide, worried eyes. Sadie gave her a reassuring smile, though it was thin and worn. “It’s going to be okay, sweetheart.”
But deep down, Sadie knew the storm was far from over. She had just survived one battle—but how many more would she have to face?
