Page 87 of Dust Storm

“Why don’t you save us all some time and say why you thought the situation was so dire that Bree’s learning had to be interrupted to protect a small segment of her class from being ‘distracted?’” Cassandra said, backing the principal into a metaphorical corner.

Principal Beeker huffed. “Bree has developed womanly features sooner than most of her female peers. The blouses thatsmaller girls may be able to wear within the dress code are simply inappropriate on her body.”

Bree’s face turned beet red.

Before I could speak up, Cassandra did. “Let’s cut the crap. This isn’t about the dress code, which—for the record—isnotup for interpretation. Bree hasn’t violated the rules, which you just admitted yourself. But I think the school board would beveryinterested to hear about how the administration has been sexualizing the minors under their care. Underage students show up to this school, intending to have a safe place to learn. But instead, they’re judged by adults in positions of power based on how quickly their bodies are developing, and pulled from class because of it.”

My throat went dry.

Principal Beeker looked like she was about to explode.

Bree crossed her arms over her stomach and hunched over, trying to hide herself.

Cassandra gave her a nudge, and Bree sat up straight.

“I’m looking out for the reputation of the school and the good of the students,” Principal Beeker said.

Cassandra smiled. “You and I both know that’s not the case. Either you’re a principal on a power trip—” her voice turned lethal “—or you’re an adult in a position of power over a minor, and chose to cause a scene in her classroom, making her a distraction to her peers after you assessed her genitals.”

Tears flooded Bree’s eyes, and rage boiled up in my gut. I wanted to grab her and run, leaving Cassandra to have her cage match with the principal.

Then, Cassandra took Bree’s hand and squeezed.

My heart lurched.

The flight instincts slammed to a halt, and I saw Cassandra passing some of her fight to Bree.

“Just who do you think you are, coming into my office and making these outlandish accusations?” Principal Beeker gasped.

“I’m the Griffith family’s publicist,” Cassandra snapped as she tapped the screen of her phone with her thumb and turned it to show the principal. “And while this little repartee has been fun, I’m getting rather bored of dealing with you. Frankly, you disgust me. I think the best course of action would be for Bree to go back to class and for you not to try me, don’t you?”

A recording icon ticked away steadily on Cassandra’s phone. She had the principal dead to rights, and she had evidence.

Principal Beeker’s nails clawed at the heavy wooden desk. “You can’t come in here and record a private conversation! That’s illegal!”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Cassandra said with a rather bored tone in her voice as her phone continued to record. “You see, Texas is a one-party consent state, andIconsented to recording this conversation. And before you bring up the reasonable expectation of privacy, there’s no reasonable expectation of privacy in a school office with the door open after you humiliated my girl in front of her entire class.”

I was starting to wonder if bringing Cass was a great idea or if it was about to bankrupt me. I didn’t have the kind of petty cash on hand to pay her bail when she murdered this woman.

But the way Bree radiated with energy when Cassandra said “my girl” was worth every penny I had to my name.

Principal Beeker scoffed. “You think you’re going to—what? Run a smear campaign against me?”

“I have no hobbies and, frankly, hate the outdoors. Living on a ranch is my version of hell.” Cassandra grinned like a dragon about to breathe fire. “So trust me when I say that a smear campaign is child’s play for me. I have all the time in the world to do it. I’ll run for the school board and my first order of business will be to have your head served on a silver platter. I’ll personallyuse your resignation letter as my napkin. You wanna look up my track record? The last political campaign I worked on was a senate race and the man ended up in the president’s cabinet after three months. I dare you to try me.”

The silence was dangerous. The room buzzed with the kind of electricity that pulses before a storm. The office outside was deadly quiet. Every ear was turned in our direction.

Principal Beeker’s eyes turned to Bree, and it took everything in me to keep from throttling the judgmental old bat for looking at my kid.

“Bree, get a hall pass from Miss Tanya and go to your fourth period class. We’re done here,” she said as she stood.

Bree hurried out with a quiet, “yes, ma’am.”

I took Cassandra’s hand—mostly to keep her from launching herself at the principal—and laced our fingers together.

“Don’t make me come back here, Bonna,” Cassandra stated with a pointed finger, leaving the old lady fuming.

Principal Beeker’s first name was Bonna?

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