Page 97 of When to Call a Blitz

“Hi, Mr. Gardner. Could you come down to the school? Juniper has had another,” there’s a pause, “Incident, and we need you to come get her. This is the last one allowed, Mr. Gardner.”

Fuck.

I wipe my hand down my face, a myriad of curses going off in my mind. I knew something was going on this morning, and I didn’t push it.

Heidi’s brows knit together as she watches me, and when she starts to pick up on what’s going on, she gets up from the couch, making her way to the kitchen where she dumps the rest of her coffee.

“I’m sorry,” I tell Trisha. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

She hums from the other end of the line before hanging up on me.

We both get to the school to find Juniper in tears. There’s no evil little smirk this time. No excuses. Just tears, and the second we walk through the door she’s in Heidi’s arms.

I watch as my daughter completely skips over me, flinging herself at the redhead behind next to me, who bends down to hug her better.

She wipes the tears from Juniper’s eyes, placing a kiss on her forehead. “Are you okay?” she asks, concern dripping from her words.

Juniper just nods.

“The principal will see you,” Trisha says, gesturing to the open door.

The man is at his desk as usual, an irritated glaze to his eye as I sit down. Heidi stays out in the main office with Juniper.

The man sighs. “We can’t have this keep happening, Mr. Gardner.”

“What was it this time?”

“She snuck a squirrel into the school. It’s been in her locker for,” he looks up at the ceiling, the wheels in his brain turning, “I have no idea how long, actually.”

“What can I do?” I ask desperately.

“She needs therapy. I don’t know what else to say. This just can’t happen again or she’s going to be expelled.”

I close my eyes, my head hanging. “I don’t know what’s causing these behavioral issues, but I’ll get to the bottom of it. I thought it had gotten better,” I tell him.

“It got better for a time. But please figure it out. Our staff can’t keep chasing animals around the building and it puts the kids at risk.”

I’m not sure how the squirrel puts kids at significant risk, but I don’t say that. Instead, I get up from my seat, ignoring Trisha’s judgmental stare as I walk by her, gesturing for Heidi and Juniper to exit the office.

We don’t talk until we’re home. Juniper makes a beeline for her bedroom, sniffling and wiping tears from her face.

“Juniper,” I say, and she stops in her tracks. “Come sit down.”

Her eyes flash to the couch to me, unsure. “You’re okay,” I assure her. I’m mad, but I don’t ever want her to think that I’m going to yell at her.

She sits on the couch carefully and Heidi takes a seat on the floor, folding her legs up under her.

“What’s going on, Bug?” I ask in a desperate attempt to understand it all.

Her lips tilt down. “I just thought he looked cold. He was shivering and ran right into my backpack.”

“You can’t bring animals into the school, sweetie. And they’re made to withstand the cold. There’s millions of them that survive.”

I watch as she looks down at her lap, her mouth quivering as a sob builds.

“Is Elara promoting this? I feel like this only started when she joined the school,” I ask. And it’s not to bash the kid. I adore her, and I adore Briar. But it’s also frustrating that my daughter only started to get into real trouble after she started going there too.

Juni shakes her head, fresh tears falling down her face. “Elara told me to stop,” she admits through heaves. “Told me she wouldn’t be my friend. I started it.”

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