Page 60 of Dancing in the Rain

“We have a dress code here at John Adams.”

“Sure,” Drew said shortly.

“The students are all aware of the dress code and sign off on it at the beginning of the school year. One of the rules is that girls may not wear shirts that are low-cut in the front, back, or sides, or clothing that is excessively tight.”

Drew lifted an eyebrow as he took in Chloe’s baggy hoodie.

“Chloe, show your father your top.”

Her lips set in a tight line, she opened her hoodie to reveal a camisole top that hugged her torso. She turned to show Drew her back, and the top had a deep scoop.

“She’s also wearing leggings,” Mr. Lowell said. “The tight top and tight leggings are not appropriate.”

“It was hot in the classroom,” Chloe said tersely. “I took off my hoodie because I was hot.”

“And one of the boys in the class made a comment about her body,” Mr. Lowell added, frowning.

Drew shook his head slowly. “Are you fu—” He stopped, ground his teeth briefly, then continued. “Are you kidding me?”

“This is far from a joke, Mr. Sellers. We take our dress code seriously. There are reasons for it. We need to maintain order in the classroom and prevent distractions. Girls wearing skimpy clothing distract boys during class. We don’t want anyone harmed by sexual violence or jealousy from other girls.”

Drew’s eyes nearly popped out of his head and rolled across the linoleum. Heat erupted in his gut and spread through his chest. He stared at the vice principal. The only words that came to mind were profanities, and he had to bite them back while he figured out what the fuck to say to this asshat.

“Where’s the boy?” he eventually demanded through gritted teeth.

“Excuse me?”

“The boy. The boy who commented. Who is he and why isn’t he in here, too?”

Mr. Lowell looked confused.

“Are you telling me that a boy made an inappropriate comment about my daughter and he’s not being reprimanded for it?”

“Uh…”

Drew got into Mr. Lowell’s space, not even hesitating to use his size in an intimidating way. “I am not leaving here until that happens. I don’t care if Chloe came to school wearing a bikini. He can’t say things to her and not be told it’s wrong.”

Drew pulled in a deep breath. “No matter what she’s wearing, she is not responsible for someone else’s actions. I want that boy’s parents in here, and I want them in herenow, so they can have a discussion with their son about how to control his impulses when he’s around girls.” He bit back another curse. “No matter what they’re wearing.”

Mr. Lowell stared at him. “I can’t do that.”

Drew sat in the chair next to Chloe and folded his arms across his chest. “Sure you can. I’ll wait. I have all goddamn day.” He glared at Mr. Lowell. “Furthermore, you pulled Chloe out of class, took her away from her studies, and publicly shamed her because of how she’s dressed. And you seriously don’t see anything wrong with that?”

“Ah…”

“There is no way girls should be told that the way they’re dressed is responsible for boys’ bad behavior. We are doing something about this right now.”

Chloe’s hand slipped into his and squeezed it. He looked down at her, and the gratitude and admiration in her eyes pulled at his heart. He smiled reassuringly at her and squeezed her hand back. “It’s okay, Chloe.”

“I’ll, uh, be right back.” Mr. Lowell disappeared into an office.

The school secretary behind the counter stared at Drew then grinned. “You’re on fire,” she said. “Good for you.”

Drew gave her a tight smile back. “Thanks. But this is bull…er, ridiculous.”

“They announce the dress code every day,” Chloe said to him quietly. “I know about it, but…I’m sorry. I messed up.”

“No.” He gentled the frown that still tightened his face. “It’s not your fault, honey. We’re going to fix this.”

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