Page 14 of Faking it with My Billionaire Bosses

I cleared my throat and sat up straighter. Somehow, I managed to recover from my stupor enough to give them the very simple directions to the school. I only had to correct myself twice, which I found pretty impressive.

CHAPTER 11

Sonnie

The phone rang from inside my bag and I fumbled around trying to find it until the call stopped and then started again. I finally grabbed it and pressed it to my head with a little too much force. My ear would feel that afterwards, I knew. “Hello?”

“Sonnie! I told you you needed to come to the school! Principal James is pacing the parking lot looking for you! He said if you’re not here in the next ten minutes, he’s going to have to send me home.” Rosie sounded stressed and angry, probably because she’d been embarrassed by being singled out.

“I’m almost there.” I looked out the front window and winced. “I can already see Principal James. It’s fine, Rosie. Don’t worry about it.”

“Easy for you to say. You didn’t get called out in front of everyone about their irresponsible guardian.” She hung up on me and the deafening silence that followed told me that everyone in the SUV had heard everything.

Shame attempted to strangle the fight out of me but the knowledge that Principal James had purposefully embarrassed my baby sister in front of everyone and pointed out her living situation while doing it, was fueling my anger in a way that stomped out the shame. That weasley little man was going to have to do more than call the cops on me if he didn’t want to get an earful.

“Sonnie…” Drake swore as Price stopped the vehicle and I unbuckled my seatbelt and threw the door open.

Principal James saw me and started marching towards me, his disgusted look so firmly in place that a prybar wouldn’t have been able to get it off. He looked me up and down and somehow the disgusted look seemed to set even firmer. “Ms. Morgan.”

“Did you really try to embarrass my little sister in front of everyone? Rosie has had enough of a hard time the last fewyears. She doesn’t need to be bullied by a grown man on top of everything. If you have an issue with me, Mr. James, you need to be sure to take it up with me. Rosie doesn’t control whether or not I get somewhere on time. I do.”

His cheeks darkened and his eyes narrowed. “You’re suggesting Ibulliedyour little sister by simply asking her where you were? Ms. Morgan, if your sister doesn’t have thicker skin than that, I’m afraid she’s going to have a very hard time adjusting to the real world.”

“I’m suggesting you bullied my little sister by asking her where her irresponsible guardian was in front of her entire class. Name calling and addressing private issues in public? I’m afraidyou’rehaving a hard time adjusting to the real world if you think that’s appropriate.” I shoved hair out of my face and took a deep breath. “There seems to be a problem with bullying at this school, though, and they say it starts at the top. You wanted to see me about my supposed threat to those mean girls who bully Rosie?”

“Your attitude isn’t necessary, Ms. Morgan. Nor are the dramatics. If you would follow me, we can discuss this matter in my office like civilized adults.” Principal James looked over my shoulder and all the redness drained from his face. “Is that…”

I looked over my shoulder to see all three of my apparent chauffeurs moving to stand at my back. They all looked pissed and I had to say, they were somehow even hotter when angry. I looked back at Principal James and decided to embellish a bit. “These are my friends. Drake, Cole, and Price. I’m guessing you know them. They’re close with the family. They just love Rosie. Don’t you?”

Because they were my heroes, they each agreed. Drake gripped the back of my neck and stood next to me. “Is there a problem?”

Principal James put on a freakishly large smile and shook his head. “No, no. Of course, not. There was a misunderstanding, is all. Some problem girls started a rumor Ms. Morgan threatened them, but she was just assuring me that wasn’t what happened.”

My jaw dropped and I crossed my arms over my chest. Yeah, I’d wanted the guys’ influence to help, but to have it completely erase the situation was frustrating. Principal James was ready to rake me over a cheese grater but the moment he set eyes on the owners of Trio, he made me sound like Mom of the Year. That level of bullshit didn’t sit right with me. “The girls were bullying Rosie. I didn’t threaten them. I merely suggested they watch the movieMean Girlsto see how girls like that end up. If they can’t understand a movie reference from a threat, that’s not my fault. If they’re going to make it in the real world, they’re going to need much thicker skins, aren’t they, Mr. James?”

His eyes lost some of the sparkle as he looked back at me. The strain to keep his smile in place was clear. “Of course. Fortunately, not all of the girls here have had the life experiences Rosie has and they just haven’t toughened up yet.”

The insult got under my skin just the way he wanted it to. Before I could open my mouth to tell him where to stick his opinion, Price beat me to it. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but were you just insinuating to Sonnie that her sister didn’t have thick enough skin to handle your bullying?”

I jerked my thumb over my shoulder at Price. “Yeah. What he said.”

Principal James cleared his throat and clasped his hands in front of himself. “I was wrong to say that. Emotions were high. I’d love it if we could move this conversation into my office. Of course, everyone is welcome.”

Cole stepped forward and held out his hand. When he shook Principal James’ hand, it looked like his grip was a little tighter than necessary. “It seems like there’s nothing left to discuss.Sonnie made it clear she wasn’t threatening those girls. You’re sorry for embarrassing a vulnerable teenage girl. Everything’s good. I hope you do address the bullying at the school, though.”

Principal James’ face was red again as he stepped back. “Of course. Of course. Well, that’s all then. I’ll handle clearing everything up with the parents of the girls. They’re waiting inside.”

Drake stepped forward. “You were going to ambush Sonnie with a bunch of pissed off parents when you didn’t know the story?”

I shivered at the thought of it. The parents of the wealthier kids at Rosie’s school would chew me up and spit me out, no problem. They were brutal. They were probably worse than having the cops called on me.

Drake, having felt my shudder, glared harder at Principal James. “We’re done here. You’re lucky Sonnie didn’t walk in there with you. The next time you feel like bullying a woman trying to take care of everything on her own, think about the consequences of your actions.”

Price grunted. “We’re the consequences, in case that wasn’t clear.”

“Tell those parents to raise their kids better. Shame on all of you for trying to accost Sonnie.” Cole shook his head. “Don’t let this shit happen again.”

I straightened my shoulders and lifted my chin higher. I might only have backup for a little while, but it felt great having it. Looking Principal James in the eye, I raised my eyebrows. “You owe my sister an apology.”

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