Black & White

Chapter twenty two

"Alexei, do you have something to say about what you did today?"

School is over and the principal made me stay with Félix he absolutely wanted our parents to come after school to have a "chat". Mom came, but not Andrei. Surprisingly, Félix's mom nor his dad came either.

"No", I say, without any regrets.

Mom is really concerned and she looks at me, her eyebrows frowning.

"Well you do because you did beat Félix and violence is tolerance zero here."

"Yeah, why would you do that, bud?" The guy adds.

I stand up, furious.
"If you wouldn't throw a trash over me then I wouldn't beat you!"

Félix seems ready to talk back, but my mother is interrupting him.

"Wait, he did what?"

"I have a student that reported Félix and many other 8th graders that apparently constantly bully your son. I have a proof here."

The principal is putting a card on his office. A card with plenty of words, words that seem familiar because I might already read them. It's the same card that was in my locker at my birthday!

"Death threats , hateful words. The student who reported Alexei's case hid it in his backpack to keep proof with him fearing that Félix and the other students would deny it."

Tears well up in my mom's eyes, and she instantly looks at Félix.

"Didn't I ripped that card?" I ask.

The principal is leaning his face closer to mine, and he glance at Félix as well. "Who told you he didn't make this card twice when he noticed it was gone before you get to your locker?"

"Make sens now." Oh yeah, it does.

The kid seems nervous, and he can't look anywhere but at the ground.

"Do you have something to say now, Félix? There is not only Alexei that has to talk."

"Because I felt like it, okay?"

"Okay, why? Because he's Russian? I understand the war might be frustrating you, but it's not a reason to call him names everyday and to write death threats to him. Even with your age, death threats can cause serious consequences."

"He still beat me, which is two times worse." Félix's eyes, aren't able to look at the principal's.

"Félix, that's because you threw a fucking garbage can over me. What did you even expected dude? Me staying in the bathroom and cry? No, you did enough to piss me off, Félix."

Mom is holding my arm, probably because she heard me cussing and she doesn't like when I do.

"Okay, that's enough Alexei. Watch your language, also", the principal seems tired already. "Alexei, I am suspending you for ten days for what you did. I understand you are tired of what you are dealing with, but violence is still tolerance zero."

What? Ten days? If I am suspended for ten days, I wonder what consequence Félix is waiting for...

"Excuse me, what?" My mom is not ashamed to interrupt again.