Lasting Love Part 2

Who To Blame?

"20 minute break!" The director yells as we finish our scene.

I walk into my trailer just as I notice my cell phone ringing. I check it, and see that it is Alexia's school calling.

"Hello?" I answer, expecting it to be the nurse saying that she's sick.

"Is this Mrs. Theroux?" They ask, sounding serious. I tell them it is, and they continue. "This is Mrs. Thomas, the principal at Alexia's school. I'm calling in regards to the fight that she was involved in at lunch today."

"Alexia was in a fight?" I ask, trying to make sure that I heard what she said correctly "What happened?"

"Well, it appears that you daughter and another girl had some kind of disagreement that escalated into a fight. I'm going to need you and your husband to come down to the school so that we can discuss her suspension."

"Okay. I can be there in about 30 minutes. I'll call my husband to meet us there." We hang up, and I leave set to go home and find something more professional looking to wear so that I don't look dumb walking into the school. When I get home and see Justin, he doesn't look very happy at all.

"This doesn't seem like something she would do," He says as he waits for me to change "Are you sure you heard her right?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I'm having a hard time believing it too, but I guess we'll see when we get there." I follow him out to the car, and try to think about why this might have happened the whole drive to the school. I don't know if I'm more mad at Alexia or the other person involved right now.

We sign in with the secretary, who leads us to a small waiting room for the principal's office, where we see Alexia waiting. She's holding an ice pack on a bruised lip, which causes my motherly instincts to kick in right away asking her what's wrong.

"Are you okay?" I ask sitting next to her. A few seconds later, I remember why we're here "Why did you get into a fight?"

"We've told you before that fighting isn't acceptable!" Justin adds "You better have a good excuse for this, Lex."

Just as she's about to answer us, the door opens, and the principal walks out, "Mr. and Mrs. Theroux?" She asks rhetorically, opening the door for us. Lexie follows us in, looking ashamed.

The principal motions her hand for us to sit down across from her at her desk before she starts to talk about the situation.

"Thank you both for getting here on such a short notice," She gathers some papers "I have decided on a two day suspension. It will have to be out of school. I just need you guys to sign and initial these papers for me, please."

I grab the pen next to me to sign first, "I still can't believe you did this, Lex. How many times do we tell you guys not to get involved in fights?"

"It wasn't my fault, Mom!" She fights back.

"I don't care whose fault it was! You did not need to get involved," I hand the papers over to Justin once I'm done, "You could have walked away."

Justin looks just as pissed as I am, and reaches his hand out to take Alexia's phone as punishment once he is done with the papers "We'll decide later when you can get it back."

"I do like to give the parents the option of watching the video in circumstances like this. If you would like to see it, I can gladly show you." Justin and I both agree that we want to see it, so the principal turns her computer screen so we can see and plays the video.

As we're watching, something catches our eye, and right away we look to each other and then back at Lexie.

"It looks like you were hit first." Justin says "Is that what happened?"

"Yes! That's what I was trying to tell you guys." She sighs of relief "I stood up after we weren't getting along because I wanted to move, and she got up and hit me. I hit her back out of reflex."

I look over to the principal, who looks like she wants to act dumb, but is giving the whole act away.

"Why is she getting suspended for this?" I ask, starting to get angry "She did nothing wrong from what I see."

"I know what you see, Mrs. Theroux, but I have to also go by what both girls said when I was asking the about it." She looks over at me, right in the eyes "Kasey, the other girl, claims that Alexia was standing up to hit her first, and that she hit Alexia in self defense."

"Are you serious right now?" Justin asks, letting his protective father side show "Of course she's going to say that if she can get away with it. You can see in the video that Alexia was picking up her tray as she was getting up. She wouldn't be doing that if she was about to hit someone." He holds up the papers that we just signed "This whole suspension is ridiculous. She doesn't deserve it at all."

"I think you're just upset," Mrs. Thomas tries to calm down Justin "I can watch the video again if you'd like, but the suspension still stands. I'm sorry if you don't agree with it."

"This is bullshit." I mumble, not trying to myself in any kind of trouble with this bitch.

"Look," She sighs showing where we've signed the papers "There isn't anything you can do anymore. You've signed the papers and said that you agree with the suspension."

Justin surprises all of us by taking the papers and ripping them in half "There. Now we didn't agree to anything!" He shouts throwing them at her.

"Dad!" Lexie yells trying to get him to stop.

He ignores her, once again letting us know how mad he is "You can't lie to us about what happened and then show us the proof! It doesn't work that way."

"I did not lie." She defends herself "I told you what I was told by Kasey. I did not believe what Alexia had told me when I asked her."

"What makes you believe Kasey's story more than Alexias?" I ask, looking for a real answer. When I don't get one, I get up, ready to leave "Watch that video one more time, with an open mind, and tell me that you still think Alexia wasn't using self defense. After you've done that you can tell us that it is still her fault." I stand there, staring at her until I see that she is ready to watch the full video again.

"Well," She looks up at us after thinking for a while "It looks like I misunderstood the video. Alexia does seem to be acting on self defense." She looks over at Lexie "Your suspension is lifted."

"Thank you." I look over at her before pushing Justin out of the office, hoping he doesn't have another outburst.

"She's lucky I didn't jump across the desk and strangle her." Justin makes us well aware that he is still mad. We laugh at him as we get in the car to go home.