Daddy Niall.

Chapter 39

Niall's P.O.V.
It was almost August which meant Riley was about to start school. It took a lot of work, but I had talked Kristen out of getting a job at the school. She was going to stay home with me and Daniel instead of teaching. Riley was excited about staring school, but I wanted her to stay home. I stayed home to clean up around the house, and Kristen took Riley out to get school supplies. I had just finished putting away all the laundry when they came in.
"Daddy wook at all my school stuff." Riley started going through bags Kristen had set down. Kristen just looked at me with a suspicious smile before speaking.
"You are going to love the stuff she got." Riley started pulling out pencils, crayons, and erasers. She started pulling out folders.
"Wook daddy! They had folders with you on them!" I smiled at her and she pulled out a one direction pencil case. "They have this thing for my pencils with you on them too." I just kept smiling and listening to her tell me about her school supplies. I smiled at Kristen who smiled back at me. "I got a new backpack too!" She pulled out a One Direction backpack and filled it with all her One Direction school supplies. "Do you wike it?"
"I do! Who are those boys? The blonde one looks like he is really cool."
"Daddy you know who they are! Thats you!"
"I know I'm just messing with you. Let me have all your stuff so I can put it away until school starts." She handed me her bags and went off to her room. I looked at Kristen, "You couldn't have gotten her something else?"
"I tried. Believe me I tried my hardest because I know you think it's weird, but she insisted on it. She is just proud of you, and thinks it's cool that you are on things like this. I would have carried around backpack with my dad on it."
"Yeah, I know. I just don't want people to think I'm making her use it. Then they will think I'm arrogant."
"People won't think that."
"You'd be surprised at how people read into things regarding my career."
"I think it's cute. If I was teaching I would use One Direction school supplies."
"You aren't teaching though and that would be a little different. You are engaged to me and at an age where you obviously make your own choices. Riley makes most of her own choices too but she's still at angle where people would question it. I mean I'm not really bothered by it I think it's cute too. I've learned not to care what people think by now but part of me just wants her to get like a glittery pink backpack or something else."

"If I was teaching I could make sure people knew it was her choice if they questioned it."

"Again, you aren't teaching though. You get to stay home with me, and we get to take care of our little boy while our little girl is off getting a proper education." She laughed and nodded her head.
"It just kindergarden not college. We also get to plan a wedding. Well not a wedding, our wedding."
"We've got a busy few months ahead of us. School, a second kid, and wedding plans." The next few weeks we were just getting everything ready for Riley to start school, and she was planning some extravagant birthday party for herself.
--
It was the first day of school and Riley woke me up with more excitement than I had ever seen her have. I got her ready for school, and took pictures of her when she was ready. We drove to the school "Do you want me to take you in?"
"No, I want Kwisten to take me in. I want to tell my teacher about my wittle brother."
"Okay." Kristen looked over at me,
"Are you sure? I thought you would want to take her in?"
"I do, but she wants you to take her in. It's whatever she wants." Kristen got out of the car and took Riley into the school. I sat in the car and waited for Kristen to come back. I was a little upset I didn't get to go in on her first day, but maybe she would let me take her in tomorrow. The parents have to walk them in for the first few days until they get used to the schedule. Kristen came back out about ten minutes later, and told me about everything on the way home. We were home for about an hour before I got a call from Riley's school.
"Hello?"
"Is this Mr. Horan?"
"Yes."
"I'm going to need you to come up to the school. I have Riley in my office, and we need to talk."
"About what? What happened?"
"She just got in a small altercation. No one is hurt, but we need you to come up here to talk about it."
"Okay, I'll be there in about ten minutes." I hung up the phone and turned to Kristen. "Riley got in a fight at school, so we have to go up there."
"What? Riley? Our Riley? Riley Horan? She's never hurt a fly before."
"Yep. I know. They didn't tell me anything about it just that no one is hurt, and we need to go up there." We got in the car and started talking more about the fight.
"It's the first day of school and she is already in trouble."
"She is the sweetest kid I don't know what could have happened." I made it to the school in about eight minutes. We walked into the principals office and Riley was sitting in there and looked like she was trying not to cry. She looked terrified, but I could hear the principal trying to soothe her. He was at least trying to be nice to her, but being in a room with a stranger is probably terrifying for a four year old. Riley ran up to me, and I picked her up. The principal stood up and shook my hand introducing himself. I sat down with Riley in my lap, "Daddy I don't wike school anymore."
"You are just having a rough day. School is fun. What happened?"
"I wasn't wying!" She started crying into my chest, and I rubbed her back.
"Lying about what?" The principal took over for Riley and explained the situation.
"Riley and another little girl were in the cubby room putting their backpacks away. The girl came up and started making fun of her backpack. Riley politely told her that it wasn't nice to say mean things. The girl said something else about her school supplies being One Direction, and Riley said that one of them was her dad and the others were her uncles. The other girl said it wasn't nice to lie. Riley said she wan't lying, but the girl didn't believe her. Riley kept trying make her believe she wasn't lying but the other girl insisted she was lying. Riley got mad and hit her on the arm, but not hard enough to hurt. I was told it was like a light push when she tried to grab her bag to look at it. The other girl shoved Riley, and then a kid told the teacher before it went any further. I know it's the first day of school and I don't want to do this, but it's the rules. I'm going to have to suspend Riley for the rest of the day and tomorrow for fighting and lying."
"Maybe she isn't lying."
"The characters on her backpack are actually related to her?" His tone was rude and condescending, and it made me angry.
"Characters? Did you even look at the backpack? I mean the other boys aren't actually her uncles, but she thinks of them that way. I am actually her dad though. I am on the backpack. I'm in the band One Direction, and she wanted the backpack with us on it."
"I didn't know that. I apologize and I'll take a day off of the suspension since she wasn't lying and you can bring her back tomorrow." He looked over at Riley, "I'm sorry Riley for not believing you." She turned her head back into my chest, and her principal looked at me. "She will have to leave with you for the rest of the day."
"What about the other little girl? She didn't get hurt or anything right?"
"No she is fine, and she is in class."
"She isn't going to get suspended for fighting?"
"No because we can't really suspend for self defense. We have a zero-tolerance for bullying, and Riley hit her."
"Okay, well I'll take Riley home. I'll talk to her about this, but that other little girl was bullying as well. Riley was sticking up for her family. I completely agree that Riley shouldn't have hit the other girl, but she only did it because the girl was making fun of her family. I consider making fun of someone as bullying especially when they have no good reason. Self defense is protecting yourself if you think you are going to get hurt. She pushed Riley after Riley had already hit her and after she continued to say rude things. That isn't self defense that's provoking a fight. I'm not trying to get a kid in trouble or anything because they are just kids, but I don't think you are being very fair. You didn't even try to find out if Riley was being honest or not, and you are suspending her for bullying when the other girl was being more of a bully than Riley. Riley did hit her first, and that was wrong, but she didn't start it."
"You're right I apologize again, and I will call the other girls parents and she will get the same punishment if that will make you feel better."
"I didn't mean I wanted the other kid to be equally punished. I just wanted you to see that it wasn't all Riley, and she didn't start the whole thing."
"I see that now, and I apologize. If you guys want to walk her back to her classroom to get her things you can take her now. Don't forget to sign her out when you leave."
"Okay, thank you. I'm sorry for any trouble." I carried Riley out of the office, and followed Kristen to Riley's classroom since she knew where it was.
"Daddy am I in twouble?"
"With your school? Yes. With me? No, but we will talk about this more at home." We got to the door, and I set her down holding her hand as we stood there. I knocked on the door, and the teacher answered. "Hi, I'm Riley's dad. We just need to pick up her stuff. She got suspended for the rest of the day. I'm really sorry about any trouble."
"It's fine. I'll get her stuff for you." She came back with Riley's backpack with a shocked look on her face. "She really wasn't lying. You are her dad." She handed the backpack to Riley.
"Yeah, well I taught her not to lie"
"I'm so sorry I didn't believe you Riley." She looked back to me, "I thought she was just making it up, and carrying around a backpack with her crush on it or something. I thought it was a stretch and that you look a little young in that picture."
"Yeah I was pretty young when she was born, but that's also an old picture."
"Again, I'm so sorry. I can't wait for you to come back tomorrow Riley. We are going to learn about the days of the week." Riley played with her bottom lip nervously as she spoke.
"My daddy alweady taught me them."
"That's even better! It should be easy for you then." She nodded her head, and we left the school. We got in the car, and Riley was quiet the whole way home. We got inside and she sat on the couch with a sad expression. I looked over at her, "What's wrong with you?"
"Why am I in twouble at school? I wasn't wying!"
"You aren't in trouble for that now that they know you weren't lying. You are still in trouble for hitting that girl. That wasn't very nice."
"She isn't very nice either."
"When someone is mean to you it doesn't mean you need to be mean back. You just keep being nice, and don't listen to them. You can't ever hit people when they make you mad."
"Okay. I'm sorry I won't do it again."
"If she starts being mean to you then you just tell your teacher." She nodded her head and I took her backpack from her and set it by the door. "Daddy?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I get a new backpack, wunchbox, and all new school stuff?"
"Why? Do you think she will be mean again?" She shrugged her shoulders.
"I just want a new one."
"Okay, come on. Let's go to the store." We went to the store, and she picked all solid color school supplies. I was kinda glad she was getting rid of the One Direction stuff, but I didn't like that she was getting rid of it because of the girl at school. "You know Riley you don't have to get all new stuff. If you like the stuff you have then keep it. You can like whatever you want, and no one can tell you not to like something."
"I just don't want her to say mean things about you guys anymore."
"Okay, you can use whatever school supplies you want."
"Can I just use the new ones for now, and then maybe go back to the One Direction ones?"
"If that's what you want to do." I paid for the new school stuff and took her home. We got her new backpack ready for school, and she watched some t.v. for a little while. She still seemed a little sad about school, so I pretty much let her do whatever she wanted to try and get her to cheer up. The next morning she didn't wake me up for school, and I had to wake her up instead. I got her ready for school, and I walked her in this time. She held my hand and I followed her into the cubby room. She showed me her cubby, and she showed me the cubby of the girl who made fun of her backpack. I was helping her put her stuff away, and another kid came in with her mom. Riley tugged on my hand and looked at the little girl. I assumed she was trying to tell me that it was the girl, and I had guessed right because she went to the cubby she had pointed out. The little girl just stared at me. I smiled at her, and she looked at Riley who just copied me and smiled back. I squated down on Riley's level, "I have to go back home now. Are you going to have a good day today?" She nodded her head. "Good, remember what we talked about yesterday." She kept nodding her head as I spoke. "I love you. I'll be here to pick you up later. Let's try to finish the day today." I poked her in the stomach, and she giggled and nodded her head. "I wove you daddy. See you later." I hugged her and kissed her head as I stood up. We walked out of the cubby room and she went to her desk as I left the classroom. She waved at me and I waved back. It was sad to think she was growing up, and wouldn't be spending all day every day with me anymore. I wanted her to be sweet and little forever. I walked out into the hallway with the other girls mom. She looked over at me, "You must be the parent of the little girl that my daughter got in a fight with yesterday."
"Yeah, I'm really sorry she hit her. She has never hit anyone in her life."
"I'm sorry my daughter pushed her, and started the whole thing. The principal called me in yesterday, and she got suspended for the rest of the day. I talked to her about it, and told her she needed to apologize. I hope they can be friends.
"I had to come up here too." She held her hand out for me to shake as we walked,
"I'm Natalie by the way." I shook her hand.
"I'm Niall." She made conversation as we made our way to the door.
"You aren't wearing a wedding ring. If you don't mind me asking, what happened to Riley's mom?"
"She died when Riley was born." I opened the front door for her letting her go out first.
"Oh, I'm sorry." We were parked in the same area and I didn't want an awkward silence, so I kept up the conversation.
"You aren't wearing one either. Where's your kid's dad?"
"He left when I got pregnant. Looks like we're both single parents. Is Riley your only kid?"
"No, my fiancée is pregnant with my son."
"Awh! congratulations! Well, I'll see you around." I nodded and got in my car.