Play Date

14 The Fights.

The following morning, Missy and a few girlfriends cross the Buckler campus. Jona and his posse catch up to them from behind. Jona still stinging with embarrassment, pulls Missy's backpack off her shoulder, sending it to the ground. Missy spins around to face Jona but finds a calm place and picks the bag up without a word.

"Just because you won a race doesn't make you a big shot," Jona taunts Missy. She doesn't swallow the bait.

"Still makes you slower than a girl," Missy reminds him. The other kids giggle at Jona's expense, making his blood boil.

"Oh, yeah?" Jona spits, "Your mom had sex with my dad and my parents had to go to a therapist to keep them from getting a divorce." He's crossed a line.

"You're a liar," Missy counters.

"I am not. My mom said your mom is a slut. I bet you're a slut, too." Missy pulls out her phone and types. "Aw, baby calling her mommy?" Jona mocks.

"No," Missy corrects him, "I don't know that word. I'm looking it up." She finds the word, and with slow precision turns her head up toward Jona. Menacing rage boils in her eyes.

Forty minutes later, Missy and Jona, both torn up, sit before Principal Laine. Laura sits beside Jona, who now can claim he's lost a race and a fight with Missy. Paige and Riley rush into the office and to Missy's side.

"What happened?" Riley asks. Principal Laine answers.

"Apparently there was name-calling, which lead to pushing, and it escalated from there."

"Missy," Paige says, "I thought we understood you would not fight just because someone called you a bad name."

"Jona said you had sex with his dad and they almost got a divorce," Missy points at Laura. "She said that you were a slut! And then he called me a slut." Paige turns to Laura.

"Really, Laura?" Paige says.

"Jona's a liar," Missy exclaims.

"No, I'm not!" Jona defends. Missy turns to Paige.

"Tell him! Tell him he's a liar."

"Yes, Paige," Laura says, "Look my son in the eye and call him a liar." Riley gets into the discussion.

"We had an agreement, Laura," Riley reminds Laura.

"An agreement that included you," Paige directs at Laura. Laura leans toward Paige.

"But apparently your husband and I were the only ones who respected that it ended."

"What do you mean?" Riley is confused. So is Jona.

"Yeah, mom," he says. "What do you mean?" Laura stammers.

"By all means, Laura," Paige says, "Look your son in the eye and explain to him about the agreement we adults had." Missy looks to Paige for an explanation. Paige kneels. "There are many sides to every story, Missy." She continues speaking to Missy but directs her comments at Laura. "And some stories should wait until children are a little older and can understand complicated situations." She faces Laura. "I've only been at this for a few months and even I understand that." Laura is not having it.

"It's not complicated at all, Paige," she says. "Maybe if you taught Missy about cause and effect, we wouldn't be sitting here. Or haven't you figured out why you haven't been able to get a job in two years?"

"Everybody calm down," Principal Laine demands. "We need to deal with the issue at hand."

"Principal Laine," Riley says, "obviously this has traumatized Missy."