His little girl (Waterloo road)

Twelve

Tom walked into the office and looked at Max. Max sighed and looked at him. "How's Brooke?" He asked.

"She's okay. This could have been a whole lot worse. Ella is staying with Brooke today."

Max nodded. "I'll call LeighAnn into the office and will make sure she knows she won't get away with this."

"Cheers Max."

***

Brooke was sitting with Mia while Ella was making some food. Ella smiled as she walked in. "Fancy going into town? We could get madam there some new shoes cause her daddy has been nice."

Brooke shook her head. She was still feeling down after the overdose attempt. She sighed. "I just don't want to go anywhere. In case she's there. I couldn't handle it," she admitted. She felt weak.

"Your dad and Max are talking to her. She's in school today. But she won't be after today. Max wants to exclude her. For everything she's done to you."

"Really?"

Ella nodded and smiled. "Yeah. Despite his mean man ways, when I told him, he told me he wasn't having that in the school."

***

Tom looked up as LeighAnn walked in. He was trying to not say anything to her. He needed to maintain his professionalism. Max scoffed. "Do you know what I despise more than anything? Bullies."

"I never bullied anyone! Brooke is telling her bullshit as always. But cause her aunt is shagging the exec head, no one will say anything," LeighAnn said. She saw the look on Max's face. "It's true."

Tom rolled his eyes. "We know who's been bullying who LeighAnn and it needs to stop."

Max looked at LeighAnn. "You bullied Brooke Clarkson to the point where she wanted to end her life. If her father hadn't have saved her life, you could have been looking at a prison sentence. It doesn't matter that it was suicide. You would have been the reason she did it. My daughter, she's three years old. How do you think Miss Clarkson would have felt having to explain to her that her aunty wouldn't be playing with her anymore? You're a bully and that is one thing I don't want in my school. A bully."

Tom looked at LeighAnn. "I don't understand why. Brooke didn't do anything wrong to you. You were good friends. So I don't understand why you would choose to bully someone," Tom said.

LeighAnn scoffed. "She thinks she's all high and mighty. Cause her dad, her mum and her aunt all work here. She's got the exec head on her side too. So I wanted to bring her down a peg or two."

***

Brooke and Mia had fallen asleep on the sofa. Ella sighed knowing that Brooke was vulnerable and needed a lot of love and support. But she had to hope that she would get that.

Ella looked up as Tom and Max walked in. Tom smiled. "Max got rid of her. For good. Thank god. If she was my daughter I would have given her what for."

Tom looked over at his daughter. Would she ever overcome this?