Catalyst

Chapter 10

Principal Figgins folded his hands, "Mr. Karofsky and Miss Berry were involved in a physical altercation on school grounds. McKinley High has a zero fighting policy, and they've both been assigned outdoor suspension for four days."

"Four?" The fathers asked at the same time. They glanced at one another, and Mr. Karofsky said, "I have a job and so does his mother, and I don't feel comfortable leaving him in the house by himself, he's only sixteen. Can't we make it indoor, if he has to have suspension?"

Quinn was surprised that neither father protested that their child was in a fight. Her father would have insisted that his daughter wasn't in a fight and that it must have been a miscommunication.

Figgins shook his head, "I'm afraid not. The student handbook states that all fighting leads to a three day outdoors suspension. Their actions in this room have led to an extra day."

Jeremiah balled up a hand and put his fist on his hip. There was a tattoo on his forearm of a whale that bulged with his movements. He was fairly muscular, she saw. Not the bulky muscles that Puck had, but the muscles that came from someone who engaged in practical labor. "And what about the bullying my child has experienced? When we enrolled her here, you assured us she'd have a tolerant learning environment and that bullying would not be allowed."

He cleared his throat, "We can only stop bullying that we don't see if there aren't any reports filed."

Rachel opened her mouth, and then closed it after her father gave her a look. Quinn knew the look and reclined in her seat. It was obvious she was here for something, she just didn't know what.

Jeremiah continued, "What do you mean don't see? From the parking lot to here I saw at least two cases of physical bullying and one of verbal."

"Those students haven't filed reports, so we cannot take it seriously. Children horse around all the time."

Mr. Karofsky interrupted him, "Be that as it may, I'd like to discuss my son's actions. They had a fight, am I correct? Where are the other students involved?"

"They fought each other," Figgins clarified. "I have eye witness testimonies from two teachers, three male students, and the young lady behind you."

The men turned around. Quinn gave them a weak smile and they smiled back. Mr. Karofsky had dimples; Jeremiah didn't. Neither of Rachel's fathers did, so her biological mother must have them.

Mr. Schuester and Mrs. Hutcherson gave their accounts quickly, and they matched. They'd seen the crowd and tried to disperse it, only to find David and Rachel fighting. They'd immediately brought them to the principal.

"Who started the altercation?" Jeremiah asked. His hand had moved from Rachel's shoulder to petting her head. His hand was so big it covered the back of her head and his skin was startlingly pale against her hair. He had neat fingernails, and he scratched from the nape of her head to the top. She wasn't sure which one of them relaxed more at the touch.

"David," Figgins said. "He pushed her chest. They get the same number of days because she didn't try to leave or find a teacher."

Jeremiah's mouth fell open and he spoke indignantly, "Are you serious? He's twice her size!"

"Like David doesn't have scratch marks all over him."

"Have you seen the size of my daughter's ear? How do I know she won't go deaf sometime in the future?"

"And his face? Who knows what she has under her nails."

Rachel's ear was getting puffier and his scratches had gone from pink to red. The two men bickered for a while.