“No, sir,” the boy mumbled.
“You’re going to be sorry you dragged me out of work.” His tone was harsh.
Bree walked by but offered no explanation. She couldn’t muster much pity for the blond kid. Luke might not be ponying up the details, but she knew him. Whatever had happened had been caused by the other kid. Let them sweat.
Luke stood as she approached. He gave her a questioning look.
She gave him a quick headshake. “Let’s get out of here.”
Luke grabbed the backpack at his feet. Then he hurried out of the building, smacking the bar on the exit door with both hands. Right behind him, Bree headed for the SUV.
The morning sun heated the top of her head. Luke’s shoulders slumped as he dragged his feet on the concrete walkway.
Bree turned him to face her. “So, you want to tell me what happened?”
“No.”
“The principal says you threw the first punch.”
“Yeah.” Luke bit off the word.
“Why?”
Silence.
Frustration fizzed inside Bree like Alka-Seltzer. “I can’t help if I don’t know the problem.”
“You can’t help anyway.” His tone was hopeless.
“Luke, talk to me,” she all but pleaded.
He shook his head, then paused at the curb. “What about my car?” he asked. Bree had given him the old Honda Accord she’d brought with her from Philadelphia.
“Go get it,” she said. “Go directly home. I’ll meet you there.”
Without speaking, Luke dug out the key from his pocket and headed for the students’ lot behind the school.
Bree listened to radio chatter and chewed two antacids during the short drive home. Her cell phone buzzed, but she ignored it. For once, her focus had to be Luke.
Ten minutes later, Bree turned into their driveway and parked in front of the house. Luke parked next to her. He bolted from the car and headed for the barn. She followed him. The horses were in the pasture. At the sight of Bree and Luke, the three animals headed toward the fence. Riot broke into a trot, put his head over the fence, and nudged Luke’s pocket.
Luke rested his head on his horse’s neck.
Bree gave him a few minutes. When he still didn’t speak, she said in a soft voice, “You’re suspended for three days.”
His eyes misted as he fought tears. “It’s not fair.”
“Why isn’t it fair?”
“Because they’re assholes.”
Bree resisted chastising him for his language. Swearing was the least of her worries at the moment. “I know you. You don’t start fights.”
He flushed. A single tear escaped. He swiped a jerky hand across his cheek. “They were showing pictures around school.”
Bree knew instantly what pictures he meant, and she felt sick.
Luke’s face turned bright red. “And a video.”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
She breathed. She wanted to break something. “They’re fake.”
“I know,” he snapped. “There weren’t any tattoos in the pictures or video.” His tone turned from angry to resigned. “I pointed that out. Bobby laughed, said it didn’t matter. He was sharing the video with everyone.” He gritted his teeth. “He called you a whore, and I punched him.”
“Oh, Luke.” Bree’s heart ached. He’d defended her. She loved this kid beyond belief. She felt every ounce of his pain. “Bobby is the blond?”
He nodded. His hands curled into fists. “I just couldn’t think. I got mad, and I reacted. I know I shouldn’t have let him bait me.”
“You’re right,” Bree said. “Bobby is a jerk.”
He lifted his eyes to hers and snorted, breaking a small amount of the tension.
The hell with the school and the suspension.
“I appreciate you standing up for me, but you need to control your temper. I don’t approve of fighting.”
He looked away and stared at the ground. His eyes watered as if more tears threatened to break free.
Bree continued. “Violence isn’t the answer. It’s exactly the reaction Bobby wanted from you.” She squeezed his arm. “If you step out of line again, they won’t let you play baseball.”
His gaze shot back to hers. He opened his mouth, then closed it as he struggled for control.
It broke Bree’s heart. “Please don’t let him bait you into another fight. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I was the reason you couldn’t play ball or get a scholarship, if I let my job interfere with your future. That would be more devastating to me than any embarrassing fake video. Does that make sense?”