The Longer The Fall by Aviva Gat (best new books to read txt) 📗

Noah didn’t respond.

“Well, what did he say?”

Noah again mumbled something too quiet for Madeline to hear.

“What!?” Madeline shouted.

“He called you a whore!” Noah screamed out. “He said his dad said you were a whore!”

Madeline’s mouth fell open in shock. “What do you mean?”

“That’s what he said! That his dad called you a whore.”

“You still shouldn’t have pushed him,” Madeline said, although her tone had become calm as the lava of her anger flowed from Noah to Jamie. Noah shrugged and the two remained silent for the rest of the car ride. Madeline dropped Noah at home and then again called Brandon as she drove back to her office.

After she recounted to him what Noah told her, he breathed heavily into the phone for a few moments. “Do you think this is connected?” She asked him, thinking of the picture of her lying naked on the cream-colored sheets flashed in her head.

“I don’t know, but I will alert Agent Murray,” he responded. “Maybe it’s a lead.” The couple agreed to meet at the school that evening for the meeting with the Albertsons.

Madeline had a difficult time concentrating for the rest of the day. She sat in meetings with supporters, discussed her reelection campaign launch and reviewed talking points for a few upcoming engagements she couldn’t cancel. The day continued as a blur and more than once Jane had to remind her exactly what they were doing or talking about at that moment. When the clock ticked closer to evening, she excused herself, and drove back to the school. When she arrived, she saw Brandon sitting in his parked car, talking on the phone. She parked next to him and got out. When he saw her, he also opened his car door, but he was still on the phone.

“I need to see an updated version tonight,” he said, with his phone to his ear. “No more delays.” Then he hung up and turned to Madeline. “Everyone is so incompetent,” he confided and kissed his wife on the cheek. “What’s our game plan in there?”

“I think we start by listening and see what they say,” Madeline responded. “Once they’ve gotten out all they have to say, we can confront them about what Jamie said.” Brandon nodded and the two continued toward the office, their fingers intertwined between them.

Inside Bonnie Albertson and her husband were already sitting across from Mr. Kendrick. “We just love running the bake sale,” Bonnie was saying when the Thomases walked in.

Madeline and Brandon released a friendly greeting and sat down next to the other couple whose anger radiated around them. The four parents sat silently as Mr. Kendrick began their meeting.

“Thank you all for coming in this evening,” the principal started. “As you know, it is very important that our school be a safe place for everyone and that we all get along.”

“Well it is definitely not safe now!” Bonnie exclaimed. “Poor Jamie! He’s in a cast! He can’t play baseball for months now! This will set him back significantly! He was the first baseman, you know. Coach Roy said he has real talent and that scouts would definitely be looking for him when he finishes high school!”

“He’s ten,” Brandon retorted. “Plenty of time to heal before the college scouts come.”

“You see?” Bonnie turned to the principal. “This is what I am talking about. The Thomases think they are above everyone, they don’t care that their actions have consequences. In fact, I’m pretty sure their actions usually don’t have consequences! They get away with everything!”

“What does that mean?” Brandon shot back. Madeline squeezed his hand trying to remind him of their plan to first listen. The message was not acknowledged. “Do you think that if we drop a plate it doesn’t fall?”

“What?” Bonnie turned to look at Brandon and then to her husband with whom she shared a look and a laugh. “Does that have anything to do with what’s going on here?”

“Please,” the principal cut in. “I understand everyone is upset—”

“Upset is right,” Brandon cut in again.

“You’re upset?” Bonnie screeched. “Your son put mine in the hospital! How could you be upset? Your son should be expelled! Mr. Kendrick, you have to expel Noah! He is a danger to the other students! My poor Jamie! He’s been bullied all year by Noah and you should have stopped it before it got this far!”

“Mrs. Albertson,” Mr. Kendrick said, his voice significantly softer than Bonnie’s. “Let’s all try to discuss this together, rationally, as adults. Now, I noticed Mrs. Albertson and Mr. Thomas have been the only two speaking. Mr. Albertson, Mrs. Thomas, would you like to say anything?” Mr. Albertson shook his head.

“I would like to say something,” Madeline spoke up. “I think this conversation has been very one sided and no one has listened to Noah’s perspective on the issue.”

“Noah’s perspective?” Bonnie gasped. “On his bullying? Are you kidding?”

“Noah sees his actions as defensive,” Madeline was careful to maintain an even tone and made eye contact with everyone in the room. “Yes, he pushed Jamie, and that was wrong, but he did it because of something Jamie said to him.”

“What a lie! Mark!” Bonnie stood up and looked toward her husband. “We will not sit by and listen to this talk! We will take legal action if needed! Mark! Tell them what you told me! About how we can sue the Thomases and the school!”

“I don’t believe Noah was lying,” Madeline said, facing the principal. “In fact, I think Jamie was repeating something he heard at home.”

“Now you are accusing us?” Bonnie said, standing in front of her chair with her hands on her hips. “This is absurd!”

“Jamie told Noah that I am a whore,” Madeline said, facing the principal but her eyes were peering at Mark Albertson to gage his reaction. It was