chapter799

Nolan shook his head right away. "Dad, Mom, I swear, I didn't do anything. They hit me first."

Roger turned a cold stare on Lydia. "You're Luke's guardian?"

"That's right. I'm his sister." Lydia's answer was bold, her chin tilted up like she had nothing to fear from him.

Roger was a teacher at the school, and most parents went out of their way to be polite, hoping to stay on his good side. Lydia was different. She looked like she couldn't care less about his authority, almost as if she was picking a fight on purpose.

"You causing a scene here will only make things worse for Luke. I'm telling you now,

if f you apologize to my son, I'll let it go. Otherwise..." Roger let the threat linger, his meaning clear.

Lydia just smiled. "Why don't we wait for the principal to get here and see who's actually at fault?"

Roger stared at her like she was clueless, convinced she was just hoping the principal would take her side. Listen, I'm willing to let this go because you're young. Just apologize to my son. If he forgives you, we can forget all about this.

Lydia raised her eyebrow. "What if we don't?"

Roger snorted. "Then Luke and Mr. Bush are out. Simple as that."

Lydia didn't flinch. She pulled out her phone and made a quick call. Someone picked up almost instantly, and she said, "I'm at Liberty High. Can you come over?"

Roger scoffed, shaking his head. "It won't matter who you call. No one's helping you today."

Word about Luke had already spread all over the school. Roger didn't believe for a second that Lydia could get anyone important to show up.

Not long after, the principal, Ms. Murphy, walked in. She was in her forties but looked younger, dressed sharp and professional. She'd already heard what happened and had her mind made up before she even stepped into the room.

Mr. Bush, I trusted you to look after the student dorms. But there have been problems again and again since the start of the semester. I have to question if you're really up to the job."

Mr. Bush's face fell. He knew what that meant. The principal was clearly siding with Roger and Nolan.

Lydia didn't miss a beat. "Ms.

Murphy, Nolan was breaking the

rules. He kept smoking in the dorm He even tried to force a new roommate to join hand

Bolved

him when he refused. When Mr. Bush stepped in, Nolan spat at him and kept telling him to leave. I'd really like to know, where does a student get that kind of power?"

Ms. Murphy's smile was calm and polite. "Kids say things when they're angry. You can't take it seriously. He's just a student. He doesn't decide who works here."

She turned to Mr. Bush. "But you have to take responsibility too. How could you not notice students smoking in the dorms? What kind of dorm supervisor misses something like that?"

A small, bitter smile crossed Mr. Bush's face. He saw it now. She was going to make him take the fall.

Lydia gave a soft laugh. "If we're talking about responsibility, doesn't that mean you're partly to blame too, Ms. Murphy?"

There was a flicker in Ms. Murphy's expression, but she kept her tone smooth. "You're right. I do share some of the responsibility. I shouldn't have given Mr. Bush a role he wasn't suited for."

Lydia leaned in a little. So, what do you plan to do about all this, Ms. Murphy?

The principal clearly didn't like Lydia's attitude. There was an edge to her words, like Lydia was daring her to do something.

"Nolan and the other students who were smoking will each write an apology. And Mr. Bush, from now on, focus on your job as PE teacher. You don't have to worry about the dorms anymore. These kids have a lot of classes to get back to, so let's not drag this out. Everyone should head back to class and get on with their day."