Grace sat in front of the principal, arms crossed, refusing to apologize. Next to her a teenaged boy sat, bloody rag held against his face, tears welled up. Rachel couldn't believe Grace hauled of and hit the boy, her second offense. She thought after the first time she would've learned it's never okay to hit someone. His father sat silent while the mother raged about her son being assaulted and how she wanted the police called immediately. Stan sat back, allowing her to handle their child.
"I really, truly am sorry about all this," voice carried deep regret as she spoke, "Grace Williams, you apologize right now."
The young teen shook her head, face determined, her stubborn side in full bloom. Just like her father.
There was a knock at the door, the assistant popped her head, "Ma'am, the Detective and the Lieutenant Commander are here." Danny had sent her a message on the way here saying he'd be there, that the two were on their way from speaking with a witness.
"Ah yes, please send them in." The woman retreated only for her to be replaced by her oh so charming ex husband and his darling commander.
Recognition crossed the other mother's face and she began, "oh thank God, someone arrest this little hooligan for assaulting my baby boy!"
An eyebrow twitched on the blond and the seal's jaw tightened at the woman's words.
Danny put on his best I-hate-you-but-I-have to-be-polite smile and held out his hand, "sorry to tell you but we aren't here on official business. Detective Danny Williams, Grace's father. And this here is Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett, my partner and Grace's step father."
Her eyes widened a fraction before she started to tell everyone in the room, and quite possibly the entire building with how loud she is, about what a terrible child Danny and herself raised. Grace continued to sit there, jaw tightening like she was seconds from exploding.
"Whoa whoa whoa. Hold your horses. I don't even know what's happened," Danny's hands made a calm yourself gesture. Steve shook his head but stayed quiet beside the door, his eyes going between the two children like there's some mysterious puzzle to be solved.
And the mother was off like Rachel's own mother does on how insufferable the neighbor down the road is. Her hands waving violently and pointing an accusing finger at her daughter.
Steve spoke up from the back of the room, voice in a no nonsense tone, "unless you were there Mrs. I do believe the kids should be the ones speaking and not yourself, no matter how upset you are."
Danny turned towards the boy, built like a brick wall, tears coming out in droves, "Okay, lets hear it from you first. What happened?"
The boy began, voice muffled and clogged sounding, "wasn't doing nothing but my work and she turns around and socks me right in the nose."
Danny nodded at the telling of the story, going to crouch in front of Grace, about ready to ask his own child's side of the story when the principal began, "we have a zero violence tolerance policy here and so we'll have to discuss Grace's punishment as well as whether the Shards wish to press charges."
"Now just wait a moment, even if Grace hit him, she deserves to tell her side," Rachel stood, her child having the right to have a say or two, whether she was willing to apologize or not.
Danny looked up at his ex, remembering just why, no matter how much they fight, he's glad he's co-parenting with this woman. He glanced for a second over at his partner for a millisecond before all his attention fell on his baby girl in front of him, "Monkey, I know you don't do these things without reason," the mother, Mrs. Shards, made a indignant sound in the back of her throat, "so why don't you tell me what happened?"
"He's been snapping my bra and he and his friends have been making comments at me all week, "her voice cracking as she spoke. "I told him to stop several times and he wouldn't and he managed to unhook it today. Uncle Steve says, if someone ever touches me, to haul off and hit them so hard the next time they see me they'll think twice before trying anything. He did so I hit him."
"He's a boy, it's what boys his age do! No reason to brake my child's nose you little tyrant!"
"She got physical, she hit him Detective, something we never condone, and you Commander, should not be encouraging such behavior," the principal clearly on the boys side even with the explanation.
The five adults, Mr. Shard included, all made sounds of outrage but it was Steve who spoke, if looks could kill the principal wound be dead in her seat, voice carrying an edge of I-can-kill-a-man, "he laid a hand on her first, something that we in the law enforcement world like to call sexual assault, something I doubt my partner or Rachel would have a problem perusing."
The mother looked horrified, "it's not sexual assault! How is bra snapping sexual assault? All teenage boys do it! And she broke his nose!"
Danny began to speak when Rachel herself stood in outrage and began to go off and he snapped his jaw shut, allowing the mother of his child to take the floor.
"Oh it's not sexual assault is it?" She turned to the principal, "how would you like it if I came over and undid your bra? Or started snapping it?" "That's inappropriate Mrs. Edwards!"
"Or you!" The English woman rounded on the other mother, "How would you feel if I came up an lifted your shirt in front of everyone? Or what if I went up and grabbed any of the men in here by the front of their trousers? It is sexual assault then? Huh? When does it go from teenage boys fooling around to sexual assault?"
Everyone in the room was silent, the father of the boy nodding along and the wife and principal gaping life fish. Stan stood, grabbing Rachel's bag, hand on her lower back and speaking for the first time, "I believe my wife has said all that is needed to be said, now if you don't mind we're going to take Grace and be on our way."
Danny grabbed Grace and picked her up, damn the fact she's fourteen and should by all means be too big to carry and the five left, Steve holding the door as they exited. They'd be switching schools without a doubt, zero tolerance with how they turn the real victims into the villains.