CHAPTER 1
"Yes, I see. Parent conference? Is that really necessary? No, no, I don't want that… Ok, I'll be there." Saint John dropped the phone onto the kitchen counter and ran a hand through is hair as he let out a frustrated sigh. So this is what Dom had to deal with when he took in String and I, he thought, only he had two of us to deal with… How in the world did he survive? he wondered in amazement.
Parent - teacher conference right after school gets out he mentally added to his already full schedule. And there was that movie scene he was supposed to be flying later in the afternoon, with the conference he'd really be pushing it, then. "Oh crap," he muttered aloud. "I totally forgot Mike was supposed to be coming over tonight." And he still had to pick up Joshua from his friend's house before nine. So much for resting a few minutes. He picked up the phone again and dialed Mike. The phone rang and rang until at the last the answering machine picked up.
"Hey Mike, it's Saint John. I'm gonna have to cancel tonight; some things came up and I can't really get out of them. Sorry. Maybe we can get together later in the week." The machine cut him off before he go further into detail. Probably just as well, he though to himself, I'd just ramble on and waste more time I don't have.
Digging for the keys lost somewhere in the depths of his pocket, he started out the door for Le's school.
\A/
Le van Hawke shook long black fringe out of his eyes then decided it would probably get on the dean's nerve and shook it right back. Tapping one foot impatiently, he waited on his father to show up for this 'important meeting'; that was nothing more than someone trying to get him expelled, not like that'd bother him all that much; he was tired of this school anyway. Unfortunately, no one else seemed to feel the same way. He could probably sneak out with the rest of the fast disappearing crowd of children, but that's get him in even more trouble once he got home. Letting out an annoyed sigh, he dropped into the chair outside the office and lounged across the one next to it, taking up both seats.
"Want to explain what this is all about?" the upside down version of his father asked, more a demand than question.
"Not really," Le declined, "I'd rather just go home."
"It isn't really optional," Saint John said irritably.
He knew he would have gotten the same kind of answer if he'd asked String a similar question, that was if he managed to get anything more than a silent scowl, heck, as a kid he had given a very similar answer when he was younger. That made it even more difficult to get mad at him, but there had to be some reason he was called here for a conference, and that reason needed to be addressed.
"Mr. Hawke, would you please follow me into my office," the dean requested.
"Hey, nah-on. I'm coming too," Le objected.
"You-"
"I didn't do anything," he interrupted," and it's not fair to lie to my dad when it isn't my fault without getting both sides of the story."
"I'm not trying to exclude anyone's side of the story, but my office is very small and I'm afraid it would be too crowded. Besides, the kid you beat up isn't here to tell his side of the story either. He had to go home early with what is likely a broken arm."
"It's not broke! I could have told him that much when he started screaming, and it's your-"
"Mr. Hawke, please, my office."
"Where you there when the fight started?" Saint John asked outright.
"No, but I was there by the time it ended, and I saw quite enough. And this wouldn't be the first time your son has started trouble."
"Obviously there are still a few misunderstandings that need to be worked out, and if there isn't room to discuss this in the privacy of your office, we can continue to discuss it right here."
The now visibly irritated dean muttered a "fine, we'll do it your way," through clenched teeth and motioned for Saint John to sit down.
"Le, why don't you go get Mr. Peterson a chair," Saint John requested. "It looks like we could be here for a while."
"He has caused trouble before. Matthew hasn't and has shown very little tendency to be incline that way. He's a straight A student, gets along well with all the teachers and hasn't gotten into trouble of any kind until his run-in with your son today."
"You sound a little prejudicial."
"That's because he is," Le interjected, returning with the chair. "Matt is his son."
"And he doesn't like being called Matt."
"And I don't like being blamed for something I didn't do. Sorry Mr. Petersson, but I don't even particularly like your son. I didn't start a fight with him though. If I were going to start one, it would be with someone who could at least hold his own, not him. Burt Parker started it, over something stupid too like a missing book or something like that. Burt threw the first punch and I stepped in when Matt couldn't hold his own."
\A/
Saint John ruffled the Amerasian boy's hair and half laughed to himself. "Good job Le, but I wouldn't suggest counting on that to work again."
"It was the truth."
"I don't doubt that, but you've got to be careful about getting caught. Oh well, guess it just goes to prove you really are a Hawke. Don't try to use that as an excuse either though because I won't let that one slide. I even tried that one with Dom once.
"String and I had gotten in a tussle with some other kids because they were making fun of his name; now that was something they should have known not to do I though. I could pick on him, but no one else was allowed to, you know, a kind of brother's privilege. Anyway, I didn't want them to hurt him so I stepped in and decided to help. Well, you know String, and he said he didn't need my help. He had gotten into it on his own and he was the one going to finish it. I'm not sure exactly how it all happened, but something started trying to pick at me next, 'for leaving the little brother to do the dirty work' and String wasn't the only one with a fight on his hands. Of course, we won, but the principal didn't seem to want to share in the victory and we both landed in detention. When Dom came to pick us up and find out what the hell was going on, I tried to tell him I thought it was hereditary or something - Hawke boys just seem to get into trouble a lot. He didn't buy it for a second though. But then again, maybe that's just because he isn't a Hawke…"