Don't raise your voice. Improve your argument.
"Charlotte Specter."
Charlie glanced up while purposefully avoiding the high school secretary's gaze. The woman's tone exposed the frustration she was trying to stifle. The secretary was barely older than most of the students she was required to corral into her boss's office and it showed.
Charlie was focused on the music pumping through the small buds shoved into her ears. Headphones weren't necessarily allowed in school but Charlie's long hair and the scarf wrapped around her neck hid them well enough. And at this point, she was already in trouble. She let the music drown out everything, allowing herself to feel the beat pulsing through her.
The exchange between Mr. James' secretary and Charlie Specter was almost like a game by this point in the school year. Charlie pretended not to hear her name being called and the secretary allowed it without complaint until Mr. James finally made his way out to fetch the girl himself.
Today especially, Charlie had no desire to meet with Mr. James any quicker than necessary.
Charlie's principal liked to send her home from school early on days like these. He would call Donna to let her know what was going on. Ray would pick her up and drop her at the office where, depending on Donna's mood, Donna would either let Charlie hide out in the file room or carve out a few minutes in Harvey's afternoon schedule for a lecture.
Mr. James tapped Charlie on the shoulder. She looked up to him, flashing him the briefest of smiles as she pulled the earbuds from her ears. "Hey, Ollie."
Oliver James shook his head, covering his mouth to stifle the beginnings of a laugh before answering her. "Get in there, Charlotte," he answered, thumbing towards his office.
He glanced briefly at his young secretary before following Charlie through the doorway. He felt the need to apologize to the young woman on Charlie's behalf but he refrained, offering her a silent, yet apologetic smile instead.
Charlotte Specter was one of Oliver's favorite students despite the frequency with which she found herself sent off to his office. Oliver found Charlie to be witty and charming and intelligent. She was a good kid, something which couldn't be said for all of the students he worked with. He had known her since she was just a little girl visiting her brother, and Oliver's roommate, at NYU. He couldn't help but have a soft spot for the first girl to ever ask for his hand in marriage, even if she had been under the age of five at the time.
Oliver kept an exercise ball in his office and he was unsurprised to see that Charlie had pulled it out of the corner, bouncing contentedly on the ball as she studied Oliver's facial expression. He was no longer smiling and it was clear that their connected past would not be to her benefit this time. Charlie rolled the ball back to its corner and promptly took a seat in one of the two leather chairs placed in front of his desk, despite having every intention of talking her way out of whatever punishment Oliver was thinking. Charlie was confident that he would easily understand her side once she had explained.
"You know, Charlie, I don't think that I have ever, in all my years of teaching, had a bigger pain in the ass student than you."
Charlie let out a small chuckle at his candor, stopping herself quickly when she realized that he hadn't been joking. Oliver settled his arms across his chest, leaning back slightly in his chair as he waited for Charlie to gather herself.
She quickly turned her laugh into an attempt at clearing her throat. "I find that hard to believe. I'm one of your best students, Ollie."
Oliver's left eyebrow edged up slightly. "Charlotte," he warned her.
"Right, of course. I'm one of your best students, Mr. James."
He exhaled forcefully. "Charlotte."
"What?" she groaned. Charlie was a little too comfortable with Oliver and with most adults in any position resembling one of authority for that matter.
"You've gotten yourself into plenty of trouble already. You may want to adjust the attitude accordingly."
At his words, Charlie slumped back in her chair, sulking. "I didn't do anything wrong, not really."
"You cannot argue with your teachers like that."
"I wasn't arguing with her. I was explaining why she was wrong. It was a class discussion."
"You were being disrespectful. I've got the write up here in front of me." Oliver motioned towards the long-winded note that had accompanied Charlie on her trip to the office.
"Well, if I'm being entirely honest, I don't think her opinion deserved my respect. She was being an ignorant, incompetent assho—"
Oliver cut her off before she had the chance to finish. "Charlotte, don't you dare finish that sentence."
Oliver continued only once Charlie had settled down. "Can you and I have this conversation like adults or should I call Donna and have her clear Harvey's schedule so the three of us can discuss it?" he asked.
Charlie shook her head furiously before folding her hands in her lap and staring at them intently. Things were always that much worse when Harvey had to unexpectedly leave work because of her. Plus, she could already hear the opening lines of Harvey's anticipated lecture.
'What have I always told you, Charlotte? Don't raise your voice. Improve your argument.'
Oliver watched as Charlie processed. Her face was scrunched up in thought, painted with heavy concern.
"Listen, Charlie, I know that you have a lot of opinions and you're inquisitive. I think those are great qualities, especially for someone your age. I really believe that. You're a smart kid but you don't know everything, despite the conviction. That's why you are here in this school. To learn. You're allowed your own opinion. You're allowed to express it, but you have to learn to express it respectfully. Is that understood?"
Charlie still looked like she wasn't paying him much attention, but she nodded at her cue so Oliver was satisfied that she had at least heard him even if the words had yet to sink in.
"I'm sending you home for the rest of the day. Take some time to think this through and write down 2,000 words worth of the best reflection you can come up with. I want it on my desk before first period tomorrow."
Charlie nodded vaguely. Oliver busied himself briefly with his computer, clicking through the few emails that had arrived in his inbox during his meeting with Charlie. He watched her out of the corner of his eye. She was clearly frustrated, but he now watched as she worked through what to say next.
Charlie let out a huff, looking up at him as he stayed focused on the screen. "Ollie?"
He looked away from the screen and gave Charlie his full attention.
"I'm sorry. Really, I am. I heard what you said and I'll try to be better. Please don't send me home early. Just let me stay until the end of the day. Please?"
"I'm sorry, kid," he answered. "I appreciate the apology, but it's non-negotiable."
Despite Oliver's extensive education and years of experience in dealing with teenagers, he knew that Harvey was better equipped to deal with Charlie. Harvey understood Charlie because the two were so alike in many ways. Oliver had years of firsthand experience supporting the fact that Specters were famously known for being major pains in the ass.
Charlie looked defeated. Her hands jumped to her stomach as it released a long growl, her cheeks flashing pink in embarrassment.
"Did you miss lunch because of this mess?"
Charlie nodded and Oliver reached into his desk, pulling out a lunch box. He took out half of a sandwich before passing it across the table to her. "You're lucky I like you, kid."
Charlie did not feel lucky though she wasn't sure if other principals would put up with her as patiently as Ollie did. He dialed the number for Harvey's office as Charlie took a bite of her half of Oliver's peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Charlie could hear the line pick up on the other end as Oliver set the machine to speakerphone. "Harvey Specter's office."
"Hello, Donna," Oliver said, the hint of a smirk touching his lips.
"What did she do now?"