Edward's POV
The clear glass door that separated the outside world from the front office of the Elementary School closed behind me. I removed my mask as I was now outside with my wife and daughter who had stepped outside seconds before I did.
"This is an outrage!" Nessie exclaimed, bending down on the concrete to take a closer look at her shoe. She was upset and her thoughts were in a snarl. "Just look at my shoe bow! It has a teeny tiny rip at the top. This is unacceptable."
"Renesmee, your bow is far from the point." Bella let out a long sigh. It was a very frustrating sound. She stood there beside Nessie holding a large manila envelope that contained a thick work packet.
"Not even close to the point." I agreed. My voice was calm while my thoughts were racing.
There was no denying that my little girl had what Bella and I were now referring to as "an Alice moment" in regards to her little outburst about fashion. Witch had resulted in her having a two day suspension from school. Which is why we were given a work packet with all of her schoolwork she would be missing out on completing in class, since she would be home with us for the next two days.
Despite Bella and I giving our daughter's wrong doing a title, that didn't mean that we were excusing her negative behavior or playing he blind eye to it. No, not at all. We were very displeased with how she acted at school. She knows better than to display that kind of behavior.
After all, she had growled at and hit a human child. Thankfully the child wasn't seriously injured and her growling had not triggered any red flags from any of the school staff. Since other Kindergarteners have been known to growl for various reasons when they are upset. Which is why her teacher and Principal didn't think anything of it. They only asked Bella and I to help Nessie with her big emotions, to help her talk them out instead of growling or hitting. Of course we were going to do that.
"Getting suspended from school is serious." Bella's voice pulled me out of my thoughts as she tapped the large envelope she held.
"This is a cry in shame! First my bow gets ruined and now I get kicked out of school." Nessie complained in an overly dramatic tone as she stood up. "This isn't fair."
"Nessie, you didn't get kicked out of school. But you did hit a kid." I began, keeping my voice leveled.
"Yes I did. I'm kicked out of school forever." She interrupted me. Suddenly she threw her hands up. "It was in the name of fashion!"
I shook my head. "Hitting is wrong. Do you understand that?"
To say the least, I wasn't pleased with her at all for displaying violence. That was not something that we Cullens took pride in or were Bella and I teaching her. Yet, it happened. And I was having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that my sweet little girl would result in slapping a human child. Over something as simple as having an opinion about bows that go on shoes.
This was ridiculous and I knew she no doubt picked up some of this behavior from my spiky haired sister. Though Alice had never hit anyone over disagreeing with her fashion scene, she has been known to have intense arguments over the latest styles of clothes. Most of those disagreements were with my wife, of course. Though I didn't actually think that my daughter would mimic Alice's behavior, in a way. That Nessie would end up displaying strong opinions for clothes or footwear, like my sister would.
It now seemed that I needed to have a talk with Alice about what was appropriate to say and do around an impressionable little one.
"Yes. I know it's wrong to hit." Nessie nodded.
"Not only wrong," Bella said. She was now down on Nessie's level, looking into her eyes. "But you could have really hurt that little boy." In a fast past tone that no human could hear, she added. "You are a lot stronger than the other children. Do you realize that?"
"But I didn't hit him." Nessie explained. "Not really. I only tapped him on his cheek because he doesn't like my fabulous fashion style. It wasn't my fault his tooth popped out."
Bella and I shared a look. Our daughter was trying to get out of trouble by using her logic on us. She may have not actually slapped her classmate as her teacher believed but her hand still made contact with the child's face.
"That still doesn't excuse your behavior." I said, pinching the bridge of my nose.
"Not all." Bella agreed.
Nessie stood there, not saying a word. Her chocolate brown eyes were looking at Bella and I. I didn't have to use my talent to decrypt her discombobulated thoughts to understand that she was very upset. She wanted us to agree with her. Which neither myself, nor Bella was about to do.
Without warning Nessie dropped her pink backpack and matching lunch box on the cement. She turned around and ran, her purple fancy dress, following behind her as she ran, keeping a human speed as she darted around the corner. She was headed towards the direction of the Kindergarten gate.
'She's upset and on the move. Where's she going?' Bella had let down her shield. She got up and went after our little girl. "Nessie, come back here."
"Never!" Nessie yelled.
Bella was behind her at once. I picked up the pink backpack and lunchbox that were carelessly abandoned on the ground and was on my wife's heels.
We didn't chase Nessie very far. She ended up planting herself front and center at the Kindergarten gate that was closed and locked. She sat there with her arms around her legs and her head resting on her knees.
"Nessie, why did you run off like that?" Bella asked, approaching her.
Nessie picked up her head but didn't speak a word. Her bottom lip stuck out in a pouty way. Her lips began to tremble as her eyes filled with tears. Her thoughts were no longer upset but sad.
Seeing her in that state my resolve crumbled. I went to her, sitting on the grass and putting my arm around her. That's when her tears began to spill.
"You're having a hard day. I can see that." I spoke softly.
"Uh-huh." Was her only response. 'I love my shoe bows.'
From her mind I saw her greatest fear. What she was most scared about over this incident since Bella and I weren't agreeing with her. The reason that she ran from us and why she was sitting here in the grass crying. It seemed like it should have been a small worry but to my five-year-old daughter it was a very big concern.
"I know." I said. "Your shoe bows are great and you can continue to wear them."
"Really?" She sniffed. Her eyes, puffy red, and full of tears looked at me.
I nodded my head.
"Good. Because I have a passion for fashion and don't want to change my style." Her little voice trembled as more tears slid down her face.
Right at that moment I saw just how much of a fashionista my child is. Bella realized it too as she sat on the grass, on the opposite side of me. Nessie was now sandwiched between the two of us.
"That's what the tears are about? You're worried that you won't be able to wear bows on your shoes anymore?" Bella wondered, stroking Nessie's hair.
"Yes." Nessie scrubbed the tears on her cheek with the back of her hand. "That and not being able to go to school anymore."
"You're still going to school. Just not for the next couple of days." Bella said quickly.
Since Nessie was clearly having a hard time grasping what the concept of being suspended from school meant. I tried to think of how to explain it in a simple way.
"Since you laid hands on a classmate, which is never okay to do. You have to stay home till Wednesday. It's meant to be a punishment." I said, rubbing her back.
Nessie thought about what I said. She stood up, her eyes darting from her mother to me and back again. The gears in her little mind were spinning as a light bulb turned on and an idea - a connection was made.
"So it's like a timeout from school?" She asked, trying to figure out if she was understanding correctly.
"Yes." Bella and I agreed in unison.
"Oh." She sighed. "I'm the only one who gets a timeout because I hit someone?"
"Precisely." I said.
"Yes." Bella nodded her head.
Nessie looked embarrassed as she stood there. Bella and I took the opportunity to explain why hitting was wrong. Nessie then gave each of us a hug and promised to never do it again.
Satisfied with her behavior Bella and I got up off the grass. We were ready to leave. She took hold of Nessie's hand while I grabbed her backpack and lunchbox. As we walked to the parking lot my phone made a small noise, telling me I received a text message. I pulled it out of my pocket and flipped it open to reveal a rather odd message.
'Alice told me everything. Seems that I need to teach my niece what the first rule of KFC is.' Emmett had text.
Confused at what he meant, I stared at my phone.
"Edward, is everything okay?" Bella asked. At this point we were already next to my car and she was waiting patiently for me to unlock it.
"Yeah, love. Em is texting me and he isn't making much sense." I admitted.
"Oh." Bella shrugged her shoulders. 'So he's just being silly, Emmett, more or less. Nothing out of the ordinary with that.'
I chuckle at her thoughts she was sharing with me as I fished my keys out of my pocket and unlocked the car. She opened the back door and got Nessie situated while I quickly sent him a reply.
'What's KFC?' I typed out and pressed send.
As I walked around to the drivers side another text came in. Once more I looked at my screen and opened up the message.
'KFC (Kids' Fight Club).' Emmett's text read. 'First rule is to never throw the first punch...just make sure you throw the last punch.'
I groaned. Of course it was in my brother's nature to say something like that. I could picture him finding this whole situation comical. I quickly typed out a reply, telling him not to mention that to Nessie, since we weren't trying to glorify her behavior.
With the message sent I got in the car and turned it on. Before Bella could ask what Emmett had texted me, which I knew she would. I handed her my phone, letting her read it.
"Of course Emmett would say that." Bella giggled and rolled her eyes.
"What did Uncle Em text?" Nessie's little innocent voice chimed in.
"Nothing." Bella and I both spoke at the same time.
I then threw the car in reverse and headed out of the school parking lot.
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I'll update as soon as inspiration finds me and I have more little Nessie stories to add. Until then, thanks for reading.