Author's Note: This one was fun to write. Gotta love Anna! Anyways, I will apply a warning on this story for mild language, just in case. Enjoy! :)


Mama Bear

Anna hung the phone back on the hook, heaving a weary sigh. This was the second time this month. How on earth did these things keep happening? And if it happened again, she swore she would step in and do something about it. As long as she was around, no one would hurt her Charles ever again.

The woman stormed to her car and fired it up, stomping on the gas pedal all the way to the school. She gripped the steering wheel tight, ignoring the yellow traffic lights as she sped through every intersection, not wanting to waste any time.

Whoever that brat was, she would give his mother a piece of her mind. She wouldn't hold back. She'd lather it on thick, just as long as her hooligan son never bothered hers again!

She parked at the school, not paying any mind to her crooked parking job, and she stomped with intention to the front office. She slammed both her hands on the receptionist's desk.

"Where's my Charles?" she demanded, breathing heavily, looking wild eyed at the woman.

The receptionist backed away slightly, biting her lip. "You must be…Chuck's mother," she said. She pointed to the principal's office. "Right that way, ma'am."

Without even a thank-you, Anna marched with full force toward the door with the glass window with the printed word "PRINCIPAL", and thrust it open. Charles was sitting in a chair in front of the principal's desk, at first looking wide-eyed and then slowly turning his head away, staring down at his lap. The other boy, Charles's bully, was sitting in the chair beside him. By the looks of it, that kid was a punk. Someone who could end up in juvenile detention in the near future. Longish hair, baggy clothes…He had a smug look about him, like someone who always got away with things.

A man, whom Anna assumed was the bully's father, wore a hard look like he was ready to pound someone to the dirt. Anna sized him up. He was a bulky figure, about 200 pounds of muscle, maybe about six feet tall. He had unkempt hair and a beard to match, and was dressed in a stained, worn out t-shirt and jeans. He reeked of cigarette smoke. Ugh, repugnant, Anna thought. It was a wonder where his son's behavior problems came from.

The principal sat at his desk, his face weary, but ready to get this over with. "Hello, Mrs.–"

"Don't 'hello' me! What is the meaning of this?" Anna planted barbs into her tone, although her eyes were more directed at the bully's father.

"Look, Ma'am, we're here to discuss what happened."

"I'm not in the mood to discuss," Anna hissed. "I want results! It is totally unacceptable how you are handling this bullying problem! This is the second time in one month and I'm not going to take it anymore!" Now she was addressing the other parent in the room. "And don't think I'm going to go easy on you, mister! Your son is the reason we're here in the first place."

The man rolled his eyes, a scoff escaping his lips. "Think I don't know that, lady?"

His mocking attitude boosted her fury even more, and she edged closer to him, her face as serious as death. "Well, if you ask me, your child isn't the only one who needs an attitude adjustment."

"And it's none of your damn business how I raise my kids," the father spat back.

"Sir…Ma'am…let's just keep calm now…" the principal attempted to mediate.

"Oh, it became my business once your kid laid a hand on mine," Anna said through gritted teeth.

"Not my fault your kid is such a pussy," said the father.

The room fell silent. Anna stood frozen, her body tensing up tenfold, her fists balled, her dagger eyes now turning into nuclear bombs. Charles grimaced and hid his face behind his hands, preparing for the fallout of this meeting.

Everything took a turn for the worst, with a barrage of swear words and insults gushing at the bully's father, from demeaning his parenting ability to snidely remarking on his physical appearance and smoking habits. Every time the principal tried to cut off her tirade, she snapped at him to shut up and kept going. It was a surprise she didn't break out into violence. Now Charles curled up within himself, hoping the angel of death would take him out of the room.

After about ten minutes of this, Anna and Charles were "excused" from the building, cutting the whole meeting short and having accomplished nothing.

Anna managed to get her last words in as Charles led her out the door. "Mark my words, I will have your boy suspended! Expelled!"

On the way to the car, Anna's body was still shaky. She let out deep breaths to calm herself. The nerve, the absolute nerve! She was the one told to leave? They excused her? What about that hobo, that lousy excuse for a parent who just called her son a… Oh, Anna couldn't even repeat it. It made her think dark thoughts about that man. She wanted to find some dirt on him, any reason to get Child Protective Services to bust down his door…

Anna didn't even realize how lost in her mindspace she was until she heard her son mumble, "Was that really necessary?"

His mother hesitated, and exhaled before answering. "Don't you worry, I will make sure that ruffian boy doesn't come anywhere near you again–"

"That's just the thing," Charles cut her off. "Sometimes you just get…too involved."

Too involved? Anna took some steps back mentally to evaluate. Had she crossed the line? Was her reaction not justified? Okay, she had to admit, she did have a tendency to get a little…passionate. But again, was she not justified?

"Charles," she began, trying to figure out her next words. They climbed into the car, and she turned the key into the ignition. "I just…want you to be safe. Not have to worry about getting hurt. At school, of all places. The one place children are supposed to feel safe."

"I can handle myself, Mom," said Charles. He fidgeted in his seat, and was staring at his fingers as he played mindlessly with them. His tone perhaps didn't carry the amount of confidence he had hoped. Anna could tell he wanted to prove himself capable, but the reality was he couldn't seem to stave off the bullies.

Anna passed a peripheral smile at her son, still keeping her eyes on the road. "I know you can, sweetheart. But this has gone on for too long. Something has to be done."

Charles was staring out the passenger window watching each car pass by. His expression was blank. "But you don't need to do anything."

"Nonsense. I need to do what it takes to make this stop."

Charles was now clenching his fists. "No, Mom. I don't want you to do anything. I'll be fine, I promise."

His mother hardened her grip on the steering wheel, veering sharply into another lane. "You'll be fine once I get those responsible the comeuppance they deserve," she said with gritty determination.

A sigh was all she got in response. A surrender. There was no talking her out of this.

No one said anything else for the rest of the way home. Charles went straight up to his room and closed the door. It seemed he spent a great deal of time there, especially lately. He was usually on his computer working on some personal project, ignoring everything else in the world around him.

Anna took a seat on a living room couch and gripped the bridge of her nose with her fingers. As much as she tried to assert power wherever she could, the truth was, sometimes she felt totally helpless. Dealing with bullies and their parents, sure there was something to be done about that. She could get that problem solved easily with a few phone calls and some choice words.

However, the one problem she couldn't seem to solve was Charles. His…reluctance to do anything to help himself. She knew for a fact he didn't have anyone he could call friends. He didn't talk much at school, unless he was answering questions in class. He sat by himself at lunch, he was the last picked for partners and teams in gym class, and furthermore he was teased relentlessly. Anna just didn't understand. Charles was very bright, kind, responsible, and reliable. He was an upstanding young man, why didn't his peers take to him? Why wasn't he making the effort to put himself out there, to show everyone the admirable traits she knew he had? Why was he alone? Why were kids so cruel to him?

Goodness knows, Anna had tried everything she could think of. She encouraged him to join clubs, like the Chess Team or the Math Olympiad. He would go, but after a few weeks his attendance tapered off. The one complaint she heard from him was that the kids in those clubs "annoyed him". Also, she would talk parents into inviting Charles to their kids' birthday parties, hoping that would give him enough confidence to make some friends. But that had the opposite effect. Charles instead felt more isolated, like he didn't belong there, and that his invitation had been a fluke.

It seemed that Charles felt he was destined to always be alone, and that his behaviors indicated that he didn't want that to change. And that made Anna soften up, hurt in her heart. Her anger…her fury that she unleashed today, it was for more than just chewing out those who offended her and her son. It covered up her own sadness, the hopelessness she felt.

She had been praying. She prayed every single night that her Charles, her precious boy, her baby, would have at least one friend in his life. Someone who could bring out the best in him, someone who could accept him for who he was, someone he could simply…have fun with. Smile, laugh, relax, feel comfortable around. It wasn't too much to ask, was it? If every other child could have friends, why couldn't her Charles?

Her thoughts were interrupted when the telephone rang. She clenched her fists. It'd better be the school to apologize. She was ready to give them another earful.

But the voice on the other line did not sound like official business. It was warm, familiar…her sister-in-law, Lisa.

"Hello, Anna! I'm so sorry this is short notice, but could I ask you a favor?"

Anna was relieved. She didn't think she could stand dealing with the school any longer, and talking to a family member certainly helped to calm her nerves. "Oh, of course, Lisa! What do you need?"

"Bill and I were planning on going out on Friday evening," Lisa said. "Do you think you could come over and watch the kids while we're gone?"

Anna thought about it. She had nothing planned for that night. She could take Charles with her over to Bill and Lisa's, not having to worry about him being home by himself.

And then she wrinkled her nose when she remembered who else would be there. She loved Bill and Lisa, bless their hearts, but their rapscallion son, Fly… If there was one person she did not want her boy associating with, it was him. He was trouble, just another kid without any respect for anyone and anything. Just the type that gave Charles trouble at school, much like the boy in the principal's office today. She didn't understand how such a child came from Bill and Lisa, and why they weren't harder on him.

But then, it would only be for a couple of hours. Charles would bring his computer with him, giving him something to do to pass the time. Hopefully his interaction with his cousin would be as limited as possible. Anna would make sure Fly didn't step any toes out of line.

She replied, "Of course. I'll be right over. Don't you worry about it."

Lisa thanked her profusely, and the two women disconnected the line. Anna would have to tell Charles of their new plans on Friday night. He wouldn't like it, but what else could she do?

Anna still remembered the wish she had for him. She was filled with hope that sometime this year, or maybe over the summer break, which would begin very soon, that Charles would find that friend. She would look into summer camps or any other program. She wasn't giving up.

Maybe this summer could be the one that could finally turn things around. That, like the seasons, could change Charles for the better, from the cold empty winter, to the bright blossoming spring.