Letting You Go (Stone Lake 1)

Gavin doesn’t respond with words instead he kicks Larry hard between the legs. The boys all hiss and I don’t have balls but I even wince. That has got to hurt. Larry screams out, curling into a ball.

“What’s going on in here?”

My face jerks up as Principal Issacs walks in the gym, his face full of anger.

Shit…

Chapter Thirty One

Gavin

“Gavin, we called your father to come and get you, son.”

“I figured you would,” I tell the principal. My body is sore, my lip is swollen, and I’m mad at myself because I let Luna get hurt. All in all, it’s been a shitty day.

“He… uh… wasn’t able to come down right now. Technically, you’re nineteen, but I can’t let you leave school grounds alone. It’s against our adopted policy. You’re still a student here, despite your age.”

“What you’re not saying is that my father was drunk off his ass and can’t drive. Hell, even if he could, he would be driving on a suspended license.”

Principal Issacs looks at me while rubbing the side of his face. You can tell that the man is uncomfortable. I don’t know why that brings me pleasure, but it does.

“Gavin, I know you got things stacked against you son, but you can’t let that define who you are.”

“Where’s my daughter?” My gaze moves from Issacs to Mr. Marshall as he walks through the door.

“Mr. Marshall, I’m sorry to bother you today. I understood from your wife that you were getting ready to head out of town,” Principal Issacs says, holding out his hand for Luna’s dad to shake.

“I am. Which means I’m in a hurry. What the hell is going on in this school Issacs? Do I need to transfer Luna over into private school to make sure my daughter is protected?”

“Mr. Marshall, I can assure you that we keep a close eye on all of our student body.”

“Obviously not,” Luna’s dad growls.

“Luna had skipped class and was in the gym at the time of the incident. There aren’t supposed to be kids in the gym during that time.”

“Luna doesn’t skip class. She knows better,” her father denies. I rub the back of my neck. Damn it, I never meant to get Luna into trouble.

“I skipped, Dad,” Luna says coming out of the inner office where the principal placed her when we first got here. He kept me in the main office. Larry was evaluated by the nurse and transported to the hospital for a cast. Principal Issacs spoke with Luna quickly and after he finished talking with Larry’s dad, he came in here to speak with me. I know it’s bad and it’s probably going to get worse. I don’t really give a fuck, but I don’t want the fall out to touch Luna.

“Why would you do…” he stops talking as he notices me sitting here and his face hardens as his eyes narrow and he pins me with his gaze. “You. You’re at the root of this, aren’t you?”

“Sir—”

“Mr. Marshall—”

“Let’s go, Luna.”

“Dad, I still have a class and—”

“Get your stuff and let’s go, Luna, I won’t tell you again.”

“Mr. Marshall, Luna’s not in any trouble. She’ll have to attend detention the rest of the week, but—”

“I’ll see that she does, but right now I’m taking her home.”

“Very well, I’m sorry to delay your travel arrangements.”

“You,” Mr. Marshall says, ignoring Principal Issacs and instead looking directly at me. “You’re no better than your father.”

“Dad, stop it. Gavin was defending me!”

“Shut up, Luna,” her father growls, and I can tell by the shocked look and the sob that escapes Luna that he’s never spoken to her like that before. She goes visibly pale.

“I know exactly what you were doing with my daughter, Lodge. You’re not pulling anything on me. Here’s one for you, though. You stay away from my daughter. I forbid you to so much as get within a hundred feet of her.”

“You won’t keep me away from Luna, sir,” I tell him, bitterness welling up inside and burning me.

“That’s where you’re wrong. If you so much as sniff the wind in Luna’s direction, I’ll yank her out of this school and put her in private school. You’ll never see her again. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal.”

“Gavin,” Luna cries. Before I can respond to her, Mr. Marshall grabs her by the arm and hauls her out of the room.

I stare for a few minutes at the empty space where they had been standing. Then I look back at Principal Issacs.

“I’d say it’s not me letting my life define who I am. I think other people do that just fine, Mr. Issacs.” I tell him. “I’ll call Wally’s dad to come and get me.”

“You’ll be suspended for a week, Gavin.”

“I figured.”

“There may be charges filed.”

“Charges?”

“You broke Larry’s arm. His dad will be out for blood.”

“He pushed Luna and was hurting her.”