Though she looked vaguely rattled by Laura’s calm certainty, Annabelle wasn’t giving up the pretense of being the victim without a fight. “Well, she has to be sending out some kind of message for him to keep chasing her. She’s nothing but a little slut.”
Even Mariah finally looked taken aback by the venom in her daughter’s voice. “Annabelle, that’s enough. You’re not helping the situation.”
“I’ve heard enough,” Don said, his expression resigned. He faced Betty. “What’s next?”
“I have no choice but to suspend her,” Betty said. “I think you can expect legal action from the Dawsons. If there’s so much as a hint of another incident, Annabelle will be expelled.”
Laura thought Annabelle finally looked shaken, rather than defiant, but it was her mother’s reaction that startled Laura. Mariah looked genuinely stunned, as if she’d had no idea where this was leading.
“But that will all go on her record,” she protested. “Don, we can’t allow Annabelle’s future to be destroyed by a childish prank.”
“There is nothing childish about what Annabelle did,” he said. “She’s old enough to understand exactly what she was doing. Like Betty said, we need to think about how we’d feel if someone did this to Annabelle. We’d be out for blood.”
“But she’s our daughter,” Mariah argued. “We have to be on her side.”
“I’m always on her side,” he said. “But sometimes that means making sure she learns that actions have consequences.”
“What if we just took her out of school?” Mariah pleaded. “We could get her into a private school. None of this would have to come out. Wouldn’t that be best for everyone?”
“You’d send me away?” Annabelle said, her eyes wide.
“Not far,” Mariah said. She rushed on, clearly warming to the idea. “There are excellent schools in Charleston or Columbia. I know it’s already late in the fall, but I’m sure we could pull a few strings, find a spot for you somewhere. Don’t think of it as punishment, sweetheart. You’ll have so many more opportunities. You’ll make better friends, the sort of friends who’ll last a lifetime, friends from good families with great contacts.”
“And where’s the money for this expensive private school to come from?” Don asked practically. “Out of her college fund? Then what?”
“I’ll ask my parents,” Mariah said desperately. “When I’ve explained, they’ll want to help.”
Don shook his head. “I’m against this, Mariah. Annabelle needs to stay right here and learn a lesson. You’ve gotten her off the hook every single time she’s done something wrong. That needs to stop.”
“We’ll talk about this at home,” Mariah said, refusing to back down.
“And in the meantime, Annabelle is suspended for two weeks,” Betty said. “I’ll see that she receives her assignments, so she can keep up with her schoolwork. At the end of the two weeks, we’ll see where we stand. If you decide you want to pursue a transfer, let me know.”
“Could I go back to my last class now?” Annabelle asked. “You know, so I can at least say goodbye to my friends before I’m banished?”
“I’m afraid not,” Betty said. “And you’re not allowed on school property until the suspension is lifted. That includes all school activities. You won’t be permitted to attend Friday night’s football game or to participate as a cheerleader.”
The full implication of the punishment finally seemed to sink in. “But Greg counts on me being there,” she protested weakly.
“I’m sure he’ll manage just fine without you this once,” Betty said, her gaze unyielding.
“I guess I’m supposed to live on bread and water, too,” Annabelle remarked bitterly.
“It might not be a bad idea,” her father muttered. “And I’m going to stand right there while you post a sincere apology to Misty on your page online. Once that’s done and had time to circulate, you’ll no longer have access to the internet. I believe we’d better take away your cell phone, too, so you won’t be texting anyone. Now let’s go.”
Laura waited until the door had closed behind them before turning to Betty. “That actually went better than I’d anticipated,” she said. “Don Litchfield seems like a reasonable man, a really concerned parent who gets what a huge mistake his daughter made.”
“Seems that way,” Betty agreed. “But I wouldn’t do any celebrating just yet. Something tells me Mariah’s just warming up.”