Chapter 7 Rigorous Father

I feel so embarrassed when I hear everyone laughing at me. As I lie on the ground, an unfamiliar anger takes over my body. I make a fist and push myself up. Looking around, I see the guy who humiliated me that morning. I don’t know what’s happening to me, but I walk over to him and grab him by the neck. He struggles, but his thin frame can’t resist me. I punch him and push him down to the floor. I want to kick him, too, but just then, two teachers appear and hold me back.

“You two, get to the principal’s office immediately,” one of them says, and we are both dragged out of the room.

The walk to the office is short, and we are seated separately to wait.

“You’re going to regret this,” the boy warns. I look in another direction and say nothing.

“Can you hear me? Don’t ignore me,” he insists, speaking oddly as he holds a tissue to his mouth, which is bleeding.

After about half an hour of waiting, his mother arrives. She gasps when she sees her son, and I feel nauseous watching the scene as he hugs her like a small child seeking comfort after a fall.

After kissing her son, she sits him down and turns to me.

“How dare you touch my son?” she asks angrily.

I turn my head away and ignore her. For a moment, I find it amusing that she has to defend her precious son against a girl.

“How rude!” she exclaims, walking toward me. “What were you thinking?” she demands.

“Stop it!” I look up as I hear my mother’s voice. She turns to the boy’s mother.

“Is this how you raise your daughter? By hurting my innocent boy?”

My mum walks over to me and caresses my face.

“I know my daughter, and I’m sure there’s a reason for her behaviour.”

The woman wants to argue more, but falls silent when the secretary invites us into the principal's office.

We sit down, and the principal asks us what happened. He wants me to talk first.

“I was bullied this morning. He tried to get close to me and asked me to undress, but I refused. Later, in the dining room, he tripped me as an act of revenge in front of everyone, and I got angry.”

My mom holds my hand and quietly tells me she supports me, but I become more frustrated when the boy claims that I was the one who tried to seduce him by offering to let him touch my breasts. He says he didn’t like me at all, so he refused my advances. I supposedly took revenge by pretending to fall in the dining room because of him, putting him in that situation.

Finally, the principal stated that he does not tolerate aggressive behaviour on school premises and warned us that we would be dismissed if it happened again.

The day is about to end, and my mum is taking me home. She tries to get

me to talk, but I don’t want to. This is my problem, and she can’t be with me all the time, so I doubt she can help me.

In the evening, when my dad returns home, we all gather around the dining table. I’m staring at Spencer’s empty seat, but my focus shifts when my dad addresses me.

“How was school today, Cora?” he asks, his frustration evident. I notice my mum placing her hand on his under the table. I know he’s asking for a reason, so there’s no point in hiding anything from him.

“One of my classmates bullied me, and I got in trouble because of it,” I reply briefly. My mum must have told him everything anyway. They are the perfect couple; they never argue in front of us, and even when misunderstandings arise, they resolve them quietly. They always keep each other informed, especially when it comes to their children.

“You ended up in the principal’s office because you misused your power against the boy,” Dad says.

I lower my gaze in embarrassment. How could I tell him it wasn’t my fault?

“I’m sorry. I lost my temper a bit.”

Dad sets down his cutlery and wipes his mouth with a napkin.

“Cora, you know the influence our family has on the community. We have businesses even in Europe. The Astor family has a perfect reputation, and you can’t behave like this.”

Mum looks meaningfully at him, but Dad ignores her this time.

“Dad, I’m sorry. It’s just that he hurt me first.”

“I don’t care who started it. I never want to hear about your fighting again. You became an Astor years ago, and you’re expected to be a lady with excellent manners. A lady and an Astor never behave like that. Do you understand me?”

Even though he isn’t shouting, his voice is authoritative and reprimanding. I want to argue with him. I want someone to acknowledge that the boy humiliated me, but I know what his reply would be. Even if I’m bullied or harmed, I should have found a way to escape the situation as a lady. He would expect me to let the boy hit me and wait for help.

“Now, go to your room and think about what you’ve done,” he says. My mum wants to intervene since I didn’t even get a chance to eat my supper, but Dad makes it clear with a glance that she won’t be able to change his mind.

I slowly stand up and leave the room, but I can still hear Dad speaking.

“Find her a psychologist,” he says.

“No, I don’t think she needs one, Ray. You know she gets bullied at school all the time. Spencer and Ethan always defended her. Now that they’re gone, you can’t expect her to let others bully her.”

“Caroline, this is not normal. She can’t fight at school. Find her a psychologist, or I will look for a school that will teach her proper manners." He stopped for a second. "You choose, Caroline! A psychologist and treatment, or a school where your daughter won't be able to come home for a long time. You won't even be able to contact her there, and I guarantee she'll lose that extra weight she has."

His words frighten me. I don’t want to be locked away. My mom tries to calm him down.

"Ray! How can you say this?"

"She is overweight! I don't wonder why her classmates bully her. Just look at Carla! Do you know why she never faces bullying at school? It's because she learned to maintain her weight and always acts like a lady."

"You shouldn’t compare Cora to her, and you know why!" My mom attempts to silence him.

"Yes, I know exactly why: Because I let you lead me back then!" Dad snapped. I knew exactly what he meant, and it hurt me deeply.

I want to eavesdrop on their conversation, but I don’t like the idea of the servants seeing me standing there, so I head to my room instead.