The house fell silent after Sue ran to her room.
In the living room, nobody moved for several seconds.
The only sound was Brick chewing Sue's stolen fries.
Finally, Frankie sighed.
"Oh God."
Mike rubbed his forehead.
"Yeah."
Neither of them sounded angry anymore.
Just tired.
Frankie looked towards the hallway leading to Sue's room.
"Do you think we were too harsh?"
Mike didn't answer immediately.
That was never a good sign.
"Maybe... a little."
"A little?"
"Frankie, you took the burger out of her mouth."
"I was making a point."
"You gave it to Brick."
"I was recycling the punishment."
Brick raised his hand.
"For the record, I appreciated the punishment."
"Nobody asked you, Brick."
Frankie sighed again.
"She's never done anything like this before."
Mike nodded.
That part was true.
Sue never got into trouble.
Ever.
Axl caused trouble.
Axl attracted trouble.
Sometimes trouble seemed to actively seek Axl out.
Sue usually followed the rules so enthusiastically that she always made the rest of the family look bad.
Frankie folded her arms.
"Maybe... if she behaves herself for the next few weeks, we could reduce the punishment."
Mike looked at her.
"Reduce what?"
"The punishment."
"We literally just gave it."
"Maybe three months was excessive."
"Frankie..."
"Maybe one month."
Across the table, Axl immediately objected.
"That is so unfair."
Everyone looked at him.
"If that had been me, you'd have doubled it."
Mike snorted.
"If that had been you, we'd have to start measuring it in years."
"Exactly! See? That's favouritism."
"That's not helping your argument."
Axl pointed down the hallway.
"Why does Sue get special treatment?"
"Because Sue doesn't usually tell teachers to go fuck themselves," Frankie replied.
"Neither do I."
"You absolutely would."
"...Fair."
Frankie shook her head.
"This is the first time she's ever caused a problem."
Brick finally looked up from his book.
"Statistically speaking, first incidents are often followed by additional incidents if they are not addressed appropriately."
Nobody answered.
Brick pointed at Axl.
"He is the prime example."
"Hey."
"The data supports my conclusion."
"I don't like being referred to as data."
"I don't care."
Axl looked offended.
Brick calmly returned to his book.
"I cannot deal with two Axls living in this house."
"That's fair," Mike admitted.
Frankie pointed at Brick.
"Just finish your food."
The phone rang.
Everyone froze.
Frankie immediately stood up.
"Good."
She grabbed the phone.
"A distraction."
Mike nodded.
"Please."
Frankie picked up the receiver.
"Hello?"
There was a pause.
Then her expression changed.
She froze.
Completely froze.
Slowly, she lowered the phone from her ear and covered the microphone.
"It's the school."
Immediately every Heck at the table went silent.
Mike stood up.
"What?"
"The school."
"Oh no."
Frankie looked panicked.
Mike looked panicked.
Even Axl looked nervous.
Brick simply turned a page.
Mike hurried over and stood beside Frankie.
"What happened?"
"I don't know."
"What if they're calling about the expulsion?"
"They can't expel her."
"You spent the last hour convincing yourself they could."
"Well, now I'm worried they can."
Meanwhile, Axl quietly stood up.
Brick stood up too.
Neither parent noticed.
The two brothers exchanged a glance before casually slipping into the living room towards the second telephone.
Frankie uncovered the microphone.
"Hello?"
The voice on the other end sounded polite.
"Mrs Heck?"
"Yes."
"This is the school secretary calling on behalf of Principal Barker."
Frankie immediately began apologising.
"I'm so sorry. We had no idea she'd said that. She's normally so well behaved and—"
The secretary interrupted gently.
"I'm sorry?"
Mike stepped forward.
"We're just... concerned about what happens next."
"What happens next?"
"With Sue."
There was another pause.
"Mr Hubert does not have the authority to expel students, especially not on his own, so you don't need to worry."
Frankie and Mike exchanged confused looks.
"What?"
"The principal specifically asked me to reassure you of that."
Now both of them looked completely lost.
Mike carefully chose his next words.
"I'm not sure Sue told us everything."
"I see," the secretary replied gently. "Then perhaps it would help if I explained what happened from the beginning."
"Please."
"When Sue entered class this morning, Mr Hubert believed she was a new transfer student."
Frankie sighed.
"Yeah... that actually sounds like something that would happen to Sue."
Mike nodded.
It wasn't funny.
But unfortunately, it wasn't surprising either.
"Sue informed him that she had been in his class for three years."
"And he still didn't recognise her?" Mike asked.
"Correct."
Frankie shook her head.
"How could he? He's supposed to be her teacher."
"Sue then asked him to check the class register. Once he did, he realised she was indeed enrolled in the class. Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of the situation."
Both parents frowned.
"He then began questioning Sue's attendance in front of the entire class."
Frankie stared at the phone.
"My kid has perfect attendance! She's been trying to get the perfect attendance award since she started middle school. She used to make me drive her to school even when she was sick because she didn't want to miss a day. Even when I was sick and wanted to stay home, she'd practically drag me into the car because she refused to miss school."
The secretary paused before continuing.
"Mrs Heck, Mr Hubert attempted to justify not recognising Sue by accusing her of frequently skipping class. He claimed that because her seat had been empty for the past two weeks, he had no reason to remember her. He then informed Sue, in front of the entire class, that he intended to take her to the principal's office and recommend that she be suspended or expelled."
The mood in the room shifted instantly.
"Did he know the real reason she'd been absent?" asked Mike.
"Yes."
"He knew she was in the hospital?"
"Yes."
The secretary's tone hardened.
"Principal Barker later confirmed that Mr Hubert had received your email informing him of Sue's accident and subsequent hospitalisation. He had even replied to it."
Mike's jaw clenched.
"So he knew exactly why she wasn't there."
"Yes."
Frankie slowly covered her mouth.
"Oh my God..."
"Even after Sue reminded him that she had been absent because she was recovering in hospital after nearly dying, Mr Hubert continued accusing her. He insisted that because he had no recollection of her, she must have a history of poor attendance regardless of this particular absence. Several students later confirmed that he suggested her absence reflected poorly on her commitment to school."
"At that point, Sue became understandably frustrated. She swore at Mr Hubert, informed him that she intended to report his behaviour to Principal Barker first, and walked straight to the principal's office. After that we called you at school so she could go home to rest. "
Mike's expression darkened.
Frankie looked horrified.
A loud crash came from the living room.
Everyone froze.
"Fuck him!" Axl shouted.
Silence.
The entire family slowly turned towards the second telephone.
Another pause.
Then Brick's voice.
"Axl, weren't you the one who told me to be quiet?"
"Oh, shut up!"
"Axl."
"Hi."
"Brick."
"Hello."
Frankie closed her eyes.
"Are you two listening to this phone call?"
"No."
"Yes," Brick answered.
"Brick!" shouted Axl.
"What? They already know we're here."
He walked into the kitchen holding the second receiver.
Brick followed behind him.
Frankie pointed at both of them.
"Hang up the phone."
Neither moved.
"Now."
Axl sighed dramatically.
"This is important."
"So is breathing. Hang up."
Brick immediately returned the receiver.
Axl followed a few seconds later.
"Fine."
"Take your food and go to your rooms."
"We're victims too."
"NOW."
Axl grabbed his plate.
Brick picked up his book... and Sue's fries.
The two disappeared down the hallway.
A moment later, two bedroom doors closed.
Frankie rubbed her forehead.
"I'm sorry."
The secretary gave a small laugh.
"It's quite all right."
Mike took a slow breath.
"Please... go on."
The secretary took a slow breath before continuing.
"Following Sue's meeting with Principal Barker, an investigation was opened immediately."
Frankie and Mike exchanged another glance.
"We interviewed the students who witnessed the incident, reviewed the correspondence regarding Sue's absence and spoke to Mr Hubert."
Mike nodded silently.
"And?"
"The witness statements were remarkably consistent."
Frankie's grip tightened around the phone.
"They all confirmed Sue's version of events."
Nobody spoke.
"Mr Hubert, however, denied making several of the statements reported by Sue."
Mike frowned.
"But the witness accounts contradicted his version."
Frankie slowly lowered herself into a chair.
The colour drained from her face.
Her eyes unfocused as the evening replayed itself in her mind.
"Oh..."
"Principal Barker therefore concluded that Sue's complaint was credible."
Mike looked towards the hallway.
"So... she was telling innocence."
"Yes."
The silence that followed felt much heavier than before.
"Principal Barker has decided that, effective immediately, Sue will be transferred into a different mathematics class. She felt it would be inappropriate for Sue to remain in Mr Hubert's classroom following today's events.""
Frankie nodded.
"Thank you."
"As for Mr Hubert, he will remain under formal classroom observation for the foreseeable future."
"What does that mean?" Frankie asked.
"It means members of the senior leadership team will regularly observe his lessons. Any further concerns regarding his conduct during this period may result in disciplinary action like his dismissal."
Mike's eyebrows rose.
"He could lose his job?"
"If further misconduct is identified, yes."
Frankie stared at the table.
"I..."
She couldn't finish the sentence.
The secretary's voice softened.
"Principal Barker also wished me to make one final point absolutely clear."
Both parents listened carefully.
"Although Sue's language towards Mr Hubert was inappropriate, the school recognises that it was an emotional reaction to an extremely distressing situation."
Frankie closed his eyes for a moment.
"So there will be no formal disciplinary action whatsoever.
""No detention? No expulsion? No disciplinary action at all?""
"Principal Barker believes Sue's behaviour cannot be considered in isolation from the circumstances that led to it."
Frankie swallowed hard.
"Oh..."
"Furthermore, she asked me to let you know that, should your family decide to pursue a formal complaint or legal action regarding Mr Hubert's conduct, the school is fully prepared to cooperate. If you have any further concerns, the principal is available to schedule a meeting. "
"Thank you, but there's no need. We trust the school's judgement. Have a good night." Mike said, politely declining the meeting as he dodn;t want the trouble to go to the school meeting since it was already resolved.
Mike slowly placed the receiver back on the hook.
Neither of them spoke for a moment.
Finally, he turned to Frankie.
"I think..."
He glanced towards Sue's bedroom.
"...we need to go talk to Sue."
Frankie didn't answer immediately.
She simply stared down at the table.
Then she shook her head.
"Mike..."
Her voice cracked.
"She... she kept trying to explain," Frankie stumbled over her words. "And we accused her before we even knew what had happened."
Mike closed his eyes.
He looked towards the hallway.
"We accused her before we even knew what had happened."
Another silence settled over the room.
"We did exactly what that teacher did," Frankie whispered. "We wouldn't listen... We're horrible parents."
Mike didn't have an answer.
He gently rested a hand on her shoulder.
"We'll talk to her," he said quietly. "We can still make this right."
At that moment, all they could think about was their little girl, sitting alone in her bedroom, crying because she believed that, once again, nobody had cared enough to listen.