Achieving Unbroken
Chapter Four

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"I woke up pissed off today, and lately everyone feels fake."
There For You | Martin Garrix & Troye Sivan

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Jason
[Monday, April 24th, 2018 - Two Weeks Ago]

"Mr. Oakland, thank you for coming to meet with me. I just wanted to have you and your son here so we could have a quick discussion about his behavior lately, including the little show he put on out in the quad today."

"Mr. Kinley, I'm so sorry about the little act my son put on. I don't know what's gotten into him lately, but my family and I appreciate your cooperation with this situation."

Bull. Shit. You know what's going on, everyone does, and you haven't been a ray of sunshine either. So back off.

"Of course, Mr. Oakland. Our students are our number one priority at Bringham, and we will do whatever we can to help the situation. So, if you don't mind, I'd like to bring Jason in so we can discuss this together."

I hear footsteps coming towards the door to Mr. Kinley's office, and soon enough he opens the door and uses his hand to beckon me inside the room. I grudgingly get up out of my chair and sit in the chair next to my father.

"So, Jason, I would like to get your point of view on the confrontation that you and Mr. Fields had earlier today during lunch, and discuss the consequences that come with the violent actions you both took against each other. Now, I've already had private discussions with some of the witnesses, Fields' friends, Miss Harris, Charlie himself---"

"Wait, you talked to all of those people already?" Kinley just nods, and gestures for me to give my side of the story. I roll my eyes at his lack of response, and start.

"Well, I was going to a picnic table near the back of campus, and bumped into him on my way. I kept walking, and he made this comment... And it just set me off. I played his little game, and it's my fault for doing that, and he kept saying things, and..." Both the principal and my dad look at me expectantly, like an English teacher when you don't say a complete sentence. "They can't disrespect him like that," I whisper, insanely quiet. They don't hear.

"What was that, Jason?" My dad asks. I look up at him, and hate rises in me, looking at all of the fake concern he's put on his face for Mr. Kinley.

"Nothing. Just got upset."

Kinley doesn't look convinced.

"Is it true that he made comments about your br---"

"They can't disrespect him like that," I say, much louder. The sad, sympathetic look is on my dad's face again.

"Son, I think---"

"You would've done worse if you heard him." I snap, glaring at my father. Looking back at Kinley, I try and focus back on what we're here for. "What's the punishment?"

He clears his throat---I probably just made him extremely uncomfortable---and straightens the papers on his desk.

"Two weeks suspension. Mr. Fields has been given three, because of the fact that he started the fight and violated our 'no bullying' policy." I sigh, glad that it's recognized that Charlie was being a asshole. I can handle two weeks of absence, but three? It may not seem like much, but a whole week can make a world of difference when you don't put effort in, like Charlie.

"I can work with that." Kinley smiles, weakly, but then it disappears completely and is replaced with something else.

"Jason, we want to make sure that you're getting through this properly. It's been a year, and while that isn't much time to recover from an incident of such aptitude, we think that it might be a good time to begin a healing process. You could start seeing a counselor, maybe get back into the things you used to do... Your family and the staff here at Bringham just want to help."

This has to be a joke. Is this guy for real?

I can tell that Kinley is scared of my reaction. I haven't been the calmest person this past year.

And he has every reason to be scared. I'm fucking pissed.

"Hold on, is this--- is this you guys trying to tell me to get over it?" I look at Dad. The way he's looking at me makes it easy to predict the next word that's going to come out of his mouth:

"Son---"

"Stop! Don't 'son' me. You know who else was your son? The one who you're telling me to just get over? I should be allowed to 'heal' at my own damn pace, without any pressure from you people. So, if you don't mind, I'm going to excuse myself because I don't need to be a part of this."

I almost leap out of the office chair and sprint out the door before anyone can try and stop me. I charge out of the office, out of the building, and out over on the other side of the parking lot. I sit on the curb of the sidewalk, in front of the library building, and rub my hands over my face over and over.

I wish they would stop.

"Jason?"

A feminine voice interrupts my aggressive string of thoughts. Turning around, I see curly, dirty blonde hair and long legs.

Lilla.

She doesn't look as put together as usual, and I think she's aware, because she is running her fingers through her hair a lot and swiping at the corners of her lips, like her lipstick got smudged.

"Are you OK?"

"Fine." I say, turning away from her. Footsteps indicate to me that she's coming closer, and before I know it, she's next to me on the curb. Before she has the chance to psycho-annalyze me, I speak. "So, where are you coming from that's got you all cautious?"

My notice of her appearance alarms her. She runs her fingers through her hair more, wipes her lips, dusts off her shirt that isn't dirty.

"Lots of work for the musical, that's all." She is a huge part of the theatre program at our school, and the Spring Musical is just around the corner. I personally don't believe what she said, but I don't press her. "Where'd you come from that's got you all hostile?"

"Lots of being told I need an attitude adjustment, that's all." She smiles. I notice that she does that a lot, smiling, and I don't know why. But it gives off a comforting vibe, that she's just happy, and again, I don't know why.

"Kinley getting on your ass?"

"Oh, not just Kinley. My dad too, putting on this false sympathetic act and calling me 'son'. If the rest of my family was there I would consider it a full intervention, which I don't doubt is coming after today."

Lilla's quiet. I think she's trying to comprehend the comment about my family and all that, thinking of what to say next.

"So, speaking of today, what kind of punishment are you getting? Hopefully whatever Charlie gets is worse. And how's your face?"

"I get two weeks suspension. Charlie got three, thank God, and my face is numb, which is noticeably better than it was in the nurses office."

"Well, I suppose that's alright."

Silence takes over for awhile. We watch the cars drive by, and for just those moments, everything is terrible but it's also nonexistent. The cool April air blows around, having a refreshing effect in contrast to the blaring sun.

"If you ever need, you know, someone to---"

"I'd really rather not, Lilla."

"Jason..." Her voice turns into more of a whisper, filled with concern and emotion and not something I want to take part in right now.

"Don't."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see her hand raise, as if to pat me on the shoulder, but it drops and she gets up from the curb. Without a word, the clicking of her boots gets quieter and quieter before I hear the sequence of her opening and closing her car door, starting the vehicle and pulling out of the lot.

My dad exits the office building and looks around, eyes searching for me, when they finally find what they're looking for. Our gazes lock, and I get up, walk towards him, and together we walk to the car.

The car ride home is silent and tense. So is everything when we get home. I feel bad for Penny and Carl, they didn't do anything wrong, but this is our family. This is my dad and I.

This is how things are now.