On the way back to school, Kookie and I occupy ourselves singing Euphoria together. It is a perfect morning as far as I am concerned, bare knees notwithstanding. I drop him at the door, not foreseeing the drama that is about to unfold.
I head off to run some errands. Thank God for cellphones. Five minutes after I leave the school, I receive yet another call from the principal. Two in one day is definitely too many.
She begins to tell me what has occurred in the space of the three hundred seconds following Kookie’s return to the school. I wasn’t there, but I will paint the scene to the best of my ability.
Apparently, there is a cretin attending my daughter’s school. A Neanderthal masquerading as a teenage boy. While Kookie and I were driving back to school, said caveman was getting ready to approach my daughter. Big mistake. Can I say that again? BIG MISTAKE. His timing was horrible.
Just as Kookie was walking through the school doors, this young man walked up to my daughter who was innocently standing at her locker attempting to exchange her math book for her chemistry book. Finally clad in his uniform pants, both knees safely covered so that no girl would faint in the hallway or in the middle of science class, Kookie was striding towards her. That’s when it happened.
The cretin stepped in front of my daughter. Then he unwisely opened his mouth.
“Hey, baby, you’re hot. You want to make out with me after school?”
My daughter, dumbfounded that any guy would actually say that to her, just stood gaping at him. She was decidedly uncomfortable and uncertain what to say, so she turned away from him. He didn’t like that. He reached out and grabbed her arm, hauling her back towards him.
Kookie took exception to this. “Hey!” he yelled from across the hallway. “Get your hand off my sister!”
That’s when things went south quickly. The guy, clearly hoping for both a bruising from my noble son and an expulsion from the private school, reached out and slid his hand over my daughter’s bottom as he pulled her towards him. BIG, BIG MISTAKE.
In response, Kookie flew across the distance separating them. Janna didn’t even have time to react. Kookie grabbed the guy by the arm, dragging him away from my daughter. Right before he punched the guy in the mouth. And the boy then reciprocated. Much to my dismay.
Ten minutes later, I join Kookie and Janna in the principal’s office. Kookie has now been here twice in one day. Sigh. I take in his bloody lip before I approach him, have him open his mouth, and count all his teeth. Whew. Not one bunny tooth is missing or loose, thank God. But there is blood running down his chin. I pull a Kleenex from my purse and wipe off his still adorable jaw.
“Mom,” he whispers softly. “I’m fine. I’m just worried you’re mad at me.”
Mad? That you defended the honor of my precious daughter and the sister I didn’t think you even liked anymore? Why would I be mad? I am over the moon!
And I’m not. My son just assaulted someone. But the guy did ask for it. He assaulted my daughter first. And precious Kookie came to her defense!
I look at Janna. She is staring at Kookie like he is her hero. And he is! Mine too!
“Janna, are you all right?” I ask, concerned. She’s a tough cookie (no pun intended, Jin!), but having a strange guy grab your butt would be difficult for any of us!
Her beautiful, jade green eyes meet mine. “I’m fine, Mom.” Then her eyes fly back to Kookie’s face. “Thanks to Kookie.”
“So, he still has one redeeming quality you can admire, huh?”
She meets my gaze again, and my heart shifts in my chest at the look in her eyes. Part sadness, part relief. Is she also disappointed that they haven’t been good friends for a while?
The door suddenly opens, and the principal walks in.
“Mrs. Franklin,” she bows her head to me briefly. “Twice in one day really is too much. We’re going to have to suspend Jungkook.”
I bristle. “Is that fair? He was just defending his sister who was being sexually assaulted at the time.”
“If he had just pulled the guy away from her, it would have been all right. But he punched him.”
I think I’m steaming on the inside. I’m about to defend Kookie, but he cuts me off. “It’s ok, Mom. I don’t want to be here. I want to go home.”
I glance at him. His head is probably pounding right now. He’s just experienced two acts of violence, in one the aggressor and in the other the recipient. That can’t have been easy. Not even for a guy.
I look at the principal. “And the other boy? Is he suspended too?”
“No. We are expelling him. He clearly broke the code of conduct. We don’t want him assaulting any other girls. Or your daughter ever again. His behavior is prosecutable. You can press charges against him if you want.”
But I realize that he could also press charges against Jungkook for punching him. I look down at Janna.
“No way, Mom. He just touched my butt.”
“You know that isn’t all he did. And that was bad enough! I don’t want you growing up thinking you have to let idiots get away with junk like that.”
“He didn’t get away with anything, Mom. He’s being expelled.”
I let out a deep sigh.
The principal looks at me with compassion in her eyes. “Take your kids home. They’ve had a traumatic day. They can both come back tomorrow. And they can both turn in any schoolwork they miss today. We are just well aware that school will not run smoothly today with them here. Too much drama.”
“Is the suspension going to go in Jungkook’s file?”
“Only our inner-office one.”
I nod, satisfied. “All right.” I turn towards my beautiful set of elder twins. “Come on,” I speak softly, “Let’s go home.”
But we have one stop to make on the way.
