The Boarding School

-6-

I wait till Dad gets to the school. He walks into the office all stressed.
"What happened?" He asks.
"Your daughter broke someone's arm" Principal Carson says.
"Maddie... Why would you do something like that?" Dad says, disappointed by me.
"It.... It was... An accident" I stutter more, my voice shaky and tears still coming from my eyes.
"It was no accident. It looked like it was on purpose" said the principal.
"It... It... It was my... Anger..." I say slowly and afraid.
"What was the reason you got angry?" Dad says sternly.
"The person kept making fun of me and pushing me around. He's been doing that through almost all of the school year... And he's been taunting me even worse lately. I guess.. I just had enough..." I try to explain. Tears starting to dry and get stuck to my face. Dad pulls out a napkin out of his suit pocket and hands it to me. I wipe my tears. Dad sits in a chair next to me.
"Maddie's disorder is getting worse, and there's not much I can do" Dad says to the principal.
"Maybe she should transfer to an anger-management school, or a special needs school" the principal says to dad.
"That's definitely not necessary.  She should be fine here" Dad says.
"Mr Maddox... I don't think she can handle the stress of so many students in one school or class. I think she should either go to a smaller school or a boarding school maybe?" She suggests. I glare at her.
"A boarding school is definitely not where she should be" Dad says seriously.
"Alright well, I'm not quite sure what else to suggest. But I have suspended Maddie from school for four days. Maybe you can get her straightened out in that time" The principal exclaims.
"Straighten her out? What do you mean by that?" Dad says threateningly.
"I mean maybe take her to a physiotherapy or  something" The principal says.
"I'm not going to do that to her. She has pills to take to help anyways" Dad says.
"Did she take her pills today?" Asks principal Carson.
"Did you, Maddie?" Dad asks. I didn't say anything. So the principal took the assumption that I didn't.
"Take her home, Mr Maddox. I will see you later" the principal says. Dad stands up and grabs my hand and we walk out of the office.
"I'm disappointed in you, Maddie" Dad says roughly. We go outside and get in the car.
"I'm really sorry Dad" I say, so quiet he could barely hear me. Dad just shoots me a look and starts driving.
"This kid has been bullying me for a long time, he didn't stop, and no one helped me stop him" I try to explain.
"You've gone too far, Maddie" Dad says grumpily.
"I... I couldn't control myself" I say quietly still.
"This has got to stop, Maddie" Dad says harshly. I just hang my head, feeling super bad about myself. I don't feel like myself anymore. I don't know what's happening...
Dad parks in the driveway. He stops me before I get out of the car.
"Maddie... What's going on with you?" Dad says, exhaling loudly.
"I don't know..." I whisper.
"Your grounded for a week. No leaving the house, no iPod, no laptop, and you're not allowed to be excused from the dinner table before I say so, okay?" Dad says sternly.
"Okay" I say really quietly and sniffling.
"I'm not impressed. I have to leave work to pick you up from school, hearing that you broke a kids arm? Maddie, what happened? You were so good yesterday. What going on?" Dad says.
"I don't know!" I start uncontrollably crying again. Dad gets out and walks around the car and opens my door. He grabs my wrist and pulls me out. He unlocks the door and walks me in. He walks upstairs, I follow, he gestures to my room.
"Go to your room, think about what you've done, and don't come out of your room till I get home" Dad says. "I'm going back to work. Behave yourself" Dad says and goes downstairs, locks the front door and drives to work. I slowly walk over to my bed and lye down. I sniffle some more, but I don't cry. I grab a tissue and blow my nose. I wish I could tell someone my problems, but I don't have any friends, and my other family members aren't trustworthy enough. Aunt Lisa said I should see a guidance counselor, I don't trust them. I can't tell a random stranger about my life. I close my eyes, I immediately open them when I hear the front door open. I hear Aunt Lisa downstairs, talking to herself. I run over and quietly close my room door and lay back down and pull my blankets over my head. I don't want Aunt Lisa to know I'm home. I know she will try to get all in my business about why I'm home and what happened at school.  I really don't want to tell her. I don;'t trust her anymore. Especially when she said she disliked me.
I fall asleep. But I wake up quickly when I hear my bedroom door open. I keep the blanket over my head.
"Maddie?" I hear a voice say. Its Aunt Lisa. I lay still.
"Maddie, what are you doing home?" She asks. I get up and sit on the edge of my bed. I look at the time. School would still be in session.
"I got sick at school" I lie.
"You look fine to me" Aunt Lisa says, leaning against the door frame.
"I was sick Aunt Lisa. What do you want me to do? Throw up in the middle of class?" I snarl.
"No. But school is important. Maddie... Did something happen at school today?" She asks all stuck-up.
"No. I was in class, felt sick, and came home. That's all" I say, trying to get her to leave me alone.
"I don't believe you" she threatens.
"But... That's all that happened, I'm telling you" I try to explain.
"I know that you did something wrong, then got sent home" she says harshly.
"No..." I try to say.
"That's it. I'm sending you to the boarding school"