“Ma’am… I need you to come to the school. Right now.”
It was the principal.
There was something in his voice… something that wasn’t right.
“Okay. Is Andrew alright?”
“You have no idea how serious this is.”
My hands started shaking.
“What happened to my son?”
I braced myself for the worst—that there had been another incident, or that he had been told he didn’t belong there anymore.
There was a pause.
And then I realized why the principal’s voice sounded so strange.
He was crying.
“Ma’am… you need to see it for yourself,” he said quietly.
I don’t remember the drive.
All I remember is gripping the steering wheel and imagining every possible scenario. None of them were good.
When I arrived, the receptionist stood up quickly.
“Come with me.”
We moved quickly down the hallway, past classrooms and teachers who paused to look at me, until we reached the gym.
“Go ahead,” she said softly, opening the door.
I stepped inside—and froze.
