Chapter 8
The third–grade teacher was David Rivas, a local, barely counted as a resident of Lexerity. As he walked toward the classroom, he overheard Xavier saying something about getting punched eight hundred times.
What an arrogant brat! David clenched his jaw and kicked the door open, making it slam against the wall with a loud bang. Figuring that should do the trick, he cleared his throat and shouted, “Who’s causing trouble in here?”
Xavier turned around, and David’s eyes met his.
This guy has no business being here,‘ David thought. Then it clicked–he remembered hearing something about a show being filmed at the school recently. “Are you part of the show crew?” he blurted out.
“Oh, finally someone with some brains, Xavier replied, still arrogant.
David’s face flushed with anger. “I don’t care who you are, but you can’t bully my students”
“Let go of Edwin!” he yelled, trying to wrench Xavier’s arm free. Despite looking young, Xavier didn’t budge at all, no matter how hard David pulled.
Yasmine tugged at Xavier’s sleeve, and he finally let go of Edwin, allowing him to flop back into his seal.
Edwin burst into tears. “I’m gonna get killed I want my mom! I need my mom!”
Xavier scoffed, “What a coward. You were fine a second ago, weren’t you?
David wanted to shout back that this was completely unacceptable, but under Xavier’s icy stare, he was left speechless. Pushing down his frustration, he decided it was time to raise the stakes and headed straight to the principal’s office to call Edwin’s mom, Mary.
Edwin’s family owned a butcher shop, and soon Mary came rushing in, apron on, brandishing a knife. “Who? Who hurt my son?” she yelled. “Get out here!”
Seeing the knife, the crew started to panic–how could everything go downhill so fast? They rushed in to intervene. If Xavier got hurt, they would be in big trouble.
When they charged into the classroom, they found Xavier standing there, completely unfazed
Just then, the door swung open, revealing Mary. Instantly, she felt the overwhelming presence of a rich, spoiled kid wash over her- something she’d never experienced in her humble life. For a moment, she was stunned and gripped her knife a little tighter instinctively.
“Who are you gonna butcher?” Xavier asked her, his tone casual.
Mary snapped back to reality and gritted her teeth, “Anyone who bullies my son.” Her accent was thick, but still a bit clearer than the locals, barely understandable.
Xavier glanced at the crew and said. “What are you waiting for? Call the cops. It’ll help them with their year–end stats. No need to thank
me.”
ir crew stood there, silent.
The
Mary let out a cold laugh. “Go ahead. Call them. You think I’m scared of you? The police chief is Edwin’s uncle, you know.”
Yasmine felt a surge of panic and tugged at Xavier’s sleeve, trying to urge him to leave.
But Xavier stood his ground. “Oh, okay,” he said calmly. Turning to the crew, he added, “Call my dad and tell him his son might get chopped up right here. See if any nearby cops want to play the hero.
The crew was on edge. “No, please! We’re just here to film; don’t escalate this. If this gets out of hand, the whole county will be involved This place was struggling, not just in Lexcrity but all around, from the town to the county and even the province. Having Xavier here to film was like finding a money tree.
If anything happened to him, it would crush the investors‘ spirits–and then all hell would break loose. The entire county would be in chaos.
Chapters
Mary, who had led a clueless life, looked uncertain. It dawned on her that Xavier might actually be someone i
important
Just then, the principal, Joseph Cruz, showed up and quickly pulled Mary aside, lowering his voice. “Have you lost your mind? Do you
have any idea who that is
The people around here all had connections, and Joseph didn’t want things spiraling out of control
Mary frowned. “How would I know? Who is he? Why does he think he’s so important?”
Joseph got angry. “You don’t even know his background, and you’re trying to act tough? Just hand me the knife and go apologize.”
“I have to apologize?”
“Yes! Hurry up! If you don’t, I’ll have your family tree scrubbed of your husband’s name.”
That threat hit home, it worked better than saying she’d go to jail. Mary’s expression changed, and she hesitantly walked over. I’m sorry; that was rude of me. Then she shot a glare at her sobbing son. “What are you crying for? We’re going home.”
“Don’t rush out just yet. It isn’t over,” Xavier said, his irritation bubbling. He wasn’t backing down until he got what he wanted–even if his parents showed up.
Mary looked taken aback. “But I just apologized to you.”
“I meant him.” Xavier pointed at Edwin, his expression grew serious. “I brought Yasmine to school. The second we walked in, I heard him call her a bitch, and he said you taught him that. Now, he needs to apologize to Yasmine.”
The autumn wind swept across the playground, brushing Yasmine’s face. She looked up, confused–Xavier seemed to be standing up for her.
“Um, well… that was just a saying, not an insult. You know how country folks talk, right? We aren’t as polished as you city people!” Mary said, defending herself.
Xavier raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Oh, just a saying? Then why don’t you call your son a “bastard? Three times and I’ll forget about this whole thing”
Mary’s face went blank.
Edwin, still crying, shouted, “No, I’m not a bastard!”
joseph cleared his throat, warning Mary.
Mary took a deep breath and finally managed to say, “Bastard, bastard, bastard. With that, she yanked Edwin’s arm. “Come on, we’re going home.
The comments exploded on the screen.
LAwesome!l
[Xavier is amazing!!
The mother son duo shuffled away, heads down, too scared to look back, worried they might be forced to say something even
even worse.
Xavier finally felt satisfied. He reached over and ruffled Yasmine’s hair. “Alright, time for class. Let’s go.”
The classroom fell silent. The kids looked at Xavier in awe and respect. They didn’t know much, but they saw how fierce Mary was, and here was Xavier, taking her on and corning out on top.
Rumors spread fast. By the end of the day, it was official–Yasmine had a big brother, and he was tough, even tougher than Edwin’s
Suddenly, Yasmine’s desk mate leaned in, excitement in her eyes. “Is that really your brother?”
Envy was written all over her face as she added, “I wish I had a brother like that. Mine just steals my notebooks and pens.”
Yasmine tightened her grip on her pencil, her heart racing. She wanted Xavier to be her brother too, but… She lowered her head and answered honestly, “No, he’s not my brother.” He would be gone after the show was over.
