Kathleen. My wife. The floor tilted again, more violently this time.

“What did Carrie do?” I asked, forcing myself to focus.

“She broke another student’s nose,” the principal stated flatly. “The girl had been bullying her, apparently making comments about her mother’s reputation. Carrie snapped during lunch and attacked her. It’s a zero-tolerance situation here. Carrie is expelled, effective immediately.”

I nodded slowly, the pieces of a puzzle I didn’t understand beginning to form a terrifying picture. “I’ll take her home. Thank you, Miss Spencer.”