The principal sounded more confused than anything as he addressed Charlie.
"Mr. Thornton, your son is a good student. He is at the top of his class and has never gotten below an A on an assignment. He's quiet, studious, and his reading level is far above average for a first grader. But today he choked another child in the middle of class.
"Thankfully, he wasn't seriously hurt so the other boys' parents aren't going to press charges. I've never seen Billy do anything like this before and it came out of nowhere…can you tell me if something is going on at home?"
"Everything's fine," Charlie replied gruffly. "I'll talk to him. Billy never gets into fights; that other kid must have started it."
"See that you do. It is unfortunate but, due to school policy, we are forced to give him a week's suspension. You can collect the assignments for the upcoming week from Mrs. Brant on your way out."
