The next day, after he finished teaching at the university, Nicolae went to the twins' school. They attended George Washington High School, a private school near the university.
He had to meet Miss Haney, Altair's homeroom teacher, who had called him yesterday and asked him to come to school to discuss the fight between Altair and a senior in his school.
Charles Gilbert was waiting with his father in the principal's office. The middle-aged man looked intimidating with a curt face, wearing expensive suits and a designer watch.
He looked in contrast to Nicolae, who only wore a simple short-sleeved shirt with his long hair tied carelessly with a red ribbon as usual. This time he was not wearing his ripped jeans, but his casual pants and leather boots made him look very relaxed, unlike Charles's father.
When he knocked on the door, Ron Gilbert thought the young man was one of the students who needed to see the principal.
"Who are you looking for?" asked the middle-aged man, frowning.
"Miss Haney told me to come. I will just sit here," Nicolae said, plopping himself on one of the available chairs in the room. He had been here several times so that he was quite familiar with the situation.
Usually, Miss Haney would ask for information from both parties and give a warning to the respective parents to have a sit down with their children and educate them better.
Nicolae usually only nodded, but he refused to punish Altair if the boy fought to defend himself. Often, arguments between teenagers ended on its own, especially if the trigger was girl problems.
What often happened was that a senior had a crush on a girl, and when he confessed to her, the girl would turn him down because she said that she liked Altair. The rejected student would then get angry and take it out on Altair after school or at recess by trying to beat him up.
Altair was usually able to defend himself well because he was taught self-defense by his father and some of his family's personal bodyguards. He had never lost any fights.
His defeated opponents would return home with swollen faces and bruises and raised questions from their parents who thought their son was bullied in school.
When all parties were confronted at the principal's office, usually the parents whose child started the fight would return home embarrassed once they knew that their son was at fault. The issue would usually end there. Altair also normally would openly reject the love confession from the girl who became the source of the problem.
Nicolae was ready for a similar scenario today, so he wasn't too worried. He glanced at Charles, whose face seemed bruised, and the corners of his lips were still bleeding, sitting in his chair with a wry expression.
Ron Gilbert watched him with probing eyes, wondering why this young man sat casually in the principal's office. He was just about to ask who Nicolae was and why he was there when Miss Haney arrived. The woman in her 40s with gold-rimmed spectacle sighed as she closed the door behind her.
"Good afternoon, gentlemen. Sorry for taking up your valuable time." She sat in a chair opposite the three people. Before she continued speaking, there was a knock at the door. "Please, come in."
"Good afternoon, Miss Haney," Altair, who opened the door, greeted his homeroom teacher, and closed the door behind him. "Sorry, I'm late. I was helping Miss Collins bring books from the class to the teacher's room. Hi, Dad..."
Ron Gilbert and his son looked surprised at Altair's words. They all glanced at Nicolae, who was sitting next to Miss Haney.
Was that man Altair's father? they thought in surprise. Not only did Nicolae look so young, but he was also very handsome. But when the two looked at Altair and Nicolae alternately, they realized that the two looked very similar.
'Gosh... such a young father! No wonder his kids all screwed up!' Ron muttered inwardly.