"Indeed," said the principal, getting comfortable in his chair. He had completely ignored me sitting here while we waited for my parents to arrive, but now he was looking at me like I was nothing more than a piece of gum he stepped on and couldn't get off.
To say it pissed me off was an understatement.
"Tian Mu was being disruptive in her class today, not paying attention to what the teacher was saying and instead, decided to… draw," he continued, looking down his nose at me. At least if he was looking down it, I didn't have to see the long hairs growing out of it.
"I don't believe that for a second," scoffed my father as he squeezed my hand. "I am going to assume that she was quietly minding her own business when the teacher thought she could stump her with a question. When she was spectacularly proven wrong, the teacher got offended and sent her to you."
Who said Daddy doesn't know me well? It had only been two weeks since Mom and I left the hospital and one week at school, but he could easily deduce the situation.
The principal, knowing that that was exactly what happened, shifted uncomfortably in his seat, not looking at anyone.
"Yes, well," he started, his gaze turning to Mom to see if she would take his side. They might know all about tiger moms here in City D, but they were about to meet a Mama Bear. Good luck with that, asshole.
"I think we should reassess where she stands in terms of curriculum and place her properly. Clearly, your teachers are not giving her what she needs to succeed," sneered Mom as she opened her purse and took out a small container of hand sanitizer.
"I don't think that is the problem," grumbled the principal.
"Did she, or did she not answer the problem that the teacher gave her?" snapped my mother as she put away the bottle and closed her purse.
"I don't know," answered the principal, clearly willing to die on this particular hill.
Mom and Dad shared a look and a smile that, if I was the principal, would have me hiding under the giant desk in the middle of the room.
"Sweetie," said Mom, turning to look at me. "What grade do you think you would be able to pass?"
"Grade 12," I said honestly. It wasn't like I was a genius or anything, but I had already done elementary school and high school, as well as three years of medical school and then two years of residency training. Because I had no life outside of school, I was able to push through faster than most others, but that didn't mean I didn't work my ass off.
The principal scoffed loudly at that. "She is a six-year-old child. Clearly, you have been indulging her too much if she thinks that she is some sort of genius."
Mom nodded her head and stood up; Dad and I followed suit seconds later. "Thank you for your opinion. We will be withdrawing Tian Mu from your institution. Honey, go with her to the classroom and grab her stuff. She won't be coming back."
Dad grunted and gently pushed me out of the room before closing the door behind him. As soon as I heard the click, Mom was already jumping down the principal's throat about his comment.
Mama Bears, nothing beats them in a fight.
"I am worried that if you go straight into grade 12, you are going to have problems," said Dad softly as I led him through the white corridors of my school. "You would be so much younger than them, almost 12 years."
"What do you recommend?" I asked cocking my head to the side and looking at the man who was my father. He was a government worker, some sort of office manager for an accounting department. He looked the part. He was tall and skinny, and his glasses were so thick I was surprised I was surprised that they weren't starting fires every time the sun hit them. His black hair was beginning to turn silver at the temples, but his brown eyes always looked like he was the only one in on a joke. Best of all, he smelled like safety.
He let out a sigh, but before he could give me an answer, we made it to my classroom.
He jerked his head inside, and I quickly entered and got my stuff together, cleaning out my desk. If Mom said I wasn't coming back, there was nothing on Earth that could drag me back here.
Ignoring my teachers and the other students, I darted out the door and straight into Dad's arms.
"Are you okay, baby?" he asked, looking down at me and studying my face. Resting my chin on his stomach, I looked up at him and smiled. Getting out of here was the best way to make sure that everything was okay.
"I am now," I told him.
"Good," said Mom as she walked down the empty hallways, her heels clicking on the tiles. "Let's get going."
"Where to?" asked Dad as my small family left the elementary school and got into the car.
"Trinity High School," said Mom as she got into the passenger seat of the car. She looked over her shoulder and saw that I was already in my booster seat with my seatbelt buckled. I loved that she babied me enough to feel special but understood that I could do a lot of things on my own.
The name she called out didn't mean much to me, but it had Dad's eyes widen.
However, being the perfect husband that he was, he didn't say anything; he just started the car and pulled away into traffic.
It took about 20 minutes to get to the High School that mom had in mind, and I could see why Dad's eyes widened when she mentioned it.
It looked like money. There was an iron gate with a guard out front, waiting for Dad to come to a stop before we could enter the school grounds. The building in front was literally covered in ivy, the vine clinging to the white brick surface of the school.
"Purpose?" demanded the guard. Dad turned his head to look at Mom, letting her take control.
"We have an appointment with the headmaster. Last name Wang," said Mom, only cocking her head to look at the guard. I was surprised by her actions, but, like Dad, I wasn't going to say anything.