Chapter 12: Eva, lick my saliva.
Author.
Eva was stunned by the turn of events. She could hardly believe the words coming from Garvin's father.
He seemed to think his wealth and generosity to the school gave him the right to belittle her. Just because he was powerful and had made significant donations, he believed he could treat her as if she were less than anyone else.
"I promise you, Mr. Slade, your accusations are wrong," Eva said, meeting his gaze with unwavering determination. "I'm telling the truth. Garvin has been bullying me relentlessly, and it's gone far beyond just verbal taunts. He's hurt me both physically and emotionally."
"So, you're saying my son is the liar?" he asked, his tone dripping with disbelief. Garvin's father raised an eyebrow, skeptical.
Eva took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. Garvin has been bullying me for days."
"You think you can just come here and lie to me, and I'll believe you? You little liar!" Garvin's father shouted, his face flushed with anger. "I see that you're out of your mind," he continued, his voice laced with venom. "How dare you accuse my son of being a bully? Do you know how serious that accusation is?"
Eva felt the sting of his words, as if her voice was being silenced. She tried to speak up, but he cut her off.
"You're the one who's a bully," he sneered. "You pushed my son out of a tree, and now he has a broken leg. That's not just a simple accident, that's assault! I won't stand for this anymore. I'll have you arrested for what you've done to my son!"
Eva felt threatened and scared by his words. She didn't know if he was merely threatening her or if he really meant it. "Please, sir, I'm telling you the truth. Please don't arrest me," she begged.
But he only laughed. "This is what you people do. You're bullies who seek attention. You come from a poor background, and that's why you don't know how to behave. Your parents didn't teach you well, and that's why you misbehave wherever you go."
"Please, sir, it was just a misunderstanding. I wasn't angry. He poured water on me from the tree where he was sitting, and then I stood up and shook the tree. He was the one who started it, looking for trouble." Terror gripped Eva.
She tried to explain the situation to Garvin's father, but he refused to listen. "I'm a man who raised my son well, and I won't let this situation go unpunished. You need to be arrested."
Tears streamed down Eva's face uncontrollably as she felt scared and helpless. She couldn't understand why her father hadn't arrived yet, especially since the principal had called both him and Garvin's father.
Just as she was thinking of him, a knock was heard on the door, and the principal said, "Come in." Her father burst into the room and saw her crying. He quickly ran to her and asked, "What's happening? What am I hearing? Tell me, why are you crying?"
"And what the hell is this?" Garvin's father demanded, looking at her father with disgust. "This is Eva's father," the principal explained.
Garvin's father sneered. "Oh, this man? Looking like this?" He pointed at her father, who was wearing his carpentry uniform.
"Sorry he came late, it's because of the carpentry contract he has with the school," the principal added.
"So, the girl who bullied my son and pushed him from the tree, her father is just a carpenter?" Garvin's father scoffed.
"Why would you favor a common carpenter over me, a wealthy man?" Garvin's father asked, his voice filled with indignation. Eva was shocked by the way he referred to her father.
"Please calm down, Mr. Slade," the principal tried to intervene.
"No, I won't calm down!" Garvin's father refused. "I see why you're favoring this carpenter over me. Is it because he has a contract with the school, or because you're paying him cheaply? That's why you're taking his side, isn't it? I've contributed to this institution in every capacity, and this is how you repay me?"
"I've had enough of this nonsense!" Garvin's father exclaimed. "I demand action from you, Principal!" He glared at Eva with disgust. "This girl has broken my son's leg, and I want her to pay for it."
The principal tried to intervene. "Mr. Slade, please, let's calm down and talk this out. We're all parents here; we can find a way to resolve this."
"Talk what out?" Garvin's father sneered. "I'm not interested in hearing any excuses. My son's leg is at stake!"
"But, sir, I'm telling the truth! Please listen to me!" Eva tried to speak up, but Garvin's father cut her off.
"Shut up, you little liar! You're just trying to cover your shame! You're a disgrace!"
"Principal, you need to take action!" Garvin's father demanded. "This girl needs to be expelled from this school immediately! She can't be allowed to stay here, especially since she's just a scholarship student who doesn't know her place. She's trying to harm my son, and who knows how many others she's hurt?"
Eva felt a wave of fear, knowing that a wealthy and influential man like Garvin's father could make things difficult for her. Her father stepped in, looking at her with a reassuring expression before turning to Garvin's father.
"Please, Mr. Slade, don't do this to my child," her father pleaded. "She's telling the truth. Please forgive her. She's a sweet girl who would never harm anyone."
"Let's talk this out," her father said, trying to reason with Garvin's father. "This might be a misunderstanding. Please, forgive us."
But Garvin's father remained unmoved. "Let me tell you the only thing that can make me reconsider," he sneered. "If your daughter licks my son's shoes, that's the only forgiveness I can offer right now."
Eva was shocked and humiliated by his demand. Her father was also taken aback. "Please, I'm begging you," her father said, trying to appeal to Garvin's father's humanity. "You want my daughter to lick your son's shoe? That's not something you can ask anyone to do."
But Garvin's father was resolute. "If you want me to consider letting your daughter stay in this school, she will have to bend down and lick my son's shoes," he repeated, his voice cold and calculating.
Eva knew how much her father had sacrificed to get her into this school. The countless exams she had taken, the numerous books he had bought for her to read and write. This scholarship meant everything to her, and now Garvin's father was threatening to take it all away. The only solution, he claimed, was for her to lick Garvin's shoes.
She looked at Garvin, who was smiling at her with a smug expression. Something inside her snapped. She could do it, she thought. She could actually lick his shoes, just to stay in school. Her father was begging her not to, but she said, "Daddy, no, please don't worry. I will do it."
Eva knelt down, staring at Garvin's shoes, preparing herself for the humiliation. But then, Garvin did something that made her blood boil. He spat on his shoes, leaving his saliva on them, and expected her to lick it. "Licking the shoes without the saliva would be so much easier, but now that there's saliva on it, it's more challenging," he said, smiling and enjoying her suffering.
Eva glared at him, anger burning inside her. But she knew she had no choice. She was trapped.