How Green Becomes Wood

Art Major, happily hopping around, delighted by the sight of his friend, didn't notice Austin, but Dark did. Looking down at the teen, he politely interrupted Art to say, "You are Austin, yes? I believe my sons know you."
 
Austin jumped slightly at being addressed. "Um, yes, sir, I think so," he admitted. "Are Xander and Alec, uh, yours, sir? I know them both. I sit next to Alec for a couple of classes."
 
"They are mine, yes," He replied proudly. Looking down at Austin for a few moments longer, he said, "It was a good thing you did, speaking up in there. Nothing is ever improved if nobody is brave enough to speak honestly about the problem."
 
Austin blushed from the base of his neck to the roots of his dark blonde hair. "Thank you, sir," he stammered awkwardly, dropping his gaze. "I just..." He moved his hand in a pointless gesture, "wanted to do something right for once? Sorry, sir."
 
"Yes, sir. It was nice to meet you, sir." He looked up at Dark briefly, taking in his full height for a moment longer before ducking his head again and hurrying down the hall.
 
After giving a nod to the teenager, Dark turned his attention back to his friend, and not long after his other friends, Rose and Hetty, Milo's English teacher, joined him, and he was able to very briefly catch up with them before he knew it was time for him to head home.

Once arriving there, he explained to Daizi the entire mess that had happened, allowing himself to be more... colourful, than he was at school.
 
The rest of the school day went by fine, although the gossip mill was ablaze with whispers about the fight and the meeting with the parents and principal. Some very interesting conclusions were being drawn, and Alec was doing his best to hear them all! It made for a very interesting end of the day. As they were leaving, Becky came to Alec almost crying because she'd heard that Xander and Alec were getting permanently kicked out. It took him a bit to calm her down and assure her that, no, no kicking out was happening. At least, not yet.

They finally got out of school and headed home several minutes later than usual. Alec barely waited for Xander to stop the van before he was running for the front door.

"Mama! Ba!" he called, half-falling through the door. "Ba! Mama!" He smacked the salt and almost fell over again trying to pull off his shoes.
 
"Yes?" Daizi asked, hurrying to the front door, "Is everything okay? Did something happen?

Her husband followed languidly after, baby on his hip, still in a bit of a mood after the day's activities.
 
Alec finally got his shoes off and half flung himself at Daizi. "So much has happened! So much drama! And it concerns us, but for once, I have no idea what is actually happening! Other than the fact that we are not getting expelled. Probably." He glanced at Dark. "Are we getting expelled? I had even less to do with this than Xander!"

"Hey, leave me out of this," Xander said, coming in behind Alec. "I had nothing to do with it, I want nothing to do with it, I know nothing at all." He glanced at Dark. "Except that apparently your ties with take-your-pick-bad-or-good-group is what saved me from getting punished, according to the grapevine."
 
"Ah, I understand," Daizi said, a wry smile crossing her features, "In that case, for once, I believe I have more information about the drama at school than you do, Alec."

"Neither of you are getting expelled," Dark explained matter-of-factly, "The bullies on the football team were being bullies, the members of the team who no longer want to behave that way attempted to stop it, and next thing anyone knew, we were having a large-scale parental meeting on bullying."
 
"Oh, that's good to hear," Alec said, moving aside as Xander nudged him out of the way so he could walk into the house. "Because I heard," he started counting them off on his fingers, "the entire football team is getting suspended, skateboards and skates are being destroyed by gangs, skateboard gangs are targetting the football team, Ba is heading up the football team next year, Ba is heading up the football team this year as an emergency replacement for the horrible football coach, Ba is destroying the football team, Toby was refused the football team and is trying to get revenge.... And a couple of others, but I think that covers the most interesting ones."
 
"Imagine what the test scores at that school would be if the student body put as much effort into studying as they did into rumors," Dark said drly, and then, after a pensive moment, "They did break Toby's most sentimental skateboard, though. And there is no fixing that."
 
Alec gasped. "No! Not the grinding one!"

Xander winced. "Man, even I know about that board. That's what they broke? The Grind for Life one? That sucks."

"We should take him some cookies or something," Alec said sadly. Then he hesitated with a frown. "Wait. Of the boys that were involved, was one of them Mike?"
 
Alec winced. "I saw Mike overhearing Toby talking about it last week, and he suggested Toby bring it."

Xander glanced at Dark. "Did the other three give them big enough hell for that?"
 
Dark frowned down at the floor, and would have crossed his arms, were he not holding his daughter, who was busy squirming, babbling, and not understand a thing about the world, "There is too much reckless cruelty in youth... Not even just in youth." He raised his eyes, "I do not know if there is a way to give sufficient hell. But I do believe, for once, the school is taking it seriously."
 
"A lot of people mess with Toby, mostly because I don't think he gets it most of the time, and they find that funny," Alec sighed. Then he brightened. "But! He does actually have a very nice group of friends. Skater types. One of them is this girl with the most epic curly hair I've ever seen. They look after each other really well."

"Oh, yeah, I've seen her around. She does the old-school quad rollers, right?" Xander asked. "She gets told to take them off a lot, but she's good. I've seen her around."
 
"I'm sure that brings him and his mother a lot of comfort to know," Daizi said gently, gradually making her way back to the living room so they weren't all just crowding the front hall.

"I just hope Bernice actually commits to finally changing how the school handles bullying." Dark said, rubbing Ivy's back, "You both have a year and a semester left there, I do not want anything to get worse and have either of you risk being more harmed than you already have been."
 
Alec grinned and hugged Dark and Ivy in as wide of a hug as he could. "Thank you for caring! We'll be alright! It is only one more year plus a bit. We can handle it." He let go and wandered toward the kitchen. "Do we have snacks?"

Xander hesitated a moment. "I think I'll make him cookies or something," he remarked but didn't immediately move. After a moment, he said, "Thanks. For believing me and having my back."
 
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