Hurt Me Like You Mean It [BL]-Chapter 43: She was even the bottom

"Yes.." Tiffany’s mother added quickly, emboldened. "We can take this higher if we need to."

Ms. Carmichael finally smiled. But it wasn’t warm.

"You’re welcome to," she said. "Or you can take your daughters home right now, if you prefer."

Both women blinked, caught off guard.

"Academically," Ms. Carmichael continued, unfazed, "Madison and Tiffany are barely passing. They spend more time worrying about appearances, gossip, and other people’s lives than they do studying. That lack of focus shows."

Madison’s mother bristled. "That is completely inappropriate—"

"—And perhaps," Ms. Carmichael went on, voice steady, "that insecurity is why they target students like Lacey. Students who perform better, who mind their work, who don’t need to tear others down to feel relevant." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

The words landed hard.

From outside the office, faint raised voices could be heard, enough for Lacey to stiffen where she stood beside Lance.

Ashley shifted closer to her instinctively, holding her hand for support.

Inside, Tiffany’s eyes burned. "That’s not true!"

Madison’s face had gone red, nails digging into her palms.

"You don’t get to speak right now.." Ms. Carmichael said sharply, shutting it down immediately. "Your mothers are doing that for you."

Silence followed, thick and uncomfortable.

"So.." Ms. Carmichael concluded, folding her hands, "you can accept the punishment already assigned, or you can remove your daughters from the school for the day. Either way, the record stands. And this behavior stops here."

The two women exchanged tight looks, pride bruised, anger simmering.

Outside, Lance exhaled slowly through his nose, his jaw set.

"Whatever happens," he said quietly to Lacey, "you did not do anything wrong by standing up for yourself."

Lacey swallowed, eyes fixed on the office door.

The office door flew open a moment later.

Madison’s and Tiffany’s mothers stormed out first, heels sharp against the floor, faces tight with fury.

Madison and Tiffany were dragged along behind them, their earlier bravado completely gone.

Tiffany’s mother spotted Lacey immediately.

Her steps changed direction, anger zeroing in like a missile.

"This isn’t over. You little brat." she snapped, marching straight toward her.

Lance moved without hesitation.

He stepped in front of Lacey, his body a solid wall between them. His expression was calm, but his eyes were anything but.

"You’re done here," he said flatly.

Tiffany’s mother scoffed, craning her neck as if she could see past him. "You think this scares me? I don’t care who you are. Your sister needs to learn her place."

Lance didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t need to.

"You also need to learn your place.." he replied evenly. "This is a public space, stop acting like a shrew and walk out with whatever dignity you and your daughter still have left..."

For a split second, it looked like she might push it further. Her lips trembled with words she wanted to spit out.

Instead, she leaned back just enough to glare past him. "This isn’t over.." she repeated, venomous. "You’ll hear from us."

Then she yanked Tiffany forward and stormed off, Madison and her mother following close behind.

The hallway slowly exhaled.

A beat later, Ms. Carmichael stepped out of the office, her expression composed, as if the confrontation hadn’t rattled her in the slightest.

"Mr. Dixon.." she said, nodding at Lance, "you can take Lacey home."

Lacey looked up sharply, surprised.

"I suggest you have a conversation with her.." Ms. Carmichael continued calmly.

"Not to scold her, but to help her manage situations like this without it turning physical."

Lance nodded once. "I will."

Ms. Carmichael then turned to Ashley. "You should head back to class."

Ashley stiffened. Her fingers tightened around Lacey’s hand instinctively.

"I—" she started, then stopped, clearly torn.

"If you skip.." Ms. Carmichael added gently but firmly, "you’ll be punished too."

Ashley swallowed, eyes flicking between Lacey and Lance.

Lacey squeezed her hand once, firm and grounding. "Go," she said. "I’ll be at home when you get back."

Ashley hesitated. "Promise?"

"I promise," Lacey replied, lips curving slightly. "I’m not disappearing. I’m just going to your place earlier than you are."

That seemed to settle her—barely.

Ashley nodded, reluctantly letting go before turning and heading down the hall, glancing back twice before she disappeared around the corner.

Lance finally looked down at Lacey.

"You okay?" he asked quietly.

Lacey rolled her shoulders, lifting her chin. "Yeah."

It wasn’t the full truth but it was close enough for now.

"Let’s go home," Lance said.

Lacey nodded, as the disciplinary committee senior handed her bag and walked them to the entrance to ensure they left the premises.

Lance looked back one last time, did Ashley have feelings for Lacey? There was something about the look in her eyes that didn’t settle well.

He sighed, they were both young and he hoped at least they wouldn’t do anything stupid.

Being in a relationship was stressful, even for adults.

Lacey whistled the moment they stepped into the parking lot

.

"Wow.." she drawled, circling the sleek black car with open curiosity. "Since when are you rich enough to afford this? And don’t tell me you hired a driver too."

She glanced at the man waiting politely by the driver’s door, posture straight, expression neutral

.

Lance pinched the bridge of his nose. He had been terrified when he got the call.

Borrowing Ansel’s car and Benjamin had felt like the fastest way to get there.

It had also come with a price he had no intention of explaining to his little sister.

"Get in," he said shortly. "I’ll get you lunch, then I’ll take you home."

Lacey shrugged and slid into the back seat anyway, stretching her legs out comfortably. "Actually... I’m staying over at Ashley’s. I don’t think I can see Mom right now."

The car door closed softly.

Lance hesitated, then placed a hand on her shoulder before the driver pulled out.

"Lace.." he said quietly, "Mom needs you right now. Dad will always be Dad. But to her... he’s not her husband anymore. He’s just a man she had kids with."

Lacey’s expression softened, the edge dulling.

"They don’t have anything tying them together except us," Lance continued. "So try to be a little more understanding. For Mom’s sake. Okay?"

She nodded slowly. "I... I didn’t think of it like that."

A pause.

"And I don’t like you staying over at Ashley’s," Lance added flatly. "I don’t want any funny business."

Lacey burst out laughing. "We’re both girls! Even if we banged, it’s not like I’d get pregnant."

Lance gasped. "Where did you even learn to talk like that?"

-_-

And she was even the bottom!