A pair of human radio serial. This is a fan project paying tribute to well those web serial worm. This series contains graphic violence, strong language, and adult subject matter. Those are discretion advised.
The entire city of Brockton Bay is on high alert as the pair of human menace known as the ABB continues to cover path of destruction. Entire neighborhoods have been deprived of power and water while those few establishments which continue to operate do so under heavy security and constant threat of attack by ABB forces or the explosive savvy tinker known as bakura. With fatalities and injuries piling up by the hour, it is clear that the people of Brockton Bay are under constant threat. Why are we listening to this again?
I was hoping that Brock has the things out. Anything? Well, name this up the place of rec. Perfect for a get to the other.
The second most wanted people of Brockton Bay, I suppose. It's stinks in here. Why the hell did you drag this to this place? Because our finicky little friend with the bomb has a let up all week and the fight.
Her and ABB gave us last week combined with the fact that long is rolling the streets again indicates that we can't take it alone. This means getting some help and it seems like the other day in town alone is with us. Seems like we're the first ones here. You might as well get some in need.
The waitress's coke? No, skitter. She's deaf. The same goes for the chef in the back.
If you want something right on the patch, you just put down. Ah. The one pub in town where none of the employees can hear us. Skitter.
I'm still not the biggest fan of that name. Deal with it. How's your hair? Good enough to work.
For now. Thunder starters. Good to see you. Well, if it isn't Empire 88's reigning sovereign, Kaiser, you didn't say we could bring Groobies.
These girls are my step-daughters. My boys, you were praying for further such commentary before they crush you. Benja. Menja.
This whole affair has gotten far enough out of hand, Regent. The last thing that any of us need now is another enemy. Curried? What the hell do you need to get back in his grip?
Now those knight and father's behind you? Somebody has some favor to leave people there. I love the situation as much as you do, Teddletail. Don't push me.
Quiet. We're here to discuss business, not start another war. I wholeheartedly agree, Kaiser. Let's just remain civil in this gathering.
A figure entered after Empire 88. All the more conspicuous because he was alone. No backup, no show of force. The guy in black and white?
What's his deal? Coil? Can't say it's hard to power it goes, but he's one of the more powerful players in town. Considered himself a chess master.
You know, like a master's strategist, tactician. Controls more than half of downtown with squads of top-notchnots heard from now in the highest end gear. Egg notary from around the world. If he even has powers, he's the only one in his organization he does.
This is the right place, isn't it? It seems to be the only shitpile here that's open. We've been to worse in our time. I think the baddies here will be powered up to show a little decency.
Hey, you're one to talk freak show. Let's see you again, Thoughtline. What's up with those two? Mutering great for the sale?
Monstress, parakemons. Getting their powers did something to their bodies. Transform them into the neon orange lizard men and armed armored blobs. You see there?
Thoughtline specializes in getting the host out of the mutual powers. Hence the motley cliche has with her. Hey Spitfire. You're a babysitter now?
You can fuck right off, bitch. Teddletail. It looks like you finally made something of yourself. I'm going to go to the table of leaders before all the seeds could take them if that's cool.
What was up with Thoughtline? History? Oh, she and Teddletail have been feuding a little. Thoughtline up the ante when she puts Spitfire from us in the middle of trying to recruit her.
Can't say why Thoughtline doesn't like Teddle, but I know Teddletail hates it when people act like they're smarter than her. And Thoughtline is smarter than her. Oh, fuck, better. They're mercenaries, right?
Thoughtline's anything short of murder. He can save her personality sucks. He can save her power stuff, but all of it, he's very good at finding hidden strength in the people that work on her. He does too, guys.
When it came to powers, they got a bad role of the dice. It became a breach that couldn't hold to pass in all the societies that wound up homeless and living in the sewers. There's a story behind it, but they became a team. She made them effective, and they've only messed up one or two jobs so far.
Gotcha. Impressive. Keep in mind, though, we have a screwed up thing. We're 100%.
They've done something like three times as many jobs as us. But we haven't failed any jobs. Hey, is this where all the superpowers are leaving? Hey, baby, I killed a bunch of our own the other day.
It's payback time. Who the fuck is that Skidmark had as crony as the direction to display? Whoa, rude. It was like you could see a wave of distaste swash over the faces in the room.
I'd seen references on the web and news articles about these guys, but they weren't the sort you took pictures of. Skidmark, moist, squealer. Two guys and a girl, but a lot of them proving that capes weren't necessarily attractive, successful, or immune to the influence of substance abuse. Hardware addicts and dealers who happen to have superpowers.
Skidmark stepped up to the table and reached for a tear. Before you could move it, though, Kaiser kicked the chair out of reach, sending it toppling onto its side, sliding across the floor. The fuck? You can sit in a booth.
This is because of black, huh? That's what you're all about, yeah? You can sit in a booth because you and your team are pathetic. What?
The racial losers are not worth talking to you. The people at this table, I don't like them, but I'll listen to them. That isn't the case with you. Fuck you.
What about this shadow guy? I don't even know his name, and he's sitting. His team hit the Brockton Bay Central a week ago. They've gone up against long several times in the past, and they're still here, which is better than most.
And not even counting the events of a week ago, he knows about the ABB, and he can share that information with the rest of us. What have you done? That's worth the seat at this table. We told territory, you hold nothing.
You cowards that hold onto areas nobody else cares about, making drugs and selling to children. Ow! We saw that everyone, not just trying to poop assholes, fucking juicy assholes, all of you. Yeah, seriously, fuck off!
I'll be taking a chair, I think. A male figure in a black costume with a red mask, an ask, an ask, an ask, and a toss followed him into the room, all the matching costumes of red and black, differing only in design. A girl with a son motif, a guy with bulky armor, and a square mask. And a creature so large it had to crawl in its hands and knees to get through the door.
It was hard to describe, approximating something like a forearm to hand was gorilla with a vest, mask, and leggings and the red and black silence team was wearing. Six inch claws tipping each of its fingers and toes. The tarantulas, yes, you're not local. You could call this a nomadic.
What was happening here was too interesting to pass up, so I decided we'd stop by for a visit. I'd go by Twister, you know the rules here, but you've been in similar places a second. I can guess, no fighting, no powers, no trying to bait others into causing trouble, or everyone else in the room put aside all other grievances to put you down. Ploped it off, but important to have neutral ground heat, a civilized discussion.
I won't argue that, please continue as if I wasn't here. No, so now he gets to see too. Shucks. Should be everyone.
Seems long won't be coming though, I doubt any of us are surprised given the subject of tonight's discussion. The ABB. Thirty-five individuals confirmed dead, and over a hundred hospitalized this past week aren't presents on the streets ongoing exchanges of gunfire between ABB members and the combined forces of the police and military. They have raided our businesses and bombed places where they think we might be operating.
And there's no indication they intend to stop anytime soon. It's inconvenient. They're being reckless. It's the real concern.
The ABB can't sustain this. Something would give they will self-destruct sooner or later. It likely seems to be an issue. We had things cleared out differently, we could.
Okay, this is a good thing. Our problem is that the actions of the ABB are drawing attention to our city. Homeland security and military forces are establishing a temporary presence to assist in maintaining order. Heroes are blocking to the city to support the victorious and in regaining control of matters.
It is making business difficult. Doctors are at the center of this. Lung and beat a leader, but everything hinges on the girl. She recruited by orchestrating raids of people's homes when they slept, from doing them and implanting bombs in their heads.
She then used those bombs to go earths for victims of the kidnapping more. No less than 300 in total now. Every single one of her soldiers knows that if they don't obey, Doctors can detonate the bombs. All of them are willing to put their lives in the line, because the alternatives are either certain death or watching their loved ones die for their failure.
Taking her down is her ultimate goal, but she's rigged up bombs to go off the second of her hard stops, so it's a little more complicated than a simplest assonation. You'll take the ambush you pulled in my group a week ago and left it behind when she ran. I made copies. Maybe you'll find it useful for getting a better understanding of her.
So, we're in agreement. The ABB cannot be allowed to continue operating. Exactly, indeed. Only reason we showed up.
And I suggest we establish a truce. Not just everyone here, but between ourselves and the law. I would contact authorities and let them know that until this matter is cleared up, our groups will restrict our illegal activity to only what is absolutely essential to our business. And we will enforce the same for those doing business in our tip.
That would let police forces and military focus entirely on the ABB. There would be no violence in fighting between our groups, grabs the territory, deaths or insults. Band together with those, we can tolerate for guaranteed victory, and we ignore those we cannot cooperate with. I'm just saying.
My group won't be getting directly involved in this without a reason. We won't be going after the ABB unless they get in my way or someone pays my rate. It is the only workable policy when you're okay for hire. And just so we're clear, if it's the ABB paying, my team's going to be on the other side of things.
Unfortunate, but I can talk the terms. Keeping on the download, not kicking up with us with other groups. That's status quo with my group anyway. I think that...
I was talking to my group about doing something not too different from a coil just proposed. Yeah, we're cool with it. Sure, not a problem. We're in.
Learning. What? How are you plotting how they can use it? Then that's our major piece of business concluded tonight.
Anything else before we go our separate ways, authors, announcements, grievances... I've got a complaint. Hence turn to Kaiser's group. Hook Wolf.
Nobody today to never escape the bird cage. Hook Wolf, though, had escaped on no less than two occasions while being transported there. He was a killer, and thought nothing of murdering people if they didn't fit the area in ideal. I complains with a certain member of your team, Grue.
What's the issue? The crazy one. Hellhound. Bitch!
Only the panty-ass heroes call me Hellhound. I'm bitch. I don't fucking care. You attacked my business.
Set your fucking dog on my customers. You're just lucky I wasn't there, you whore. That's the kind of risk you've run doing business and brought to bay. Keeps can and we'll get in your way, hero, or you're it.
It's a matter of respect. You wanna fuck with my business if we're not at war? You let me know if you've got an issue first. Let me decide if I want to move a shop.
You want me to give you a warning if I'm coming, honey? It's the dumbest fucking thing I've ever heard. Just so you know, moving to a different neighborhood, it won't be good enough. You open up another dog-fighting ring?
I'll be visiting that one, too. Who's not the declaration of the war, undersiders? We agreed to a truce, if you recall. We're not interested in war.
We're not going to stop my teammate from doing what she has to do. You mean you can't stop your subordinate? It's not so unusual for a take to have a pet issue. You should know that as much as anyone.
How would your people react if you forbid them for harassing her? Her and gays, guys? I wouldn't. Exactly.
Same with her. Words get surrounded with someone who hurts dogs, she'll fuck you up. It's kind of common knowledge out here. It's not something I pay attention to.
I'm more of a cat person. I think it's worth paying attention to situations like this. I delegate my underlings and trust them to keep track of minor details. Hook Wolf has been out of town until recently.
He must not have heard. Fine. I'd like to resolve this peacefully. Peace is always preferable, but I can't let me insult the language to lie.
We'll need restitution before this could be put to rest. Money or blood, your choice. You think you can take me, go right on the head? Let's sit on it until we're freer to give the matter our full attention.
The truth is in effect. The need to give them things are more or less resolved. The ABB. We will.
What do you say? Set this aside for now. We'll discuss the matter further up our next meeting. That's settled then.
Anything else? Issues, negotiations, requests? That concludes the meeting. Thank you for attending.
Hotline. I have a word with you before you leave. We're taking a long way back so it seems like the merchants are holding up on our normal route. Do you understand why I'm pissed for now?
Why? Wear a pants? I guess. I want to be certain you know what you did is wrong.
Fuck you Brian! I get the idea. You don't have to get on my case. This is Rachel.
I just want to see things like that. I said he most of us wrong. That's just the way you play things. The only time you're waiting to listen.
You hear what I'm saying? You hear me Rachel? Yes. Give me eyes.
You made me look bad. You made us look bad. I'm not pissed because I'm what you did to hold those business. That's you.
That's your baggage. You're shit. I can get that at the par for the court with you on the team. I can live with that.
I know what you did wrong. You didn't fucking tell us. Let me fucking go in there and talk to those guys and get caught with my fucking pants down. I had to defend your actions and the actions of my team without knowing what the fuck these people were talking about.
It made me look weak. It made all of us look weak. You want an apology? Would you mean it?
I haven't heard an honest apology from you since I met you. And believe me, an insincere apology from you would only piss me off a bit more right now. So it's your call. You want to give it a fucking try?
Christ Rachel, this is your second major fuck up in this man of two weeks. I want you to talk to the boss. Good job. My turn.
You're frustrated. I get it. You don't feel like you did anything wrong. And if you had another chance to do things over, you feel like you do everything the same way.
Yes, people are pissed at you. And people are taking turns chewing me out and spewing psycho-bevel shit at me. That's to let us know you were heading out to the money early, maybe we could be there to see the game. If you let us know, you must look up and go stop.
I mean, you may have been walking here tonight. So open your mouth and talk to us. Let us know what's going on. All right?
Guys, I think it's time to wrap this up. Eyes and left. Okay. Trickster, isn't it?
How about you and your teammates butt out? No, we didn't hear anything. We've got your loser. I know he seems crazy, but I've seen what this guy can offer.
If you fuck us over like you did last time, it's the best chance we have, okay? There aren't a lot of options left. I promise you, this will be the job. If any of you think you can do better, you're really fine.
Just know that all of this shit is on your shoulders. It was you who got into this, don't forget. I didn't like this. Liss friction's willing to camaraderie of the group, the undercurrent attention.
I like these guys. Even bitch. I don't know, I suppose it would be a stretch to say I liked her, but it may be a respecter for what she brought to the table. I knew it would be hard to turn on them, to pull off that grammature and turn them over to the protectorate.
Once I got the information I needed, but when I thought on it, I knew I could bite the bullet and do it. I would have less regrets in the long run. I could even be proud of it in the grammar scheme of things, maybe. More and more I was seeing the day I turned that information over and said goodbye to the undersetters as a day I wanted to transform myself.
Start transforming skater into a hero in the public eye, doing what I could do to repair my image and redefining Taylor into someone competent and outgoing and brave. If I could cut ties with the undersetters and take that plunge, I knew I could change myself. But the strangest it sounded, I would feel worse about handling their information to the protectorate if this sort of negativity was what I was leaving behind when I did it. I knew it made no sense, but I wanted to be able to tell myself I had one successful set of friendships before I severed ties for the sake of doing the right thing.
I could only hope that the store feelings would fade, even what I'd had friends, it'd have just been me and Emma. I didn't have enough experience to really know one way or the other as far as how a group of friends say I'm at least sorts of stores feelings of resentment. It sucked. Hey, Rachel.
Hookle was running a dog fighting ring, like making a dog fight. Fight to the death skater, I couldn't see where that hit home. I'd never had a dog that the way you look after yours, they're definitely important to you. You stop them?
Okay. Good. Attention shoppers, please be informed that stores will be closing at 5.30 this evening. In cooperation with the Citywide Curfew, make sure to cooperate with authorities at the entrance and exit of the Raymell Shopping Center, and return to your homes by 6 o'clock.
Thank you. Should we go? Beat the last minute, Rush? Sure.
If there's nothing else you need, are you sure you're ready to go to school tomorrow? Absolutely. Those kind of weird shopping right now, when all the prices are slashed, just get people to come out during the bomb threats. Yeah, it does.
It seems like Falcon is making an attack every few hours now. In the bags my dad was holding, I had the new backpack and the sort of stuff that I wouldn't have bought with Lisa, because they were so boring like the notebooks or because they were the sort of thing I took forever deciding on, like the books and shoes. All in all, the trip to them all was a nice gesture, and it somehow meant more to me than Lisa turned into a few hundred dollars worth of clothes, maybe because it was stuff for me. We made our way to the exit, and I had to hold back a groan.
There was still over half an hour before the doors were due to clothes, but there was a crush of bodies at the exit. Maybe half were trying to leave, but the other half were just stalking. Both inside and outside the glass doors of the mall entrance, there were soldiers. Their guns were holstered, but they looked pretty intimidating anyways.
In the midst of the soldiers were two capes, battery, and shadow snalker. Capes always seemed so much bigger and impressive on the news, once you left past the dark or urban camouflage hood and cape, in the black painted metal of her mask, shadow snalker was still just a teenage girl, only about as tall as me. Battery was only too recent, so we just told her in either shadow snalker or myself, which meant she was shorter than most of the men in the crowd. Now that I've been involved in cape stuff, I felt like I could look past the costume in a way most didn't.
It looked normal, pretty much. Alan, it's been a long time. It's good to see you Danny. I've been meaning to get in touch.
I turned to look. I should have been surprised or shocked, but by the time I realized who we run into, I felt too deflated. Alan Barnes, Emma's dad. Not a problem, not a problem.
These days we can count it as if it's a good thing if we're busy, right? Is your daughter here? She was thirsty, so I'm holding her place in line while she, ah, there she is. Oh, hi, Taylor.
We need to get back and touch Danny. Maybe you could come over for a barbecue sometime when it's a little warmer, though whether we'll be perfect for it. I'd like that. How's work?
No, I'm better and worse. There's work to be had for dock workers with clean up, reconstruction efforts, and that's good. Your project's the very? I've resigned myself to waiting a few more months before I start making noise again.
My oral elections are this coming summer and there'll be elections for the city council in fall. I'm hoping to see some fresh faces. People won't dismiss revival efforts as options. I wish you luck then.
You know, my firm is there if you need us. Yeah, appreciate it. So, is Emma still modeling? She is.
And doing quite well, but that's not why we're here today. We're just here for the sales, but my daughter wouldn't let me relax the second she heard about it. Ah, us too. Shopping.
I mean, Taylor has caught at the edge of one of the explosions around the time this whole scene started. She's been home for the past week recuperating. I thought we'd go shopping before we got back into the swing of things. Nothing too serious in the way of injuries I hope.
I'm in one piece. That's good. My god, you're the third person I know who's been affected by this anarchy. One of my partners is the in-recovering from surgery.
The explosion crystallized his arm, turned it to glass. Terrified. When does this end? Well, their dads talked, and then I just stared at each other.
Then Emma smiled. It was a look I'd seen so many times in the past few years. It was a smile that agreed to me when I came back to school from the hospital back in January. That look that let me know that she wasn't done.
The same expression she'd had on when she was looking down on me, covered in juice and colonis told the school bathroom. The one she'd be wearing when I come out of the showers to find my clothes, crammed in the toilets, both my gym clothes and regular ones. The same smile she'd had before she reminded me of how my mom had died. In front of everyone.
Emma fell over, bumping into her dad who dropped the bags he was holding. The fuck? Taylor! My hand was stinging, outstretched in front of me like I was reaching out to shake someone's hand.
I'd hit her? Emma looked up at me, eyes wide, mouth open, one hand to the side of her face. I was a shocked at what I'd done that she was. But I felt bad.
Her large part of me wanted to laugh at her face. Weren't expecting that? Miss calculated how I'd react? Hands seized me with an iron grip and spun me around.
Battery. She interposed herself between me and Emma. Energy surged through her costume, setting the circuit boards on it alight. Stand down, all of me.
What was that for? Emma didn't even say anything. I'm so sorry. She's still recovering from the concussion.
It's affecting her mood. I didn't expect anything this extreme. This is not the time or place for arguments. If your daughter is this unwell, then that's your responsibility.
Let me deal with this. Shadowstalker? No. Stay where you are.
You want to know why I hit her? No. I'm stopping this right here. No arguments.
No excuses as to why you just assaulted someone. We're breaking this up now. Turn around. Shadowstalker.
What? Why? Taylor do what she says. It didn't really matter because Shadowstalker forced me to turn around anyways.
Werenching my arm until I did, then pulling my arms behind my back. Please miss. This isn't necessary. I'll talk about my wrist with what I guess was a plastic wrist tie.
Too tight. Look at this crowd. These people. They're scared.
A place like this with so much so suppressed panic. Fear and worry. This many people close together. I don't care if your daughter is an idiot or just ill.
She's proven to be volatile in a powder kick situation. It's both dangerous and stupid to have her here. So you can cut off the plastic cuffs when she separated from anyone she might harm. I'm not dangerous.
Look like it to me. Enough of it. Go home. And be grateful your dad isn't having to post bail for you.
It's sleeping in your own room tonight. I'm very sorry. It's the concussion. It's alright, just maybe she should stay home from school for a little bit longer.
My dad nodded, embarrassed. I felt bad at that. I felt worse at being led off by a criminal like a criminal while Shadowstalker gave Emma a hand to help her up. Emma was beaming, smiling one of the widest smiles I'd ever seen her give, despite the red mark on the side of her face.
We headed out to the car while we were from the crowd with the soldiers and Emma. I stood by the open passenger door for two minutes before my dad scrounged up some necklippers to cut off the plastic cuffs. I'm not mad. Okay.
It's perfectly understandable. You're emotionally sensitive after getting knocked around by the explosion and she reminds you of what's going on at school. More than you know. It's her.
Emma. What? Oh. From the beginning, her and her friends.
Stupid head injury, stupid mood things. I'm supposed to be better by now. Taylor, kiddo. I don't think it's the only reason.
What are you doing? We've got to be home before the curfew. It's fine. We've got time.
Let it all out. Take as long as you need. A huge pet peeve of mine. Being asked to arrive for a specific time, then being ready to wait.
15 minutes was just about my limit of my patience. My dad and I had been waiting for more than 30 minutes. This has to be intentional. Trying to show their enough position of power.
They're able to make us wait, maybe. Or we're just waiting for the other girl. The parents of Emma and Madison were talking, laughing as me and my father sat a fair distance from them. Sophia was the last to arrive.
She looked sullen, angry, an expression that reminded me of bitch. The person who accompanied her was most definitely not her father. Shut up, Taylor. What confident, because this won't be easy.
We may be in the right, but Allen's a partner in a law firm. He's a master manipulator of the system. Maybe I was reading too much into things after seeing an eerie echo of the situation just two days ago with the meeting of the villains, but I noted that Mr. Gladley sat next to Madison's dad and the chair next to my dad was left empty.
We would have been completely isolated from the massive people at the other side of the table if there'd been another seat for one of my teachers. Thank you all for coming. We're here to discuss incidents where one of our student has been victimized. Ms.
Hebert, that's me. And the individuals accused of misconduct are Emma Barnes, Madison Clemons, and House of Yes. You've been in my office before Sophia. I just wish it had more to do with the track and field team and less to do with the tension.
You and me, both. Now, if I'm to understand matters Emma was attacked outside of school premises by Ms. Hebert and shortly after she was accused of bullying. Yes, her father called me, you confronted me and I thought it best to take this to official channels.
That's probably best. Let's put this matter to rest. What? Please.
What charges would you lay against these three? Nice. So we're called here on short notice without time to prepare and I'm expected to be ready. Maybe outline some of the major incidents then.
What about the minor ones? All the little things that might be day to day so miserable? Well, if you can't remember them, I remember. Six wishes emails.
Sophia pushed me down the stairs when I was near the bottom, making me drop my books, tripped and shoved me in no less than three times during gym, and threw my clothes at me while I was in the shower after gym class had ended, getting them wet. I had to wear my gym clothes for the rest of the morning. In biology, Madison used every excuse she could use a pencil sharpener or talk to the teacher, and each time she passed my desk she pushed everything I had on my desk to the floor. It was watching for the third time and covered my stuff when she approached.
So on the fourth trip she emptied the pencil sharpener into one of her hands and dumped the shavings onto my head and desk as she walked by. All three of them poured in the after school headed and took my backpack from me throwing it in the garbage. I see. Not very pleasant is it?
That's September 8th. My first day back at school last semester. September 9th. Excuse me, sorry.
You know how many entries do you have? One for pretty much every school day starting last semester. Sorry. I only decided to keep track last summer.
September 9th. Other girls in my grade had been encouraged by those three to make fun of me. I was wearing the backpack that had been thrown in the trash so every girl that was in on it was holding their nose or saying I smelled like garbage. I picked up steam and by the end of the day others had joined in on it.
I had to change my email address after my inbox filled in just a day with more of the same sorts of things with every helpful email that was sent to me here by the way. May I eat glass and choke. Looking at you depresses me. Die in a fire.
Let's not get sidetracked. We'll get to everything in time. My daughter was speaking. I wasn't done with September 9th.
Let me find my place. Gym class again. Are you wanting to recount every single incident? I thought you'd want me to.
You can't make a fair judgement until you've heard everything that's happened. I'm afraid that looks like quite a bit and some of us have jobs to get back to later this afternoon. He may be pared down to the most relevant incidents. They're all relevant.
If it bothers you, you would have to listen to it all. Imagine what it feels like to live through it. Maybe you'll get just a fraction of a percent of an idea of what going to school with them felt like. I think we all grasp that it's been unpleasant.
We've established that and I thank you for the insight. But how many of those incidents can you prove for those emails sent from school computers? Very few school email addresses. Mostly throw away accounts from Hotmail and Yahoo.
And for the few school email accounts that were used, we can't discount the chance that someone left their account logged in when they left the computer lab. So the emails are off the table? It's not your place to decide that. A lot of us emails were sent during school hours.
I even marked them out with blue highlighter. No, I agree with Mr. Barnes. It's probably for the best that we focus on our attention on what we can verify.
We can't say who sent those emails and from where? All of my work, all the hours I put into logging events when remembering the events of the day was the last thing I wanted to do. Dash to the winds. I punched my fist in my lap.
You okay? Two weeks ago, Mr. Bradley approached me. He verified that some things had occurred in my desk had been vandalized with scribbles, juice, glue, trash and other stuff on different days.
Do you remember Mr. Bradley? I do. And after class, do you remember seeing me in the hallway?
Surrounded by girls being taught it? I remember seeing you in the hallway with the other girls. Yes. If I remember, that was not long after you told me you wanted to handle things on your own.
That's not what I said. I said that I thought this situation here with all the parents and teachers gathered would be a force. So far, you're not proving me wrong. Taylor, enough.
Are you accusing my daughter of making up everything she's noted here? No, no, no. But I think that when someone is being victimized, it's possible to embellish events or to see harassment when there is none. We want to ensure that these three girls get fair treatment.
Do I? My daughter deserves fair treatment, too. And even if one of 10 of these events did occur, it speaks to an ongoing campaign of severe abuse. Does anyone disagree with that?
Use as a strong word. Yes. Allen, please shut up. This isn't a courtroom.
Everyone at this table knows what these girls did and you can't force us to ignore it. Taylor ate dinner at your dining room table 100 times and Emma did the same at art. If you're implying Taylor is a liar, say it outright. I only think she's sensitive, especially after the death of her mother.
She don't go there. Don't do that. Prove her at least that human. I saw Smirk on Emma's face before she put her elbows on the table and hit it with her hands.
In January, my daughter was subjected to one of the most malicious, disgusting pranks I've ever heard of. She wound up in the hospital. You looked me in the eye and promised me you would look after Taylor and keep an eye out. You obviously haven't.
You have to understand, Danny, other things demand our attention. There's a gang presence in this school and we deal with serious events, like students bringing knives to class, drug use, and students suffering life threatening injuries and fights on the campus. If we're not aware of certain events, it's hardly intentional. So my daughter's situation isn't serious.
Now that's not what we're saying. Let's cut to the chase. What would you like to see happen here at this table? That would have you walk away satisfied?
Transfer me to Arcadia High. Huh? I expected you to suggest expulsion. Most would.
Fuck no. Sorry for sparing them. Going to be a little impulsive and to lean over this concussion. But no, no expulsion.
Because that just means they can apply to the next closest school Arcadia. And because they aren't enrolled in school, it would mean accelerated entry past the waiting list. That's just rewarding them. Rewarding.
Yeah. Arcadia is a good school. No gangs, no drugs. It has a budget.
It has a reputation to maintain. If I were bullied there, I could go to faculty and get help. None of that's true here. That's all you want.
No. If it were up to me, I'd want the host three to have in school suspension for the remaining two months of the semester. No privileges either. It wouldn't be allowed dances, access to school events, computers, or a spot on teams or clubs.
But Sofia is one of our best runners in track and field. I really, really don't care. Why do in schools suspension? Would mean someone would have to keep a constant eye on them?
There would be remedial classes we took that route. Yes. I think that's a little severe though. As Mr.
Gladley mentioned, it would require resources we we don't have or if that is stretched thin as it is. Suspension is a vacation. It just means they get to take a trip over to Arcadia and get revenge on me there. No.
Rather they got no punishment at all than see them get suspended or expelled. That's an option. Shut up, Alan. I don't see anything unrealistic about what my daughter is proposing.
You'd feel differently if the tables were turned. I for one think we have to take some certain things into consideration. Like, I feel that it's important that Sofia continued to attend her track and field practices. The sports give her structure she needs.
Denying that to her and the others would only lead to a decline in their behavior and conduct. I think two months of suspension is too much. But I'm forced to agree. Given the events that happened in January and with Mr.
Gladley's own admission that there's been incidents in this class, we know there's been some ongoing bleeding. I'd like to think my years as an educator have given me some ability to recognize guilt when I see it. And I'm certain these girls are guilty of some of what the victim is accusing them of. I'm proposing a two-week suspension.
Who print you listening to me? I'm not asking for a suspension. That's pretty much the last thing I want. I'm standing by my daughter in this.
I'd say two weeks was laughable given this laundry list of criminal offenses. These girls are committed except there's nothing funny about it. Your list would mean something if you could back it up with evidence. Any longer than two weeks would mean these girls' academics would suffer to the point that they could fail the year.
I don't think that's fair. And my schoolwork hasn't suffered because of them. We're not saying that it hasn't. But I for an I justice doesn't do anyone any favors.
Is there any justice here? I'm not seeing it. They're being punished for their misconduct. I had to stop to willfully push the bugs away.
I think they were reacting to my stressor. My concussion was making me a little less aware of what I was doing with them because they were pressing him without me giving them the order. Not that I entered the school or the conference room, but I was getting increasingly worried that my control would slip. If it did, instead of sort of wandering in my general direction or gravitating towards my location, the bugs would erupt into a full fledged swarm.
Whatever. You know what? Fine. Let them get away with a two-week vacation as a reward for what they did to me.
Maybe if their parents have announced a part of responsibility, they'll find an appropriate punishment. I don't care. Just transfer me to Arcadia. Let me walk away from this.
That's not really something I can do. There's jurisdiction. Why? Pull some strings, calling favors, talk to friends and other faculties.
I don't want to make any promises I can't keep. Of which means no. Taylor. We're not the enemy.
No. That's funny. Because it looks like it's you guys. The bullies and the other parents against me and my dad.
How many times have you called me by my name today? None. Do you even know why? It's a trick lawyers use.
They call their client by name, but they refer to the other guys as the victim, or the offender, depending. It's your client more identifiable when dehumanizes the other side. He started doing it right off the bat. Maybe even before this meeting started, and you unconsciously got into it.
You're being paranoid of Taylor. I'm sure I've said your name. Fuck you. You disgust me.
You're a deluded, slimy, self-serving- Taylor, stop. Maybe opening a weapon to school. If they're in a stab, would you at least expel me? Please.
I could see Emma's eyes widen at that. Good. Maybe she'd hesitate before hassling me again. Taylor.
Do I need to call the cops? For the last time, Alan shut up. My daughter is right. This has been a joke.