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For some reason, Kyle seemed restless, glancing at the door often.
"Damn, if the old man can't make it, Mom might come..."
He muttered, genuine anxiety on his face for the first time.
As soon as he finished, the office door knocked.
In walked a woman smelling faintly of kitchen grease.
That was Kyle's mother, Ryan's stepmother.
I remembered she'd once founded a small but well-regarded early foreign language education center.
Ryan had taken classes there as a kid.
Later, after Ryan's mom died, she married Mr. Sullivan.
And changed Kyle's last name to Sullivan.
But I'd also heard other rumors.
That Mr. Sullivan and Kyle's mom were involved before Ryan's mom died.
And Kyle's mom hadn't divorced her first husband then either.
Both were having affairs.
But that rumor died down quickly at school.
Because Kyle beat up anyone who spread it.
Now, in front of his mother, Kyle was unnervingly well-behaved.
Mrs. Sullivan clearly hadn't known about her son's 'accomplishments' at school.
As the homeroom teacher spoke, her smile faded.
"Oh... this boy! He just fell in with the wrong crowd, those no-good friends corrupted him!"
Mrs. Sullivan sounded anguished, then shifted blame, "And Ryan, that boy's always been troubled, deep down. Did he say something to provoke our Kyle? Otherwise, why would Kyle just bully him for no reason!"
Her gaze landed on me, called as a 'witness.'
It held undisguised judgment and coldness.
"And you, don't mind me saying, young lady, you should focus on your studies, not on boys. Getting involved, it looks bad..."
"Mom!"
Kyle finally interrupted, annoyed:
"Lily aced the practice SATs. Top score across three schools."
Mrs. Sullivan: "..."
I looked at my shoes.
Seven lifetimes meant seven SATs. I'd studied vountless times over..
Mrs. Sullivan's expression froze, then transformed into a bright smile.
She came over, clasping my hands warmly.
"Oh! So you're Lily Carter! Kyle talks about you all the time! Such a good girl, pretty and so smart!"
Kyle's face flushed crimson. "Mom..."
The woman turned and pinched Kyle's ear: "Look at her! Look at you! If you were half as good as Lily, I'd be thrilled!"
Kyle wouldn't look at me, face redder. "Yeah, yeah, whatever..."
"You crude boy! Come with me."
Mrs. Sullivan reassured the teacher again, then pulled Kyle out into the hallway.
What she said to him looked pleading and helpless.
Through the window, I saw Kyle's youthful flush drain away.
He finally nodded expressionlessly, a mix of annoyance and cold indifference.
