Masks Around Me

CHAPTER 10: TRUTH REVEALED

The next day, the air was thick with tension as my parents accompanied me to school. Dad stormed through the hallways like a gathering storm, his anger a palpable force that seemed to vibrate through the very walls. His jaw was set, his strides long and determined. Mum walked beside me, her hand a reassuring weight on my shoulder, but her expression was troubled, her eyes betraying a deep worry. I felt like a small, insignificant figure caught between two powerful currents.

As we entered the administration building, Dad’s fury intensified. He ignored the secretary’s flustered attempts to stop him, her polite protests falling on deaf ears. He barged directly into the principal’s office, the suddenness of his entry causing the occupants within to startle.

Inside, Cedric and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, were already present. Their heads snapped towards the door, casting curious, almost apprehensive glances our way. My eyes immediately went to Cedric. To my surprise, I noticed faint bruises on his cheek and a slight swelling around his eye, raising a fresh wave of questions in my mind. What happened to him?

"Mr. and Mrs. Windsor, what brings you here?" the principal inquired, rising from his desk, concern etching his features. He seemed flustered, clearly caught off guard by Dad's abrupt entrance.

Dad wasted no time, his voice firm and unwavering. "Principal Thompson, I'd like to discuss my son, Edward." He paused, his gaze sweeping over Cedric and his parents. Before the principal could even respond, Dad continued, his voice laced with an undeniable edge, "And incidentally, I understand Mr. and Mrs. Smith here have already made a complaint regarding your son, Edward."

The principal, clearly uncomfortable, urged us to take a seat, gesturing vaguely at the chairs opposite his desk. Dad remained standing, pressing for details. "A complaint? What kind of complaint?"

As the principal began to speak, mentioning allegations of bullying against me, my head reeled. A surge of disbelief, cold and sharp, washed over me. The situation was completely, unbelievably reversed. They were accusing me? This couldn't be happening.

He then pulled out a tablet, tapping on the screen. "Furthermore, Mr. Smith provided this video," he said, turning the screen towards us. On the video, a grainy, distorted image showed Cedric seemingly begging me, his hands clasped as if in supplication, while I stood over him. It was a completely manipulated version of events, edited to cast me as the aggressor. My stomach churned with a mixture of outrage and helplessness.

"This video proves nothing, Principal!" Dad retorted, his frustration evident, his voice resonating with indignation. "It's clearly doctored, or taken completely out of context!"

Mum, her face pale but her voice firm, chimed in, echoing his sentiments. "Indeed, Principal. Edward would never behave this way. There's been a grave misunderstanding."

The principal, sensing the rising tension, turned to me, his gaze expectant. "Edward, can you explain this?" I struggled to find my voice, overwhelmed by the blatant accusations, the sheer audacity of Cedric's deception. My throat felt tight, words caught somewhere between my chest and my lips.

Without warning, the principal summoned his secretary. "Please send in Mark, Liam, Daniel, and Kevin," he instructed, his voice now sharper. My blood ran cold. I recognized those names. They were my attackers from yesterday.

Moments later, the four boys slouched into the office, their eyes wide with apprehension. Recognizing them as the ones who had cornered me in the auditorium, I felt a fresh wave of shock and indignation. Their presence was undeniable proof of Cedric's scheme.

The principal turned his attention to Cedric, his voice stern. "Cedric, Edward's parents have a very different account of yesterday's events. Can you tell us, truthfully, what happened in the auditorium?" But Cedric, ever the practiced deceiver, spun another false narrative, twisting the truth, minimizing his role, and casting me as the instigator, blaming me for the bruises on his face. He even insinuated that I had attacked him first.

I couldn't contain myself any longer. The injustice of it all was too much. "That's a lie, Cedric!" I burst out, my voice cracking with emotion. "You told those boys to hold me down! You hit me too! You set me up!"

Cedric's carefully constructed facade finally crumbled. His eyes darted wildly, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead as panic swept over him. He started to stammer, searching for words that wouldn't come.

Then, unexpectedly, one of the four boys, a tall, thin boy named Mark, visibly shifted. His gaze met mine, then quickly dropped, as if burdened by guilt. He cleared his throat, his voice hesitant at first, then gaining strength. "He's telling the truth, Principal. Cedric... Cedric told us to do it. He said Edward was talking bad about us, that he was a 'loser orphan' who needed to be taught a lesson. He even gave us twenty pounds each and told us to rough him up if we saw him after school."

The revelation hung heavy in the air. Cedric's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, remained utterly silent, their faces pale, adding to the growing tension and palpable shame in the room. They looked from their son's tear-streaked face to the principal, then to my parents, their usual composure shattered.

The principal, his expression now grim, turned back to Cedric. "Is this true, Cedric?" Cedric could only offer a weak nod, tears finally streaming down his face. Principal Thompson then promised severe consequences for all five boys involved, starting with immediate suspension, and arranged a mandatory meeting with their parents to discuss further disciplinary actions, including potential expulsion and reporting the assault to the authorities. He assured us that the school would not tolerate such behavior.

Cedric's betrayal, raw and agonizing, hung heavy in the air as my parents and I left the principal's office, walking out of the building and into the cool, clear air.

On the way home, Dad placed a comforting hand on my knee, his voice firm with renewed determination. "Don't you worry, Edward. We'll make sure this is handled properly. This school will deal with them, and then we'll make sure you're somewhere safe, somewhere you can thrive without this kind of poison." He looked at me, his eyes radiating a fierce protectiveness. "Tomorrow, we'll bring this to a definitive close. We'll find you a new school, and you'll never have to see those bullies again."

A glimmer of hope, faint but real, pierced through the turmoil. Grateful for their unwavering support, their belief in me, I turned to my parents. "Thank you," I murmured, my voice thick with emotion. I was eager to put an end to this horrifying ordeal, to finally turn the page and start fresh.