“Bee?” I called, knocking on her door. “Is it okay if I come in?” I wasn’t expecting a response, but it felt wrong not to at least ask. I gently pushed the door open and poked my head around, seeing her sitting at her desk, staring out of the window.
I looked around at her room, seeing how pristine and clean it was—a stark difference to the room she used to own. Back then, it had been messy, chaotic,lived in. Now it was sterile. Cold. It was beautifully decorated, with everything a little girl could want or desire. But it was clear she didn’t touch a thing.
“Hey, sweetheart,” I said, crossing the floor to stand next to her.
“Bee,” she signed with a vicious scowl.
“Bee it is,” I sighed, crouching down next to her. “Heather told me you had a bad day today. Do you want to talk about it?”
She shook her head, almost snarling at me.
“I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going on.”
I stayed silent a moment, giving her the chance to respond, but when she didn’t, I tried a different angle.
“Okay, you don’t have to tell me what happened. But can you tell me you’re safe? You haven’t been physically harmed, have you?”
Bee shook her head.
“Okay. So I’m going to hazard a guess here and say that you’ve had people saying things to you that are perhaps a bit unkind?”
She didn’t reply to me, but I had a feeling I was right.
“Would you prefer to write it down for me instead?”
She shook her head, but I saw the tears in her eyes and knew she was close to becoming overwhelmed.
“Okay. I’m going to give you a moment to process. I’ll be right outside, and I promise not to move a muscle. If you need me, all you need to do is open the door. But if you would rather be alone, that’s okay, too. I’ll be waiting there either way.”
I waited a few seconds and then got back to my feet, turning away and heading for the door.
I fucking hated leaving her, but I also didn’t know the correct way to navigate this situation. All I knew was that if I was in Bee’s shoes, I’d have shut down at her age. Hell, I still shut down now. I like to open up in my own time, rather than feeling like I was being forced or pressured into it.
I reached for the door handle, but as I twisted it in my hands, I heard a small noise that almost made me burst into tears.
“Rachel…” Bee whispered.
I froze. And then I turned to face the broken little girl.
Chapter 46
Rachel
“Bee,” I breathed, rushing over to her and quickly gathering her hands in mine. “Talk to me, honey. There’s nothing in this world that can’t be solved.”
“I… I…” she hiccupped, unable to form the words.
“Show me,” I said, releasing her hands.
“Bullies,” she signed, the tears streaming down her face. I did everything in my power to stop from storming out of the door and tracking down every child at that school and teaching them a lesson about messing with my daughter.
“What about bullies?” I asked, forcing a neutral tone into my voice.
“They… They…” she whispered.
“What have they been saying to you?”
“Burns,” she said, and I picked up her drawing tablet so she could write it down instead.
