A forest burns here, very bad for the environment.

What I'm going to do/have done! (Section)

Got really busy trying to buy something. Also this chapter is longer then most. So it took a while. (Edited it a tad.)

Things I wrote just for you (And the others here as well!...Section.)

Susan could be...expelled?

...

Wow, that's...that's...Uhh...I felt like...like...

...

Ms.Care: "...Are you okay Mr.Strongheart?"

Mr.Strongheart: "Oh, I'm...just a bit disoriented. I..."

Ms.Care waited for me to finish, and I frankly wanted to say more. The problem was, I didn't know what I was going to say, as my mind was too busy trying to do the impossible.

Fitting my sweet and cheeky girl into the role of a delinquent. Into a troublemaker who'd go around belittling or assaulting others because...well something was wrong with them. Likely their heart.

That type of person...it couldn't be Susan.

She can be rude, and I know I didn't teach her to have much tact but...

She wouldn't call her classmates names or...o-or-

Mr.Strongheart: "She didn't hurt anyone! i-I mean-"

Ms.Care raised her hand with her fingers outstretched in a way that reminded me of a stop sign's palm.

Ms.Care: "I understand that this situation is stressful for your Mr.Strongheart, but calmness is imperative in cases like this. And screaming will get us nowhere."

Only now I realized how loud I'd been, and the realization made my cheeks redden to a degree that only worsened that said redness. Sorta like...A flush loop.

Mr.Strongheart: "Sorry I uh...she didn't hurt anyone, right?"

Ms.Care: "There are many ways to hurt someone Mr.Strongheart. And while Susan hasn't physically injured anyone, she certainly has the potential to."

'has the potential to' My head would have taken a sledgehammer to face better than those 4 words.

All at once I felt a prickling in my chest, a wooziness in my head, and the burning desire to put my hands over my ears.

But my ignorance would only cause Susan more trouble. And that would mean she could hurt someone. Or worse

Get hurt.

Mr.Strongheart: "What did she do?"

Ms.Care: "Well...she's called one of her classmates 'Dumb', made religious derogatory comments. Cussed multiple times in class. Walked around in the middle of class and refused to sit back down. Has repeatedly jumped into our dumpsters, often bringing back items that are both smelly and disturbing to her classmates. Has shouted multiple times in class. Has talked back multiple times even when asked not to. Is constantly falling asleep in class...oh and she's also repeatedly disturbed classmates to ask inappropriate questions, the most common one being 'Who'd you fight, a Chicken the size of a T-Rex, or 3 dog-sized tigers.'. She's also...Mr.Strongheart, should I stop? You look very pale."

I shook my head.

Mr.Strongheart: "No no no! I'm fine! It's just...more than I expected."

I knew it was wrong to lie like this, but I didn't have the guts to tell Ms.Care that I'd been the one who'd asked Susan if she'd fight a T-Rex size chicken or 3 Dog sized tigers.

...And the one who taught her how to nap in the middle of the day...also introduced her to dumpster diving.

I told her to behave but...I guess she didn't get the memo of what that meant.

Wait...she didn't get the MEMO!!!

Mr.Strongheart: "Ms.Care! I believe this all has been a huge misunderstanding! Susan doesn't mean to cause any trouble! She just isn't aware of the social expectations that come with schooling. But I assure you, I can teach her what she needs to properly co-exist with her classmates!"

Let's GOOOO!

She's not violent!

She's not a bully!

She's just incompetent! Like...her old man.

That is so heartwarming...and depressing.

Alright, hold up. To be reasonable here, it wasn't a small issue.

I couldn't as the kids say 'log off' from this conversation. Me and Ms.Care will need to discuss how to properly educate Susan on...well school etiquette. And I might need to apply that to our house rules for a while...maybe get her to do some after-school activities to speed up the process.

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But that...that was okay. No! It was expected for someone who started at such a late age. But she still had plenty of time to learn why she can't walk in the classroom or not speak in the middle of it.

My Lil Susan...was just having an awkward transition to schooling. That's all.

...

...

...

Why is Ms.Care so silent?

Mr.Strongheart: "...Sorry, have I done something crude? Because I promise I-"

Ms.Care: "No Mr.Strongheart, is just...well I'm a parent myself. So I understand that the last thing we want is to hear how poorly our children are doing. Much less when we don't know how to fix it."

Mr.Strongheart: "Well...that's not an issue. We know what needs to be fixed. She doesn't understand the importance of the rules, and we need to find a way to teach her them...right?"

Ms.Care: "I thought that as well Mr.Strongheart. In fact, I planned to call you to discuss such matters. But after today I believe... there's a bigger worry regarding your child."

Fuck, of course there is! Why wouldn't there be something I failed to do as a parent?!

Ugh.

Shut up idiot, just focus on breathing.

Breathe in, breathe out... breathe in, breathe out... breathe in... breathe out...

Ok. Okay, I can't lose my cool. Even...even if it's really bad, me and Susan can work it out. I'm sure of it.

Mr.Strongheart: "What happened?"

Ms.Care breathed out like something was throbbing in her gut.

That couldn't be good.

Ms.Care: "Well...she told MY child that I was a worthless...B word and that she'd always hate me."

Susan, what the fuck?

Ms.Care: "My child didn't take this very well. In fact, he cried quite a bit. And-"

Mr.Strongheart: "i-I'm very sorry! I have no clue why she thought that was an acceptable thing to say. But I-"

Ms.Care raised her hand in the same way as before. It was impressive how quickly my lips were sealed.

Ms.Care: "Your apology is not your daughter's, and that is the only one that matters in this case. But even if she did apologize, you can see why this is an issue Mr.Strongheart."

I nodded.

Mr.Strongheart: "Of course! That's a horrible thing to say about you Ms.Care, and such an attitude-"

Ms.Care: "That's not the issue."

Mr.Strongheart: "It's...not?"

Ms.Care shook her head.

Ms.Care: "I've been in this profession for over a decade Mr.Strongheart. And in that time I've seen and dealt with plenty of cruel children. Cruelty is in fact quite common in the young. But most children also have flimsy convictions. They are quick to switch from anger to tears. Easy to convince if given the proper time and effort. No, Mr.Strongheart. The problem comes when a child is unwilling to listen. When for some reason they are so set in their ways that they refuse to change, or believe they can't. Often it's because they grew up in a rather unpleasant environment. And so, very rarely are those parents willing to listen as well. That type of child is far more difficult to deal with Mr.Strongheart."

And...that's my child.

Holy shit, what did I do to cause this mess?

Was I too lenient? Too soft? Should I've made her interact with more kids growing up. Or had she interacted too much with the wrong sort of crowd?

Fuck! What did I do wrong? What was it? WHAT WAS IT?

Mmmh! I wanted to jump out of this fucking seat and go back to Susan and...I don't know, fix this! Somehow!

But...I knew that was just my anxiety talking. If I went to Susan now I'd be more likely to bawl my eyes out rather than do anything remotely helpful.

And I know this! I know I need to listen! I know I can't just brush it all aside or whatever.

But fuck, it's so hard. So fucking hard to do this knowing that whatever you do or don't do could ruin the most important thing in the world. Your child.

...And like most things, it's worse when you do it alone...

But someone has to do it. And it has to be me, because if not, who else will?

...Certainly not her mom, that's for sure....

Mr.Strongheart: "I...I understand why you asked for this meeting now. And I'm very grateful for it. But...I promise you Ms.Care that I'm not the type of parent whose unwilling to listen. So if theirs anything you know that can be done to help my Susan, then please tell me. Making sure my daughter is okay...it means everything to me. So if theirs anyway at all, anyway! I'll-"

I pursed my lips. Actually, It was more like I bit down on the damn thing. They'd let too much of my heart slip out, and it didn't even sound good. Just desperate and pitiful.

I hung my head, the last thing I needed to show now was how embarrassed I was of it as well.

Mr.Strongheart: "...Sorry, I'm uh...a bit too emotional for my own good."

Ms.Care: "It's quite fine Mr.Strongheart. I'd rather you be blunt and clumsy than unwilling to be honest."

I chuckled a tad.

Mr.Strongheart: "Ha, Blunt and clumsy...yeah, I guess that fits me well."

Ms.Care: "Hmm, though I fear we'll need to take a subtler approach if we're to address your daughter's issues."

I raised my head and was met with the tenderest smile I'd seen in...well who knows how long.

Not cutest, of course. That would always be my daughter.

But my daughter wasn't an adult, she had her concerns, but they were hardly the same as mine.

No, this smile was the sort only parents can share, the knowing difficulties and joys of raising a child.

I'm sorry, if anyone expected me to be able to describe such a smile then I must say I'm not up to the task.

But I can say how it made me feel.

Warm.

Mr.Strongheart: "ah uhm...what approach should we-"

I paused. Ms.Care's tender smile had vanished, and I could faintly see a red hue in her eyes.

Not only that, she also had a hand on her chest and was clutching it as if her heart was trying to leap out.

I turned around, blinked, then screamed.

Fire.

Every one of the forest trees had a flame eating away at their wood.

My head snapped back to Ms.Care.

Again, everyone knows what happened to her husband.

I practically jumped off my chair and used my body to block as much of the sight from her view.

Mr.Strongheart: "Ms.Care! The fire could spread. We should-"

Swoo-

Thud!

My head turned. And I couldn't help but mutter out

Mr.Strongheart: "Susan?"

The final section! (Section.)

This part ends the chapter by BURNING.

Nah...it just like ends normally.

Wait how do you describe how a chapter normally ends?