Shirley had barely stepped off the plane when her phone buzzed with a call from James, informing her that Abner had been assaulted.

She thought she'd misheard. Abner, always so mild-mannered and non-confrontational, getting into a fight?

Rushing to the hospital, she spotted James in the hallway.

"Mr. James."

"Shirley!"

James, visibly shaken and with a trembling voice, blurted out, "He was rushed into the ER last night. He's stable now, just a minor concussion, but he's lost quite a bit of weight. Go see him." Shirley, heart pounding, hurried into Abner's room.

Abner, awake with bandages wrapped around his head and looking pale, barely whispered, "Shirley?"

"Abner!" Shirley's eyes instantly welled up with tears.

"What happened? How did you end up fighting?"

Abner hung his head in silence, but James couldn't hold back and spilled everything about how Abner's background had been exposed.

Shirley was taken aback. The ordeal had been ongoing for two months, with Abner facing isolation at school, yet he hadn't breathed a word of it to her.

"Shirley, don't get mad. It wasn't Abner who sought trouble. It was a few boys from another class who cornered him."

grasped Abner's

want to worry

an

could he

deep breath. "Rest up. Mr. James and I will handle some

her intent to get to the bottom

her sleeve, reluctant

patted his head,

I'll be

slight nod and a weak smile, Abner lay back

at the school in a flurry, Shirley was confronted with a shocking sight on the sports field where the honor roll

get out

Shirley trembled with rage.

school is letting

his temples, equally

first happened two months ago, a

wrong. Why should he be

calm down. I

you

his grades and didn't tell about this, even

and that's why he's been

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