Chapter Text
Danny had been gone for a week now, and it had taken a bit of getting used to, Steve staying at Danny’s. He and Grace had both had to alter their routines slightly, and at first it was strange, but now there was a weird sense of normalcy to it. Honestly, Steve was really enjoying having someone always around, and he really hoped Grace enjoyed his company as much.
The last Steve had heard from Danny he was reporting back good things. Last night when they had called, Danny told them he would be heading home soon. His dad was able to get in and out of bed and, with the support of his crutches, move about the house, so once the house was set up with mobility aids he would be on the next flight.
Steve had just gotten a call from Grace’s school, having been put down as a temporary emergency contact. The school were calling to ask that Steve attend a meeting with the headteacher, Grace, two other students, and their parents. The receptionist was not able to give Steve any additional information about what was going on. So after letting the team know, Steve rushed down to the school.
When Steve got to the school, he was quickly brought to the headteacher’s office and was told what had happened.
According to the headteacher, Grace had started a fight, something Steve did not believe in the slightest. Grace was not a violent person. She knew how to reason with people and would likely go to a teacher or tell Danny or Steve before turning to violence. When Steve walked into the hallway, he was taken aback by the sight before him.
Grace definitely looked better than the other girls. But still, she had dried blood on her chin, probably from a split lip, and a bruise clearly forming from her cheek to her temple.
“Grace, what’s happened?” Steve asked, looking at her and ignoring everyone else in the hall.
“If you would like to come into my office, Mr McGarrett, we can discuss what happened.”
Steve had to drag his eyes away from Grace. He felt the worry build up in his chest, his mind racing. After mentally debating with himself, he decided to stay quiet and do as he was asked, hoping this would make the meeting go faster.
Steve sat next to the other girls’ parents. There was a window in the office that had a view of the hallway, and through it Steve could see Grace. She was swaying slightly, something Steve had noticed her and Danny both do when nervous. The two of them shared a lot of anxious behaviors.
The headteacher started. “As I told you in the hallway, your girls got into a physical altercation at lunch today and have given contradictory stories. As there was no one to witness it and the CCTV does not capture a good image of what happened, all three of them will be suspended for the next week. I hope, with your help, we can come up with a permanent solution so there will be no further altercations.”
One of the mothers piped up once the headteacher had finished talking.
“My Stacy would never hurt anyone. These girls must have teamed up on her.” The woman pointed through the window at Grace and the other girl.
“According to your daughter and Amelia, they claim that Grace,” she turned her head to look at Steve, “was actually the one who initiated the altercation. They also told me that Grace caused all of their injuries. However, I do find it hard to believe that two girls both taller than Grace could have been so injured if they were not also fighting each other.”
“I would like to talk to my niece before we decide on anything.” Steve was blunt. He knew Grace. He knew the only time something like this had happened before was when Grace punched a guy who was bothering her friend, so it was exceptionally unlikely Grace had just started a fight for the fun of it.
Unlike the teacher, he did not doubt Grace or her ability to cause those injuries. She could handle herself. Danny had made sure of it. It was one of the many things she had in common with her dad, the ability to kick someone’s arse while looking unassuming. It probably had something to do with their height.
“Actually, Mr McGarrett.” There was something in her voice that left a sour taste in his mouth. He felt the urge to correct her on his title but decided it was not worth it with everything that was going on.
“Not only would it be ageinst protocol for them to be here for this, I strongly believe it would be better for us to resolve this as adults. Aswell, Grace seemed quite angry when I talked to her before, and I do not wish to restart the arguing.”
“I was not suggesting we bring the girls in here to interact with each other. However, as you clearly had no luck getting a matching story out of them, I would like to see what she has to say to me. As well as that, my niece is clearly injured and I would like to check on her before we continue.” Steve was growing more impatient by the second. He felt like he was talking to a suspect, the way he was dragging information out of her.
“I have to insist that we finish this discussion without them, and I assure you our school nurse has examined all of them and they are all OK, aside from a couple of bumps and bruises.”
Steve had decided he did not like this woman. Whether it was her insistence that he could not go and check on Grace or just her overall demeanour, he did not know. He really hoped he would never have to see her after this meeting.
After the meeting concluded, Steve took Grace back out to the car and got on their way heading back home. It was awkward. The silence seemed to echo in the car. Before leaving, Steve had asked Grace if she was OK and did a basic check on her injuries, worried that the bruising on her face might mean she also had a concussion. Other than that, the two had not talked. Steve knew he had to say something, but he had no idea what.
“Grace, I need you to tell me what happened.” He knew he sounded strict, which probably was not what Grace needed in the moment, but it was important he figured out what had really happened.
She turned to face him, and he realised the tears were slowly running down her face. She tried to speak, but all that came out was a shuddered breath, and more tears ran down her face.
“Look at me. Come on. Breathe. In,” he took a deep breath in, gesturing for Grace to follow suit, “and out.” He let a deep breath out. The pair sat like this for a couple of minutes, breathing in unison, until Grace stopped crying.
“Hey. For now,I just need to know the truth.”
“I am sorry.”
She looked down at her lap, picking at the skin around her nails.
“I did not mean to hurt them. I know it was wrong. I just wanted them to leave me alone. I just wanted to hit them once so that I would not have to be in class and they might stop, but then they hit me back and I do not know what happened after that.”
“What were they doing? You said you wanted them to leave you alone. What were they doing that was bothering you?” His voice softened slightly, realising just how upset Grace really was.
“They were just saying things. They told the teachers they were just joking around, and I think they were, but they took it too far and I needed them to stop.”
“Grace, sweetheart, you are going to have to be more specific if we want to do anything about what happened. If you do not want to, that is OK, but it would be better in the long term if you let me know what happened, and I can talk to the school, maybe even get the suspension taken off your record.”
They were back home now, having just pulled into the driveway. Steve undid his belt and turned so he could properly face Grace.
“They told me I was the reason Mum and Danno split up, that I was so unlovable it drained all their love. They also said I must have had to move to Hawaii because everyone in Jersey was sick of me.” And a sob shook through her. “And since they have seen you and Danno both pick me up, they said now he has you, and my mum and Stan and Charlie, they do not need me anymore. That they will forget about me and move on with their new lives.” She was properly crying again and reached forward to hug Steve.
Steve pulled Grace closer, taking deep breaths, hoping it would help Grace regulate. “Is this the only time this has happened?”
Grace pulled away slightly after a couple of minutes, her breathing slightly more controlled. “No. They have been saying it since the start of the year. I think they say things like that to some other people in my class, but the other people never report it.”
Though unsiprised Steve had realy hoped that wasn’t the answer “Did you report it?” He moved his hand to Grace’s sholder hoping that by keeping her grounded she would have an easyer time retelling the events.
“Yes, I promise I did. But no one believed me. They- they said it was bad to make things up for attention and told me that they were nice girls who would never say things like that.” There was so much certainty in her voice, and Steve was confused as to why Grace felt the need to convince him. Then it dawned on him.
“Did you tell the headteacher this when it first happened?”
Grace nodded. “She said none of her staff would say that.” She took a deep breath, “she thought I was just saying it to be in less trouble.”
Steve knew he did not like the headteacher. He though about what must have been dunning through her head when she called Grace a lier. If somone tells you one of you’re team has done somthing wrong, you investigate. Even if its somone you trust with youre life you dont jut say ‘I know them’ and call it a day. Especially not if the person telling you this was a clearly distressed teenager with nothing to gain from lying.
“Please do not tell Danno. He would be upset that I got into a fight, and he would get so angry if you told him what they were saying, and I do not want it to get worse.”
“You know we have to tell him, Grace. And you are right, he will be angry. He will be furious, but not at you. He will be happy you were able to defend yourself, and he will take that headteacher of yours down a peg. He will make sure that teachers are paying more attention to students so there isnt a repeat of this. And I plan to help him do that. It was unacceptable that those girls were able to say that to you, and even worse that your teacher did not believe you.”
“Can I at least tell him?” She sounded desperate, and Steve realised that she would probably try to put it off when it came up, but for now the promise of doing it later was good enough.