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Webby refused to look at Beakley and kept her back to her grandmother as she sobbed into her pillow. The sight was heartbreaking and infuriating and Beakley knew there was more to the story than 'disobeying a teacher.'
Webby had rarely ever gotten in trouble at school. Sure, there were a few times when she was a bit more... enthusiastic than other students, but most of the faculty was quick to adjust to her mannerisms. The school had, in all honesty, seemed like a perfect fit. Beakley had honestly been intimidated by the idea of Webby going to public school after years of homeschooling, but Webby had of course surprised her and done wonderful in all of her courses.
Which made her wonder why it was the Spring Dance that had made Webby question if she should continue going to the school.
Beakley sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. She couldn't imagine the pain Webby must have felt over whatever had happened to garner such a severe reaction. Bullies, maybe? Webby was always quick to stand up for someone. Stubborn teachers? They were far from a perfect breed. Popular girls? Beakley shuddered at memories of her own high school's cliques. Definitely not something to be messed with.
As much as she wanted to be angry--because whatever had happened had, in fact, gotten Webby in serious trouble--she just couldn't bring herself to really feel it. She hurt at the sight of the emotionally distraught duckling.
"Was it something to do with Lena? She always seems to be getting you into trouble." Her tone was skeptical, but light. She had a fondness for Lena that she didn't have reason for. As much as she hated the trouble making, Lena seemed to be a good friend for Webby. Still, even best friends fight.
"No." Webby's curt, angry tone made her raise a brow. "Lena had nothing to do with this."
She seemed defensive, but not in a I'm-taking-the-blame-so-you're-not-mad-at-her way, which actually happened a lot. Still confused but willing to believe Webby, Beakley nodded. "So what happened, Webby?"
Webby's sniffles died down finally as she seemed to stare at the far wall. She was quiet and still long enough for Beakley to really start to worry. Webby wasn't usually so... downtrodden. Even after a fight or getting in trouble, she was usually energetic and at the most angry.
Beakley had never seen her go straight to depressed.
"I," Webby's voice broke as she tried to speak, "W-well, Lena kind of argued with a teacher, but she was just sticking up for me. I was the one that--"
Her voice was cut off by another sob and Beakley gently ran a hand along her back. "It's okay, Webby. What did you do?"
She couldn't say if she was mad or not, in all honesty. Mistakes happened, misunderstandings happened, and maybe Webby had actually done something wrong. Whatever had happened, though, she definitely did not want to see Webby like that. It was almost sickening.
"Well, Lena said we should go to the dance with our friend group, and she only wanted to go because I said it would be more fun with her there!" Webby sat up suddenly, her spark momentarily returned to her. She didn't look at Beakley and instead stared angrily at her pillow. "So we were going to go with Max and Peter and Jake and Emily and Lila! But then I wanted to ask Emily if she wanted to go w-with me as my date and we'd still go with the group too! And she said she would! So we all bought tickets together because there were three girls and three boys so we got the discount and Lila paid for her own ticket."
Beakley didn't interrupt the story, but she was surprised. She hadn't heard anything about Webby having a date with Emily, but from Webby's rushed and shaky tone that seemed to have been intentional.
"But then when we were inside me and Emily sat at a table and Max and Peter sat at a table and one of the teachers said that we had to sit with the person we bought tickets with and we said we all bought them together so she said we just had to pick one of the boys to sit with and--and--" Her tears started again and she balled her hands into fists. "And I said that was stupid! Because it is! And Lena started laughing and that made the teacher even more mad and then we had to go to the principal's office and he wasn't even there!"
Beakley gently pulled Webby into a hug as the duckling began to tremble with emotion. She hushed her as Webby tried to mutter more words and nothing Beakley could understand came out.
Beakley was furious.
If the school really had gone to such lengths--and she certainly believed her granddaughter--they were going to get an earful and a lawsuit first thing in the morning. The obvious trauma it had caused Webby was enough to make her blood boil.
"Believe me Webby, they will hear from me first thing in the morning. Sooner if possible." She kept her tone neutral so as not to make Webby think she was mad at her. "While you may have acted impulsively, I don't think you're wrong. That policy is, in fact, stupid, and I will correct it."
The finality of her tone left no room for question. Either the policy was going to be gone, or every teacher in that school who supported it would be.
Webby buried her face in Beakley's shoulder as she sobbed again. "I didn't mean to get in trouble, but it made me--it made me--scared. And Lena said I shouldn't be because she could beat anyone up, but I still was."
Beakley shushed her gently. "You're not in trouble, Webby. What that school did was wrong, not you." She sighed, unsure of what else to say. It was obvious that Webby wouldn't get over that as fast as usual, which definitely worried her. At least she decided that Lena definitely was a good friend for Webby. "Why don't you tell me about Emily instead? She's the sparrow girl, correct?"
Worryingly enough, Webby clammed up entirely after that. She stiffened and loosened her grip on her grandmother as she looked down and away. Even her sobs seemed to stop.
"Webby..."
Beakley wondered if she, even as a spy, a Grade-A Ass Kicker, a grandmother that had been through the ringer quite a few times, could ever be prepared for that kind of conversation. She would have hoped that years of love and acceptance would have been enough to help, but she knew the simple fact was that sometimes it wasn't. As much as she didn't know what to say, she had to say something.
"It's okay, Webby. I promise it's quite alright if you like Emily. If I've ever implied differently, I was wrong." She gently grabbed Webby's face and made the duckling face her. Once they made eye contact she spoke again, "I love you very much, Webby. What the school said was wrong. You should be able to go with a girl if that's what you want to do."
Webby's red-rimmed eyes filled up with tears again, but that time she began to smile. It was a small smile, definitely not a Webby Smile, but it was enough to tell Beakley that she had said something right, at least.
Webby wrapped her arms around Beakley's neck and sighed, utterly exhausted. "Thanks, Granny."
Satisfied, Beakley lifted Webby up off the bed and carried her away. "You're not going to bed without dessert, Granny's Rules."
Webby laughed and let herself be carried the whole way to the kitchen as both of them were reluctant to end the hug. "Well, if you say so, I guess I can't argue with that."
Beakley sat Webby on the counter, something she normally was not allowed to do. Webby stared up at her granny, eyes once again bright and curious.
"And I mean it, Webby." She placed a kiss on Webby's forehead. "You should bring Emily over again some time."
With a blush and a stutter, Webby managed to get out "Well--I don't know if she likes me, really. But it was nice to go to the dance with her."
Beakley beamed as she took out every sundae related item she could find and piled them on the counter.
That was more like it.