The principal's office door clicked shut behind them.
Zane stood, shoulders squared, head slightly lowered.
Mr. and Mrs. Lockwood arrived in silence — no fuss, no questions. They sat across from the principal, their expressions smooth, unreadable, but their eyes… their eyes burned through him.
They didn't ask what happened. They didn't defend him.
They just sat there, backs straight, faces tight with a polished disappointment that stung worse than any lecture.
Lily sat in the corner, hands gripping her sleeves, eyes glued to the floor. She didn't say a word. Didn't dare. Not with Zane's stepbrother's shadow still hanging in the air… not with the Lockwoods in the room.
The meeting ended with a handshake and a hollow "We'll handle this."
No one said goodbye.
Outside, the Lockwoods' black SUV waited.
Zane slid into the back seat — cold leather, colder silence.
The engine started.
Nobody spoke.
But Zane could feel it — their sharp, quiet judgment sitting heavier than any words.
And that, somehow, hurt more.