“-was just messing around, Dad,” he muttered. “lt’s not a big deal”
“Not a big deal?” Mark interrupted. “You humiliated your teacher. You’ve been treating him like garbage. And now,you get to see what it feels like.”
Jacob frowned.“What does that mean?’
“t means,” Mark said, puling out a chair and siting beside him, “I’m spending the whole day in school with you.Every class. Every assignment, Every lecture. And every time you so much as open your mouth to bed is respectful. i’ll be right here watching.
Jacob’s stomach dropped.
“You can’t be serious.
“Oh, l’m dead serious,” Mark said. “Let’s see if you think being a smartass is as funny when your old man is sitting right next to you.”
The class was silent.
Jacob slumped in his seat, eyes burning with embarrassment. He wanted to disappear.
From first period to last, Mark was there.
When Jacob’s friends tried to joke around, Mark shut them down with a single look. When Jacob muttered under his breath, Mark made him repeat himself-loudly. When an assignment was given, Mark made sure he completed every word.
At lunch, Jacob tried to escape to sit with his friends, but Mark sat right across from him. “Nah. We’re eating together.”
Every moment was a nightmare.
By the time the last bell rang, Jacob was exhausted not just from school, but from the sheer weight of his dad’s presence.
As they walked to the car, Mark finally spoke.
“Now, tell me what exactly did you get out of treating that man like trash?
Jacob was silent.
Mark nodded. “That’s what l thought.”
