Chapter 574 Fell Down
When the gunshot popped off, Christopher hit the dirt, clearly hurt.
Pearl was the first to rush over and scoop him up. She saw a big ol' patch of skin scraped off his knee, and her heart just about broke.
"Mom, it hurts, my leg really hurts," Christopher bawled, snuggling into her arms.
"Christopher, Mommy's here. Mommy's gonna take you to the doc," Pearl said, scanning the area and spotting a makeshift medical tent nearby. She bolted over there.
Teachers and other parents trailed behind. Seeing Christopher's messed-up leg, they all winced. The doc told everyone to back off so they wouldn't freak Christopher out, then shooed them outside.
The tent got quiet. Pearl, all worried, asked, "Doc, is there any bone damage?"
This was a big deal. If there was bone damage, they'd need to hit the hospital ASAP.
The doc checked again and shook his head. "No bone damage, but that knee scrape's gonna take a while to heal. Keep it dry and don't let him mess with it."
Pearl nodded, making a mental note of all the do's and don'ts.
After the doc patched him up, Christopher was still sniffling, looking all sad and pitiful.
Pearl rubbed his head and gently said, "Christopher, if it hurts, just let it out. Don't be scared. Everyone cries when they're in pain, even grown-ups."
"Mom, if I cry, will my classmates think I'm a wuss?" Christopher asked.
"No way, and even if someone does, Mommy's got your back. I don't think you're a wuss; you're super brave and strong," Pearl reassured him.
Christopher kinda got it, but the pain was real, and he started crying softly again.
His cautiousness made Pearl wonder if something similar had gone down at school. She suddenly felt like she'd been dropping the ball with him lately.
She didn't even know what was up with him at school. Thinking back, it seemed like she never asked him about his day after school.
She pulled out her phone, but still no word from Oscar, who'd been MIA for ages. She called him, but no dice, which made Pearl fume.
As she carried Christopher towards the school gate, Alina caught up. She first showed concern for Christopher's injury, then started lamenting that he wouldn't get a ribbon for the competition.
Christopher's tears, which had just dried up, started flowing again.
Alina patted his hand and said, "Christopher, it's okay. Even though you couldn't finish the race, your class still placed. Bernice got second in the jump rope competition. Shouldn't you be happy for her?"
Bernice was Alina's daughter. Pearl knew Alina was just trying to get under Christopher's skin.
Pearl chimed in, "Hey, remember Bernice's up for that ball-toss contest soon? You don't wanna bail on her, she might end up ball-less and bummed out if she can't find you."
Right then, the announcement came: "Next is the ball-toss competition. Participants, please line up here. Parents, please stand according to your draw numbers."
Pearl smirked, "You'd better hustle, or someone will snag the first spot."
Sure enough, a parent had already snagged a spot in the distance. Alina stomped her foot and hustled over. Pearl watched as Alina got into it with the other parent, yanking them out of the line, and just shook her head.
Christopher, not quite getting it, asked softly, "Mom, are you feeling okay?"
Pearl pinched his cheek, saying, "Christopher, you're so sweet,. But I'm good. I'm just worried about you. Do you wanna head home now or stick around and watch the competition?"
Christopher glanced at the field, thought for a sec, and said softly, "I wanna stay and watch. The teacher said it's not about winning, but joining in. Mom, you still gotta cook for them later, right? I can help you."
Pearl kissed his cheek, beaming. "That'd be awesome. I'll count on my little helper then."
"I promise to be Mommy's best helper." Christopher raised his hand like he was taking an oath, already forgetting about his leg.
With the meds kicking in, the pain started to fade. Christopher calmed down from his earlier scare and was back to his usual lively self.
Christopher was supposed to be in the ball-toss competition, but with his injury, Pearl had the teacher cancel all his events. To her, nothing was more important than her kid's health.
Especially not some kindergarten sports gig, not worth the fuss.
"Go Bernice! Let's all cheer for Bernice!" Alina's voice rang out, and a few parents nearby half-heartedly joined in.
Christopher, though, was all in, shouting, "Go Bernice! Keep the ball steady and run forward."
Hearing Christopher, Bernice looked up. Unfortunately, she missed the ball, and it rolled away.
Bernice chased after it, her little legs pumping fast. Whether from urgency or something else, she stepped on the ball and took a tumble.
"Stupid ball! Mom, throw it away. I don't want this stupid ball," Bernice whined, sitting on the ground, throwing a fit, sand all in her mouth.
Alina ran over to comfort her, smacking the ball in frustration.
Some parents were stunned and started whispering about her parenting style.
Hearing the chatter, Alina snapped, "What do you know? Your kids aren't as good as Bernice. They can't even draw a circle, can't sing in tune, and run like snails..."
"Alina, that's too much. We didn't say anything about you. Why trash our kids?"
"Yeah, no matter what, our kids are the best to us. Who are you to judge?"
The blame shifted to Alina, who, realizing she was outnumbered, pushed through the crowd and stormed up to Pearl and Christopher.
"It's your fault! Why did you tell Bernice how to compete? Do you even know how? If it weren't for you, she wouldn't have been distracted, wouldn't have chased the ball, and wouldn't have fallen. It's all your fault, Christopher. You made Bernice fall." Alina's voice was loud, and her finger was almost in Christopher's face.
Pearl slapped her hand away and stood up to face her. "You asked us to cheer for her. Now something happened, and you blame us?"
Alina retorted, "I don't want to argue with you. It's almost noon now, you'd better hurry up and get the food ready. If you mess up our lunch, I'll have your boss fire you on the spot."
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