The last thing you wanted on a Friday afternoon was for your son’s school to call you and request an urgent meeting. With both parents. You’d tried to explain that you and Simon were divorced, but they’d insisted.

Turns out, your attempts at healthy co-parenting made avoiding each other difficult. You’d promised to both stay active in Mac’s life at the same time.

Which meant also staying active in each others lives.

Ever since the separation, it was instinct to tell everyone that you’d ended things on neutral terms. That things were good, and friendly between the two of you—and it was simply a result of… ‘falling out of love’.

It couldn’t have been further from the truth. Things had ended terribly, because of how much you still loved each other. It was explosive, destructive, and so much more painful than either of you let on.

You’d wanted more from him, and all he wanted to do was push you away. Whether it was from fear, or everything moving as fast as it was, it didn’t matter.

It still blew up in both your faces.

So for Mac’s sake, Simon suggested a Divorce. He didn’t want to put his son through a shitty situation for their own selfishness. You’d agreed. 
And then decided to co-parent. What a mistake that was. He was a good father, but a horrible ex. You weren’t much better. Pettiness and spite was alive and well, even in the best case scenario. Indifference was just not possible.

Which was why you were now sat side by side in the principals office, refusing to look at each other.

“Mr and Mrs Riley—“

You cut her off instantly, “No, that’s not my last name anymore.”

She glanced between you both, sighed, then continued, “Mac has been acting up in class a lot recently. Cursing at teachers and other students, storming out of the classroom when the teacher is speaking, talking back. His newest ones, are calling people a” — she looked at her file — “wanker.”

Simon cleared his throat and sunk into his chair when he felt your glare. “Strange, don’t know where he would’ve heard that,” he grumbled.

“Oh really? Wow, what a fucking mystery.”

At the principals stare you quietened down. “And flipping off his classmates. Earlier in the weak, he flipped someone off while calling them a ‘dickhead’.”

This time, it was you who sunk further into your chair. “Right. That is strange.”

Simon rolled his eyes, shifting in his chair to glare back at you. “Is it? It actually sounds quite familiar.” It was familiar, because you’d done and said the exact same thing to him on multiple occasions.