Chapter 146

The principal’s office smelled like old books and peppermint tea.

And in the middle of it sat five-year-old Ruby.

Tiny arms crossed. Cheeks puffed. Eyes glossy with angry tears.

Her yellow duck backpack rested beside her chair while her little shoes kicked the air anxiously.

Across from them sat the teacher, the principal, and the parents of the little boy from Ruby’s class.

Jennie was quietly rubbing Ruby’s back while Lisa looked one second away from starting her own revolution.

“Ruby disrupted the entire class,” the teacher explained carefully. “She encouraged the other students to refuse art time unless Noah apologized.”

The principal sighed softly. “She called it… a protest.”

Ruby sniffled loudly.

“It was a protest,” she mumbled defensively into Jennie’s sleeve.

Jennie bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing.

Apparently, after a boy named Noah poked Ruby’s cheeks during snack time and called her “fatty baby mandu,” Ruby stood on a chair and declared:

“No one draws until justice is served!”

Half the class joined her.

One kid apparently started chanting “MANDU POWER.”

Lisa looked dangerously proud.

Jennie nudged her wife under the table immediately.

“Baby,” she whispered warningly.

“I’m just saying,” Lisa muttered. “Leadership skills.”

The teacher continued carefully. “We understand Ruby’s feelings were hurt, but encouraging the class to barricade the reading corner with blocks was not appropriate.”

Ruby’s lip trembled instantly.

“But he was mean…” she whispered.

That did it.

Jennie immediately pulled Ruby onto her lap.

“Aww, baby…”

Ruby buried her face into her Mommy’s neck, already crumbling.

“He said my cheeks are too big…” she sniffed. “And everybody laughed…”

Jennie’s expression softened heartbreakingly.

Because Ruby loved her cheeks.

Mostly because Jennie and Lisa spent her entire life kissing them every five minutes.

Lisa leaned forward immediately.

“Noah started this,” she said firmly.

The boy’s parents shifted awkwardly.

Lisa continued, “He insulted our daughter’s appearance first. Ruby reacted emotionally because she got hurt.”

The teacher tried to speak carefully. “We did reprimand Noah-“

“But he should be taking consequences too,” Lisa interrupted. “Not just Ruby.”

Her voice wasn’t loud.

But it had that protective Mama tone.

The one that made Jennie silently pray for everyone involved.

Lisa crossed her arms.

“You cannot expect a five-year-old to stay calm after being publicly humiliated.”

Noah’s mother finally sighed. “He was only joking-“

“He called my daughter fat.”

The room went silent instantly.

Lisa rarely got genuinely upset.

But when it involved Ruby?

Different story.

Ruby peeked up from Jennie’s shoulder with watery eyes while Lisa softened immediately upon seeing her.

“Oh, baby… no, don’t cry…”

Ruby’s tears spilled harder now.

Jennie quickly cupped both squishy cheeks.

“Hey, hey… look at Mommy.”

Ruby looked up shakily.

Jennie kissed one cheek.

Then the other.

Then her forehead.

Then the tip of her nose.

Over and over until Ruby started giggling through her tears.

“My baby has the cutest cheeks in the world,” Jennie whispered dramatically.

“Kissable cheeks,” Lisa added immediately.

“Squishy cheeks,” Jennie agreed.

“Mochi cheeks.”

“Mandu cheeks.”

Ruby sniffled.

“Not big?”

Jennie gasped dramatically.

“Big?!” She grabbed Ruby’s cheeks gently. “These are premium cheeks.”

Lisa nodded seriously. “Designer cheeks.”

That finally earned a tiny laugh.

Even the principal looked like she was trying not to smile.

Jennie kept kissing Ruby’s face between every sentence until the little girl was fully melted against her.

Because this child was impossibly attached to her Mommy.

And Jennie was even worse.

Ruby hiccuped softly. “But I made revolution…”

Lisa coughed to hide a laugh.

Jennie pressed another kiss to her temple.

“Yes, baby. Maybe next time we protest without trapping the teacher behind beanbags.”

Ruby looked thoughtful.

“…Okay.”

A pause.

“…But can I still make signs?”

Lisa immediately answered, “Yes.”

“Lalisa,” Jennie whispered in disbelief.

“What? Creative expression matters.”

The meeting ended with both children being told to apologize.

Noah awkwardly muttered sorry.

Ruby did too…

Though she also added: “You shouldn’t talk bad about people’s cheeks because cheeks are sensitive.”

The adults nearly lost it again.

By the time they got home, Ruby was emotionally exhausted.

The second Jennie sat on the couch, Ruby climbed directly onto her lap like a sleepy koala.

“Mommmyyy…”

Jennie smiled softly.

“Yes, my cry baby?”

Ruby immediately buried her face into Jennie’s chest.

“I got sad…”

“I know, baby.”

Lisa walked over carrying Ruby’s favorite strawberry milk and a plate of tiny dumplings.

“Emergency pampering service,” she announced.

Ruby accepted the drink sadly.

Jennie, meanwhile, continued her aggressive affection attack.

Kiss. Kiss. Kiss.

Everywhere.

Cheeks. Forehead. Hair. Tiny pouty lips.

“Mommy…”

“Kiss payment,” Jennie said seriously.

“For what?”

“For surviving school trauma.”

Lisa snorted loudly.

Ruby finally smiled fully.

Then Jennie whispered dramatically against her cheek:

“And for leading your first revolution.”

Ruby gasped happily.

Lisa raised Ruby’s tiny fist into the air.

“Mandu union forever.”

“FOREVER!” Ruby yelled.

Jennie stared at both of them.

“…I’m raising two babies.”