Girl Forced To Take Cap Off By Teacher, Dad Gets Payback

Take That Off

The teacher banged his fist against the desk, his jaw ticking as he pointed at her. “Take it off now,” he growled. Liquid fear bubbled in her stomach as reality dawned on her. The teacher was serious.

She didn’t know what he’d do to her if she didn’t comply. But the teacher should have known who her dad was before deciding to single her out like this.

Pain

He stalked closer, his burning gaze focused on her. “Maddy, I said take the hat off!” “But,” she stammered, ready to plead her case. She couldn’t do what the teacher was asking. Not today of all days.

She was still reeling from the medicine pumping through her body, from the pain that had now become a part of her young life. She’d barely made it to school today and didn’t have the energy to take on such a confrontation head-on. Couldn’t the teacher at least hear her case out?

Gasps All Over

Maddy Dunham took a deep breath as the teacher walked to her. Her lips quivered where she sat, her fingers together with them. Pain and fear had melded into one within her, rendering her frozen.

The teacher reached her vicinity, anger painted all over him. “I won’t repeat myself,” he roared. With one swift move, he reached for her cap, yanking it off her head. Gasps took the atmosphere as the truth was finally revealed. The only thing Maddy could wish for now was the end to be swift and painless.

A Different Semester

But for Maddy, this semester was supposed to be different. The last two years had been agonizing for her, and she’d wished, with everything that she was, that things would improve.

For the first time in a long time, she felt like her wish was finally getting answered. The pain she’d been suffering through had subsided, and Maddy could finally go back to school. She had no idea what awaited her there.

An Unfair World

But for her, wearing that hat wasn’t a choice she relished. She’d hoped for something different, something that wouldn’t expose her and her deepest insecurities like this.

Sitting in that chair, she watched as the entire class stared at her, some of them giggling while others were awash with pity. She was finding out how unfair the world was. And to think it all started with a birthday party.

A Sharp Pain

Maddy’s issues started on her best friend’s birthday two years prior. Everything was going great until a sharp pain struck her chest. Only eleven years old, she didn’t know what was happening.

She looked around wide-eyed, thinking one of her friends had accidentally jammed a knife through her. But everyone was busy with the festivities, unaware of what she was going through. But it would only get worse from there.

Three Strikes

The second jolt of pain came, this one worse than the first. Maddy yelped, her hands jumping to her chest where the pain originated. The third hit her, a wave of agony that swept from her feet up to her shoulders.

She spiraled onto the floor as the pain settled in her brain. She couldn’t explain what was going on. But she knew her life would never be the same.

A Bright Room

Maddy woke up to find bright white lights above her. She was lying on bright blue sheets, dressed in a light, similarly colored gown.

Her mom was seated beside her, tears covering her eyes as a strange man dressed in a white coat spoke to her. They all kept quiet when they realized Maddy was awake.

What’s Happening?

Although Maddy was only eleven years old, she understood the gravity of the situation. She knew her mom to be among the strongest people in the world. Seeing her shed tears like this could only mean something terrible had occurred.

“What’s happening, Mommy?” Maddy asked, and her mother explained everything. “You’ll be fine,” she insisted midway through her explanation. “You and I will beat this thing, okay?”

Chronic Recurrent Multifocal Osteomyelitis

What Maddy had suffered from was an overwhelming spike of pain caused by a disorder known as chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis.

A disease associated with children, it results in the inflammation of the patient’s bones and is usually accompanied by chronic pain. Hearing her mom explain everything tore Maddy apart because, in the woman’s voice, she could listen to one thing.

Failure

In her mom’s voice, Maddy could hear the sound of failure. Her mother looked at her like she’d already lost her. How bad was this disease? Couldn’t Maddy beat it?

She remembered the pain and how bad it was. It had caused her body to shut down, seemingly from shock. Would this be her life now? She should have known that things would only get worse from here.

A Lifestyle Change

The doctor enrolled Maddy in a program to help stabilize her condition. This saw a complete shift in the eleven-year-old’s lifestyle. First, she visited the hospital twice weekly, getting shots meant to keep the chronic pain at bay while also mending her bones.

Second, the doctor advised her mom to limit her time outside, insisting on Maddy needing her rest. Third, Maddy saw less of her mom since the hospital bills were outstanding, and the woman needed to take on more shifts at her nursing job to sustain them. But this was only the beginning.

Her Dad

Maddy had never really been close to her dad. He’d separated from her mom when she was still a baby and would only see her on special days like her birthday.

But now that she was sick, the man dropped by whenever he felt like it. He’d bring her gifts and tell her stories from around the world, seemingly wanting to bond with her. Would Maddy ever forgive him for leaving?

Why Is He Here Now?

Although Maddy’s dad was trying his best to be in her life, the girl hated that her condition was the only reason he acted this way. Where was he when things were good?

Why hadn’t he ever shown this same level of concern? She didn’t even know what he did for a living. Although Maddy didn’t outright tell him to leave, she always spaced out whenever he walked through the front door, wanting to see her. She had no idea that he’d be the one to save her down the road.

Treatment

Most patients with Maddy’s disorder are usually incurable. But for others, treatment is possible. Often, treatment lasts months or years. Half of children battling it respond well to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which help them regain full health.

The doctors put Maddy on the needed medication, hoping her body would respond positively. But although this was great news, it came with a terrible side effect that would leave Maddy’s life in shambles.

Her Hair

Maddy was positively responding to the treatment the doctors were subjecting her to. But she was also losing large parts of her hair because of the treatment.

As a girl, she’d long been attached to her hair. She’d had the longest and most luscious mane in school, with many of her friends telling her they wished their hair was like hers. Maddy didn’t know if she could return to school with her hair falling off.

Fistfuls Of Hair

It started with one or two strands a day. But before she knew it, fistfuls of her hair were falling off. It became so bad that half of her head was covered in great patches.

It didn’t help that the pain that had been there before had suddenly returned. Things were slowly turning bleak, and the now twelve-year-old girl didn’t know what she’d do. That’s when her mom came up with a brilliant idea.

A Wig

“How about we get you a wig?” Maddy’s mom asked with a bright smile, even though Maddy could see the worry and concern in her eyes. “Yeah,” she said, hoping to alleviate the woman’s stress. “I’d like that, Mom.”

Her mom wasted no time getting in touch with the Little Princess Trust, a charity that provides real hair wigs, free of charge, to children and young people who have lost their hair through diseases and conditions such as cancer. The future couldn’t look any brighter!

Choose Your Favorite

Little Princess Trust wasted no time sending over a few wigs for Maddy to try. She chose the one she loved the most and agreed to shave all her hair so that she could start donning it immediately.

For the first time in months, she saw her mom finally smile with no sadness lingering within her irises. Maddy thought things were finally looking up for their family when, in reality, everything was about to go further downhill.

A Temporary Fix

Maddy started going to school with a wig. Although the pain plaguing her body had remained, she was glad she could resume her education and wouldn’t let anything get in the way of graduating to the next class.

Maddy continued her education throughout the year, passing her classes and continuing life as usual. But one day, she realized her wig’s cap had become too loose, forcing her to take it off so her mom could fix it.

A Baseball Cap

Maddy’s mom asked her to stay home for a day as she had the wig fixed. But Maddy couldn’t relent now, after how much she’d achieved in school. She wanted to show her mom that she had this under control.

“It’s okay,” she said. “I can wear a baseball cap.” She rushed upstairs and returned with it, waving it before her mom’s face. She had no idea what wearing that cap would lead to.

The Bravest And Most Beautiful

Knowing just how stubborn her daughter could be, Maddy’s mom agreed to her request. By now, some of Maddy’s hair had grown back, although this only accentuated the patches on her head.

Her mom looked at the cap in her hand before coming over and helping her fit it on. She broke a smile and said, “You are the bravest and most beautiful girl I have ever known.” She couldn’t have predicted what was about to happen to her daughter.

Going To School

Maddy went to school the following day, looking beautiful with her baseball cap. The pain from her illness seemed to have had it out for her today because she couldn’t walk for five steps before wincing.

It struck her in tiny pricks, not as overwhelming as usual but enough to irritate her. It would pull her out of conversations with her friends and make her grit her teeth as she tried to stamp it down. Was it foreshadowing the inevitable?

Mr. Hudson

Maddy sat in class next to her best friend. The bell for the first period had already rung, and it was only a matter of seconds before the math teacher, Mr. Hudson, walked into class.

Although Math wasn’t Maddy’s favorite subject, she enjoyed it nonetheless. Mr. Hudson, though strict and seemingly always in a foul mood, was a good teacher. But today, he would show Maddy his true colors.

No Caps In Class

“Miss Dunham,” the teacher called out the minute he walked into class. His eyes were stuck on Maddy. “No caps in class. Please take that off.”

Maddy’s insides heated, worry flooding her system. She came up slowly, eating back the pain in her bones. She needed to explain to the teacher why she couldn’t take off her cap.

I Won’t Repeat Myself

“Miss Dunham, I will not repeat myself. Take that cap off!” A muscle ticked in the teacher’s jaw, and he banged his fist against the desk, pointing at Maddy. “Take it off now.” “I can’t,” Maddy cried, fear bubbling through her. She had a permission slip in her bag that would prove why she could wear the cap in class.

But she had no time to take it out. Mr. Hudson moved menacingly toward her, his burning gaze focused on her. “Maddy, I said take the hat off!” Before Maddy could speak, he had yanked the cap off her head.

Black

Gasps rented the classroom as everyone saw her head. In the two years she’d been fighting her illness, no one, not even her best friend, knew she had issues with her hair—some of the kids who didn’t like her started giggling. The rest looked at her like a sick animal, begging to be put down.

Tears ate Maddy’s sight. Her breath hitched, and her lungs constricted. How was this happening? The pain in her bones doubled. It hit her in such furious torrents she started staggering, looking for a way to stay on her feet. The world around her began to spin. Then everything turned black.

Back In Hospital

Maddy couldn’t explain what had happened. Like the last time this had happened, she woke up in a hospital bed. Her mom was by her side, worriedly watching over her. But her dad was also in the room, tall and imposing, as he watched quietly.

His chest kept moving up and down where he stood, and his arms were rippling muscles and veins. Was he angry with Maddy for feinting in class? What did he know about what she was going through?

Her Dad Is Here

He came to her the moment they locked eyes, roughly reaching out for her. But his touch was gentle, his words soothing. He shared a knowing look with Maddy’s mom and stood up before storming out.

Navy SEAL Eric Dunham couldn’t believe what had happened to his one and only daughter. How could a teacher do this to her when she’d broken no school rule? Burning with anger, he hopped into his truck and drove straight to Maddy’s school.

An Enraged Father

Eric stormed into the school grounds, barely giving anyone any time of day. His sight was set on one person, Maddy’s math teacher, Mr. Hudson. The enraged father marched straight to the staffroom, where he found the teacher. He was almost throttling him when he realized everyone was staring at him, kids included.

The principal came running in a minute later. He pleaded with Eric to follow her to her office, hoping they could resolve this issue. It took everything within Eric to walk away from the teacher. His love for his daughter was enough to make him step away. But this was far from over.

This story was handcrafted with love by a creative novelist to thrill and entertain, mirroring real-life situations to awaken your imagination and evoke profound emotions. All events, places, and characters are products of the author’s imagination, and all images and videos are used for illustrative purposes only. We hope you enjoyed reading it just as much as we enjoyed writing it!