" I'm Darrell's mother . Why wouldn't I be here ? " Belinda quickly covered her mouth , feigning panic . " I'm so sorry , Cordelia ... That's not what I meant at all . It's just ... You've never come to school since Darry started junior high . I ... thought you and Declan were divorced . " After all , Darry's been getting more and more edgy , and he gets into fights so easily ... " With just a few casual remarks , Belinda had managed to condemn Cordelia for being an absent mother while painting herself as the concerned one . Seeing right through her , Cordelia said bluntly , " It must really sting to see that Declan and I are still together , doesn't it ? " Belinda's eyes reddened again . " I didn't ... " But before she could finish , Declan subtly shifted , stepping forward to shield Cordelia , his voice cutting her off. "Where's Darry ? " The interruption forced Belinda to swallow her grievances. She pointed toward a spot not far away . " Over there . " Declan turned to Cordelia . " Let's go . " Cordelia only saw Darrell clearly after they approached . His eye - catching bald fade stood out as usual . Right now , he was pointing fiercely at the group opposite him , shouting curses . There were about a dozen people on each side , all armed with weapons like sticks and pipes . The hostility on their faces was unmistakable . The air was thick with tension , poised to erupt into violence at any second . A wave of rage surged through Cordelia . She had a fiery temper , but also a deep - seated sense of justice . The sight of anyone being bullied or suffering had always compelled her to step in and help . The last thing she could ever tolerate was the thought of her own son becoming a bullying hooligan . She carried the stick on her shoulder . " I'm gonna kick that brat's ass ! " 0,0 % 09:33 Chapter 7 11 288 Vouchers She moved so quickly that Declan was too late to stop her . All he could do was follow closely behind , his fists clenched tightly , ready to fight at a moment's notice . He would never let anyone harm her . However , after charging into the fray , Cordelia planted herself firmly in front of Darrell as his shield . Then , she raised the wooden stick and pointed it directly at Jordan , the chubby teenager leading the other group . " I'll kill anyone who dares to lay a finger on Darry ! " she snarled . Jordan was startled for a second by Cordelia , who came out of nowhere , Then , he roared at Darrell in fury , " Darrell ! We agreed to settle this ourselves ! How dare you bring backup ! " His eyes then flicked over Cordelia with utter contempt . " And such a fucking weak one , at that ? " Seething with rage , Cordelia immediately jabbed him in the chest with the stick . " Watch your mouth , you little brat ! I dare you to say that again ! And who are you calling weak ? Huh ? Who exactly are you referring to ? " Provoked by the jab , Jordan was about to rush forward and beat her up , his eyes bloodshot . Just then , Declan walked over to Cordelia slowly . Without saying a word , he lowered his head and lit a cigarette . With one hand in his pocket and the other holding the cigarette , he took a slow drag , his razor - sharp gaze fixed on Jordan . Nervous , Jordan swallowed and slowly took a step back . His gut told him Declan was not to be trifled with . But if he acted like a coward , it'd shatter his credibility as the gang leader . He could only roar , feigning ferocity , " Who the fuck are you ? " Cordelia planted her stick on the ground and yelled back , her voice even louder than his , " I'm Darrell's mother ! " Behind her , Darrell stared at her back , a complex storm of emotions on his face . " What are you doing here ? " he asked . Without even turning around , Cordelia jabbed the stick backward . He immediately grunted , clutching his waist in pain . " You ran away from home in the middle of the night to get into a gang fight , and you have the nerve to ask me what I'm doing here ? " she snapped , her voice dripping with fury . " You've got some nerve , young man ! " After saying that , she raised the stick and poked him in the head . " You wanna know what I'm doing here ? Huh ? 40.2 % 09:33 Chapter 7 1288 iVouchers " I'm here to drag your sorry ass home ! " Marvin , who had been watching from the sidelines , was utterly dumbfounded . Darrell , the infamous school bully , the one everyone feared , was being poked and prodded with a stick by his mother , and he wasn't even fighting back ? He covered his mouth to stifle a giggle , ready to tease Darrell mercilessly . But just then , Cordelia swung her stick around and pointed it directly at him . " What ? Do you have a problem with what I do ? " Terrified , he immediately waved his hands . " No ! Not at all ! 88.5 %