they told me that the linebacker from Yarmouth who Jack went after on the field had made a crack about Kevin Metcalf. . . .”
There was a long pause.
Hicks leaned forward. “Is that true, Jack?”
Jack didn’t respond at first. He just shifted in his seat uncomfortably and then gave a small, almost imperceptible nod.
Sandra touched his arm. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
Jack just offered another obstinate shrug.
But Sandra was not about to drop the matter. “Jack . . . ?”
Realizing he was outnumbered by three adults now, Jack knew he couldn’t avoid participating in the interrogation any longer and huffed, “I just didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, okay?”
“Apparently the kid was making fun of Kevin’s recent struggles with addiction. Jack was just defending his teammate,” Coach Cooper said, reaching down and squeezing Jack’s shoulder in a show of support.
Sandra never thought she could love her sons any more than she already did, but in this moment, with this revelation, her heart swelled a tiny bit more. But she knew her feelings were not going to get him off the hook with the high school principal. She wanted to hug him and tell him how proud she was of him for sticking up for his friend, but she refrained and kept her tough-disciplinarian-mother face on in order to show a united front with Principal Hicks.
At least until they were safely out of the office.
“So I was thinking detention for a week, a letter of apology to the Yarmouth player, and he’s back on the field for Saturday’s away game at Thornton Academy,” Coach Cooper said, in an attempt to curb what he feared might be a harsher punishment.
Hicks considered the proposal and then outright rejected it. “I have a zero-tolerance policy for violence no matter what the reason.”
Coach Cooper stepped forward. “I understand that, John, but—”
Hicks stopped him in his tracks. “I’m not going to cut Jack some slack just because he’s your star player. That wouldn’t be fair to my other students. One-week suspension, a letter of apology, and he’s benched for the next three games.”
Coach Cooper opened his mouth to argue, but Sandra cut him off. “I think that’s absolutely fair. Don’t you, Jack?”
Another sullen shrug from the peanut gallery.
Coach Cooper frowned. He had obviously been prepared to put up more of a fight, but there was no way he could win with the kid’s mother taking the principal’s side, so he just gave up and retreated from the office after a cursory nod.
“Thank you,” Sandra said, standing up and shaking Hicks’s hand.
“I’ll see you at the next PTA meeting, Sandra,” Hicks said, circling around his desk to show them to the door. “Try to keep that temper in check, okay, Jack?”
Jack never made eye contact. He gave the principal a half wave and scooted out the door ahead of his mother. She gave Hicks another apologetic smile and then raced to catch up with him.
After Hicks closed the door to his office, Sandra turned and ran smack into Maisie Portman, the assistant principal. Sandra hadn’t seen her since the night of the PTA meeting when she saw Maisie squabbling with that mysterious woman in the high school parking lot.
“How did it go?” Maisie asked, tied up in knots. “Hicks has been on such a law-and-order kick lately I was afraid Jack might get expelled.”
“Not too bad. One-week suspension and a three-game ban,” Sandra said, relieved.
“Three games? That’s outrageous! The team needs Jack if we’re going to have any chance at a state championship trophy! Would you like me to talk to him? Maybe I can work on him to get a reduced sentence.”
“I appreciate it, Maisie, but honestly, Jack needs this punishment. What he did was wrong, and if we let it slide, he might develop some kind of hotshot attitude where he starts to think he’s above the rules,” Sandra said.
“You’re a hell of a lot better mother than I ever would be,” Maisie said, laughing.
“Oh, come on, I think you’d be great.”
“That’s because you barely know me. My mother had to do an intervention to rescue my houseplants because I kept forgetting to water them,” Maisie said.
“I guess I’ll have to find another home for that Chinese elm bonsai tree I was going to give you for your next birthday!”
Maisie howled. “Only if it comes in plastic. See you at the next PTA meeting!”
“Will do! I better go find my son before he tackles somebody else!” Sandra called out as she scurried off down the hall. She caught up with Jack, who was at his locker, cleaning it out and throwing his books and supplies into a backpack.
“Just because you’re going to be home this week, don’t think it’s a school vacation where you can play video games and watch movies on your iPad,” Sandra warned.
“I know . . . ,” Jack groaned.
“And there will be physical labor involved as well. The lawn is in desperate need of a mowing and the hedges could use a trim.”
“If Dad was here . . .”
“If Dad was here what?”
“Nothing,” Jack whispered, slamming his locker shut.
“No, tell me, Jack, what?”
Jack turned to face her. “If Dad was here, he would go a whole lot easier on me.”
Sandra pursed her lips. She had expected this kind of reaction. Stephen was always the good cop, and she was always the bad cop. They had grown comfortable in their respective parental roles, but that didn’t make her job any easier. “You’re right. He probably would. But he’s not here. He took the red eye back to DC last night, and he no longer has a say, so I’m afraid you’re stuck with me. Got it?”
Jack slung the backpack over his shoulder and moodily stared at the floor. “Yeah . . .”
“Good,” Sandra said. “One more thing.”
Jack sighed dramatically. “What?”
“I don’t necessarily approve of your methods, but I’m awfully proud of you for standing up for Kevin.”
She gave him a peck on the check.
At first he was mortified and spun his head around to make sure none of his peers had seen him get a kiss from his mother. But luckily the halls were empty with the whole student body safely tucked away in the classrooms, so he didn’t have to make a full-blown scene.
Instead, he just feigned annoyance and whined, “Mom!”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
