Rumors

by Phil M. Williams

  Rick nodded. “Maybe, but some things are more important than wins and losses. I suggest you stay away from the team today. Don’t make me embarrass you.”

  CHAPTER 137

  Janet Strikes Back

  She hung up her desktop phone, shaking her head. Bob. So fucking weak. I should fire him as a teacher too, but he’d talk, and I don’t have many friends left. His time will come when he least expects it. I don’t make empty threats. First things first. Cliff’s usefulness has run its course. With latex gloves, Janet picked up the printed pictures of Cliff Osborn—blindfolded, naked, and spread-eagled on the bed. He looked like a beached whale, his pale gut, bulbous and bulky, making his penis look insignificant. She slid the pictures into an eight-by-eleven envelope, removed the self-sealing sticker, and sealed the envelope. She affixed the preprinted label dead center. It was addressed to Cliff’s wife, with a phony return address from a faux flower shop.

  CHAPTER 138

  Gwen and the State Championship

  It had been a tough game. North Columbia was as good as advertised. They’d trounced West Lake in the first half 20–0, but Rick must’ve said something profound at halftime because their fortunes had turned in the second half. West Lake had scrapped and clawed back into the football game, now only trailing by three, 27–24. Unfortunately, they were running out of time.

  Gwen stood next to Lewis in the stands, bathed in the glow of the stadium lights, shivering despite her puffy coat. Jamar and the West Lake offense had possession of the football near the fifty-yard line with twenty-eight seconds and one time-out left. North Columbia wasn’t taking any chances. They lined up in a dime defense with two high safeties.

  On first and ten, Jamar dropped back to pass, but nobody was open, so he ran around the defensive end, streaking toward the sideline. He was pushed out of bounds after an eight-yard gain, stopping the clock at twenty seconds.

  On second and two, Jamar threw the ball to Lance on a comeback near the sideline. Lance caught the pass for a twelve-yard gain, but he was tackled before he could get out of bounds. The clock was ticking.

  Jamar hurried the offense to the line, shouting, “Kill, kill.” As soon as the offense lined up, Jamar took the snap and threw the ball into the turf, stopping the clock with eight seconds left.

  It was second and ten on the North Columbia thirty-yard line.

  Lewis said to Gwen, “They only have time for two plays. I think they’ll try to throw something down the middle to get into field-goal range. Then they’ll kick it, but we need a miracle.”

  “How close do they have to be for a field goal?” Gwen asked.

  Lewis frowned. “I think there’s a reason they always go for two.”

  Jamar did as Lewis predicted, completing a pass over the middle against soft coverage for a fifteen-yard gain. Rick called their final time-out from the sideline, with three seconds left on the game clock. During the time-out, Rick trotted out to the field, talked to the offense, then jogged back to the sideline. The kicker and six other players hustled onto the turf for the game-tying field-goal attempt. Eight players ran off the field, but one stopped just short of the sideline.

  West Lake lined up on the fifteen-yard line. It would be a thirty-two-yard field goal. Jamar kneeled seven yards back from the center. His job was to catch the snap, set the ball on the tee, and spin the laces outward for the kicker.

  Lewis put his hand over his face. “I can’t watch.”

  Jamar stood upright, and the center snapped the ball. North Columbia blitzed from the edges, determined to block the kick, but Jamar had no intention of holding the ball. He looked toward the West Lake sideline and threw a bomb to the uncovered receiver streaking down the field. The receiver had been lost by North Columbia, camouflaged by the crowded West Lake sideline, when the field-goal unit had subbed in and out with the offense. The ball floated through the air, carried a little by the wind. The receiver sprinted under the football, holding his hands out front like a basket. The crowd was dead silent as they watched the ball fall from the sky into his outstretched hands. As soon as the receiver tucked it in, the crowd cheered. The referee raised his hands, signaling the touchdown.

  Gwen and Lewis jumped up and down and embraced, with Lewis shouting, “We won!” They disengaged, Lewis turning and hugging another friend and West Lake Wolf Pack fan.

  Gwen watched Rick on the sideline, celebrating with his team. Lance and Jamar snuck up behind Rick and dumped a cooler filled with ice-cold water over his head. Gwen smiled to herself.

  CHAPTER 139

  Rick and Back to School

  Rick put his truck in Park and cut the engine. He looked over at Gwen. “You ready for this?”

  She looked back with a little smile. “I think so.”

  He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “Let’s do this.”

  It was their first day back to work after a weekend filled with postgame celebrations. Lewis had a party at his house on Friday night, where Rick and Gwen were introduced to his many friends, including his boyfriend. The Burris family hosted a party on Saturday for the team.

  Rick and Gwen walked into school together, going through the main entrance. They walked toward their classrooms, collecting students along the way, until they had a crowd surrounding them.

  “Welcome back, Ms. Townsend!”

  “Great game, Mr. Barnett.”

  “I’m so glad you guys are back.”

  “Are you guys dating? I heard you guys are a couple?”

  Gwen blushed at that last question.

  “You guys are so nosy,” Rick said, laughing.

  “Come on. We know it’s true,” a girl said.

  “Yes, okay,” Rick answered. “I like Ms. Townsend very much, but that’s all you’re gonna get outta me.”

  “Aww, that’s so sweet,” another girl said.

  Gwen winked at Rick, as if to say, You’re not so bad yourself.

  CHAPTER 140

  Janet and the Shot Heard Round the World

  “There has to be some kind of discipline,” Dr. Matthews said through the phone.

  Janet sat at her desk, the phone to her ear. “I need to talk to my lawyer.”

  “Two weeks suspension without pay is very generous. If I were you, I wouldn’t fight this.”

  “I haven’t done anything wrong.”

  “The school board disagrees. I disagree.”

  Janet gripped the receiver, her knuckles white. “The school board’s corrupt, and you’re misinformed.”

  “There’ll be a hearing next week to vote on the suspension. It’ll be a closed session.”

  “If you attempt to suspend me, I’ll bury this district. I have dirt on everyone.”

  Dr. Matthews sighed. “This is the problem. You act more like a DC lobbyist than an educator.”

  “I have no choice.”

  “Bullshit. I’ll see you at the hearing.” Dr. Matthews disconnected the call.

  Janet slammed down the phone. She heard commotion coming from the halls. She left the main office, spilling into the front entry. To her right, the hallway was jam-packed with rambunctious students. She glanced at the clock on the wall. Still three minutes until the tardy bell.

  She marched toward the commotion, her heels click-clacking on the linoleum. Students stared at her, whispering and smiling, and some were even laughing.

  A boy shouted, “Mr. Barnett and Ms. Townsend are back!”

  “Go to class!” Janet shrieked. “Stop blocking the hallway. Go to class.”

  But they barely moved, her orders falling on deaf ears. Some held up their phones, videoing her.

  “Put those phones away! Go to class!”

  Someone said, “Lying bitch.”

  She scanned the crowd of students, turning 360 degrees. Her glare found Aaron Fuller and his shit-eating grin. “What did you say?”

  Aaron’s expression didn’t change.

  She moved into his personal space. “What did you say?”

  Aaron deadp
anned, “You’re a lying bitch.”

  The crowd jeered and pointed at Janet.

  Janet grabbed Aaron by his upper arm and pulled, but he resisted, not moving an inch.

  “Get your fucking hands off me, cunt.”

  Reflexively, Janet slapped him across the face.

  The crowd went silent.

  Aaron broke the silence with his laughter. The crowd joined in, their laughter blending with his in a cacophony of disrespect.

  Janet reared back and slapped him again, this time harder, the smack of skin-on-skin loud enough to be heard over the crowd.

  Aaron stopped laughing. His shit-eating grin was gone. He touched his cheek, pink from the impact. He narrowed his eyes at Janet and threw a roundhouse haymaker that connected with Janet’s jaw, knocking her off her heels, sending her down for the count.

  * * *

  Janet lay in her hospital bed with a bruised face, a mild concussion, and a dull headache. The doctor wanted to keep her overnight for observation. Rachel sat by her bedside, the lighting dim.

  “I still can’t believe he hit you,” Rachel said. “He should’ve been arrested.”

  Janet closed her eyes, trying to block out Rachel’s incessant chattering.

  “I’m sure he’ll at least be expelled.”

  Janet clenched her fists, her head throbbing.

  “You know? I was thinking that it never would’ve even happened if Rick and Gwen weren’t—”

  “Shut the fuck up!” Janet sat up and glared at Rachel. “Jesus. I’m so sick of you blabbering on and on.”

  Rachel’s mouth hung open, her face crimson. She shut her mouth, stood from the chair, and grabbed her purse.

  Janet frowned. “Don’t be such a fucking baby.”

  Rachel left the hospital room without another word.

  Janet tried to sleep in the dim light, but her mind wouldn’t quiet. He punched me. I didn’t punch him. I can fix it. Aaron Fuller’s a degenerate. Everyone knows that. Her phone buzzed on the bedside table. She’d been avoiding contact with the world, but curiosity got the better of her. She grabbed her phone and checked the latest text.

  Virgil Matthews: You are fired. Do not come into work.

  Janet shot back a text.

  Janet: You’ll be hearing from my lawyer. I will ruin you

  Virgil Matthews: Good luck with that. I’ve fired people for a lot less.

  Janet hurled her phone across the hospital room, the screen shattering against the wall.

  CHAPTER 141

  Gwen and Justice

  Gwen and Rick sat on his couch, watching the video on YouTube entitled “Principal Slaps Student and Gets Knocked Out!” In less than forty-eight hours, the video had already garnered two million views. It showed the whole incident. Janet shrieking for everyone to go to class, to put away their phones. Aaron calling her a lying bitch. Janet grabbing him, and Aaron refusing to budge, calling her a cunt. Then the slap and the laughter, followed by another slap. Then Aaron’s roundhouse right, connecting to Janet’s glass jaw. She fell awkwardly, her head bouncing off the linoleum. The crowd went wild, cheering and jumping up and down, as if they were at a heavyweight title bout. The video ended as Rick and the school resource officer appeared on-screen.

  Gwen suppressed a smile, covering her mouth with her hand.

  Rick looked at her with narrowed eyes. “What?”

  She burst out with laughter.

  He smiled but held it together. “I didn’t know you were so mean.”

  Gwen eventually stopped laughing, a smile still plastered on her face. “I’m sorry. It’s just … I wonder how many people wanted to punch her in the face?”

  Rick laughed. “I certainly thought about it.”

  “Now who’s mean?”

  “I didn’t say I was any better.”

  “I do worry about Aaron.”

  Rick shrugged. “He’ll be expelled for the rest of the year, but maybe he’ll do better in cyberschool, and, for the rest of his life, he’ll have the best story at every party.”

  “I still think Janet should be arrested for slapping him.”

  “That’s the sexism of the justice system. If a male teacher slapped a girl, he’d be serving time.”

  “Well, at least she was fired. Her career as an educator is over.”

  CHAPTER 142

  Rick and Just Visiting

  The drab visiting room was spruced up with nondenominational holiday decor. A life-size poster of Frosty the Snowman hung near the vending machines, 3-D snowflakes hung from the ceiling, and the tabletops each had a clear plastic centerpiece filled with green- and red-wrapped Hershey kisses.

  Rick and Gwen sat on stainless steel seats attached to a stainless steel table. Shane sat across from them, wearing burgundy pants and a burgundy button-down shirt that could pass for pajamas. The room was noisy, inmates talking and laughing with friends and family.

  “I was surprised when I saw you two requested a visit,” Shane said.

  “We wanted to see how you’re doing,” Rick said, acknowledging Gwen with his eyes, then looking back to Shane.

  “How are you doing?” Gwen asked.

  Shane lifted one shoulder. “It sucks, but I’m hangin’ in there. They got high school classes, so I’m doin’ that.”

  “That’s great to hear,” Gwen said.

  Shane looked at Rick. “I saw that youse won the state championship.”

  Rick smiled, not showing his teeth. “North Columbia was tough. We had to run a trick play to win.”

  “I heard. The fake field goal where the receiver hides near the sideline.” Shane forced a smile. “Everyone must’ve been hyped.”

  “We’re getting state championship rings. Where would you like me to send yours?”

  Shane cocked his head. “I’m gettin’ one?”

  “Yeah, you are.” Rick nodded.

  Shane smiled again; this time it reached his eyes. “Thanks, Coach. I appreciate it. You can send it to my dad. I’ll tell him to email you his address.”

  “Has your dad been visiting?” Gwen asked.

  “Every weekend.”

  “That’s nice to hear.”

  “He has a construction company. They do remodels and some custom houses. He said he’ll teach me the ropes when I get outta here.”

  “Sounds like a great opportunity,” Rick said.

  “I’m lookin’ forward to it.” Shane leaned in, putting his elbows on the table. “I saw that Lance made all-state. Is he gonna get a scholarship?”

  “Division II maybe. Kutztown’s interested.”

  “Really? I thought he’d go to Penn State or Pitt.”

  “For Division I, you gotta have the grades to go with the talent.”

  “You think Drew could’ve got a scholarship?”

  “Maybe. Drew was one of the best linebackers I ever coached.”

  “You know he’s here, right? Not in my cell block, but I see him sometimes.”

  “We visited him about an hour ago,” Rick said.

  Shane shook his head, a frown on his face. “He’s still pretty pissed at me. I tried to tell him it was my mom who got him busted, but, you know, … I guess I’d be pissed too.”

  “Maybe he’ll come around in time,” Gwen said.

  “Yeah, maybe.” Shane paused, taking a deep breath. “Thank you guys for comin’ to see me. It means a lot.”

  “You’re very welcome.”

  Shane nodded to Gwen, then looked at Rick. “I think about football sometimes.” He thought for a moment. “Man, I wish I could do it over.”

  “I should’ve moved you to wide receiver,” Rick said. “You’re tall. You have great hands.”

  Shane grinned, the alternate reality playing in his mind. “That would’ve been cool. We could’ve run a nasty double pass.”

  “I should’ve handled your situation better. I’m sorry.”

  “Nah, I was a douchebag. I know that now.”

  CHAPTER 143

  Gwen and No Child Le
ft Behind

  He parked his truck in front of the rusted trailer home. Gwen and Rick stepped from the vehicle and walked to the front door. It was cloudy, everything and everyone cast in a dull gray. Gwen’s breath condensed in the air as she exhaled. Rick knocked on the door, causing a dog to bark inside.

  Aaron Fuller answered the door, wearing a jacket and a knit cap. A pit bull stuck his head between Aaron’s leg and the doorframe. “What are youse doing here?”

  “We talked to your brother yesterday,” Rick said.

  The dog barked again, causing Gwen to take a step back.

  “What for?” Aaron stepped onto the stoop, shutting the door and the dog behind him.

  Rick backed up a step to accommodate Aaron.

  “We wanted to see how he was doing,” Gwen said.

  “Oh, … cool,” Aaron replied.

  “He mentioned that he was concerned about how you’re holding up without him,” Rick said.

  Aaron looked away, then shrugged. “It’s fine.”

  “You sure?” Gwen asked.

  “Yeah. My mom’s trying to be home more.”

  “If you need anything, like dinner or just a warm place to be, let me or Mr. Barnett know.” Gwen glanced at Rick, then back to Aaron.

  “Yeah, … okay. Thanks.”

  “I hear you’ll be back at school next year,” Rick said.

  “Yeah. I’m finishing the rest of this year in cyberschool.”

  “What do you think about coming out for football?”

  Aaron thought for a moment. “I don’t know. I need to make some money.”

  “The booster club has a lot of business owners. They like to give jobs to football players because they know you guys are used to hard work.”

  “Can I think about it?”

  “When we went to see your brother, we visited with Shane too,” Rick said.