Page 111 of Redemption
“What’s that Isaiah?”
“He sa-said that the de-devil wanted his li-life, but God to-took his leg instead. Co-coach, he was ha-happy to lose his le-leg, even though th-that path le-left him homeless. I-I’ve never looked at li-life like that.”
“Isaiah, I can honestly say I haven’t either. But I think that gentleman’s story should make us think about the things we can live without and the things we can’t. Thank you for sharing. Would anyone else like to share a story they took away with them?
Hands shoot up in the air, and over them all, I look at Tanner, who is looking at his teammates with pride and something else—something he’s not ready to admit to himself yet.
But I’ll be here when he is.
______________________
I’m sitting in the high school principal’s office during the middle of the school day. This hasn’t happened since that timein high school when Langston and I snuck up on the roof during the middle of the day and skipped school.
Lily called me last night and asked if I would come in for a visit with her and Tanner.
I’m glad she gave me a day’s warning because I had the whole night while on patrol to think about it and cool down.
At least, I thought I was, but that was before Tanner walked into the office with a smug smirk like this is funny.
“Sit down and wipe that look off your face if you know what’s good for you,” I growl.
Usually, I have more patience than this, but I’m getting fed up. It’s always one step forward and a hundred back with him.
“Hayes,” Lily warns, and I turn back to face her, shoving my hand through my hair and taking a deep breath.
Yelling won’t do any good, but I’m at my wits’ end. I thought I was getting through to him. I was even ready to let the boys start playing again, especially after checking in with their teachers. They’ve been participating in class, answering questions, and turning homework in, but then Tanner does something stupid like this. So the boys will be playing—minus him.
Yesterday, I gave the boys a day off. I felt like we’d made some progress at practice. They deserved a break, but now I’m regretting that decision.
When Lily called me last night and said that two of my players had been in a fight after school, I thought she was lying, but nope, here I am, staring at the culprit.
Apparently, Tanner shoved Morgan into a locker. I’m not saying Morgan didn’t deserve it. The kid likes to run his mouth, but without Tanner speaking up about what happened, the school’s hands are tied. Tanner will take the fall even if Morgan did provoke it.
“Tanner, please take a seat,” Lily says, her voice a lot calmer than mine was two seconds ago.
I’m proud of Lily. She deserves this principal position because she can understand these kids better than anyone. I want good things for her, even if I will never feel the same way she does about me. I’m not stupid. Even though we both decided to be friends, I see how she looks at me sometimes, but I’ve tried to discourage it. It’s why I’ve been avoiding her lately. I don’t want to lead her on. She deserves to find someone who can love her back.
Tanner sits at the same time the door to Lily’s office bursts open. Eric and Josephine stand in the doorway. Eric looks like a raging bull, and Josephine’s face is a mask of Botox, unable to move past its injected setting.
“Ms. Carson,” Eric says, bulldozing his way into the office to stand behind Tanner, his wife following him, and not for the first time, I wonder where this Tanner’s dad is. There’s no wonder he’s having problems with these two as his example. “You wouldn’t be starting this meeting without us, would you?”
“Even if I were Mr. Westbrook, it would not change the outcome of Tanner’s punishment.”
Surprise hits me at the flintiness of Lily’s tone, but I’m smart enough to tamp it down and not let it show on my face.
Lily’s spine is made of steel. It makes me want to stand up and start a slow clap for her. Eric thinks he can shove money around and get what he wants, but it makes me happy to see that Lily will be another example for Tanner to see that not everyone will bow down to his stepdad.
Red creeps into Eric’s neck. Lily puts her hand up, preventing him from speaking again. She looks at Tanner, and her face softens. “Tanner, do you understand why you’re in trouble?”
He nods, his shaggy hair falling into his eyes. Gone is the anger from moments before, and now all that’s left is a kid struggling to make good decisions. “Yes, ma’am.”
“And you don’t want to offer up any other part of the story?”
At this, he sits up straight, stiffening his back, and looks her dead in the eye. “Sometimes it’s better just to stick with the version people expect from you, ma’am.”
Lily sighs, then looks at Josephine. “You may take your son home now.” She turns to me. “Tanner is suspended for three days. That means he will not be attending the game on Friday.”
I keep my eyes on Tanner, waiting for him to react—throw a fit or something—but he sits quietly, accepting his punishment without a word.
