Page 14 of Disciplinary Action
“Bryson Whyte? The man who bilked people out of millions in some Ponzi scheme? Yeah, I’m familiar with the man,” he said, curious to know where this was going.
“Yes, well, several of those people who were…bilked…as you put it, are parents here at the academy, and many others were on the school’s board.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Gideon said, more because it seemed the appropriate response than because he was really sad that trust fund billionaires had lost their shirts to a con man.
“Hm.” She sniffed. “May I sit?”
“I wish you would.” He didn’t like the woman hovering above him. It felt like she might attack from above at any moment. He liked her at eye level.
She lowered herself down, spine straight as an arrow and shoulders back. “Thank you. As I was saying, Bryson Whyte destroyed the lives of many parents and students here at the school, and we cannot overlook that.”
“Is somebody asking you to?” Gideon asked, losing his patience with the woman’s mysterious delivery.
“His son is a senior here.”
That did get Gideon’s attention, his brows hiking upward. “Well, that must make for some awkward lunches.”
“Indeed. The boy has always been a handful, but it has gotten worse since his father’s arrest. He starts fights, has gotten kicked off the lacrosse team, and has been placed on academic probation for cheating.” She paused, clenching her folder tighter, gazing at him expectantly.
Gideon couldn’t even imagine the turmoil going through something like that would cause. The boy’s entire world ripped away from him, the world hating his father and, by extension, him. Gideon remembered well what it was like to have an embarrassment for a father.
The woman slapped the folder on the desk with more force than necessary. “Well?”
“Well what, Mrs. Abernathy?” he snapped.
“What do you think we should do about this? This can’t continue. It’s causing chaos, and these children and their families have already been through so much.”
Gideon refrained from rolling his eyes but couldn’t stifle his sigh. “Do you want me to have a talk with him? You can pull him out of first period and I’ll see if I might get through to him, make a personal improvement plan. They still have those here, don’t they? Has he spoken with the guidance counselor?”
She bristled at his mention of the improvement plan. She’d created them years ago just to embarrass him. “I’m afraid it has gone too far for that, Mr. Gideon.”
He arched a brow. “How so?”
“Well,” she said, thrusting her chin up like she was gearing up for a fight. “The board believes he should be expelled. That it would be best for all involved.”
Gideon snorted. “All but the boy.”
“The good of the many, Mr. Gideon, outweighs the needs of one troubled boy from a bad family.”
Gideon shook his head. “The good of many? Before his father’s arrest was the boy a discipline problem?”
“No,” she agreed begrudgingly. “No more than the other boys on the lacrosse team, but he was an instigator. Him and that scholarship boy, Bastian.” As soon as the words left her mouth, her gaze darted toward him, eyes wide as she realized her mistake. Still, she didn’t apologize.
“Before the cheating incident, how were his grades?”
She glowered at him. “He has a 5.3 GPA. He was on track to be valedictorian before he started taking out his personal troubles here on campus.”
“Is his tuition paid up?” Gideon questioned.
“Yes. All tuition is due at the beginning of the year. You know that.”
Gideon leaned back to study the old woman for a full minute. “So, you want me to expel a student with a 5.3 GPA, who has paid his tuition in full, six weeks before graduation because he’s been acting out a bit since his father went to prison? I mean, I can’t imagine it’s been easy for him around here with the other kids knowing what his father did.”
She gave an exasperated snort. “Yes, precisely my point. I’m sure he’d be much happier at another school. We’re willing to reimburse the entire year’s tuition to make this go away.”
Gideon scoffed. “You mean to makehimgo away.”
She waved a hand. “Fine, yes. If you like. To make him go away.”
