Tommy groaned. “I am trying with that kid. I swear I am. But he comes in here every morning, sits in the back row, puts his head down on the desk, and sleeps. I’ve offered him extensions on every assignment I’ve given, but this is Honors English III, Rourke. The pace is fast, and the writing load heavy.” He held up a stack of papers on his desk. “These kids complain about having to write one eight-page paper and then have the balls to ask if I’m done grading thirty of them a day later, not giving a shit that I have two more sections of the same class.”
Levi scratched the back of his neck. “Sleeping?” he asked. “In an honors class? Wait, English III? I thought he was a senior.”
Tommy nodded. “Yep. He’s a senior repeating his junior English class. He was a straight-A student through his sophomore year, but something changed last year. He failed both semesters of English and bailed on summer school. My father agreed to let him graduate this year if he passed my class and then took his senior credit over the summer.”
Levi pushed himself off the windowsill and started pacing.
“Something is up with him. You’ve got too much on your plate to deal with it outside of school hours, but I don’t.” Not for the first time, he thought of Haddie’s words again about not letting other people tell Billy’s story. Maybe it was time Levi found out what that story was, right from the source.
He stopped in front of Tommy’s desk, slapping his palms downon top of it.
“Mark McMannus eligible for tonight’s game.”
Tommy scoffed. “I can’t, man. He has a zero percent in my class.”
Levi nodded. “I know. But…if I can get you a partial assignment from Tommy by the end of the day—like an act of good faith that there is more to come—can you give him the benefit of the doubt?”
Tommy pinched the bridge of his nose and tilted his head back against the whiteboard behind his desk. He might have also erased part of his class agenda with his hair, but Levi didn’t have the heart to tell him.
“Fine,” Tommy finally replied. “But I need something I can give him points for. How about a one-paragraph review ofThe Poet Xby Elizabeth Acevedo? It was his summer reading assignment.”
Levi groaned. “What if he didn’t read it?”
Tommy shrugged. “Then we don’t have a deal. He’s a smart kid, Commissioner. If he wants to be eligible to play tonight, he’ll figure out a way to pull it off.”
Levi stood, filled with renewed hope as he pointed at his friend with a grin. “You are a scholar and gentleman, and you will not regret this.”
Tommy laughed as Levi started to back toward the door. “You’rean idiot,” he replied.
Levi smiled. “Maybe. But if I play my cards right, I’m going to be the idiot who wins his first game tonight and shows your dad how badly he misjudged the Summertown soccer program forbeing able to put asses in seats.” He paused before pivoting through the door. “Can I count you and Juliana in for two of those asses tonight?”
Tommy shook his head and laughed. “Yeah. You can count us in.”
Levi tapped the doorframe with his palm. “Excellent. And speaking of asses, spread the word that Summertown is going to hand Middleton theirs.”
“Idiot,” Tommy mumbled again, and Levi spun out of the room but then pivoted back for one more second.
“And Tommy?” he said, hoping the use of his friend’s actual name would get his attention, which—judging by his raised brows—it had. “You’re right. You are part of my past. But you’re also my present and my future. You can’t get rid of me that easily.”
Tommy rolled his eyes. “You’re embarrassing yourself, Commissioner,” he replied and then glanced back down at his pile of papers, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“You’re my hero, Crawford! The wind beneath my wings!” Levi added.
“Get the hell out of here, Rourke!” Tommy called without looking up, unable to hide the laughter in his voice, and Levi did as he was asked and left his friend to his work.
Maybe this was how he turned his guilt of running from his hometown into a way to save the varied parts of it that mattered to so many different people. He needed to do what he did best, which was win.
He just had to get through a day of teaching, find Billy McMannus during his free period and get him to write thatparagraph, and do everything he could to fill the Muskie bleachers for a soccer game on a random Tuesday night.
Piece of cake…if by piece he meant an entire three-tiered monstrosity fit for a wedding. But what did he have to lose other than his team’s morale and a program that was beginning to mean more to him, the more time he spent with his players?
And Haddie. Somehow he knew if he couldn’t help keep the program in the books, he had no chance of keeping Haddie Martin in his life. And that was a price he wasn’t willing to pay.
Chapter 24
Haddie stayed late to set up her classroom for the next day’sactivities. She finally had a moment to sit and collect her thoughts before heading out to the football field that tonight would be host to the varsity boys’ soccer game against Middleton. So she collapsed into her desk chair and decided to waste a few minutes scrolling through social media.
The first thing she noticed when she opened Instagram was that she had a new follower.Muskies Soccer.
