“You don’t plan to put yourself up to draft?” Dean Cooke asks.
I shake my head. “No. I know my odds of making it pro, and they’re not good. I’m not that good a player.”
“I’ve seen you play,” Dean Cooke says. “You’re one of the best on the team.”
“No offense, Dean, but I think that’s saying more about the other players than me. I’mnotthat good. I assure you.”
“You’ve been endorsed by a professional hockey player and a professional soccer player,” President Killington points out.
I huff. “The hockey player is my brother. And Gabe… I’m sorry, I’m too flustered to come up with an HR term, but we were sleeping together. I think it’s safe to say that they’re both biased.”
Dean Cooke laughs loudly, and I can’t help but crack a smile in response.
“Look, I understand why you’re punishing Alka. He’s the staff member here, and yeah, fine, but it’s hiscareer!I’m not going to get in the way of that.”
“I’m not letting you quit,” Alka says.
I look at him with frustration. “Are you going tomake meplay?”
He presses his lips together, and the room is silent while we stare at each other. In this particular battle of wills, I’m going to win. It would be 100% selfish of me to let him lose his job over this.
Alka turns to look at our audience. “Are you firing me orasking me to take a leave of absence? What was your decision before we began arguing?”
“We’d ask you to take a step back from the department until Roux’s graduation.Notfrom the university,” President Killington says. “Like your partner, I don’t think you deserve to lose your career over this when, in fact, Ibelieveyou’re fully capable of emotionally removing yourself while you coach. However, it’s not just the two of you we need to take into consideration. There’s your entire team as well as the campus as a whole and what they’re going to take from this situation and how it was handled.”
Alka nods. “Thank you.” He looks at me again. “Do you feel better now?”
“No, not really. Your job is coaching. The entire reason they’ve been throwing a tantrum is because you’re their coach, Alka. No one is arguing that Harper isn’t amazing; she is. But they didn’t consider RDU as their college with Harper as their coach. They did so with you in mind. Why is it fair that just because we met and I screwed everything up, they’re all punished because of it? Especially the third and fourth-year players. I’m taking those years with you away from them entirely.” I shake my head. “No. I quit, and at the risk of sounding like a petulant child, you can’t make me change my mind. You can’t force me to play.”
Alka lets his head fall back. Why can’t he see that this is far too big of a sacrifice from him? What do I need to say to make him understand?
I tug on his hand until he’s looking at me again. When he meets my eyes, I say, “I love you. I know how much you love your job. Stop arguing with me.”
His lips part as he stares at me. I can feel the airwhooshfrom his lungs at my words. I’m not exactly sure how he feels or if he’s even there yet, but I already know where I want to spend my life. I know howI feel.
Alka takes a breath and looks at the group in front of us.Dean Cooke has a wide smile. I would wager a guess that he’s a lot of fun. He’s a big, bulky man with a lot of laugh lines.
President Killington and the two women are also smiling as if they’re watching a movie play out in front of them. Only the IT guy looks uninterested and bored. Not that I blame him. He likely didn’t sign up for this kind of thing when he took the job as the IT dude.
“I guess… This might have been a waste of time,” Alka says. “If Roux quits—which I hate because these cry babies are being shown that if they throw a tantrum, they’ll get their way—then it’s a moot point.”
Dean Cooke’s smile disappears. “You’re right. That’snotthe message we want to convey. These are adults, and they need to behave like adults, which includes having consequences for their actions.” He looks at President Killington. “What other options do we have?”
“May I make a suggestion?” Celia asks.
“By all means,” President Killington says, inclining his head.
“Only the seven of us have borne witness to this conversation.” She makes a look at the camera in the corner. “I’m on board with this decision and agree given the facts we’ve been told—Roux will remove himself from the team, and Alka will resume his position as head coach. However, aside from the vault that watches the security cameras,no one else has this verdict.”
“What are you suggesting?” Dean Cooke asks, leaning forward, once again smiling.
“What I’d like to see is that those who have been the most ill behaved are punished. Removed from the team at the very least. I assume you have more than the two directly involved, Coach?” Celia asks.
Alka frowns. “Harper would like to cancel the season entirely. She’s that disgusted with the team. But yes, I do believe there are three other names that she herself has witnessed displaying the same behavior though on a less… public scale.”
Celia nods. “Good. Okay, not good.” She waves her hand. “In a bit of a devious agenda, here’s what I’d like to see. Harper remains in her elevated role with you taking a side position for these events. When you return to practice, you or Harper remove the three from your team. I realize that maybe this should be a private matter to remain professional, but… I’m willing to overlook it for this particular situation.”
“We’ll discuss that,” the second HR lady says.
