“So it’s entirely possible he’s beating the girl?”
“I’ve never known Judah to lie, so it’s entirely possible.” He sighed and pulled his glasses from his face with one hand, massaging the bridge of his nose with the other. “I’ll need tolook into her absence record. See if we can line something up, although how, I don’t know.”
“I’ll talk to Lieutenant Axton at the SAPD. See if I can find out anything about her father.” Elyxandre sucked her lower lip into her mouth as she thought. “We can’t call home on that girl,” she warned him. “It’s too risky.”
“What do you want me to do, Officer Hookstead? I was very clear about what their punishment was. If I let her off, I’ll have no credibility, and the superintendent will force me to let them all off.”
“Well, if you’d stuck to the plan we put in place instead of jumping the gun, we probably wouldn’t be in this situation right now.”
Lucas’ face went red. “So it’s my fault if the girl gets hurt. Is that what you’re saying?”
“No, I’m not saying that. I’m saying that you wouldn’t be worrying about credibility if you’d followed through.” She turned and walked back to her notepad. After a quick perusal, she offered a solution. “Judah is correct. According to the video, both he and Kennedy were only responsible for the soluble paint on the front doors and windows. They, technically, didn’t vandalize anything.”
She crossed to him. “We could give them an ISS today, like everyone else, and during their study hall, have them wash the windows. Hold them to the other punishments, like the other kids who actually committed acts of vandalism, and we’ll issue official warnings as the promised tickets.”
“This is a fucking disaster,” he muttered. “You promise to look into Kennedy’s father?”
Oh yeah. She’d be looking into him. And if he even so much as pinched his daughter, she’d make sure he was taken care of. No one, especially a female child, would be abused again on her watch as long as she knew about it. That shit would not fly.
“I promise. I’ll also try talking to Kennedy tomorrow. She’s too overwrought right now.” She placed a hand on his shoulder. “You’re doing the right thing, Dr. Vaughn.”
Warmth tingled through her fingertips, and that warmth grew when his eyes redirected to where she touched him, then moved to meet her gaze. Whoa. Did he feel that through his jacket sleeve? She retracted her hand as calmly as she could.
He blew out a breath as he stood. “I better get back to my office. I’m sure I’ll be receiving a summons to the superintendent’s office at any moment. Ryker’s a pain in everyone’s ass, but he’s the high school hero quarterback, and his daddy’s pride and joy.”
She cleared her throat. “Right. I’ll start contacting parents and assigning the students to clean up. Just remember what the endgame is, Dr. Vaughn.” She resisted the urge to reach out and touch him again. “We’re trying to shift the students’ culture. If the student body sees that you’re willing to hold the elite of the school responsible for their actions, they’ll know you’ll do the same to anyone else. And if we can get the kids who did the damage to flip sides and end up having pride in their school? That’s how you change the narrative.”
Lucas said nothing. He simply exited the conference room, leaving her alone in the space, looking at a slowly self-closing door. She sighed. What a fucking mess.
TAKING A STAND
LUCAS
“Lucas,I realize that as a new principal, you want to make an impression. But this, I guarantee you, is not the impression you want to make.”
His posture resembled a man without a care in the world, but inside, he was seething. Making sure that every muscle in his body relaxed and his face was a smooth mask of indifference was the most difficult thing he’d ever done. Keeping his mouth from flying off again, like it had with Elyxandre and the students, was even harder.
Superintendent Sealy looked at him, his fingers drumming on his desk. Finally, his boss spoke again. “Far be it from me to tell you how to do your job…”
Correction. Keeping the snort of derision inside at that comment was the hardest thing he’d ever had to do.
“But the punishments you’ve laid down on the students are too harsh. And think of what it will do to our chances against Riverbend when our three best players are missing from the biggest game of their high school careers.”
“I’mthinkingof what it will do to our budget line. I’mthinkingof how it will cause parents of the other students to expect that sort of special treatment for their children. I’mthinkingabout how our staff will view us as having absolutely no credibility or authority. I’mthinkingabout how this will affect the students’ attitude toward their school. What I’mnotthinking about is the outcome of a football game that means nothing in the grand scheme of life.”
The superintendent leaned back in his fancy leather chair, his fingers threading together over his stomach. A patronizing smile rested on his face. “Now, we all know that isn’t true. Research shows that nonacademic experiences in high school have a stronger connection to a student’s success and what lessons they retain for later in life.”
“Correct. And learning that actions have consequences—sometimes serious ones—is a nonacademic experience. What happens if we don’t hold them accountable now? I’ll tell you what happens. If we continue to leave kids unaccountable, they learn that they can behave this way later in life. Then, when they do, they’re not prepared for the ramifications they’ll face that are much harsher than an ISS, OSS, or being asked to clean up their own mess.”
The superintendent waved him off. “When they’re adults, they’re highly unlikely to run around in the early morning hours, spray-painting their workplaces. They’re kids, Lucas. They’re going to make mistakes.”
Lucas sighed. Was this guy for real? Now his filter was turned off. “This is a hell of a mistake, Patrick.” Every ounce of sarcasm he could possibly muster was in the man’s name. “Ten thousand dollars’ worth, when all is said and done. How do you think the taxpayers will react when the story gets out that we were soft on students who destroyed property they own?”
“‘Destroyed’ is a strong word. They wouldn’t have any idea how much it costs to repair some of their antics.”
“So ignorance is now an acceptable excuse for doing something that they should understand is wrong?”
“Now, Lucas, there’s no need to be dramatic about all of this.”
