Me:Which one of you told the dean Ava’s earning?
Gray:Anonymous tip
Me:From who?
Gray:A concerned contributor to the school scholarship program
Ash:Dad?
Me:She’s in the dean’s office now
Gray: You’re stalking her?
Ash:Thought you had better game
Me:Fucker pulled me in and tried to pin last night on me
Gray:What’d you say?
Me:Reminded him he needed evidence
Ash:Way to smooth things over
Me:Remember their WR just came back from a knee injury, tell Jamie to target him. Their LBs are brick shithouses, you need to be fast off the line
Gray:Yes Coach
With a grin, I headed down the steps from the main admin building. Curiosity got the better of me, though, and I lingered to see what Ava would be like when she came out. Would he kick her out? He might — he was a dick. I’d wanted her gone, and now that it was within reach, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it.
Ten minutes later, Ava came almost running out of the building. I wasn’t sure if she was running because she’d just been asked to leave or because she hadn’t and was putting as much distance between herself and the dean in case he changed his mind.
She paused once to scramble in her purse, and then she was on her cell, walking swiftly again. I considered following her, but Gray was right, stalking wasn’t my thing, and really, if she left, she left. That had been the plan.
My own cell rang, and I grinned at the caller.
“Hey, dad,” I greeted my father as I headed to my afternoon class.
“The dean called me this morning, something about my sons and nephew being stupid little pricks,” he told me, his voice rich with humor.
I laughed out loud. “Did he actually say that?”
“No, the bastard wouldn’t dare.” My dad sounded relaxed. I wasn’t concerned about this call. “Mayhem?”
“Yeah, thought it was time for a reminder.”
“Sounds more like a harmless prank than Mayhem,” Dad said to me.
“That what you told Porter?” I asked him. “A harmless prank?”
“No, I asked him what proof he had.” I heard my dad sigh. “Graffiti?”
“That actually wasn’t us,” I told him truthfully.
“But you know who?” Dad asked knowingly.
“Of course.”
“Okay, make sure your loose ends are tied,” he reminded me. “The board can’t ignore hard facts.”
