Least Likely to Fall in Love Read online

  “No, I really can’t. You should think of me as Principal Mason. I don’t want you to be tempted to call me anything you used to call me.”

  Ryan stiffened in his seat as if she’d slapped him. The jab was satisfying. “I know you have no reason to think better of me, but at least give me enough credit to expect me to afford you common courtesy and respect.”

  One corner of her mouth tilted up, and Lindy raised an eyebrow. It took every bit of patience she’d learned teaching grammar and punctuation to the disinterested, but she managed not to tell him just exactly what she thought he deserved from her: a swift kick in his no doubt nice rear end.

  Ryan Myers angry because he didn’t get what he wanted was to be expected. “Fine.” With a careful nod, she said, “Since you insist, we can be Ryan and Lindy when we’re alone.” She snorted. “For old time’s sake and our friendship. How’s that?”

  The tic in the side of his jaw said Ryan was gritting his teeth. But he must have known he didn’t have much of a leg to stand on, so he finally nodded.

  “Okay, Ryan, here’s what I propose. Because this is the first offense for both boys, Rob Daniels and Blake Stewart will serve detention four days a week with the school custodian. On the fifth day, they will meet with Bob Thompson, the school guidance counselor. They will do that for four weeks. Any attempts to get out of either will lead to immediate suspension. And another incident like this will lead to expulsion and notification of the police if it’s warranted by the severity of the action.”

  She pulled the cuffs of her suit jacket. “What do you think?”

  Ryan collapsed back against the hard chair. “I’d like to take the little shits out and beat some consequences into them, but your way is probably better.”

  “Probably?” She could understand the impulse but was surprised he wasn’t more understanding.

  He waved off her question. “You are the professional educator, after all.”

  Biting back a few different hateful responses, Lindy reached over to pick up the phone. “I ought to let Coach Ford know that he’s going to be missing a couple of players.”

  She paused with her hand over the phone. “Unless football players ought to have some special consideration.”

  His father had been the football coach at Lincoln High while they were in school, and Ryan had been the star wide receiver. Back then the Lincoln High Lions football players had swaggered in the hallways like kings over a tiny kingdom, certain the rules didn’t apply to them. But not today. No one was above the rules in her school. There was no way on God’s green earth they were going to get a lighter sentence, but she wanted to test Ryan.

  “Of course I don’t think that.” When he frowned and crossed his arms over his chest, she dialed the number.

  Lindy rifled the pages of her desk calendar and did her best to ignore the weight of Ryan’s stare as the phone rang. She also thanked her lucky stars that his father, Coach Myers, had retired three years ago. Having this conversation with him would bring back old memories of her dodge ball and rope-climbing PE failures. Not a great position of authority. She had no idea what to expect from the new football coach, but at least he wouldn’t remember her in a sobbing, snot-blowing meltdown.

  Not yet, at least. That might still be coming.

  “Coach Ford here.”

  Lindy cleared her throat. “Uh, hi, Coach. This is Principal Mason.” She checked over her shoulder to make sure Ryan caught her professionalism. “I wanted to let you know that you have two players who will be missing football practice for the next four weeks as they serve detention for bullying another student.”

  The coach heaved a gusty sigh. “Yeah, I knew Rob and Blake been involved in something today, but I didn’t know what. Bullying.” Lindy pulled the phone away from her ear as the coach grunted loudly with disgust. “I hate that. I hate bullies, too, but I gotta say the team’s going to miss them both. If they don’t practice, then they can’t play. There goes the solid part of our line. And if they don’t play, Rob’s dad, Carl, will hit the roof but Blake’s, Matt Stewart, will take out a contract on both of us.”

  Lindy nodded. “I understand, Coach. I figure there will be some angry phone calls headed your way, so I wanted to give you warning.” She refused to back down from the right thing, even if it meant unhappy parents. That was a promise she’d made herself when she took the job, and it had been the hardest one to stick to.

  “I appreciate that.” After a brief pause, Coach added, “I don’t suppose you’d let me offer an alternative, would you?”

  Lindy glanced at Ryan and then spun around in her chair to stare out the grimy window of her office. “Coach, I’ll be happy to listen to what you have to say, but I don’t think you can change my mind.” And it would be a horrible precedent to set. She couldn’t imagine his punishment would be all that strict.

  “I don’t want to let them off, but what if they work for me for six Saturdays? They can do some work on the field and in the field house. I had planned to have a work day for the whole team right before the homecoming game, but this will kill two birds with one stone.”

  Lindy smoothed the crease on her brow. “And you’d be willing to supervise them?”

  “You bet. They did something stupid, and they ought to make amends.” The loud squeak that followed indicated Coach had just leaned forward. “I just don’t want the rest of the team to pay, too. And to tell the truth, I’ve got a lot of people demanding wins. I’m going to need those two.”

  She understood what he meant. He was new in the job. And the parents and boosters were anxious for results. “Fine. That’s a good alternative. I’m going to insist one of each of the boys’ parents is there, too.”

  Coach Ford chuckled. “You aren’t scared of anything, are you? That will not go over well. I’m glad I’m not the one breaking the news to them.”

  Lindy smiled. “That’s what they pay me for, Coach. I’ll tell them to report to the field house at ten on Saturday.”

  “Sounds fine, Principal Mason. Thanks for the heads-up.”

  Lindy spun back around in her desk chair and hung up the phone.

  “I don’t imagine the coach was happy, was he?” Ryan’s elbows rested on the arms of the chair.

  Lindy cleared her throat. “He had a better suggestion, one that will allow the boys to continue to play but also make amends for what they’ve done.”

  Skeptical, Ryan raised an eyebrow. “Really? I wouldn’t imagine a football coach is too concerned over bullying. I spent enough time in locker rooms with football coaches to know that they are some of the biggest bullies around.”

  The tension in the air thickened again and Lindy wanted to ask about his father. Was he the coach Ryan was referring to? Was that where his son had gotten the idea?

  Still, she was no therapist. And it didn’t matter much now. High school was long gone. Maddie Myers was her priority now and she had no fear of her father or his responses. If Coach Myers had taught his son to pick on weaker kids, Ryan had successfully avoided passing it on to Maddie.

  The intercom buzzer startled Lindy again. “Yes, Sue?”

  “Matt Stewart’s about to have a conniption. Are you ready to see them yet?”

  Hoping Mr. Stewart wasn’t standing over her shoulder or wrapping his hands around Sue’s neck at the insult, Lindy said, “Send them in. And please keep an eye on Rob and Blake.”

  Lindy met Ryan’s stare. “Either the coach understands why Rob and Blake need to be punished or he’s too afraid of me to argue.” And she seriously doubted it was the second option. Lindy leaned her head to the side. “So, can you be calm about this? Remember, they’re teenage boys. A lot of teenage boys make mistakes.”

  He met her gaze and nodded again deliberately.

  When the door swung open again, Rob’s mother and father walked in followed by Matt Stewart.

  Lindy stood and moved two chairs up to the desk. “Please, won’t you all have a seat?” As she walked back around her desk, she m
otioned at Ryan. “This is Maddie Myers’s father, Ryan.” Lindy pointed as she finished the introductions. “Carl and Monica Daniels. Matt Stewart.” No one shook hands. “Maddie’s the student that Rob and Blake bullied this afternoon. I wanted him to be involved in the discussion of what we do next.”

  The temperature in the room dropped as the men shot angry glares at each other and the only other woman in the room teared up. Blake’s father went on the offensive. “I can’t believe you called us into the office for something as trivial as this. When I was in high school, this was just a normal day. Some kids pick on other kids. So what, the boys called her names and emptied her backpack. They didn’t mean any real harm by it. That’s just the way the world works.”

  Lindy pulled out her phone and showed them the picture. Matt Stewart said, “So she’s gay. That may be different, but Blake’s still just a kid.”

  Ryan’s angry color had deepened.

  “Mr. Stewart, it doesn’t matter what Maddie’s sexual orientation is. It doesn’t matter what she looks like or how smart she is or that she’s just a girl unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. No one deserves to be the target of a bully. There is no acceptable reason for bullying. And I won’t have it in my school no matter who is responsible.”

  When Ryan opened his mouth, Lindy shut it with a glare. “That’s not the way the world works at Lincoln High School. In fact, in today’s world, bullying has serious implications, sometimes even life and death.” She met his glare head-on. “It’s a different world and it’s up to us to teach your children how to live in it. If Rob and Blake cannot show respect to every student, then they’ll have to find a new school.”

  Monica Daniels spoke up. “Please, you can’t be serious. You wouldn’t expel them after the first incident, would you? Rob’s never been in trouble before. Something like that will have a permanent effect on his record.”

  Lindy nodded. “Yes, you’re correct, Mrs. Daniels. Expulsion is something that will stick with them. I don’t want to do that. I also don’t want to go to the police. Mr. Myers is willing to let in-school punishment stand at this point, but I want to be crystal clear.”

  Lindy waited until every eye in the room was focused on her. “They don’t get any more strikes. This is their one strike. If I find Rob or Blake involved in any violence or bullying of Maddie Myers or any other student, I will contact the police and I will suspend them. There will be no negotiation at that point.”

  When the tension in the room made it difficult to breathe, Lindy rested her elbows on the desk in front of her. “My original punishment was four days of detention served afterschool with the custodian and a meeting with the school guidance counselor on the fifth day for a period of four weeks.”

  Matt Stewart interrupted. “You can’t do that! They’ll be off the team if they don’t practice and they’re both starters.”

  Mrs. Daniels added in a shaky voice, “We’re counting on Rob to get a football scholarship for college. We can’t afford to send him otherwise.”

  Lindy grimaced as the glint from the monstrous diamond on Mrs. Daniels’s hand nearly blinded her. “I understand the rules of sports participation at Lincoln High School.” She eased back again. “That is why I called Coach Ford to explain the situation. Coach understands and so do I that these are kids and sometimes kids make mistakes. He has generously offered to let them serve detention for six consecutive Saturdays working to clean up the stadium and field house. They will miss one day due to required meetings with the school guidance counselor, but that will not prevent them from dressing out or playing.”

  She tried to evaluate Ryan’s feelings while the other parents in the room relaxed, but his face was unreadable. “And to show your appreciation to the coach, I volunteered your help. At least one parent needs to work with the boys each Saturday.”

  The tension in the room ratcheted up again, but apparently both boys’ parents had gotten the message and understood that this was a much better solution. Whining would not earn them any sympathy points.

  “Mr. Thompson will call to let you know which day he’ll be meeting with Rob and Blake.” She pushed back from the desk and stood. “Now, if you have no questions, you’re free to go. Rob and Blake are excused from their last period and football practice today. Go ahead and take them home.”

  Lindy wasn’t surprised that none of the parents leaving offered any thanks. Disappointed, but not surprised.

  Ryan remained silent until they were alone.

  Lindy collapsed in a boneless heap in her chair and stared up at the ceiling for a long minute. “And do you have any comments”—she paused and then tacked on—“Ryan?”

  “Seems fair.” He shook his head with a small smile on his face. “Involving the parents was a stroke of genius.”

  She ruffled her droopy bangs. “It was, wasn’t it? They’ll take it more seriously if they have to participate.” She rolled a pen across the desk. “Maybe they’ll even try to convince their sons not to act that way again.”

  “So you have to educate the parents as well as the kids, huh, Principal Mason?” He had the old familiar Ryan smirk on his face, but it didn’t set her teeth on edge this time.

  She drawled, “Oh, you have no idea.”

  They both laughed. Lindy glanced at her desk clock again. “Maddie should be getting out of class soon. It’s important that we do something for her, too. She needs to talk to somebody about this.”

  Ryan nodded. “Sure. I guess the first time you’re the target of a bully will stick with you.”

  Lindy shifted in her seat, uneasy with a wave of sympathy. “Honestly, Ryan. I don’t know this for sure, but I can’t believe that this is the first time that Maddie’s been the target of bullies. It just doesn’t happen that way.”

  He straightened in his chair. “What do you mean? She’s never said she’s having trouble with kids at school.”

  “And if she’d had the choice, she wouldn’t have told you today. Or me or anyone else. I think there have been lots of other smaller things that she just tried to brush off.”

  Hello, voice of experience.

  Ryan stood up to pace. “Why? What makes you think that? Is it some kind of pattern or something? Do they teach you this in principal school?”

  Lindy ran her hands through her hair. “I have plenty of experience with bullies, both as the person being bullied and the one responsible for stopping it.”

  Ryan stopped in front of her desk with his hands propped on his hips. No matter how long ago their senior year was, broad-shouldered, narrow-hipped Ryan Myers could grab a helmet and run out on the field. “Then what are you saying?”

  “Well, it’s harder to catch and put a stop to small things like name calling or even dumping a backpack. And I just don’t think bullies target somebody and do something as elaborate as what’s happened here without any ramp up. They’ve probably been picking on her and escalating when she didn’t respond. That’s how it works.” Lindy wanted to add on a catty “If you remember” but managed to bite her tongue. More than anything she wanted to appear to be a well-adjusted adult in charge of her own life and in no way still affected by things that happened in high school, especially to him.

  Ryan hung his head for a second. “Clearly, she won’t talk to me. What would you suggest?”

  “Well, if Mrs. Adams were back from maternity leave, I’d set up weekly meetings for Maddie. I’m not sure she’s going to be comfortable talking with Mr. Thompson about this, so we can either wait for Mrs. Adams to return or she can meet with me if she’d rather.” As much as she wanted to avoid spending any more time near Ryan Myers or his daughter, Lindy knew she could help. “Let’s give Maddie the option of choosing who to talk to.”

  Ryan scrubbed his hands over his face. “Do I need to send her to a therapist or something?”

  What he thought of that option was evident. He was scared to death of that choice but would do whatever it took to help Maddie.

  Unwi
llingly, Lindy liked him a bit more. “Let’s set these meetings up. Then you can talk to whomever Maddie chooses and get a recommendation.”

  “Thanks. That’s so very rational.” He shook his head. “I swear, I hoped by now I’d be over the panic that I’m going to ruin her life, but I keep getting curveballs like this. It’s nice to talk to someone who’s not thrown by it.”

  One corner of her mouth quirked up as her eyes met his. “I do try.”

  The buzz of the intercom jerked her out of their staring match. “Boss, Maddie Myers is out in the office asking if her dad’s still meeting.”

  Lindy punched the button. “Send her on in, Sue.”

  As the door swung open, Lindy was relieved that Maddie’s face had regained some of its color. “Well, Maddie, are you prepared for the Spanish test?”

  She tugged the strap of her backpack. “Not yet, but I will be.”

  Lindy answered, “I don’t have any doubt of that.”

  “Are you ready to go, Dad?”

  Lindy said, “We’re just about done, Maddie, but I wanted to ask you something before you leave. You should talk to someone about what happened today. I’d like you to meet one day for the next six weeks with either Mr. Thompson or me. If you’d rather wait for Mrs. Adams to get back, we can postpone.”

  Maddie raised one shoulder awkwardly. “It isn’t really necessary, Principal Mason. I’ll be fine.”

  Lindy nodded. “I had my own share of high school bullies, and as I am much older and wiser, I think it will help you to talk with someone now.”

  Maddie fiddled with the end of one of her backpack straps. “People made fun of you, Principal Mason?”

  Lindy held both hands up. “I know. It’s difficult to believe as I am so very cool today.”

  Maddie smiled shyly. “Well, okay, as long as it doesn’t turn into a big deal, I guess I could meet with you.”

  Relieved to have a plan, Lindy said, “Good. I’ll let you know what day tomorrow, okay?”

  Maddie nodded.

  Ryan reached into his pocket and pulled out his key ring. “Here. I’ll meet you at the car in front of the school.” He tossed it to Maddie, and she caught it with one hand before spinning on her heel to head back out the door. “And don’t touch my radio!”