Chapter Text
It wasn’t the first time Maddy had been called into East Highland High’s front office.
She could predict the conversation that was about to take place. The stern-faced adult in front of her, their forced compassion and bitter authority on full display as they read her crimes. They would deliver another tough love lecture as she leaned back into the discomfort of the scratchy fabric chair cradling her small frame. Maddy would sit emotionless until, finally, her sentence was delivered. A detention here, an in-school suspension there. She never argued, she would just tilt her head and let her lip curl up, knowing that this was another judgment that wouldn’t break her.
When she walked into the familiar configuration of the administrator’s office, there was a strange vibration in her gut - this time, things would be different. The plaque announcing “Vice Principal Garcia” had been removed, and, at the former administrator’s desk was a strikingly beautiful face surrounded by an abundance of long, honey blonde waves. Objectively pretty, the fine lines around her eyes and mouth complemented her attractiveness in an unexpected way. A pair of blue rimmed glasses hung against her nose, face hovering over the blue light of her computer screen.
Who the fuck is this? Maddy thought.
The woman glanced up at her, taking a few silent beats to scan Maddy’s face.
“Mornin’. Have a seat, Ms. Perez.” The woman said with a thick Texas accent, gracefully removing her eyeglasses as she sank back into the plush cushions of a brand new office chair.
Maddy stood still for a few moments. She knew there was a brief window to challenge your opponent, to let them know that you weren’t going to make it so easy.
The woman just smirked kindly and tilted her head. Her next words were a command. “Miss, you can have a seat.”
Maddy sat.
“I’m Mrs. Taylor, I’m the new Vice Principal replacing Mr. Garcia.” The woman sank deeper into her twang as she folded her manicured hands on top of the desk. “I’d love to start our meeting with you sharing a little bit more about yourself.”
Maddy took a deep breath and narrowed her eyes to fully assess the unfamiliar woman’s demeanor. She couldn’t quite place how to describe it, but she’d never met anyone who gave off this vibe. Mrs. Taylor was calm, nearly serene, yet strong. A constellation of freckles along her nose and cheeks made her appear more youthful, but her shoulders pushed back in a perfect posture, drawing further attention to the emerald green dress, hinted at a regal wisdom. Several gold bangles around her wrist sang like a wind chime anytime she moved her forearms.
“Alright, I’ll start.” The woman said with a nod. “I just moved here from Texas with my husband, who’s the new athletic director here. I’ve been an educator for 25 years in both high school and higher education. I’m here to improve East Highland’s senior year enrollment in two or four year colleges.”
Mrs. Taylor stared as she waited for a response, not changing her expression. Maddy could sense at once that her normal tools would be useless here. Still, she attempted a cool silence.
The new Vice Principal just squinted and gave her a few moments to answer. Then, with raised eyebrows the woman used her commanding tone again. “Now, you go.”
Suddenly Maddy could place what set the woman apart. A quiet confidence that she didn’t have to fake - a quality she would like to emulate someday. The kind of woman you can hope to grow into.
It scared her. It scared her enough that the only thing to do was try to re-establish her own power in the exchange.
“Well, seeing as how you have access to all of my information, past and present, as the Vice Principal, I’m not sure what else you wanna know.” Maddy delivered her response with trademark sass, complete with pursed lips and annoyed tone. Those were fully ingrained in her speech.
The woman lifted her eyebrows and placed a palm under her chin, unmoved by the attitude.
“Okay, you’re a junior, your grades are pretty good - 3.2 GPA with solid performances in U.S. Government and English and Statistics. Your PSAT scores are in the 80th percentile for verbal and 75th percentile for math, and yet - you haven’t taken the SATs yet.” The new Vice Principal turned the computer screen to face her.
“PSATs are required at this school," Maddy said flatly. "SATs are not. I don’t really like taking tests, Mrs. Taylor. What’s the point?”
The woman sighed and continued. “You have no extracurriculars besides Cheer. You haven’t signed up for any college tours or info sessions and it’s coming up to the end of your junior year. On top of all that, your disciplinary record is…” Mrs. Taylor paused to glance down at the file in front of her. “Your disciplinary record is substantial. And we have another incident to discuss today.”
There it was. Smashing her ex-best friend’s head against the wall just two days ago, she had hoped that it would slip under the radar given all the chaos and rumors about the play. But memories flooded back of the stage lights in her eyes and the sting of her palm against Cassie’s cheek, and only Kat and BB had seen what came after that. For all the controversy of Our Life, the endless murmurings in the halls today about homoerotic dance numbers and the risque subjects explored in the play, Maddy and Cassie’s brawl was the center of the narrative.
Other schools were calling it a riot. Or so she heard.
It wasn’t a riot, necessarily, but she couldn’t deny the night felt different. Historic. Something worth remembering. The slap, the chase, the drawing of her opponent’s blood.
It was satisfying in the moment, as usual, but soon the sense of righteousness faded and Maddy’s least favorite emotion crept up - doubt.
“Now, Maddy, I understand that I’m new here, but I have a job to do. There was a very serious incident at the school this past Saturday evening.”
Maddy shook her head and shrugged a feigned ignorance. “I promise, ma’am, it wasn’t as big a deal as people are making it.”
She watched as the woman pressed her lips together and leaned forward. “Maddy, you slapped a fellow student and it’s been recorded on camera. But I know there’s more. Did you continue to assault Cassandra Howard after stepping off that stage Saturday evening?”
Maddy’s head cocked to the side. “Yes, of-fucking-course I did...”
Mrs. Taylor shook her head and gave a look that silenced the conversation for a moment. “Ms. Perez, I can tell you’re tough and don’t care much about what I have to say, but take it from me - there’s a time for that kind of language, and this ain’t it.”
Maddy straightened her shoulders at that. Most adults regarded her language as unacceptable - strange to hear that, yes, there was a time and place for harsh words.
The woman let out a heavy sight and brushed the honey waves back from her shoulder. “Can you please tell me what happened, in your own words, during the performance on Saturday night?”
“Yeah, I can tell you my cunt ex-best friend fucked my ex-boyfriend and is now in a relationship with him…”
Mrs. Taylor put one palm in the air. “Don’t use that word here. That’s never gonna work for me.”
Maddy swallowed, the reprimand landing a little too effectively.
“Okay, well, the person I trusted most in the world betrayed me. But that’s not why I got up on stage and smacked her. Cassie Howard was ruining her sister’s big night, and, as fuck -” Maddy coughed before finishing the word, correcting herself. “As usual Cassie was making it all about herself. Lexi Howard is one of my favorite people at this trash school… Lexi didn’t deserve that.”
Mrs. Taylor stared back at her, face unchanged at Maddy’s confession.
All was quiet except for the gentle tapping of the woman's pen against her notepad.
“So, what are you going to do?” Maddy asked, surprised at the softness in her own tone. “Are you going to suspend me?”
Mrs. Taylor lifted her chin and delivered a small, close-mouthed smile. “No, I don’t think so.”
“Detention?” Maddy mumbled as she tilted her head down and scanned the desk, avoiding Mrs. Taylor’s eyes. Forgoing the usual disciplinary action for, well, a violent encounter sent a shiver down her spine.
“No, I don’t think that’s going to work for you, Ms. Perez.” She replied digging into the front drawer of her desk as she spoke. “You were suspended your freshman year for striking a fellow student for using a racial slur. Detention for truancy that year and again sophomore year. The list goes on. Clearly the traditional methods aren’t working very well to deter you from messin’ up your own future.``
The thud of a few stacks of brochures hitting Mrs. Taylor's desk made her jump. The two stared at one another in silence. Shit, Maddy thought, this woman is not fucking around.
“This summer, you’re going to sign up for some enrichment camps for students in between their junior and senior year.”
Mrs. Taylor gestured towards the materials on her desk. Between them, it was littered with summaries of different programs, glossy photos of a diverse cast of young people smiling while walking across a leafy green college campus or laughing together in a classroom. Maddy scanned the headers - Debate Camp, Model Congress, Robotics Camp, Volunteering Retreats.
Maddy bit back a groan. The summer wasn’t meant for enrichment. It was meant for lounging by the pool of the family she babysat for. Or Friday nights getting pulled to the front of the line at some L.A. Club with Kat, unconvincing fake ID’s in hand as they made slutty eyes at the bouncers. Summer wasn’t for, like, schoolwork.
An uncontrollable sigh exited her mouth.
“Ms. Perez, we can go your way, or we can go mine,” Mrs. Taylor said as she tapped against the spread of brochures. “But I can tell you, another ding on your record is going to be a problem when it comes to the decisions you’re gonna make next year. And right now it doesn’t seem all that important - but believe me, you’ll feel differently when your friends start gettin’ those acceptance letters and makin’ plans for their freshman year. Don’t you wanna give yourself a chance?”
She let her fingers graze the sheen of the brochures, her mouth curling into a resigned half-smirk.
“If you bring me proof of two registrations by the end of the week, I’ll forgo any detention or suspension. And you should know that this is a point of contention with me and Principal Hayes. Don’t make me regret stickin’ my neck out for you on Day One.”
Maddy nodded and gathered up the stack in front of her. “Okay. I’ll look them over.”
“Make an appointment with the admin out front for another check-in on Friday,” Mrs. Taylor commanded. “You can tell me what you’ve decided to sign up for, and we’ll deal with the financial aid and all that after. And when Cassie Howard decides to come back to school, I’ll talk with her to make sure you two can… peacefully coexist for the remainder of the school year.”
They kept their eyes on one another as Maddy stood up from the chair. This woman was nothing like any of the teachers or administrators at East Highland. Maybe it was the Texas twang or the flowing hair or the way she delivered her verdict, but Maddy had a feeling the halls of their high school wouldn’t be the same again. Maybe, this was an adult who would finally get them.
Her thoughts swiftly jumped to whoever else might benefit from this kind of chat. Kat: for sure, of course. Rue: always, even as it seemed she was doing better lately. Jules: yes, Jules had been through a lot this past year. And Lexi.
Lexi, who for too many years spent her days taking care of everyone around her. Lexi, always fading into the background. Lexi, finally stepping up to the mic this past weekend so fearlessly. Lexi, now the talk of the school, but perhaps for the wrong reasons.
Maddy saw the sad look in her friend’s eyes that morning. There was a weight on her shoulders - heavier than usual. It wasn’t just the constant chatter about the play. It wasn’t just Cassie’s antics. There was something else her friend was carrying around.
“Mrs.Taylor,” Maddy’s mouth twitched as she felt her heart pull at the friend she was thinking of. “Mrs. Taylor, I think you should prioritize talking with Lexi Howard over her sister. She... she needs someone to talk to.”
Maddy watched as Tami glanced down with a sharp breath in, the new Vice Principal recognizing the seriousness in her tone. “Is there somethin’ I should know about, Maddy?”
There wasn’t anything specific that she could share. Not anything definitive. But seeing Lexi grow so increasingly bold and self-assured since the New Year, the way that spirit appeared to have been drained from her being this morning, made Maddy nervous.
“Just talk to her.”
Mrs. Taylor nodded. “Thank you, Ms. Perez.”
Maddy made her way towards the door, a quick backwards glance at the unflappable new Vice Principal. Something felt different about the air around her, everything looked a littler brighter.
She pushed open the door and stepped back into the arena of East Highland High School.
***
Southern California could never get as hot as Texas.
That’s what Tami kept telling Eric as they’d packed up their house in Dillon two weeks ago. It was early April and the temperature had already reached 90 degrees. The California heat would be drier, the air crisper at night for many more months of the year.
Their Texas family and friends chuckled at the news when Eric accepted the athletics director and head football coach job at a big public school in Southern California after Tami had secured her position as the Vice Principal. Finally, they said, the Taylors had made the full transition to being coastal elites, joining the ranks of the woke liberals. Tami and Eric didn’t look at it that way. Julie and Matt had two kids now, and lived in a cute little house in Manhattan Beach not far from Matt’s art studio in Venice. East Highland was a comfortable distance, far enough to give the family space but close enough that the grandkids could spend the weekend with them. Gracie had decided on attending Scripps, their younger daughter just a moderate drive away from their new home, without accounting for traffic. It was perfect.
And besides, Tami and Eric had done their research and assessed that a few years at East Highland High School would be a nice, easy transition into retirement. One last chance to do the things they were good at, without the pressure of high school football in Texas and the expectations of a leader whose school district covered nearly one thousand square miles of prairie and oil fields.
The first day at East Highland High made her question that assumption. Tami knew that the challenges would be an echo of the things she’d seen throughout her career. But something felt different about this town and her connection to it - after just a few conversations with staff and students.
Day One was ten hours deep and the exhaustion hit her hard as she parked her car in the driveway. It was all becoming more clear - the "last chapter" she hoped for was shaping up to be an entirely new and unique challenge.
Tami was even more eager to talk to Eric about it all. Her husband had been in town for weeks now.
A full moon rose over the mountains behind the house as she walked up to the door. Mountains - those were new, as was the traffic any time she dared wander beyond the short drive between their home and the chaotic parking lot of East Highland High School.
The house was two stories tall, with a cream-colored stucco exterior and a red-tiled roof. The front porch supported by white columns overlooking a large garden with olive trees and various flowering plants. The multiple years of drought had been remedied by an unusually rainy Spring season,
She bolted to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine from the open bottle of rosé, kicking off her heels and sinking into the padded stools alongside the island of the open kitchen. Tami thought of Maddy, the young lady’s cautious acceptance of her mentorship disguised as tough love, and her warning about a name she’d heard several times that day - Lexi Howard.
She thought back on the conversation she’d had with Principal Hayes first thing that morning. In the months they’d spent getting to know one another during the interview process, she had perceived him as a capable if overwhelmed head of school. He was young, relatively energetic - and she liked that. Tami always felt most comfortable supporting talent as it developed.
But on the day that Tami arrived at East Highland, Principal Hayes looked to have aged a good 10 years.
“Welcome, Mrs. Taylor,” he said as he shook her hand, a look of relief in his eyes. “We are very happy to have you here with us.”
“I’m glad to be here,” She replied. “Gotta say, it sure is nice to be near my eldest daughter again. We’re very happy with the decision so far.”
“I trust the move was easy?” The man asked, but she could tell it was just perfunctory rapport-building.
“Oh yes, appreciate the support,” she replied, taking a seat on the metal chair behind her. “How do you want to use our time today? I’d love to chat about some of the things we discussed on the last call. Our plan to increase enrollment in Bernadino Community for our seniors, and creating a volunteer organization.”
The Principal folded his hands on his desk and let out an exasperated sigh. Tami swallowed hard, but the apologizing look in the man’s eye assured her that his ire wasn’t directed at her. He just looked tired.
Tami’s instincts told her to be accommodating. It was Day One, after all. She offered an optimistic smile. "Or, we can talk through anything that’s top of mind for you.”
“Mrs. Taylor, you should know that we, uh, had an incident at the school this weekend. Unfortunately, it requires our immediate attention. And, to be clear I feel bad throwing you into the deep end on your first day.”
Tami took a long blink as her lips curled up into a smirk. This guy had no idea who he was dealing with. “Well, Principal Hayes, I assure you I can handle whatever it is. Tell me what happened.”
“We had a theatrical performance here on campus this weekend. A play, an original work by, put on by the students. And things –” He paused to unhook his hands and rub his fingers against his temples as his eyes closed. “Things got out of hand.”
“During a play?” Tami asked, her head tilted curiously. She couldn’t guess what a high school play getting out of hand looked like. In her years as an educator, theater kids weren't usually the type to cause a ruckus. A football game lost, nefarious alumni and parents and booster clubs, and, worst of all, the tragic injury of a quarterback. But school plays, well, it was unfortunate that school plays didn’t get more attention.
Tami tried to look at the positive. Maybe the arts were such a priority here that it was normal for the theater to be the biggest thing happening over a warm Spring weekend.
“I had a call with the School Board yesterday,” he cleared his throat. A school board call on a Sunday meant serious business. “Other schools in the district are calling it a riot.”
Her face dropped. “A riot?”
Principal Hayes closed his eyes and dipped his head backwards and forwards, more a meditation than a nod.
“A riot. How do you mean, sir?”
He turned his laptop screen around to face her. She saw a video clip on pause, and could make out what looked like a carousel horse prop and a few bodies scattered around the auditorium’s small stage.
“You can press play,” he sighed.
Tami leaned over his desk and extended a hand towards the keyboard, one part curious and another terrified. She held her breath as the video started.
The following scene was chaotic. Tami squinted at the screen. Maybe not fair to characterize it as a riot, but when she saw an audience member in a green jumpsuit leap onstage to slap another girl who appeared to be one of the actors, Tami couldn’t help but gasp. It was clear this performance was… provocative for a high school play to include violence like this.
She drew back and leaned into the chair, pointing towards the screen. “Are these - are these actors from this high school? Or are they community theater people? Are they adults?”
“Tami... Mrs. Taylor, that was not an act.” He said. “The incident between those two girls interrupted a provocative but otherwise fully approved performance of a play written and directed by a sophomore named Lexi Howard.”
“I’m gonna need you to explain from the beginning, Robert.”
Now, hours later with an extra generous portion of wine in front of her, she tried to come up with a readers’ digest version to debrief with Eric when he arrived home. Likely, he’d heard all about it from the football players earlier today during their second round of try-outs for the varsity Football team. He often knew even more than her based on intel overheard in the locker room or the chatter between assistant coaches.
She took a large slug of the white wine as she heard the sound of Eric’s old Silverado pull into the driveway. Hopefully his day had been less eventful. He’d started working in East Highland a month before, his new employers expecting him to start onboarding the rest of the coaching staff and Tami expecting him to get the new house settled while she wrapped up the last of life in Dillon. It gave him a head start on assessing the dynamics of the East Highland high school ecosystem, even as she hadn’t really had time for the download since arriving last week.
Eric turned the corner, stopping to pull a bright teal and black baseball cap with East Highland’s mascot, his full head of once dark hair now a mix of salt and pepper. She loved it, a sign of their years together yet she still looked upon the same handsome face. It made her smile as he dropped the plastic bag filled with styrofoam takeout containers from a highly recommended Mexican restaurant on the counter.
“How was your day?” His tone made it clear that his own day wasn’t something to cheer about. He stared at her, eyes bleary with exhaustion.
Tami took another sip of her wine and raised her eyebrows.
She watched as her husband made his way to the kitchen, hesitating before he opened the fridge. “Did we pack up that good scotch? The Macallan?”
“You had an noteworthy day too, huh?” She chuckled and gestured towards the cabinet with the booze stash. “You wanna go first, or you want me to.”
Eric grabbed a random glass tumbler and poured himself a few fingers of the whiskey. “By all means, you begin.” He took a deep sip of the amber liquor and looked up at her. “I’m startin’ to think this isn’t gonna be the easy transition into retirement we imagined.”
“Me neither, dear,” she chucked. “Oh, honey, these kids need our help.”
Eric nodded along silently as Tami gave him the rundown of her chat with Principal Hayes, the video of the play, her meeting with Madeline Perez as they sampled the neighborhood taco spot.
“Did you hear? About this play?” Tami asked before shaking another dollop of guacamole onto her plate.
“Yeah, I heard about the play. Not much more to add,” he replied, grabbing a bottle of hot sauce they’d brought from their favorite Mexican joint in Dillon. “What do ya think? Of the food?”
“It’s good,” Tami said. “I already miss Texas, but I think we’re gonna make it. So, I’ve talked your ear off about my first day. How were tryouts?”
“Good. Second string quarterback from last year, Nate Jacobs, typical hotshot who’s been benched most games since freshman year, he finally feels like it’s his moment. Dad’s a bit too active.”
“Hmmm, we know that story.” Tami dug through the complimentary bag of chips as she listened to her husband’s recap.
“Only thing that bugged me ‘bout today is… a newer kid who performed real well in our first round of tryouts didn’t show up. Francis O’Neill?”
Tami nodded, she’d only vaguely heard him mention this name during their phone calls before the big moving day.
“They call him Fezco. Anyway, like I said, He did real well a few weeks ago, made the second cut,” Eric swirled his glass of scotch and threw back a final sip. “He didn’t show up today. Looks like he wasn’t in school, either. This Nate Jacobs was joking about how the kid finally got caught.”
Tami dug a chip into the red salsa as she thought of what he might mean. “Caught doin’ what?”
“I don’t know. I think the words were somethin' like, he got what was comin' to him." Eric shook his head as he recounted the story. Tami knew her husband's expressions well enough to understand - something wasn't right. "I didn't like his tone, when he said that. And I haven’t been able to get in touch with Fez on the phone. Goes straight to voicemail.”
“Guardian’s number?”
“Same number listed.” He said, turning to her and delivering a kiss on her forehead. “This might be one I need your help figurin’ out.”
***
The next morning, Tami set out to gather more information on this Fezco that had her husband so unnerved. Principal Hayes was impossible to track down, but she took the initiative herself to ask a member of the office staff to call in a wellness check on the missing student.
Tami didn't like the look on the woman’s face when she inquired, as if it wasn’t worth bothering with this particular student. So far, she wasn’t very impressed with the adults at East Highland High.
“Somethin’ the matter, Judith?” she asked.
The woman just shrugged. “Some kids are beyond help, don’t you think?”
Tami did her best to quell the instinct to chastise her colleague. She had plans to whip this staff into shape, to get them to actually give a damn about the students, but it would take time. So, she just sighed and offered a generous little smile. “No, Judith, I really don’t think that.”
She shook off the frustration and turned to her morning tasks. Besides her interest in tracking down Fezco, there was also the case of this play. She heard the murmurings in the hallway from students and faculty alike. It couldn’t have been easy to be the one responsible for an incident like this, the nonstop gossip and speculation buzzing through the air was palpable.
From looking at Lexi’s academic record, Tami understood the type of young woman she might be. Top 10 in her class, multiple extracurriculars, strong SAT scores taken as early as possible for a high school junior. In addition to that, the apparent family troubles laid bare during the performance over the last weekend were a concern.
She watched the play’s full recording. The maturity of topics explored was impressive, but she was troubled by the way things played out as she watched the “riot” yet again.
It wouldn’t hurt to heed Ms. Perez’s suggestion to meet up with this playwright, considering all this drama. But Tami knew someone like Lexi getting called into the vice principal's office a few days after the play would only draw more attention. It was best to call on her later in the day, when the students were tired and ready to enjoy the freedom of their sunny California afternoons.
The halls were quiet as Tami made her way to the chemistry lab in the other building. She peered through the small sliver of glass at the lab door, the students deep in an experiment. Perfect, they’d be adequately distracted as she called upon Ms. Howard.
After an alerting knock, Tami entered, a room of curious eyes turning towards her. The teacher greeted her, taking a moment to introduce her everyone in the class. She politely waved and commented that she was excited to meet them, but was eager to let them get back to their projects.
She scanned the room, trying to find the student whose appearance matched the young lady she’d watched lead the play. A few students kept their eyes on her, curious to know what the new Vice Principal was doing visiting their classroom. She saw one young man snicker and glance back to the lab table behind him.
Too much attention in her direction, so she made small talk with the teacher and then whispered that she needed to pull a student out.
“Which one?” he asked, his eyes scanning the classroom and then darting back to her.
“Ms. Howard,” Tami whispered. “And I’d prefer not to make a scene of it...”
The teacher nodded towards the front of the desks, towards a spot next to the window. She recognized the student now – her brown hair tucked behind a light blue headband, her prim plaid skirt paired with a simple white T–shirt and blue cardigan.
Tami smiled at the teacher and tiptoed over to the girl, leaning down to whisper as softly as she could manage. “S’cuse me, Ms. Howard?”
Lexi glanced up at her from the array of beakers and bright liquids, a glint of fear in her eyes.
“It’s alright, you’re not in trouble. I just want to talk to you in my office.”
“Yeah, um,” the girl mumbled with a frown as she turned to her lab partner, a small-framed young man with a floppy head of hair and kind eyes. “Ethan, can you handle the rest of the prep for today?”
The boy nodded. Tami gave a reassuring smile to both students. “I will have you back 'fore the end of class.”
Lexi began quietly gathering her things and placing them into the bookbag on the chair. The girl took a deep breath and smoothed out the pleats of her skirt. “Okay, I'm ready to go.”
Tami made sure to walk beside Lexi as they made their way to the hallway, glancing back at the students to make sure she had a pleasant look on her face to let them know Ms. Howard wasn’t being called in for any disciplinary reasons.
“Hi, Lexi, I’m Mrs. Taylor, the new Vice Principal,” she said once they got into the hallway. “I’m taking time to check in with a lot of students as I get acquainted with things here at East Highland.”
Lexi smiled sadly and politely asked about what school Tami had been at before. They made small talk about the move until both took their seats in the office.
“I know a lot of things have happened over the last few days,” Tami said softly. “I've heard about the performance this past weekend. Your play and the incidents around it have caused quite a stir, and I’d like to take a moment to talk -”
“Please, Mrs. Taylor I’m so sorry I ever caused any problems for you or anyone else. My intentions were good and I hate that things turned -” Lexi's eyes were wild with worry as she explained herself.
“Lexi, I just want to make sure you’re okay, given all the attention the play is receiving and, again, some of the events surrounding it.”
“I’m okay.” Lexi blurted. “I mean, It feels like my whole world has changed since that night - in the best of ways and in the worst of ways. The absolute worst of ways.”
“Worst of ways?” Tami smiled sympathetically. “Well, that doesn’t sound like something that an okay person would say. How did it change for the worst?”
“I keep hearing that even kids at other schools are gossiping about everything that happened on Saturday night. Also, the subject matter - I think it went over people’s heads a little bit.”
Tami nodded calmly. "What were you trying to get across, Lexi? What went over people's heads?"
Silence hung between them for a few moments, Lexi fidgeting as her eyes glinted around the room, trying to sum up all that she had intended for the play to communicate.
"It was supposed to be something that everyone could see themselves in -" Lexi finally announced, her shoulders pressed back with sudden energy. "Like, earlier this year, I finally got high school. Everyone has these roles that they play. But we're all so much deeper than that."
Tami grinned with pride. It was nice to see this young woman lit from within about her own creativity. Her take on high school was nothing new, but it was refreshing to witness the youthful enthusiasm.
"Like, the stoner isn't just some lazy deadbeat," Lexi said. "The popular cheerleader with the supposedly great boyfriend doesn't have a perfect life…”
Tami could sense that she had something else on her mind, and waited for her to continue. The air grew heavy with unspoken words as they sat in silence for a few moments.
“The quiet girl has things to say if anyone would listen. And the one everyone sees as the bad guy is actually... not so simple." Lexi was speaking in a near whisper as she continued, as if she was sharing a secret.
“I watched the play,” Tami said, folding her hands in front of her. “I thought it was very impressive. Must have taken a lotta work for you to put something together like that. You obviously have a real talent and passion for writing and directing and acting.”
“Thank you,” she replied softly. “I’m just still trying to decide if it was worth it.”
“Listen, I’m here to talk about whatever’s on your mind. I know that Cassandra is your sister... and that can't be easy.”
“Well, Cassie still hasn’t come home yet. My mom and I are really, really worried about her. I don’t know that our relationship will ever be the same again.” Tami could hear the slight quiver in the young woman's voice as she spoke, and had no doubt that the troubles between the Howard sisters ran deep. “I just wish Cassie would have stayed and seen the whole thing. Then she would have known - the whole point of the Hallie character in the play was to show how tough it must be for her, for Cassie, to be under so much scrutiny. She wasn’t the villain. All the creepy guys who used her and took videos of her and the students who talked badly about her - they were the villains.”
Tami's stomach churned at the mention of boys taking videos of a young woman. Things had certainly changed since she first started working in schools. She bit her lip at the thought of her own daughter having to navigate things like this.
"I'm sorry to hear about your sister's troubles. We're gonna do our best to help her, too. Lexi, I know things are hard but probably sooner than you think, this is gonna turn out alright.” Tami grabbed the box of tissues from the corner of her desk and placed them in front of Lexi. “It’s okay to be upset about it.”
Lexi’s face crumpled into a hard frown, her eyes shut tight trying to push back the tears. “There’s more. I haven’t... I haven’t talked to anyone about this. It’s kind of a secret.”
“Do you want to tell me?” She didn't want to push, but Tami generally found that when a young woman announced that she had a secret, there was an intention to voice it.
A tear dripped down the young woman's face. “Somebody I care about was supposed to be there, and he didn’t come. And I don’t know where he is.”
Tami leaned over the desk and placed her hands over Lexi’s. “Sweetheart, who? Was this a relative, or a friend, or a boyfriend?
“I don’t know,” she broke into a full sob now, taking a moment to catch her breath. “I mean, I know who he is, of course. But I don’t know if he was my boyfriend or a friend. I just… really care about him and he was so supportive this whole time I’ve been putting together the play. We were texting before and he said he was on his way, but he never showed. I tried to bike over to his house on Sunday, but the street was closed off and all these cop cars…”
“Is this a student, Lexi?”
“Yeah, Fezco, Fezco O’Neill,” she said as she wiped her nose against the tissues.
The name caught in Tami’s throat as she tried to repeat it. This was the student Eric had expressed worry about, the one that didn’t show up for the second round of football tryouts. Something serious was going on with this young man. Again, Tami ran through the catalog of past students she’d helped, sure she had seen it all.
Tami had seen it all. This young man, Fezco, just seemed to offer he a strange mix of multiple lessons. Her mind was already racing towards the next step. Pull the student file, understand his record, connect with whoever might know him best.
With a deep inhale, she pulled herself back into the moment. A bright young woman, scared and feeling alone, sitting on the other side of the desk. Tami knew exactly what to say.
“Lexi, I promise you,” she said, gently squeezing her hands in hopes of comforting this sad girl. “I’m going to make sure no East Highland student slips through the cracks. Including Mr. O’Neill. Okay?”
***
The click of Tami’s heels against the floor of the football annex drew attention from the rest of the coaching staff and the handful of students hanging around the weight machines. Her husband’s eyes widened and eyebrows raised curiously as she approached him.
The scent of sweat in the air, mixed with the metallic smell of the weight machines, took her back to a thousand memories of their previous life in Dillon. No matter how familiar it felt, she reminded herself that this was a new world.
She had promised Eric that she would steer clear of the athletics department unless necessary - an attempt to show the rest of the faculty that while they were undoubtedly a team, they also respected one another's spheres of authority. Tami would stick to the academics and non-sports extracurriculars. Eric would stick to the athletics. Inevitably, there would be instances where they needed to collaborate, but they needed to manage their own kingdoms while they got oriented to the new school.
“Hey, y’all,” she smiled and waved as all the eyes in the room feel on her. “Excited to be working with you.”
A tall, robust man in an East Highland polo that Tami sized up as a former defensive tackle chuckled in her direction. “You really are from Texas with the y’alls, huh?”
“Expect to hear more of ‘em.” Tami smiled politely at the man and then turned to her husband. “Hey, can I grab you for just a second. It’s kinda important.”
He shut the door of his new office and nodded towards the desk chair. “Everythin’ alright?”
Tami chose forgo the seat and instead paced around the room.
"Eric, that student you told me about - Fezco,” she said. “I think something serious might have happened to him this weekend. Do you know anything else about this kid? Home life, siblings, anything?”
She watched Eric take a moment to think back on his interaction with Francis O’Neill. Her husband blinked and shook his head to collect his thoughts. Eric had an ability, just like her, to observe and listen and take assessment of a situation. Especially if he felt like the subject was worthy of reflection.
His head dipped down for a moment, and then he lifted his eyes up to meet Tami's face. She knew that look. Eric was just as concerned as she was. "You want my first instinct? The full report?"
Tami raised her eyebrows and nodded earnestly.
"Alright, he was was pretty quiet around the other players. Carried himself a bit self-consciously at first, but then got more comfortable after a couple of drills. Adapted to feedback pretty well. You want my take on his football, too?"
Tami chuckled and smoothed her hair. "Same damn thing, isn't it?" Perhaps it was an oversimplification, but the Taylor family could connect the way that people behaved in their real life to the way they played on the field. And nobody could figure it out better than Coach Eric Taylor.
An appreciative smile spread across her face as she watched Eric remove his East Highland baseball cap and rub his fingers against his temples. How lucky that they had each other in an unfamiliar, and yet wholly familiar, new school.
"He was fast enough to be dangerous, and not afraid to barrel into the defense during a quick scrimmage. Did what he needed to do at the right moment."
Tami nodded, encouraging him to continue.
"Didn't get too brutal, congratulated the other players when they made good plays. Some solid hints of a leader - maybe not a part of the starting lineup at this point, which is a bit concerning with him going into his senior year and all. But he seemed to have the heart for this sport. Like he was working towards something."
"Positive sign," Tami replied as she tapped her heals against the linoleum floor. "Did he appear to have any friends?"
He shook his head. “No, seemed to get along fine with the rest of the tryouts. But he didn’t appear to be friends with any of ‘em. Kind of stood on his own, I guess.”
Tami pressed her lips together and hummed. “Yeah, he doesn’t have the best attendance or academic record, but I haven’t had a chance to talk with Principal Hayes about it. Sound's like I should.”
"Yeah, Tami," Eric said. "Don't wanna sound too crazy, but he had the light in him."
***
By the end of her second day, Tami accept that her time at this new school would be a stark departure from her previous experience as an educator. Honestly, it was a welcoming challenge. She’d read articles about how important it was to try new things as you aged, to keep your mind fresh. East Highland High, she realized, would keep her mind very fresh.
The mystery of Fezco’s whereabouts, and what had happened to him the night of the play, gnawed at her heart. She couldn’t get the sight of Lexi Howard, sobbing in her office, out of her head.
Still, she had a few hundred students to think about, too. After making a call to the police liaison at the school department to inquire about the O’Neill case, she tried to shift her focus back to East Highland High School. Tami asked the Principal for the files of students he felt she should get to know.
She flipped through the file of the student coming in for the next meeting. Ruby Bennett, another junior with signs of promise but significant troubles. This was one student that Principal Hayes had brought to her attention during their debrief that day. Rue was smart, and charismatic, and unpredictable, he had warned.
The young woman sitting in front of her, thankfully, looked clear-eyed and alert, her long, wavy dark brown hair hung around her face like a lion’s mane. Tami was relieved to meet her after reading her file - she was still a bit rough around the edges, but obviously making a real attempt to take care of herself.
They were a solid 20 minutes into their session, Rue opening up to her about all that had come to pass during her very eventful academic year. A few relapses, a relationship gone south, and finally, she said, a conscious decision to try to stay clean and sober, for herself.
“That’s really wonderful, Ms. Bennett. You should be proud of yourself for making that commitment,” Tami replied. “You know, it’s always a good idea to find a supportive community, even beyond your sponsor and the folks at your meeting. Have you thought about your extracurriculars?”
“Not really,” she said. ‘I don’t really know what my talents are. I’ve spent so much time messed up and using the people around me. I guess I'm still trying to figure myself out."
Tami smiled. "Pretty common for a person your age, figurin' yourself out. Anything in particular you're interested in trying?"
“I guess I could try theater with my friend Lexi, Lexi Howard, but I’m not really passionate about it and I want to make sure she has her own space. Especially after the play. I thought about yearbook or the school paper, but I don’t really vibe with that crew. I’m not really athletic and I hate running, so that kind of tosses out any possibility for sports.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” Tami replied. “Being a part of a team sport could be a really good outlet for you, build your confidence while you continue your journey. You don’t have to be some varsity hero to get the benefits.”
Rue chuckled and folded her hands in her lap. “Yeah, Fezco was trying to get me to think about looking into being a trainer for the football team, just so he didn’t have to be alone with all the jocks if he made it…”
Tami’s eyes shot up at the sound of that name again. She’d finally cornered Principal Hayes to talk about this mystery student, and he mumbled something about calling the police department himself and asking about him that evening. Francis O’Neill was, apparently, under the care of his grandmother and had a younger brother, not much else was known amongst the faculty.
“Fezco, you said?” Tami asked. “Is he a friend of yours?”
Rue nodded. “Yeah, I’d say he’s a friend. But not lately, because of me.”
“Did somethin’ happen between you two?”
“I… I don’t really know if it’s right to share this, but for a while he sold me drugs. Cut me off in the Fall, and I guess I didn’t treat him very well after that.”
Tami took a deep breath as she took in the new information. Fezco apparently sold drugs, but he was also careful enough to cut off an addict. Not the typical profile of a teenage dealer. “Rue, I don’t mean to pry, but I’m trying to find a little more information about Mr. O’Neill. He hasn’t been in school the last few days.”
“Well, that’s kind of normal. He’s always talking about dropping out and just doing the GED thing, school isn’t really his priority. Though, since the New Year’s Eve incident things have changed. He’s been in class a lot more, and then out of left field he decided to try out for the football team. He kept saying he wanted something normal for his last year.”
“And now, you’re telling me he sold you drugs?”
Rue’s mouth dropped as she took a breath in, clearly afraid that she’d said too much to the new Vice Principal.
“Listen, Rue, you don’t need to worry that you’re telling on him. I’m… concerned because he seems to have disappeared. I’d really like to make sure he’s okay. Can you tell me about his parent or guardian? Any siblings? ”
“Fezco kinda is the parent of his household, he takes care of everyone.” Rue glanced down, hesitating to share further. “Lexi said she saw a bunch of cop cars around his house on Sunday. You’re trying to help him?”
Tami raised her eyebrows and nodded urgently.
“Okay, well, Fezco takes care of his younger brother, Ashtray.”
“Ashtray…” Tami’s eyebrow furrowed at that. "His name is Ashtray?"
“Yeah, Ashtray. His grandmother is technically his guardian, but she’s pretty much bedridden. So, Fez takes care of her, and his brother, and then… the business. That’s why he doesn’t really come to school. And, of course, it’s kinda easy to slide by here without going to class.”
Tami felt a sting behind her eyes, the picture of Fezco’s difficult life pieced together more plainly. His world was, very likely, an unkind one, and it wasn't clear how much of it was Fezco's choice.
“Thank you, Rue, for sharing. It stays between us. I’m gonna make sure your friend is okay.”
Rue nodded, still looking uncertain. Tami gave her a reassuring smile before wrapping up their meeting. She walked Rue out into the hallway, delivering a few more encouraging words about extracurriculars before heading back to her office, her mind racing. A student dealing drugs and caring for his grandmother and younger brother, while barely attending school? It was an all-too-familiar story of a kid slipping through the cracks of a broken system.
Tami sprang into action as soon as she sat down at her desk following up with the police department again and scouring the local news websites for clues. She channeled the anxiety within, trying to alchemize the nervousness into hope that somewhere, Fezco was okay.
Every headline from the past weekend could be a clue. There was a terrible car accident on the highway Saturday night, but no mention of a young man involved. A few robberies, but the perpetrators had already been identified in the story. And finally, a report of a police raid across town, though there wasn't much information about the purpose or the outcome. There was a distinct possibility that this was the hint she was looking for.
Her heart stopped when she heard the vibration of her cell phone on the desk, and she answered quickly once she saw that it was Eric's name on the screen.
"Eric," she said. "I think I found somethin'."
"I found somethin' too," he said, a somber tone in his voice. "Fezco O'Neill was shot on Saturday night."
***
One hour later, Tami and Eric pulled into the parking lot of Highland General Hospital. They had more information - Fezco had been involved in the raid that Tami had found in the local news, and he'd been shot in the stomach. There was much more to piece together - the status of Ashtray and Fezco's grandmother, the criminal counts, the possibility of a jail sentence. And, of course, the question about whether or not Fezco was truly dangerous, or a victim of circumstance.
Eric already had a plan in motion, calling on the sheriff's office in Dillon to put in a good word for him with the local police department. He'd done this before, keeping troubled young men out of jail so long as they stayed in school, kept their grades up, and joined one of the athletic teams. East Highland police seemed skeptical, but not enough that they didn't hear him out. (Didn't hurt that he could drop the names of a few NFL players who used to be in his charge. Vince Howard and Smash Williams were household names, at this point.)
“You sure you want to do this, Tami?” Eric asked as he put the vehicle into park. “This is above and beyond, even for us. The kid’s in real trouble with the police.”
Tami thought about his question for a moment. In truth, she didn't understand the complexities of this young man's life - maybe he had a darkness, something she couldn't fix. But she trusted Eric, and she trusted the testimonials of Rue and Lexi. They all had to try. “If the things Ruby Bennett told me are true, Fezco doesn’t have anyone to look out for him. And, the way people talk about him, the way you talked about him, he doesn’t seem like a hardened criminal, right?”
Eric shook his head. “Not at all. I’m just sayin’ - I don’t want you to get your heart broken.”
“Inevitable," she said, her lips curling up in a hopeful smile. She let out a resigned sigh and reached over to brush her hand along his neck. "But it doesn't matter. I think we both know Mr. O'Neill deserves another chance to get it right."
"He does," Eric said as he pulled his keys from the ignition. "Let's go get it right, one more time."