Chapter 9
Gage ran his hands through his hair then scratched the back of his neck as he squinted at the computer screen. He stood up and sighed as he walked around the desk in his office to the window. He looked to the main building and up to Carly Owens’ classroom in the corner. With a sigh, he flexed his shoulders to ease the tension as he saw a movement behind the second-story window. He hoped she hadn’t given up on him since the kiss they’d shared that day in her classroom. He’d wanted to ask her out on the few occasions they’d run into each other in the hall but hadn’t realized how much time overseeing the Oaktown High School football program would take, never having coached except for a few weeks of student teaching in his last semester of college before he’d gone to play for the Dallas Rattlers. With the added burden of being filmed for a documentary the school board and superintendent had thrown into the mix, he hadn’t had time to breathe, much less think about when he might be able to go out on a date with her.
Looking at the time, Gage sat back down at his desk to continue checking the players progress reports before he needed to be out on the practice field. As he scrolled down the screen to the last name on the list, Jonathan Wilson, his body tensed while his earlier headache threatened to return with a vengeance. Jonathan had a failing grade in algebra, which meant he wouldn’t be able to let him play in the first district game on Friday night.
Gage knew his son struggled with math. He’d always tried to help Jonathan whenever he could, but it seemed to have gotten worse since Julie had died. Shaking his head while he stared at the computer, Gage wondered why Carly hadn’t called him for a parent/teacher conference to inform him Jonathan was struggling. After printing out the list of players and their grades, he slammed the door to his office and stomped down the hall to catch the beautiful but infuriating woman before she left.
As Gage reached for the door at the back of the main building, it flew open, and Carly stepped out.
With his ire at the situation at a boiling point, he barked, “What the hell, Carly? Why am I just now finding out Jonathan is failing your class?” Raking his hand through his hair in frustration, he felt a tiny bit of remorse at the slight wobble of her chin but was too angry to care as he glared down at her.
“Actually, I just tried to call to see if we could talk about his grades, but you didn’t answer,” Carly finally ground out, her chin tilting defiantly. “It shouldn’t come as a shock to you since as his coach you could have easily kept track of his grades whenever I posted them and called for a parent conference yourself if you were concerned.”
Gage overlooked the flash of fire in her eyes and stepped closer. He ignored the fact that she was right. “All I want to know is how will this be fixed?” Gage growled. He immediately regretted his harsh words, though, as he realized Carly misunderstood when her face grew tight, and her eyes narrowed.
“I’m not planning to fix anything,” she huffed and stepped closer to stab a finger into his chest. “I’m not in the habit of changing student’s grades so they can play sports. Maybe you should ask your son why he didn’t want to attend my tutoring sessions or email me when he was having trouble with the assignments.”
Gage had a brief thought he should apologize for insinuating she should change Jonathan’s grades so that he could play, but she turned and stomped off to her car before he could.
***
Later in the evening, as he and Jonathan finished their late-night dinner, Gage cleared his throat. He looked over the granite countertop of the breakfast bar at his son.
“We need to talk about your algebra grade,” Gage said, a tightness in his chest as Jonathan’s mouth quivered and he looked away.
“I know,” his son replied as he picked up his empty plate and headed to the sink.
“You know you can’t play in the game tomorrow night?” Gage asked as he joined his son.
“I’m sorry, Dad,” Jonathan cried, his deepening adolescent voice cracked and pitched higher reminding Gage he was still a boy despite his height.
Gage reached over and pulled him into a hug. “And I’m sorry I didn’t pay better attention. Why didn’t you tell me you were having problems, and why didn’t you go to any of the tutorings Ms. Owens offered?”
“I thought my grades were okay until the quiz today. I didn’t go to tutoring because I didn’t want to miss any football practice. I know how important it is to you that I play,” Jonathan replied as he pulled away and swiped at his eyes.
Gage’s heart lurched at his son’s words. He hadn’t realized Jonathan thought that way.
“What makes you say that?” he asked as he placed a hand on Jonathan’s shoulder.
“You were so excited last spring when I visited you in Dallas, and they called to say I’d made the varsity team. You made a big deal about it to all your buddies. I didn’t want to disappoint you,” Jonathan answered as he turned to put his rinsed plate in the dishwasher.
“Look at me,” Gage directed as he leaned against the counter. “Yes, I was excited, but I want you to understand football is not my life. I may have hammed it up around the other players, but it was always just a job. I don’t want you to ever feel you’ll disappoint me. Whether you play football or not is your decision. What’s important to me is that you get a good education. Your grades will always come first. Understand?”
“Yeah,” Jonathan answered and gave Gage a crooked smile.
“Good, then I expect you to be in Ms. Owens tutoring class first thing tomorrow morning. You won’t be able to suit up and be on the field tomorrow, so it’s up to you if you want to go to the game and sit in the stands,” Gage added as he wiped off the counters.
“I think I’ll stay home and look at some of the online tutoring sites if that’s okay?” Jonathan answered, the edges of his mouth tipping up a little more.
“I think that’s an excellent idea. We’ll get your grades up, and you’ll be able to play next week,” Gage reassured Jonathan as he turned off the lights and they headed to bed. Tossing and turning, Gage couldn’t get the image of Carly’s outraged face when she’d so obviously thought he wanted her to change Jonathan’s grades out of his mind. Even though he’d been angry, she wasn’t to blame. He’d left her hanging after their kiss, so she’d probably been hurt and hadn’t wanted to speak to him. He’d have to apologize the next time he saw her and hopefully she would agree to go out with him.