Page 46 of Facade

“When the dean commended Clark, I thought Mitch might be right to feel that way. But, I allowed my embarrassment over being outperformed by a brand-new hire and my friendship with Mitch, to cloud my judgment. I’m not proud of that.”

Jace nodded as he thought about it. “You were supporting your friend, and not looking any deeper than that, taking his word for the truth,” he said. “I’ve never seen Dean Stanhope discriminate against anyone for any reason. He doesn’t favor a particular classification. You may not know this, but Clarke has a master’s degree, and is working on his doctorate. He was a substitute teacher at high schools near his home town for years before applying for this position. That is why he got the job.”

Jace still had to concentrate, and be careful to refer to Clarke as he and him in conversation. He was getting used to it, but it didn’t come naturally. A slip of the tongue would be disastrous.

Ray cocked his head, and nodded thoughtfully before speaking, “And Mitch has a bachelor’s degree with one year of teaching experience. Naturally, he never admitted to that, or probably even bothered to ask.

“Within a couple of weeks after the start of term, I realized that Mitch has a persecution complex with no basis in reality. I couldn’t condone his senseless vendetta against Clark Voudrie.

“Several of the older students have classes with elementals. Some of them are good friends. They are really worried about what is going on in the elemental dorm. The conversations I overheard on that subject were sobering, and made me confront some ugly facts about both Mitch and myself.

“I’m not an ambitious guy, or as good at this job as you and Clark. That is no one’s fault but mine, though. I had backed the wrong horse, and mistreated someone who didn’t deserve my anger. My disgust with myself and worry about the elementals had me so preoccupied that I forgot about the football game. Most people would have left me to sink after being such an ass, but Clark invited the boys to ride on the bus without attitude.”

“We did it for the kids, but I see where you’re coming from,” Jace said.

“Because your priorities are where they should be,” Ray said. “Clark could have been snide. I would have deserved that, but he wasn’t. Mitch, however, called ranting that the boys betrayed him by leaving with you. I had already decided to sever ties with him as much as possible. Mitch has gone off the deep end. When I said I was meeting all of you at the game, and didn’t want to be late, Mitch started screaming that I would be dead to him if I went to the game.”

Ray spoke calmly, but it was clear that he had been very unsettled by the verbal altercation. Mitch had completely lost touch with reality.

“That’s disturbing, and worse than I thought,” Jace said.

“It was unnerving,” Ray admitted. “I hung up mid-tirade. He sounded completely insane.”

“You know that Mitch is probably the one that attacked the classroom, with his own students inside,” Jace said.

“Yeah, I thought so as well when the boys described what happened. This couldn’t have been an accident. I don’t know who else it could possibly be,” Ray agreed. “Obviously, I never really knew him.”

“People tend to hide stuff, and present what they want others to see. You saw what Mitch showed you, not the complete picture. All we can do is move forward,” Jace said. “You realized that you made a mistake, and were man enough to admit it.”

Jace doubted that he would ever consider Ray a buddy, but the caster did seem to be speaking honestly. He wasn’t the most motivated monitor, and as such, it made sense that Ray would have felt a sense of solidarity with Mitch, who had also been scolded.

Ray had been good with all the kids Friday night, and the young casters seemed to like him. That spoke in his favor.

“When I went to invite the elemental kids to the game, Mitch was combative, and the mood in the common room was like a funeral parlor,” Jace said. “He tried to stop the boys from leaving.”

“I figured as much, the way Mitch was screaming at me over the phone,” Ray said.

“Heath Halston walked with me to the stadium, and I told him everything that was going on,” Jace said. “He suggested that I report what I witnessed to Abner Livingston, and I did. I think you should do the same with Armando Garcia.”

“I wasn’t sure what to do, or if Garcia would take me seriously, since most of what I know is hearsay,” Ray mentioned. “But I agree that it’s necessary, especially in light of today’s events.”

“Make it clear that you disagree with Mitch, and that the safety of the students is your priority,” Jace suggested. “As far as I am aware, everyone considers you and Mitch to be allies. Taking a stand against him is the right thing to do, and will change how they perceive you.”

Ray listened, and nodded thoughtfully. “Ugh. I can’t say that I like the idea of admitting my failures and idiocy, but you’re right that it needs to be done. I’ll send a message requesting a meeting with Professor Garcia later today.”

Jace offered to order pizza, and quizzed the boys on preferred toppings. He texted Clarke to get her and Carlos’s order. Ray said he would handle the beverages.

Fortunately, it was a sunny day with mild temperatures. Being able to stay outside helped promote the illusion that all was normal. That wouldn’t be the case if they all had to gather in one of the dorms.

The young elementals would realize soon enough that they were being kept out of their dorm, and away from Mitch for a reason. There was no need to make them confront that fact now.

After a glance at the boys, Ray withdrew his phone, and began typing slowly, with several pauses. He seemed to compose the message with considerable thought, rephrasing it more than once. He sighed heavily after sending it.

“It’s done,” Ray said as he pocketed his phone. “For what it’s worth, Armando Garcia has a summarized statement from me, with an offer of complete details at his convenience.”

“Good,” Jace said without elaboration.

There was really nothing else to say. The action had clearly come with a personal cost, but Ray had done the right thing.