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“Failing isn’t going to get you where you want to be, no matter what.” He gentled his tone. “At best, yeah, you might get out of football, but at worst, you’ll screw up your GPA and your chances of getting into the college you want. Is that worth the risk? But if you tell the truth now, I guarantee Miss Berry will help you work for a passing grade and save your transcript. And no one canmakeyou play football.”
Todd wiped his nose on his sleeve. “But everyone will hate me if I don’t. My dad will lose his shit.”
Lincoln’s spine tensed. “Does he get rough with you? Physically?”
“No. He just yells a lot. He’s kind of a hulk, so it doesn’t take much for him to intimidate people.”
Lincoln sensed he was getting close to a boundary. Though he’d signed a contract that included a code of conduct, he wasn’t a certified or experienced teacher. He sure as hell had no right to interfere in a student’s relationship with his parents—unless he suspected that the kid was in danger. Based on his instinct and what he’d seen, Rick Oliver was a bully but not physically abusive.
“Have you talked to one of the school counselors?” he finally asked.
Todd shook his head. “Not going to.”
“Then at least talk to Miss Berry. She’ll help you however she can, both with your parents and the rest of it.”
The boy slanted him a glance. “Are you going to tell her anything?”
“I’ll tell her I talked to you, but you need to be the one to tell her the truth.”
“When?”
“The sooner the better.” Lincoln dug into his pocket for his phone. “Your class has junior day tomorrow, so what about Monday? She’s always in her classroom before school. Take the weekend to think about it and talk to Katie. Here’s my number, if you need it.”
Todd put the number into his phone and grabbed his backpack. “You won’t tell anyone else?”
“No.”
With a quick nod, Todd ducked his head and slouched toward the exit.
Lincoln slumped against the lockers with a sigh. Teachers deserved to get paid a fortune. Times ten.
