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“Based on the note I found in my office and the, uh, sudden change in tone, I believe that the reason the secret admirer went from leaving me gifts to breaking my things was they learned about my relationship with Jaromir.”
Ms. Greene nods. “And who knew about your relationship besides you and Jaromir?”
This is the moment I’ve planned for. If this doesn’t jolt Coach Hill out of his calmness, nothing will.
“Only one other person knew. And he’s sitting right there.”
Coach Hill sits there for a second, with no emotion whatsoever on his face. Then, suddenly, he realizes what I’m accusing him of. What’s his first reaction going to be? Anger? Fear? Shock? Or will he play it cool?
He seems mostly confused. “Well, wait a second. It’s true that I knew about their relationship. But I didn’t know anything about a secret admirer, and I certainly didn’t trash her office.”
Darn it. He’s giving me nothing. But there has to be a way to crack him. Did I make the wrong choice in taking Ms. Greene to Hill rather than Larson? But Coach Hill has been around me far more than Mr. Grey. And he’s friends with Jaromir. He’d be doubly mad if the two of us were together.
“Jaromir called Coach Hill to tell him about our relationship just before the attack happened!” I say. “You’ve been jealous of Jaromir ever since he started coaching for the team. And when he told you that he was dating me –”
“That is a very serious accusation to make!” he snaps. “I understand that I'm the only person who you know has heard about the two of you, but that just means someone else must have found out about it some other way! I would never do any of that!”
Ms. Greene looks at me. “Is that possible? Could someone else have figured out?”
I thought for sure that he would have snapped. Maybe it was Larson this whole time? I feel like a fool for accusing Coach Hill without evidence and for wasting Ms. Greene’s time.
“I guess it’s possible…” I admit.
I’m trying to come up with something else to say when suddenly, there’s the sound of a door slamming, something clattering to the ground, and someone running outside followed by muted, angry screaming.
Immediately, Coach Hill jumps up and opens the door to reveal absolute chaos.
27
JAROMIR
There’s just no way Hill would do that.
I’ve gone over it a hundred times in my head. I don’t want to be that guy who lets his friend get away with being a jerk because he won’t believe anyone who gets hurt by him. But then Tina mentioned Mr. Larson, and that’s just got to be who it was.
And that means I’m going to have to have a good talk with him.
“Jaromir!” says the security guard, who is standing in the front office. He opens the door for me. “What brings you here today?”
“I need to see one of the teachers,” I say, trying to not sound sinister. “I don’t think he’ll be expecting me.”
“Sounds good,” he says, passing me a clipboard to sign. “Any word on when you might be back on the ice again? Your team sure could use you right about now.”
They sure could, on the ice. I might be the last thing they need when it comes to the press. And that’s if I don’t make things worse by attacking a high school teacher, which I just might.
“I dunno. Depends on when everyone forgets about the incidents.”
“The incidents?” he repeats, surprised. “Don’t you mean the incident? It was just the joyride thing, right?”
Yeah, it was, I think, walking away with a friendly wave. The second incident will be starting in just about a minute.
I don’t know much about Mr. Grey, but I do know Verog isn’t going down for this.
The possibility that I am doing something deeply stupid looms over me. I remember what it felt like to steal that jet ski, and this doesn’t feel too different.
I sure hope his room has his name on it, I think as I round the corner. The whole of my plan is to confront Larson and see how he likes the sight of me looming over him.
But just as I’m considering walking back to the front desk for better directions, one of the doors slams open. Tina and Ryan come running out of it, looking like they’re genuinely scared for their life. Behind them, shouting, comes a man who I realize has to be Larson.
