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“For a minute there, I thought you were going to bail on the meeting,” Will said as they walked down the hallway.
“I was tempted,” Janessa said. “It was a long day at work.”
“Bad stuff happen?”
“Not really. Just a few appointments that ran long, then we needed to squeeze a couple extra ones in. Mondays can be like that sometimes. People who haven’t been feeling well over the weekend call to see if they can get in.” She glanced over at him. “How was your day?”
“Pretty much a typical Monday. Kids with lots of excuses why they didn’t get their homework done, even though they had two extra days to do it.”
“I remember doing that,” Janessa said. “But not too often.”
“Had a kid give me a hassle about his grade.”
“I’m confused,” Janessa said. “In math, don’t most questions have just one answer? I mean, there’s not much that’s subjective, right?”
“Yep. That’s one reason I like math. The answers are either right or wrong.”
“So why is a kid hassling you about his grade?”
“This is a student who is new to the school, and he’s actually here because of Jay.”
“What do you mean?”
“He and his dad moved here so he could get on the basketball team with Jay. Apparently, the guy thought that playing on the team Jay coaches could get his son to the state championship, into a good college with a scholarship and then a shot at going pro.”
“Wow. Does Jay know that?” Janessa asked as she stepped through the door that Will held open for her.
“Yeah. I told him about it on the weekend. Last week, this kid was bragging about what a great player he was. He definitely brings that arrogant attitude.”
“Well, if your dad uprooted his life because he thinks you have the skill to go pro, it’s probably going to go to your head.”
“Yep. He’s not making many friends, though, and if he’s giving other teachers the hassles he’s giving me, he’s going to run into some trouble.”
“He has to keep his grades up to stay on the team, right?”
Will nodded. “I have to submit a weekly grade in order for him to practice and play in any game. And even though we’re only a few weeks into the school year, he’s already struggling. I’ve offered to help him, but he’s not interested.”
“Has he been giving Jay grief too?”
Will chuckled. “He tried. Jay shut him down pretty quickly. Cole would have gotten into trouble if he’d had that attitude around Jay.”
“Does the dad know that the boys who took the team to the championship are pretty much all graduated?”
“I’m not sure, but if his son doesn’t get his act together, it won’t matter. He won’t be on the team this year.”
Janessa frowned as they neared her car. “Is there a chance the dad could come after you if you don’t fudge his son’s grades so he can still play?”
“It’s possible,” Will said. “But I’ve spoken to the principal, as have the other teachers that have the kid in their class, so he’s aware.”
“That’s good. Maybe if he does come after you, tell him that Jay is your best friend.”
“Not sure if that’ll work, but we’ll see.”
Since they’d reached her car, Janessa knew their conversation was drawing to an end, but she still wanted to know about the conversation he’d been having with Daphne’s grandmother. “What did Rhonda want?”
Will crossed his arms and stared down at the ground. “She wanted to let me know that she was sorry that Daphne had broken up with me, and that she thought I was better than her new boyfriend.”
That revelation got a laugh out of Janessa. “Really?”
