Over the years, I’d been approached by both public and private schools to take over their athletic departments. Maybe it was time to look at different opportunities closer to Brenda.
I was on my way to the principal’s office. Principal Santino hadn’t specified what he wanted to talk about when he’d called. Whether a student or a teacher, getting summoned to his office was never a nice feeling. I rapped my knuckles against his office door and waited until he called me in.
When I opened the door, he removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “Thanks for stopping by, Coach. I know you’re busy getting ready for this weekend’s athletic meet.”
I pulled out a chair and sat. “Is everything okay?”
He regarded me for a few seconds. “Frankly, no.”
My stomach bottomed out. “I see.”
Principal Santino stood and walked to the window where he looked out at the track field with his hands clasped behind his back. “Working in an all-girls school comes with its, let’s say, challenges. Girls get crushes. Girls can be mean, spiteful, and unpredictable. It’s our job as educators to navigate that dangerous maze and stay above it all. We can’t be the cause of rumors or favoritism.”
I swallowed hard. “Principal Santino, please get to the point of this.”
“Over the years, I’ve ignored the girls’ crushes on you.” He chuckled. “Even my wife had a crush on you. I never paid much heed to the rumors. You’re a good-looking man, and the girls adore you. But this morning, Miranda Halpern came to me with some substantial accusations that I can’t ignore.”
I clasped my hands, my fingers digging into my knuckles. “What accusations would they be?”
“That you’re involved in a relationship with your assistant coach. She claims to have video evidence of the two of you together. She won’t elaborate on what. She also claims, again, you’re showing favoritism to other students.” I opened my mouth to speak, but he held up his hand to stop me. “I don’t care what you get up to outside of school hours, but I don’t want anything you do on school property or during school time to reflect badly on St. Brigid’s.”
Molten anger bubbled through my veins, but I forced myself not to let it explode. “First of all, Miranda has been creating issues and drama on the team. She’s been causing girls to fall out of jealousy, but you know that. She will do what it takes to be number one, even if that means injuring another girl or spreading false rumors about me. I don’t put up with that from anyone. Whatever stories she’s told you, she’s told them out of jealousy and spite to get me in trouble.”
“I see.”
“As for what’s been going on between Brenda and me, well, I won’t lie. We’re in a relationship. We went on a date on Friday to watch a movie.”
Since we were one-hundred-percent alone in the theatre, my mind wandered back to Saturday beneath the bleachers. But how could Miranda know about that? Unless she had the code to get through the school gates, I highly doubted she had witnessed what had taken place there. Even if she had, she wouldn’t have gotten close enough to capture anything she could use.
Principal Santino blew out a weary breath. “Miranda and her family have been trouble since the day she enrolled. They think money can get them everything they want. I wish you’d brought her behavior to my attention earlier. I’ve had several complaints from several teachers.”
“It was nothing I couldn’t handle,” I explained.
He sat at his desk. “Please write up a report. I’ll have another meeting with her parents and threaten expulsion. Maybe that will scare her into toeing the line.” He blew out another weary breath. “But I have to address the rumors that have now fallen on parents’ ears. I’ve been getting phone calls. I have to nip this in the bud before it gets out of control.”
I scrubbed my hands over my face and a knot formed in my stomach. “I hadn’t planned to say what I’m about to, but I think it’s time I moved on. I’ve loved my time here and have done what I can with the athletics program.” I laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Maybe I’ll get a job in an all-boys school this time.”
If my decision shocked him, the principle showed no reaction other than acceptance. “I’m sorry to hear that. You’ve been an asset to the school, Coach. Can I ask why? Have you been considering this for a while?”
“I guess it’s been in the back of my mind. There are a few reasons. Mainly my personal life, but it’s time to move on and see what I can do for another school. I’ll stay till the end of the year, and I promise I’ll bring the meet of champions trophy home this weekend.”