Page 104 of Every Beat of My Heart

“I just read about a principal in the area that was suspended because he was investigating a teacher stealing money, and that teacher created an AI audio recording of him making racial slurs. It wasn’t even real, but he was suspended pending an investigation that went on for months.”

I’d read about that too. “And the teacher that was being investigated for the theft still had their job.”

“This isn’t right. I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

“I appreciate that. For now, I’d just like a chance to speak to your team. See if they’d be willing to share their experiences with the administration.”

“The floor, or I should say the field, will be yours. Tomorrow after school?”

“I’ll be there. Thanks again,” I said as I got off the phone. This wasn’t just about me and Jameson. This could happen to any teacher. That was the approach I needed to take. Whether Jameson would see things differently was another story, and there wasn’t much I could do about that.

* * *

Owen wasn’t speaking to me. He blamed me for upending his life, and I couldn’t blame him. I know he liked Jameson as a friend and a mentor, but he didn’t quite see that we were working toward something bigger. That maybe we could have had a future together, maybe even been a family. He was shortsighted, only wanting his coach and friend back.

Unfortunately, Jameson’s confidence was so shaken; I wasn’t sure he’d see his way to the other side. He couldn’t see things differently, and I couldn’t change his mind. That was up to him.

Today, I had a bigger challenge. I needed to convince a team of kids to talk to the administration. I was worried some parents would object.

I just hoped I was doing the right thing. It felt like I was fighting for Jameson, but he wasn’t fighting for himself. And I couldn’t do that for him. But I wanted to help, to prevent something like this from happening again.

The gossip about what happened to Jameson and the team was still circulating the school the next day. Thankfully, I didn’t see any more videos of me jumping into Jameson’s arms. It hurt too much, and the kids were threatened with losing phone privileges if it was played or distributed during school hours.

By the end of the day, I was a nervous wreck. I was doubting my abilities to convince a bunch of twelve-year-old kids to listen to me when mine didn’t support me.

I changed out of my heels into comfortable walking shoes at the end of the day, then made my way to the field. The kids were seated in front of Martin, who was probably telling them he was their new coach for the foreseeable future.

When I approached, the kids’ faces were a mix of disappointment and confusion.

“Ms. Coleman is here to talk to you about what happened. Please be respectful and listen to what she has to say. It affects the team and your old coach, Jameson Calloway.”

Their focus shifted to me, and I tried to remember that I was a teacher; I was used to staring down twelve-year-olds all day in the classroom. Being on the field was no different.

“I wanted to talk to you about what happened, and how you might be able to help Mr. Calloway.”

“How can we do that, Ms. Coleman? He was fired,” Will said.

“He was suspended, but yes, it has the same affect. You don’t have your coach, and you have to finish your season without him.”

“He was the one who told us to believe in ourselves,” Kurt said.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t have even tried the cornerback position if he hadn’t told me I could do it,” another called out.

“That’s kind of what I wanted to talk to you about. You’ll have good coaches and bad ones over the years, but I have a feeling Mr. Calloway was one of the good ones.”

“He was the best,” Bryce grumbled, and I wondered if he was upset by his father’s actions.

“Yeah,” a few other kids agreed.

Owen’s jaw was set in a stubborn line, and he wouldn’t look at me.

“If you had a good experience with Mr. Calloway, I was hoping you’d share it with the athletic director, Mr. Elias, and the principal, Mr. Miller. I’m not promising it will change their decision. But I think it will show them what kind of man Coach Calloway is. That he was a good influence on you guys.”

“Do you think they’d let him come back?” Kurt asked.

“I can’t make any promises, and knowing the way school administrations work, I doubt it. But it would be something nice we could do for Mr. Calloway.”

“I want to help.”

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