Page 15 of Please, Sir

The girls shake their heads in near unison. If you’re not a bratty pain in the ass trying to get attention, you’re a people pleaser. Those are the only two options for fourteen-year-old girls.

“No, it’s not. So now you’re talking about something someone else did during a different class. It was important enough to you to interrupt practice, so please, come on forward,” I tell her, motioning for her to come stand in front of the girls. “Tell everyone what you just said, please, since it is justthatimportant.”

Cadence blows a whistle. “Alright girls, let's run through it one more time,” she says to the squad, but I don’t miss the way Alexa’s angry eyes linger on me a moment longer than they should.

Alexa doesn’t know it isn’t personal. Everything that happens to you at this age is so extremely personal in your mind, but in truth, it’s not at all. I won’t send her home thinking I hate her, but I also won’t tolerate bullies.

“Jo Jo, go catch up with my team,” I smile, and turn to see the sophomore girls moving through their halftime dance for the second time. “Alexa,” I call, but Cadence stops me.

“Everyone gets it, you can flex because Leah’s your friend.” She flicks her hand in my direction as if dusting dirt off of something. “You can go now.”

I don’t address the comment about Leah, and instead call Alexa aside. She glares the whole time she stomps toward me.

“What?” she hisses.

I put on a patient smile. “We’re all Bruisers. We all wear the same uniform. We’re a team. Frosh, JV, Varsity, we’re all on the same team.”

She tightens her ponytail, which is the same as a muscled guy cracking his knuckles pre-fight, but says nothing.

“Jolene isn’t moving up to JV because she stayed after class one day. Okay? And I think you know that. I also think you know that being the girl that is mean to other girls isn’t cool.”

Alexa’s lips curve into a smile that makes my pulse jump. I’m ten years older, but still, her smile is eerie. “Oh, and you know what's cool, hmm?” She looks down at my feet, my favorite black and white Nikes on them. “Neat shoes, grandma.”

With that, she turns and leaps back into the group of girls, already working on their dance.

Cadence gives me a smug little smile, and even though I know it’s impossible that she heard what we talked about from where she’s standing, still, she looks so satisfied.

Whatever.

I tried to teach her a lesson. I tried.

And sometimes as a coach and teacher, trying is the only thing we can do.

“He’s nota big cell phone type of guy,” Jo Jo tells me about her dad as she tries calling him one more time. “I mean, he knows— Dad?”

A thick voice vibrates through her cell phone, and Leah’s melted expression at Jake Turner’s beauty floats through my mind.

“I’m done. You can come now.” She hangs up abruptly, without saying goodbye, without details as to how practice went or if she’s hungry. No discussion of how much homework there is left to do, or if anyone else needs a ride. It’s the coldest, shortest, saddest conversation between a daughter and parent.

Well, one of. My family could give Jake Turner a run for his money.

Jo Jo slides her phone into her bag, and redoes her ponytail.

“That was… succinct.” She levels a glare my way which causes me to raise my palms in innocence. “Just noticing,” I comment with a smirk.

She smirks too, and it lightens the mood.

“You okay with moving up to JV? I wasn’t bullshitting you know. I love your team spirit. The fact that you helped–” shit, I don’t know her name.

Jo Jo helps. “Maribelle.”

“Yeah, the fact you helped a hurt teammate instead of kept going—I like that, seriously. I mean, Cadence is talking like we’re on mat at a big competition. But it’s not that serious here. We don’t compete, we just have fun, work hard and try to learn how to dance along the way. Toss in some cheers, and… well, let’s just say, it’s not so serious that we should let someone sit hurt on the ground in the middle of a performance.”

Her smile is wide and so genuine that warmth worms through my chest in response. “I agree.”

I fidget with my hair. “You good with moving up? Like Ioffered before, I can help you catch up on skills or dances or anything like that.”

She nods, twisting the end of her long dark hair around her finger repeatedly. “Yeah, I think it’s cool. Thank you.”

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