Page 8 of Did You See Evie

“I’ll catch you on my planning,” Reynolds says to Mr. Lake, making a swift exit. I wonder if he picks up on the tension between us. You don’t get to be athletic director without being an expert in politics.

“Speaking of parents,” Mr. Lake says, “I’ve already received a slew of phone calls this morning.”

“Bragging on their daughters,” I tease.

“Not quite. They want to make sure the school is planning something special to reward the girls for the district win.”

“Some of them talked to me about it last night. I told them I’d have to run any ideas by you.”

“And?”

I spin from left to right in my chair, weighing my options. Two years ago, we celebrated by renting inflatables for the entire school to enjoy during a field day. Last year, the girls were pulled out of school to visit the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville. Since many of the girls from last year are still on the team, it’s understandable they’d want to try something different, and at Manning Academy, each celebration must be bigger and better than the year before.

Even though I think planning any type of overnight is a waste of funds, I’m betting the mothers I spoke with last night have already floated their ideas.

“The parents mentioned an overnight at the new indoor waterpark.”

Mr. Lake rests fingers on his chin. “What are your thoughts?”

“Sounds like the seventh ring of hell, in my book.”

He laughs. “I imagine the school board will feel the same way. An overnight anywhere, let alone a waterpark, would be a huge liability. And they’re even more paranoid as of late.”

“Why is that?” Experience has taught me teachers and administrators tend to ease up by the end of the year, not tighten the bolts.

“All the break-ins. We’ve spent more than half our budget on new tech, and if it happens to us, we’ll take a huge financial hit, regardless of the insurance payout.”

He’s talking about the recent string of burglaries at other local schools. I’m sure if I kept flipping through the newspaper, I’d find an article covering the most recent sting. Still, Manning Academy is top-notch in every way, security included. The board can’t be that concerned.

“They really think someone would target the school?”

“They’re just being cautious. But I don’t think we should be offering up anything that will make them anxious.”

“Noted.” I slide a finger across the top of my desk, thinking. “So, what do you suggest? It has to be something that will please the board and the parents.”

“It’s a little bit old school, but I was thinking of a lock-in.” He brings his hands together in front of his chest. “Did you ever have one?”

“No,” I say, but I remember hearing about them.

Growing up, my elementary school wasn’t the type of place you’d want to be stuck in overnight, but some of the area churches would host lock-ins during the summer. Basically, it’s an adult-supervised sleepover in a central location. “I thought you said the board wanted to stay away from overnights?”

“They won’t want to send the team away, but if we hosted it on school grounds, it would be easy. Order some pizzas, buy some drinks and snacks. We could base it in the gymnasium and set up a movie on the projector.”

“You’ve really put some thought into this.”

“I’m the father of four girls,” he says, smiling. “You don’t even want to know how many parties my wife and I have hosted over the years. Anyway, I thought it would be an easy enough idea. Something different for the kids and easy for the adults.”

“Works for me.” I stand, grabbing my water bottle and cell phone. The morning bell will ring any minute, signaling the beginning of my first PE class. “I’ll talk to Joanna about it.”

“Great. I’ll get it on the agenda for tonight’s school board meeting, and we’ll go from there.” He takes a few steps away before turning back. “Good season, Coach.”

“Thanks.”

I look down again at the newspaper on my desk, the full-colored photo of the team and me. Their achievements really should be celebrated, and I’m happy we’ll be able to do so on our own turf, in the same place where they devoted their blood, sweat and tears this entire season.

FIVE

The flattery and celebration continue throughout the day, teachers and students alike fawning over last night’s game. The phenomenon around sports is something I’m used to. From the time I was old enough to dribble a ball, I’ve been getting attention for my skills, it seems.

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