Page 110 of Third and Ten

I know of him. We used to play against each other in high school, but he’s a bit older than us. I think he became a lawyer and a wannabe politician. Why?

TENLEY

He’s Ethan’s biological father. And he’s filing for custody.

I’m overcome with guilt as I remember fragments of conversation in which Ethan mentioned his father reaching out to him. But to be fair, I didn’t realize it had gone this far. I clicked on her contact to continue the conversation over the phone, thinking this seems too important to process over a text thread.

“Hey,” she answers, her voice weak.

“Hey, are you all right? What’s going on?”

She sniffles. “Your brother just warned me. Ryan recognized Ethan in the newspaper a while back and sent a private investigator to find out more about him. And Blake just heard that he’s suing me for custody.”

I brush aside a pang of jealousy, not only because Blake and Tenley have a working relationship, but because they haven’t involved me. It’s a disappointing reminder that I’m not important enough to warrant the same notification or to have a say in what happens to Ethan.

“Isn’t it too late for him to do anything?” I ask, swallowing my pride.

“Apparently not. He’s also been communicating with Ethan for a while now, at least for the past couple of months.”

And now I know I’ve screwed up by keeping what Ethan confided in me to myself. All I can think about is how grateful I am that things didn’t turn out worse.

“I’m so sorry, Ten,” is all I can offer as I swallow hard.

She sighs. “I know it’s not Ethan’s fault that things happened this way, but I can’t believe he’d let us go forward with the custody hearing without saying anything about talking to Ryan. It’s so unlike him to sneak around like this.”

“He’s going through a lot, babe. I’m sure he didn’t mean to hurt you. He’s just a kid trying to figure out who he is, and the opportunity to meet his biological dad was just too tempting to pass up.” She doesn’t say anything in return, but I can hear her crying softly on the other end of the phone, and it takes all I have not to walk out of my classroom and drive over to see her at work. “Hey, I know this is a lot, but I’m sure it’s all going to be fine. I’ll be there for support if you want to talk to him about it tonight. You know I’ll do anything to make this easier for you guys.”

“I know. Thank you.”

“Are you going to be all right?”

She exhales again. “Mostly.”

“See you in a few hours?”

“Yeah.”

“I love you, Ten.”

“You, too. Bye.”

I run my hand through my hair and scratch the back of my head as I try to process. I know I don’t have the right to feel slighted at the moment, but Tenley’s curt reply still has me worried. The last thing I need is for her to panic and distance herself from me even more, especially when I know that we’re better off handling this situation together. All I want is for her to trust me enough to let me help her.

My thoughts are interrupted by the intercom when the secretary comes through to remind me that I’m supposed to meet with the principal. I walk over to his office on autopilot, my mind still reeling from that phone call.

“We just found out that James isn’t returning after his extended leave. He’s decided to retire,” Mr. Soileau explains from behind his desk, referring to our assistant principal. “And I’m not far behind. I’d like to leave Camellia and our kids in good hands, and I can’t think of anyone I’d trust more than you, JD.”

I clear my throat. “Sir?”

“You are certified in administration, right?”

“I am. I got my master’s while I earned my alt-teaching cert.”

“Thought so. I was hoping you’d be interested in taking the open assistant principal position for now and letting me prepare you to become the next principal of Camellia High.”

I blink away my surprise. “Oh. Well, uh, wow. I’m flattered.”

“I’ve already brought it before the school board, and they were all very enthusiastic and supportive of the move. Of course, the decision is yours, but if you want to at least give admin a try, you have the summer to figure out whether you want to keep working as head football coach and athletic director, as well.”

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