Page 71 of Driven (Driven 1)
“This Sunday, and the OC Register most likely will run then too, but I haven’t seen their proof yet.”
“Hmmm, not bad.” I set it down on the side of my desk where I can read it more thoroughly later without an audience.
“How was your interview?” he asks, referring to the one good resume I had for the open counselor position at The House. I had interviewed her earlier in the day and was quite impressed.
“What? Oh, Avery something or other? She was actually really good. Almost too good to be true really, but her references check out, and I think I’m going to make her an offer. I think the boys will really take to her. I’ll need you to help me train her but—” The ringing of my cell phone interrupts me. I glance down to see who is calling. “It’s Teddy,” I tell him.
Dane rises from the chair and mouths he’ll come back later as I answer the phone. “Hey, Teddy!”
“Rylee! Heard we got a good article from the LA Times. Great job!”
“You’re breaking up on me, Teddy.” The phone line crackles and then sounds digitalized on his last words.
“I need to talk to you—” The call drops and the line goes dead.
I wait a second looking at my phone to ring again and when it doesn’t, I go back to looking at the budgetary numbers I was working on before Dane had interrupted. I just start getting into figuring out a discrepancy I was having trouble pinpointing when my cell rings again.
“Hello?”
“Rylee Thomas, please,” a monotone male voice says over the
phone.
“This is she.”
“Hi, Ms. Thomas, this is Abel Baldwin.”
Oh, crap! What boy is it this time? “Good afternoon, Principal Baldwin. What can I do for you today?”
“Well, it seems to me that Aiden can’t seem to keep his hands to himself lately. He was in yet another fight last period, Ms. Thomas.” Disdain fills his voice at the mention of having to deal with this again.
This is Aiden’s third fight in as many months that has been caught by school authorities. I have a feeling that there has actually been a couple more that have gone unnoticed as well. Oh, Aiden. “What happened?”
“Not quite sure. He won’t really talk with me about it.” And I really don’t think you care, either.
“What about the other kid?” A question that I ask every time and always get a less than satisfactory answer to.
“They said it was a simple misunderstanding.”
“They?” There’s more than one? “I hope that they are in your office as well, Mr. Baldwin.”
He clears his throat. “Not exactly. They are in class and—”
“What?” I shout at him, perplexed at his obvious bias.
“And I think it’s better if you come and pick up Aiden—”
“He’s suspended?” I ask through gritted teeth.
“No, he’s not.” I can hear the irritation in his voice at having me question him. “If you’d let me finish Ms. Thomas—”
“He’s not suspended, but you want me to come get him while the other boys get to stay in class?” My rising frustration is more than evident in my voice. “Surely you can understand why I’m upset at what seems to be favoritism here.”
He stays quiet on the phone for a moment as I gather up my things as best as possible with one hand so that I can go pick him up. “Ms. Thomas, your accusation is unfounded and serves no purpose here. Now I would appreciate if you could come collect Aiden so that we can let the two parties simmer down. This in no way indicates that Aiden is at fault in this matter.” When he senses that I am about to jump in during his pregnant pause, he continues. “In addition, Aiden has blood on his clothing and seeing as it’s against school policy for him to walk around with it there, I think it’s in the school’s best interest to send him home for the afternoon.”
I sigh loudly, biting my tongue from telling this less-than-stellar principal just exactly what I think of him. “I’ll be right there.”
***
