Chapter 15: Drama and first time pitching on a baseball field

Stephen P.O.V

When I spotted the girl I had watched playing volleyball last year I was relieved to know someone in the class so I took the initiative to approach her she left a good impression on me last year and she was pretty so there was nothing stopping me from getting to know her also she was the only one in the class who was not whispering banalities about my look which then again reinforce the idea I had about her being a good person

I was not disappointed our conversation was flowing like we had been friends for a long time I also learned her name, Layla. A really pretty name for a pretty lady I thought. If it was The Me of last year I would have never been able to talk to a girl this beautiful without stuttering and searching for my word but I wasn't the same man I was 2 months ago I was even able to offer a helping hand when I learned of her little problem

Not even in a hundred years would I have even dared to think about doing so before. The sun would have risen from the west before I could even think about helping a girl like her I thought

Looking in front of the classroom was standing our new Science professor bald head big round glasses and a stern gaze 'Clearly a no-nonsense guy we got here, great' I thought sighing in my head already foreseeing him nitpicking me about my tattoos and oh god was I right

''Hello, class I am Mr. Flores your new Science teacher for the year now since I don't know anyone of you I would like for you to...You there stand up'' When his eyes landed on me he stopped speaking and kept staring at me with a frown on his face before asking me to stand up

''Yes, can I do something for you, Mr. Flores?'' I asked while staying polite even with his shitty behavior clearly unfitted to be a professor I thought discreetly taking my phone I open my camera app and set it on the recording function before pressing the record button I then discreetly handed my phone to a concerned Layla, which made me happy somehow, telling her to continue filming before I slowly stood up

''Why do you have tattoos?'' asked Mr. Flores with clear disgust showing on his face when I finally stood up from my chair

''Because I wanted to get one'' I said like it was the most obvious answer in the world which led to some chuckles and gasps from my classmates I could see Layla's shoulder shaking in repressed laughter

'' Do you think it is smart to give me this type of answer when I ask a serious question'' asked Mr. Flores

''Well I gave you a serious answer I just said the truth if I wanted to be condescending like you are right now my answer to your question 'Why do you have tattoos?' I would have answered ' A tattoo artist put ink into their tattoo machine and put it on my skin' Would you have preferred this type of answer, Mr. Flores'' I asked playing dumb

'' Y...Y...YOU do you not know you're not allowed to get tattoos while you're in school?'' said Mr. FLores his face bright red in anger

'' Sorry, but it doesn't say that anywhere in the code of conduct of the school I know because I checked'' I said with a smug grin escaping my control for a second before I returned to my normal serious face but it didn't go noticed by Mr. Flores

''That's why I hate kids like you, always trying to be the smartass of the class and...'' started Mr. Flores but something he just said didn't sit well with me so I interrupted him

''Excuse me ... kid like me you said?'' my tone getting an octave lower than usual

''Yes kids like you, fucking bums with degenerates parents who let their kids do whatever they want without a care in the world let me tell you in my class it won't be like that, first of all, I won't teach a bum like you so you can get the fuck out of my class and ill talk to the school board about that rule you said that doesn't exist ... pretty sure there will be one soon, now get the fuck out of my face punk'' erupt Mr. Flores 'oh god this was gold his teaching career is over, good riddance how many students did he ruin because of his twisted mindset' I thought I made a sign to Layla to stop recording once I was sure she had done it I took my cellphone back and my bag and start walking toward the door

'' If I were you I would start packing my bag right now 'Professor' '' I said putting special emphasis on saying 'Professor' with the most sarcastic tone I could muster

John McGrath ( Principal of Hillsboro High School)

The start of a new year is always a hectic moment for me and the staff but this year was even more so than usual. This year 3 Coaches had resigned 6 Professors and the school board were putting pressure on me worrying that with the departure of Coach Rose our baseball program quality would drop, I could understand their fear since baseball was one of our strong points and one of the reasons we were one of the most sought high school here in Nashville

But seriously Coach Terry had been following Coach Rose long enough for him to do a good job what should really worry them was the new Head Coach of the varsity junior team one of the board members had put in, weirdly or should I say as expected such blatant nepotism didn't seem to worry them even one bit I thought massaging my temples before re-focusing on the paperwork I had in front of me

Before I could even take a look at them the intercom on my desk lighted up 2 seconds later the voice of my secretary made itself heard through the speaker

''Principal McGrath there's a student here to see you'' said my secretary

''Let him in" I said to her before releasing the button on my intercom

1 minute later a tall Student entered my office and even if I hadn't met him before I was sure this was the son of Dan Rose there were so many similarities it was impossible for me who had known Dan for this long to not notice them but they were also very different his face reassemble his father but his eyes and his hair made him look like a totally different person, of course, I noticed his tattoos but it wasn't my place to talk even if people would judge him because of his look I knew better also the school didn't have any rule against tattooed kid so I've seen my share of young tattooed people in all my years as a teacher then as a Principal

'' What can I do for you young Rose'' I asked him gesturing for him to sit in front of me

'' Oh you know me?'' he asked puzzled that I knew who he was

''Hahaha you look a lot like your father so I guessed yes, anyway back to the main topic why are you here first thing in the morning when you are supposed to be in class?'' I asked him really curious to know what one of our all A's students was doing in my office while there was class

''Well first I will show you a short 2-minute video you just have to press on the play button in the middle of the screen and the video will start and after that, we can start to talk'' said young Rose taking if phone out of his pocket and showing me a video that was on pause

I put my glasses on before taping the little screen to let the video play itself

''Hello, class I am Mr. Flores your new Science teacher for the year now since I don't know anyone of you I would like for you to...You there stand up''

''Yes, can I do something for you, Mr. Flores?''

''Why do you have tattoos?''

''Because I wanted to get one''

'' Do you think it is smart to give me this type of answer when I ask a serious question''

'' Y...Y...YOU do you not know you're not allowed to get tattoos while you're in school?''

'' Sorry, but it doesn't say that anywhere in the code of conduct of the school I know because I checked''

''That's why I hate kids like you, always trying to be the smartass of the class and...''

''Excuse me ... kid like me you said?''

As the video was playing a feeling of dread was growing inside me with each sentence that was coming out of this professor's mouth and when the video ended I'm sure my face was as white as a sheet I wiped the non-existent cold sweat on my forehead before putting the phone back down and looking at student Rose in front of me

''Did this just happen?'' I asked him really seriously

''Yes'' he simply said without adding anything else

'' I will make sure something like this never happens again and I'll make this professor present his apology to you is this the only copy of the video'' I asked him pointing toward the phone, usually, I would fire such a professor in a heartbeat but the problem was that this precise professor was another product of nepotism so I hope I could take care of this situation as quietly as possible before it blows into something bigger and people learn about the implication of our board members which would be a big blow to the school reputation

''Hehe I knew something was wrong when a professor like him could be hired in our school clearly this man should be as far away from kids as possible but he still landed a job as a professor ... I smelt something fishy so no this is not the only copy first I post it on the internet pretty sure it will make the buzz before the end of the day I also sent a copy to my parents I expect them to be here anytime now and I also send a copy to my own email account. I don't think you understand here Mr. Principal I don't plan on putting this story under the rugged to save face for the school every kid in this school deserves better than this...I will now leave and prepare for my next class but if there's no news about this teacher being fired before the end of the day my next step will be to send this to all TV/Media channels in Nashville, they like juicy stories'' said student Rose before taking his phone and leaving my office

Catherine Rose P.O.V

I was in my office at the university preparing for the class I had to give at 9 this morning when my cell phone vibrated and made the beeping sound it does when you receive a text message I ignored it deciding to finish my preparations before looking at my phone 15 minutes later I finally pick my phone up and saw that my son had sent me a message at 8:10 which was weird since he should have been in class by then so I hurriedly opened it fearing something bad had happened to him

-Sunshine: MOM! You should listen to this right now ( Video.mp3)

2 minutes later after having watched the whole video I was so angry that the screen of my phone cracked under my hands, trembling in rage I took my purse and stormed out of my office I tried to call my husband but he wasn't answering his phone 'I don't have the time to look for him and he will be angrier than me probably not a good idea to let him know for now' I thought almost running through the university corridors

I made it to my car in record time and before I knew it I was already at my son's high school walking toward The Principal's office I didn't even listen to what the lady beside the Principal's door was saying before I entered his office without knocking inside his office John was sitting on his chair looking through the window looking like he had lost his soul

'' Care to explain to me why would you school hire someone like him, John'' I asked him in a cold tone

'' Ah... your family gonna be the death of me, Catherine you know really well that I can't control everything here but I'm begging you please talk to your son if he makes this story public there will be an investigation, and members of the board will be laid off left and right I will also probably lose my job the whole school will be in crisis this could also affect the students and your son, Catherine '' said John with a pleading gaze but I knew better this old fart was just trying to save his place and the power he had gain over the board members over the year

'' HAHAHA don't make me laugh I see you made your choice really great if I were you I'd stay in my office you'll soon be really busy answering the phone'' I said before getting out of his office it was of no use to talk to a man like him

I took the phone out of my pocket and stopped the recording yep my son wasn't the only one who knew this trick after closing my camera app I called my son

''Hi Mom you saw the video I presume?'' tell my son as soon as he picks up the call

''Yes, I'm at your school right now where are you?'' I asked him concerned about his mental health even adults would be affected by being treated like this a child even more so

''On the baseball field letting off some steam hehe'' chuckle my son

'' Don't move I'm comin'' I said before hanging up

While walking out of the school I searched through my phone for a number that I call almost every week, after finding it I pressed the call button after 4 ringing sounds the call got picked up

'' Hi Sandra it's Me!'' I said to my best friend

'' I know it's you bitch, your name is showing up when you called so what is it this time did Stephen get another tattoo hahahaha I still can't believe your son did this without you knowing hiding something from you for a month straight. This kid deserves a medal man I'm sad I couldn't come to his birthday party, well ill be there for Christmas hope he still likes his Godmother hehe'' said Sandra making fun of me

''No he didn't do anything wrong but he did stir up the pot at his high school, I'm sending you 2 files right now listen to this and call me back and let me warn you as the head of the OIG of the US Department of Education you'll be overjoyed but as a Godmother not so much so control your emotions please, ok I'm hanging up I need to make sure Stephen is alright'' I said to her

''Wait what the fuck are...'' she try to say but I hung up midway I then send her the two files I just talked about, the video Stephen took and the recording I had done

After putting my phone back in my purse I walked toward the baseball field where my son said he was closing in I saw that Terry was also there hiding behind the visitor's dugout looking in the direction of the field with something in his hand also pointing toward the field

As I approached I could hear dull sounds of baseball balls hitting the fence at regular intervals I could recognize this sound anywhere ... how nostalgic I thought thinking about the time my husband would pitch against the fence because he was the last one still training on the field and I would watch him for hours never getting tired of seeing his serious look

From the corner of his eyes, Terry spotted me approaching and made a shushing gesture to let me know to keep quiet to which I nodded and placed myself beside him. On the pitcher mount my son was there with a big bucket of balls by his feet.

As nostalgic as I was feeling right now even from here I could feel the difference between my husband and my son. Where my husband back then was exuding an aura of pure passion and the feeling he was giving to people watching him pitch was that of a wolf pouncing on his prey my son was exuding an aura of absolute confidence the feeling I was having while looking at his pitches was that of a lion watching over his pride

''Lion...'' I muttered to myself

'' You guys gave birth to a genius I've been here for 30 minutes already and he threw close to Fifty balls already and threw 2 wild pitches the rest are all in the strike zone or around the strike zone and some of them are close enough to be called a strike if the referee is bad I would say 30 strikes 10 balls and 10 close calls... since when is this kid pitching by the way'' asked Terry turning his head looking at me

''2 months ago, he didn't say anything to his Dad he wants to surprise him on his first game so please don't tell my husband about this '' I said without looking at him still mesmerized by my son 'without knowing he had become a man' I thought getting really emotional

''2 months, unbelievable sorry Catherine but I need to stop your son now there's still practice later today'' said Terry walking toward the mount.

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