Two Point Conversion (12 page)

Chapter Twelve

Early morning practices resumed Monday. Kevin ran through his drills as if he were on auto-pilot. Exhaustion didn’t begin to cover what he felt. Mentally and physically wiped, with the added bonus of a black eye and a split lip to add to the mixture. He and Kyle had spent the day before mostly alone at the coach’s kitchen table doing homework. Many hours worth of work, to just be ready for today.

They’d called their mother before lunch with the news, but their grandmother was being rushed back to the hospital as they spoke. She seemed distracted, and barely responded to the admission that their father had caught them fucking and kicked them out. And Kevin didn’t know what to think. He kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.

School was going to be hell. They could feel the electric under-current of something big brewing. Rumor and speculation was stirring around them, egged on by the small group that surrounded Heather. The players on the team seemed on edge around them. Kevin tried hard to compartmentalize, but underneath, he was terrified.

As they walked through the halls, still damp from their showers, Kevin couldn’t help thinking they were being watched. He and Kyle split up for their first class, Kyle taking a different corridor. Kevin didn’t say anything, they acted as if this was just like before. Before they’d fucked up colossally.  Just brothers who happened to be on the same team arriving at school at the same time. Nothing out of the ordinary.

He couldn’t focus at all during first block. He went from yawning in boredom to having the strongest urge to drop to the floor to do pushups to alleviate the pent up energy running through his system. God, he needed to get laid. More than twenty-four hours without so much as a kiss was killing him.

Second block came slowly. He was late for class, and without so much as glancing at his brother he walked past him to his seat at the back. He hated this class. All he had to do was skate it out with a D and he’d be done with History forever.

Halfway through the hour, with the teacher droning on about the fall of the Roman Empire, or some shit he didn’t care about, Coach Davis knocked and interrupted the class. Unusual enough on
its own, but asking to have Kevin and Kyle follow him was incredibly out of the ordinary. Kevin ignored the shushed mumblings speculating on the trouble they were in if Coach came to get them. Or there was always the alternative, their grandmother had passed away that morning or—

“I didn’t want you walking blindly into this,” Coach said and Kevin forgot about their grandmother. This was bad. Really bad. “That cheerleader’s parents were here this morning.”

“Fuck,” Kyle mumbled, and Kevin had to fight the urge to reach for his brother’s hand. “We didn’t touch her, Coach. We didn’t say anything. Insinuate anything. We stayed far away from her.”

“I know that. Principal Evans has been conducting interviews all morning, with your friends, with her friends. But he can’t just dismiss her accusations.” Coach stopped to face them, he looked angry, his face red, much like when they were on the field and doing everything except what they were supposed to be doing. “But that’s not the first thing you have to face. Your dad is here.”

“Fuck,” Kevin swore, not bothering to keep his voice down in the quiet corridor. “Why was he called in? He doesn’t need to be involved in this.”

“If you had let me finish, you’d know that your mother has sent her lawyer. So right now, I don’t know what's about to go down, just be ready. Keep your stories to the truth. And no cussing.” Coach pointed at them each in turn. “Okay let’s get this over with.”

They followed him to the front office as if they were being led to their execution. Dead men walking, but without the other prisoners banging on the bars with their tin cups. The secretary led them straight into the conference room where Principal Evans, their father and a man Kevin didn’t know sat chatting with their laptops on the table in front of them.

“Have a seat boys,” Principal Evans said as he vacated the seat at the head of the table and motioned for Kevin and Kyle to sit in the two chairs arranged there. They left their book packs on the floor beside the door and walked to the table ignoring their father’s stare.

“Right, I’m going to leave you to it, and when we’re finished here, we’ll attend to the other matter at hand.”

Kevin slid into his chair and looked into the screen on the laptop the principal had left open. Their mother’s face stared back at them. “Good morning, Kev, Ky,” she said through the speaker. She looked tired and upset.

“Mom,” Kyle spoke first, if you could call the sound that came from his mouth a word. More like a cracking squeak. “I, uh, how’s Grandma? Is everything okay? What’s going on?”

“Your grandmother is resting for the moment. She had a second stroke yesterday. I apologize if I seemed to be oblivious to your call.” She looked up and over the computer as someone spoke in the background. Nodding, she seemed to steel her shoulders and that’s when the world came to an end.

Kevin sat back in his chair wishing he could take his brother’s hand while his parents shouted at each other through the computer. Divorce. And it was happening now, while they watched. Their father looked to them with each new paper that the lawyer laid in front of him, as if this were somehow their fault.

“The house is mine. I won’t ask for anything else. My parents provided the down payment and helped us with the payments for years. I’m not asking for any money. Alimony, or child support, as the boys are adults. You may take what you want from the house except the furnishings listed, as those were left to me by my grandparents or belong to the boys. Your car is yours, mine is mine and the boys own their SUV outright. We have no shared debt or other properties. I just want a simple end to this. No fuss. You’re free to—”

“The house is not an option. I paid the mortgage—” their father countered.

“For the last few years, yes. But the bulk of the house came from money that would have come to me when my father died. We put fifty percent down. Then they paid the note for several years while you finished school. At most,
you’re entitled to twenty-five percent of the profit, if we were to sell it. Take whatever furnishings you want and walk away Cal. Go live with Miranda or whatever her name is this month. I’m tired and I just want it to be over.” Their mother seemed to age before their eyes. She blinked back what looked like tears. “I believe the law of inheritance is on my side. Why waste money on a costly divorce when we can walk now?”

“I want the house,” he looked across the table again. “I won’t allow those—"

“Children, Cal.
Our children
. And they are going to live there. You have no say in where they live. It’s my house, and they are my children. Until they leave for school next fall that house is theirs. If I have to, I’ll file papers to keep you out. Whatever it takes.” She spoke softly trying to keep her composure. “Whatever is going on between them is their business.”

“You were always too soft on them. If it weren’t for your smothering them they’d be off on their own and out of my life by now.”

“Kevin was
sick
. Have you forgotten? It would have been cruel to send Kyle to school without him. So they started when they were six. It wasn’t the end of the world then, and it’s not the end of the world now. Whatever choices they’ve made,
that
was the right decision. For Kevin’s health and for Kyle’s.”

“For Christ sake, woman! They are screwing each other, and you’re sitting there acting like it’s perfectly natural and normal.”

“My mother is dying. My husband has been cheating on me for years. I’m fighting for I don’t even know what right now. To hold it all together when it’s falling apart, and who they are having sex with is the absolute least of my worries right now. Maybe when I wake up tomorrow and have to plan a funeral, I’ll think about it then. Or the day after that. Right now…Right now, they are my sons, and your actions forced me to instigate this now. I knew you hated me, I suspected you hated the boys. I don’t know why you stayed when you were never happy. We were too young. It was all a mess. I’m giving you an out. Take it. And let’s get on with our lives.”

She never broke. Not while their father sat in front of them. When Calvin Beauchamp left the room it was as if whatever was holding her together went
with him. Kevin watched as she wiped her tears away. Someone off screen passed her a tissue.

“I’m sorry, I swore I wouldn’t let him get to me. Not again. I’m sorry that…I don’t know what went wrong. I’m ashamed that we’re doing this here instead of in private.”

“It’s okay, Mom.” Kyle was the first to break their stunned silence.

“It’s not okay,” she snapped at him. Frustration and stress causing her hands to shake. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t take this out on you.”

“Really, Mom, it’s okay,” Kevin said with hopes of relieving the tension between them. “And
I’m
sorry for causing—"

“No. Honestly, Kevin, I really don’t want to discuss that right now. I need time to deal with everything else. And try to keep it together long enough…” She sighed as her shoulders slumped. “Doesn’t matter. Really. Okay, so while we have a couple of minutes, unless your father has a complete fit, my lawyer is giving him until Saturday morning to accept this deal and remove his things from the house. We still have to go to court, but if he doesn’t fight me then it’s just a formality. If everything works out, then you and Kyle can move back home. Money is going to be tight. I don’t know how we’ll get through, but I’ll figure something out. Maybe sell my car. I don’t know. There’s enough money in my account to hold you for a while, if you don’t go crazy. So far you’ve been good. Coach Davis has agreed to let you stay at his house until Saturday. If we need to find some place permanent, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

Kyle reached for his hand under the table and squeezed, while their mother wiped her face and blew her nose. The voice in the background spoke again and she smiled.

“We’ll find somewhere, don’t worry about it. Just take care of Grandma,” Kyle said squeezing harder.

Their mom nodded. “Okay let’s get the rest of this dealt with now.”

They looked at each other in confusion. The door opened and Coach Davis returned with Principal Evans. Kevin’s blood ran cold. Colder than when their
parents negotiated the terms of their divorce right in front of them. Coach looked grim, the principal even more so.

“With respect Mrs. Beauchamp, we need to wrap this up.”

“Completely agree,” their mother replied, as if she wasn’t just falling apart. She was all business now. “What are my boys being accused of?”

Principal Evans sat in the chair their father had vacated while Coach stood at the door.

“A confused young lady blamed them for her misadventures. The matter has been sorted now. Kevin and Kyle have nothing to worry about.”

They all looked surprised. Even Coach.

“That’s not what we discussed just a few minutes ago,” Coach said coming to stand at the foot of the table.

“Let’s just say someone came forward with new information in the nick of time, so we’re opting to take no disciplinary actions against anyone on your team at this time.” Evans rapped the table with his knuckles. “I’m sorry we had you come in for nothing Mrs. Beauchamp.”

Their mom sat stunned for a moment.

“Well…I’d like to thank you for letting us deal with the family drama. I guess. So no harm done. But if you’ll excuse me, the reverend would like his office back.”

“Absolutely, and thank you for coming,” Evans said closing the video link after their mother nodded and signed off. When they were alone he signaled Coach to take a seat. “I guess I need to explain.”

“That would be appreciated. Fifteen minutes ago I was under the impression I was about to bench my two best players,” Coach said crossing his arms over his chest. “I take even the smallest hint of bad behavior on my boy’s part seriously. Kevin and Kyle are, in my opinion, two of the best kids I have. But based on the word of one—“

“Seventeen year old girl, Pat. She’s a seventeen year old girl. I can’t just ignore her story. If it were true, and I’m now convinced she lied, but if it
were
true and I didn’t act, what message am I sending to the girls who are actually—" The principal stopped and hung his head. “Anyway, your boys alibied Kevin and Kyle for Friday and Saturday night. Several kids who were at the drive-in did the same.”

“Yet you were still willing to suspend them, with so many witnesses coming to their defense?”

“She said the attack happened after she left the drive-in. You said they arrived at your house long after the time in question. What was I supposed to think?”

“You could have asked us?” Kyle released his hand. Kevin had forgotten that they were still linked together. “Heather has made it her life’s mission to mess with us. She has bullied and harassed us for years, but because she’s a girl she gets away with it. We try to stay away from her. But she’s always there. She rules those cheerleaders like some entitled princess. And they—"

“This time, those cheerleaders stood up for you, one risking personal backlash to stand against her friend, because she knew the young lady in question was…Well, let’s just say she had a moment of conscious. It might very well be fleeting, but she explained that the young lady in question was angry and holding a grudge, and nothing happened to her at all.” Evans folded his hands together and huffed. “I’m hoping this goes away quietly.”