She was different. The others looked like they thought they were important. They kept glancing at Sebastian and whoever’s support he had. The looks were nervous and cautious but not this woman. She was leaning back in her chair the whole time, only giving support to her fellow board members

She was calm. Her voice was soft as she spoke now, “I’m going to do something that will shock the pants off you.”

I doubted that.

She laughed, waving her finger at me. “You’ve got some spunk, Mr. Kade. I can see how you look at us, and I’ll tell you something.” She leaned forward over the table. Her pearl necklace fell, grazing across the top of the table. “You’re completely right.”

“Miriam,” the other spokeswoman gasped. “What are you doing?”

Miriam ignored her and ignored the mutterings from the other men on the board. She waved at them, looking at me. “I do think it’s horrid how they’ve ignored Mr. Sebastian’s history, and it’s not just with your family. Mr. Sebastian is a regular visitor to these meetings. Everyone up here knows that he’s the problem, even though I highly doubt that you and your brother are saints. A certain house that burned down where no one could prove that it was by your hands is one example that comes to mind, but yes, in the grand scheme of things, the problem is Mr. Sebastian. However, the other problem for us is his father. Do you know what happens every time Mr. Sebastian comes in here?” She rubbed her finger against her thumb, grinning at me. “Money, Mason. His daddy comes in and writes a big-ass check for the school.”

“Miriam!”

“Shut it, Aggie. This kid is a straight shooter, so I’m telling him the facts, not like anyone else in here will argue this anyway.” She shot all of them a warning look before addressing me again, “You know what else his daddy does? He drops a lot of names, reminding us how connected he is, and this board does the same thing every time. We let him push us around—just like we’re going to let him do again. One, it’s good for the school, and that’s always our main priority, but the other reason is because his father will continue to support this school even after his son has graduated. Because we have endured so much shit for this kid, Mr. Sebastian will come back and support the college financially long into his life. The cycle will continue. His kids will be pricks, too, just like him, but he’ll come in and write a big check. That kid will be given a pass, over and over again. It’s the way of life for some of us here.”

She tapped her finger on the table and held it there. Her eyes looked right at me. They were alert, intelligent, and focused. One of her eyebrows lifted. “What are you going to do, Mr. Kade? You’re a hell of a football player, but that’s all you’re giving us. With all those politics and all that money, why would we choose you over Mr. Sebastian here? Give it to me straight, just like I did with you.” She leaned back and folded her arms over her chest. “Give me a good argument, so we can suspend your brother instead of expelling him.”

My eyebrows bunched forward. They already deemed him guilty. This meeting was about getting Sebastian suspended. Now, she was saying Logan could be saved?

I was taken aback, and so were the others, as their heads snapped to attention, craning to look at Miriam. She wasn’t looking at them, only at me.

She held out her hand to me before folding it back under her arm. “Let’s hear it, Mr. Kade. The floor is yours.”

“Mason.”

Another new voice spoke up, coming into the room. This time, I closed my eyes. My shoulders sagged in relief.

He came up, his hand a comforting weight on my back, as he patted me there before clearing his throat. “May I sit beside my son, please?”

“Oh.” My coach stood abruptly and moved down a seat. “We’ve never met before. I’m Mason’s coach.”

“James Kade.”

They shook hands.

My father turned to the board. “I’d like the boys to both be excused.” He spoke right to the Miriam lady, “I believe I have what you’re asking for.”

Her lips pursed together before lifting into a knowing grin. She waved a finger at the other board members. “I say that’s fine with all of us here. Mason, Park, you both can go to the waiting lounge.”

Sebastian pushed up to his feet but didn’t move from the table. “What is going on here?”

“Nothing for you to worry about.” She gestured to the door. “When your father comes with his checkbook, you’ll let him know that he can contact my office directly. You can leave. Now.” She pinned me down with her gaze. “It was a pleasure, Mr. Kade. I am not bullshitting you when I say that I hope you’ll continue to have a promising future at Cain University and, hopefully, after you go on to your future pursuits. You’re a straight shooter, and we need more of them around here. You could be a real asset for the university.”

I nodded and started for the door.

“Mason,” my dad caught my arm, “don’t leave. I’d like to talk to you after this.”

“You’re going to make them keep Logan, right?”

“Of course.” He nodded. “That’s one thing I’ve always done well over the years. Sam looks ready to cry out there. She needs you.”

That was an understatement. I wanted to hug my dad, an emotion I hadn’t felt for a long time, but I went to the lounge.

Sebastian went ahead of me, so Sam and Nate were on their feet, waiting for me. She was fidgeting with her hands, watching Sebastian with a nervous look through the corner of her eye, before she saw me. Her whole body seemed to pause. Nate, too. They were both waiting to hear the decision.

I said, breaking out into a grin, “My dad will take care of it. Logan will probably just be suspended.”

“But…” Nate turned sharply to Sebastian, who stepped to his group in the far corner.

A bunch of his douchebag pals were there along with their girlfriends. I scanned the room, but there was no sight of his sister.

I said, “No. He’s still here.”

“But…” Nate sputtered some more, his face flushing red. His hands formed into fists before he roughly rubbed at his temples. “This is bullshit, Mason.” He raised his voice, pointing at Sebastian. “This is bullshit, Sebastian.”

His friends rallied around him.