In Barabaras Office that afternoon.

Monday, 1:27 pm

Barbara Smalley's hand was gripping her pen. Her knuckles were visibly white from the force she was exerting.

BS: What do you mean there will be no disciplinary actions... He got hammered and then solicited a hooker. When he was supposed to be looking after his students.

SUP in a conciliatory tone: Now Barbara, I know it looks bad. But it's only alleged. Furthermore, the district spent a lot of time and resources attracting him from his school in West Texas to here.

Barbara started grinding her teeth as she fought the urge to scream.

BS: Gerald, it isn't only that. He's acting like he's the principal here with his demands.

SUP: And I agree with you. There's no way you should fire a teacher you just hired. But having said that, maybe you could unbend a little and move the members of football and wrestling teams out of his classes.

Barbara looked at the receiver as if it were a snake that had grown a second head.

BP: Sir...

SUP in a testy tone: No, Barbara, you will not discipline Andy Reese over this. He's too important to this district, and that's final.

Barabara seethed as she muttered, "Yes, sir."

SUP now, condescendingly: You're one of my best administrators." So be a good girl and change those class assignments.

Click.

Barbara stared at the receiver for a moment before slamming it down in its cradle.

Unable to contain her rage, she belts out a primal scream.

SSSSKKKRRREEEEECCCCHHHHHH

Falling silent, she took a deep breath as there was a knock at her office door.

"Principal, is everything alright?" Alice asks through the door.

Suddenly tired, Baraba closed her eyes, replying, "It's alright, Alice; nothing to worry about."

Picking up her pen, she started doodling on her legal pad. After some time she looked down; she'd written nothing and underlined it three times.

Still angry she's thought about her conversation with the superintendent. She had a classic case of teacher impropriety. The least Andy Reese should get is a suspension and an investigation. Instead, she'd just been ordered to forget about it.

"This stinks to high heaven," she thought to herself. "Unbend a little," he'd told her. "As if it's my fault Andy Reese got drunk and arrested," she thought out loud.

The last time, she'd been told to unbend. It was when her ex-husband had used her supposed inability as the reason they were getting divorced.

She couldn't shake the feeling that something was rotten in Denmark. Opening up her desk, she opened her contacts. Scrolling down, she found the one she was looking for, Joe Hillman.

Tapping it, her phone dialed the number. Bringing the phone to her ear, a thought occurred to her. This could potentially end her career.

Ring ring ring... "Hello, Major Joe Hillman."

Barabara smiled. "Hey Joe, got a minute?"

She could hear the familial warmth as he replied, "For my favorite sister, always."

Snorting, she fired back, "I'm your only sister."

"Still my favorite," he parried. "It's the middle of your workday. You're either far more bored than normal, or this is important."

Barbara told her brother everything she knew.

"Hmmmm," he mused. "So this coach should be calling his union rep and hope he doesn't end up fired."

"That's right," she interjected. "Instead, I'm to forget it ever happened, and I'm to unbend and grant him some of his requests."

Her brother was quiet for a long time before saying, "Are you sure you want me to look into this? If it gets out..."

Barbara nodded, muttering, "I could lose my job." Taking a moment, Barbara thought about it before shaking her head. "I can't in good conscience let it go, Joe. Something about this stinks to high heaven."

"All right, Sis, I'll have my people look into this." Her brother replied.

Barbara smiled, saying, "Thanks. Tell Terri and the kids hi." Ending the call, Barbara put the phone down.

Police Major Joe Hillman, in charge of the city's District Three, was going to look into what's going on at her school.