Page 35 of Taking Sides

“Hi.” I smile at him.

“Hey, Coach Whitney.” He stops a few feet from my desk.

“Did you need something?”

“I’m not sure that I can get my homework turned in tonight.”

“Okay,” I say slowly, waiting for more of an explanation. Landon’s an excellent student. He consistently gets high B’s or low A’s on quizzes and tests and always turns things in on time.

“My laptop is broken, and the school won’t issue me another until I pay for the damage.” He shifts his weight from one foot to the other. “I can use the laptops in the library, but we have practice and . . .”

I nod my understanding. “It’ll be closed by the time we’re done.”

“I’ll see what I can do about getting you a laptop for tonight,” I tell him.

He visibly relaxes. “Thank you, Coach.”

Once Landon is gone, I quickly tidy up the room and then lock up. Practice starts in fifteen minutes, so I typically leave everything to do in the mornings before first period.

In the library, I find Sloane wiping down the tables.

“Hi!” she chirps out when she hears me enter, but when she looks up and sees me, her smile dims to her normal, more shy and timid expression. “Oh. It’s you.”

“I don’t get the same cheery greeting as the kids?” I ask with a laugh.

Her response is a small chuckle with a flash of guilt in her expression. “I can only maintain my chipper enthusiasm for so long each day.”

“Spoken like a true introvert.”

She nods her agreement.

“I’m here about a laptop.”

Sloane waves her hand toward her desk. “Take whatever you need.”

“It isn’t for me. Landon Wolf said he broke his, but he can’t get another until he pays for the damage.” I arch a brow in question. It isn’t like Landon to lie, but I’ve never heard of the school withholding necessary equipment either. “Can’t he borrow one and put the fee on his account?”

“Typically, yes,” she says, frowning. “But not in this instance.”

Sloane must read the confusion on my face. She goes to the library door and closes it. An uneasy feeling settles over me as she walks over to join me by her desk.

“Landon has several unpaid fees for the year and this isn’t the first laptop he’s damaged. Or the second.”

“Really?”

She nods.

“That doesn’t make any sense. He’s a great student, responsible and conscientious. I’ve never had any issues with him in class or on the team. I can’t imagine him destroying his laptop on purpose.”

She lifts one shoulder in a shrug. “I’m not sure.”

I think for a moment, trying to make sense of this new information with everything I know about him.

“Thanks anyway.”

She goes to a large metal cabinet and opens one door, then pulls out a laptop and charger.

“I don’t want to get you in trouble,” I say, shaking my head at her offering.