Tell the Rest by Lucy Jane Bledsoe

Author:Lucy Jane Bledsoe
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Akashic Books

CHAPTER 21

Jonas texted Delia, asking her to stop by his office after Monday morning’s practice. As she left the gym and walked down the hall, she rehearsed her apology for last week’s harsh treatment of the girls. He opened by asking why she thought they’d lost the game. She wanted to tell him it was because he made her put Alice on the team, but that would have been childish and, as she now knew, inaccurate. Instead she said, “Actually, the loss is typical for a really good team. Even a positive thing. The girls know they’re good, really good. They got overconfident. It happens with every exceptional team. Confidence, rock-solid confidence, is absolutely necessary. But rock-solid confidence is based on fundamentals, excruciatingly hard work, no matter how much talent you have. Kids get flippant. They think they can wing it, play how they’ve played their wholes lives on the playground.” Delia knew she was carrying on way too long in answer to his question. But besides just wearing him down, she thought she might be convincing him. “So a loss is corrective. A shock to the team’s system. I’m pleased it happened so early in the season. Sometimes the surprising loss happens much later, and then it’s more difficult to recover from. Not only did we lose, we lost to a team we should have shellacked. It’s motivating.”

Jonas smiled, apparently satisfied. He didn’t say a word about her coaching excesses.

“What’d you decide to do about the gaming books?” she asked. Another tactic: change the subject, go on offense. “Did you get proof that he was actually running a casino out of the john?”

“I have another meeting,” Jonas said, standing up. “But I needed to let you know, I’m sorry, I have a feeling you’ll hate this, but the basketball coaches always chaperone the Christmas dance.”

“Oh, wow. No. Sorry.”

“You have to.”

Delia laughed. “Who says?”

Jonas did his appealing wince, but this time it was less effective on Delia.

“I have nothing, literally nothing, to wear to something like that. I have a few tracksuits and some jeans.” She and Morgan used to dress up to go out. Morgan loved her legs and bought her short skirts. But Delia had had to pare down her belongings to what would fit in her Subaru, so she’d dropped off all her dressier clothes at Goodwill, confident that coaching on the Oregon coast wasn’t going to require a wardrobe.

“Megan can lend you something.”

“Oh. No. I don’t think so. I’m not the chaperone type. Plus, it’s not like I’m on a salary that covers anything beyond coaching.”

“Please, Delia. Don’t be difficult.”

She wasn’t difficult. It hurt that he called her that. She prided herself on being a team player.

As the first bell of the day rang, she just shook her head and left his office. Out in the hall, kids were picking up their paces and disappearing into classrooms. She walked slowly, wondering which teacher she could convince to take her place at the Christmas—did they really call it Christmas rather than holiday?—dance.

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