Billy Riggins knocked quietly on Coach Eric Taylor's open door. The man looked up, quickly waved Billy in, and stood to shake his hand.
"Thanks for comin' down, Billy. How you doin'? How's work? Have a seat there."
"Sure, Coach. I'm fine. Work's fine. A little slow, but you know…. Uh, everything alright?"
"Well…," Eric took a deep breath. "I wanna talk to you about Tim. Mrs. Taylor's gonna join us too. She's Tim's guidance counselor now."
Billy nodded, "Oh, ok. Yeah."
"I'm just gonna give her a quick call."
Billy nodded, as Coach dialed the phone.
"Hey, hon, Billy Riggins is here now. Can you join us? …Ok, then, see you in a few."
Coach hung up the phone, turned to face Billy, and leaned back in his chair. "Billy, Tim walked out of practice yesterday."
"What? No way! I can't believe he'd do that," the older brother stammered, genuinely shocked.
"Yep," Coach nodded. "I know he's torn up about what happened to Jason Street. It's the only reason I haven't kicked him off the team."
Billy nodded, listening.
Coach Taylor continued, "He's also been showin' up to practice smellin' of alcohol. I can't allow this behavior to continue."
"Yeah, I get that, Coach. I'll talk to him."
"You might have to do more than talk, son. We've all been talkin' to the boy 'til we're blue in the face," Coach Taylor sat forward, looking suddenly even more serious. "And there's another thing. I got a visit from—"
Mrs. Taylor knocked on the door and entered. Both men stood, quickly.
"Y'all sit down. Sit down. Hey, Billy, thanks for coming in," Tami said, as she shook the man's hand.
"Have y'all started talkin'?" she asked, turning to her husband.
"A bit. We were discussin' football. Why don't you start? I know your time is limited," Eric said.
"Ok, sure. Billy, some teachers have expressed concerns about Tim lately. He's late… a lot. He has attitude with certain teachers. He falls asleep in class and he's having the Rally Girls do all his homework. I've talked to him about all these reports and he says he'll do better. So far, though, there's been no change. If I get another report about his homework not being his own work, he'll be suspended for cheating."
Billy sighed and shook his head. "Ok, yes, ma'am. I'll talk to him about bucklin' down and doin' better in school."
"Billy," Mrs. Taylor leaned forward. "Do y'all need any help? I know raisin' a seventeen-year-old can't be easy. I can find y'all a family counselor."
"Uh, no, ma'am. I mean… Thanks for the offer, Mrs. Taylor. I appreciate it. But I think I know how to get through to Tim. A counselor's not what he needs."
"Ok, well, do you have any questions for me, Billy? I should probably head back to my office now, if you don't need me."
"No, ma'am. No questions. Thanks."
"Alright then. If ever y'all need anything at all do not hesitate to call me," Mrs. Taylor stood, as did the men.
"Thank you again. Bye," Billy said.
Still standing, Coach pointed toward the field, "Let's walk. I need to stretch my legs."
The two men walked through the quiet halls and out to the high school's stadium. It was a warm, clear day. The sky was a brilliant blue after the relative darkness of the indoors.
Billy was the first to speak. "Ah, it brings me back bein' here. I loved my time on this field." He sighed, smiling as he looked around.
After a minute, Coach sighed and said, "Sherb Noble came to see me this mornin'. You know him, right?"
"Sure," Billy nodded. "Owns the Alamo Freeze."
"Yeah, well, apparently Tim and Smash had words there last night. It escalated and Tim put his beer bottle through one of the plate glass windows, just above Smash's head."
Billy stopped walking. "What? He did what?"
"Shattered the plate glass window."
"I'm gonna kick his ass."
A few minutes passed. "Did Mr. Noble say what he wants to happen next? Obviously, Tim can pay for the repairs or work off the costs or whatever he wants."
"He didn't say. He just wanted me to know what my boys were up to," Eric said. He looked over the field and stood quietly for a time. "Billy, I'm glad you're takin' this situation with Tim seriously. I am seriously thinkin' about cuttin' Tim. But, if I know he's paid his debt—literally and figuratively—then I am more likely to give the boy yet another chance."
Billy nodded and looked out into the middle distance, considering his options.
Coach continued, "I know you bein' Tim's guardian can't be easy. Hell, bein' a parent never is, but at least I signed up for it. You're in a tough position, bein' both brother and parent now. If you don't mind me askin', how are you gonna handle Tim?"
"Not exactly sure. ...I'll take him to Mr. Noble to see how he wants to proceed," Billy said. "...And then, I guess... I'll let my belt do the talkin'."
Coach Taylor nodded and stuck out his hand. "That sounds like a good plan, Billy. I look forward to seein' the improvements."
"I don't know Tim's schedule, but do you think you could get him out of class?" the young man asked, brow furrowed. "I'd like to take him with me now."