The Phenomenal Event
Copyright© 2025 by A Well Traveled Man
Chapter 4
Grif arrived at school on Tuesday at 5:45 a.m. and dressed for practice. No one bothered or kidded me about the premiere, and we got down to business. The coach wasn’t happy with the offense’s production, so he rode them hard and instructed the defense to be the whip and spurs. Everyone was tired at the end of practice and headed to the showers.
After he had dressed, Grif met Greg and Nick at the school office. They asked how practice was, and Grif said the coach rode the offense and used the defense as the whip and spurs. Everyone was exhausted at the end, so have fun this afternoon. They flipped him the bird, and everyone laughed. They separated and went to their classes. Grif sat in his normal seat and saw Hallie rush in at the bell. Everyone clapped, and she bowed.
At lunch, Grif called Joanne Mosley at WME. He told her that Eric White, the producer of Soaring Eagles Revenge, called my Dad yesterday and said they were sending a contract for the part. Joanne said, “Great. Email me a copy immediately when you get it.” Also, review our representation agreement and send it back signed as soon as possible. She said her sources told her they were drooling over signing you. They think you’ll make the movie a hit, but don’t tell anyone. Then she said goodbye and hung up.
When he arrived home, Grif took the day off from martial arts. He thought he was burning too much fat, and three times a week with football was more than enough. Grif underdressed, turned on the computer, and checked his emails. The online college sent his test results, and he passed the ten finals. His lowest score was a 90, and the highest was a 99. Then he listened to three more German-language CDs. He sensed Dad was near, and that was something new. He put on sweats and went to the kitchen.
Dad arrived with dinner and two FedEx envelopes. While they ate, they read WME’s representation agreement. It was straightforward, so they signed it and put it into the return envelope. The acting contract was another matter entirely. Grif scanned it, emailed it to Joanne Mosley, and returned to the kitchen. Dad asked if he had any problems at school, and Grif said harassment and teasing had stopped. He said the real test will be the football game on Saturday, and Grif agreed.
After dinner, they watched Tombstone with Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, and other stars. Grif watched the gunplay and shooting scenes. When the show was over, they said goodnight and went to bed. Grif fell asleep and fell into a deep sleep. Then a sharp pain radiated from his head to his toes, waking him up. He was sweaty, so he showered, changed the sheets, and returned to sleep.
When Grif arrived at school for football practice, he measured his height and weight. He grew one inch and gained five pounds, but it didn’t affect his clothes, as the jeans he exchanged were longer on purpose. Practice was interesting as he could tell what the offensive left tackle would do, and he didn’t read his mind. It was instinct, and Coach Rolston told Grif to stop rushing the passer so they could complete some plays. When it ended, everyone was happy and headed to the showers.
Greg and Nick met Grif at the front of the school and asked how practice was. Grif told them there had been no letup from yesterday, so they should be prepared. He thinks Coach Rolston wants to end the season winning. Greg said shit, it’s going to be a long two weeks and they laughed. Nick asked Grif when he was going back to LA. Grif said the divorce agreement says either Thanksgiving or Christmas if he’s invited. It may not happen, and he hopes it doesn’t. They said goodbye and took off for their classes.
Going to class, Grif was aware of everyone around him. He sensed someone running towards him from behind and stepped to the side quickly. The boy flew past him like he was trying to tackle him. The boy slid into the lockers with a bang and lay unconscious. Grif continued to class as a teacher was there and assisted the boy. When he took his seat, Grif hacked into the school’s CCTV system and copied today’s recording. He viewed the incident; the boy clearly tried to tackle him from behind, and he had a knife in his hand.
Grif copied the footage to his cloud account and exited the CCTV system. Then, he wondered why someone wanted to attack him. Hallie came to his desk and asked what had happened in the hallway. Grif said he didn’t know, but saw someone fly past him and hit the lockers. Hallie said that was Carl Plummer, the JV defensive end you replaced on the team. Grif said he never met him, and Coach Rolston told him he had a knee injury. Hallie told Grif to be careful and returned to her seat.
After the first period, Grif visited Ms. James, his guidance counselor. He told her what happened on the way to his first-period class and what Hallie told him. She went to the school IT tech, who copied the CCTV footage from this morning. Ms. James returned, and they viewed the event together. Grif asked for a copy in case accusations were made against him. She copied it onto a USB stick and gave it to Grif. She said he hadn’t done anything wrong, and Grif said Yeah, but all it takes is to be accused and left.
Out of caution, Grif called Dad and told him what had happened. Dad asked Grif to email him the CCTV footage, then call the police and let them investigate. Grif did that, and the police arrested Carl Plummer in the nurses’ office. They also recovered his knife from his pocket, which was an illegal weapon on campus. Then Grif went to see Coach Rolston and asked him about Carl Plummer. Coach asked why, and Grif said he tried stabbing me with a knife, going to the first period.
The coach said, “Oh my god,” and then told Grif Carl was upset you were playing his position. I told him it was just for the last few games of the season, but every position was open for the best player at summer tryouts and during the season. No one is guaranteed a position; they earn it and must perform to keep it. Grif told Coach Rolston that the police arrested Carl Plummer with the knife in his pocket and left his office. Grif returned to Ms. James’ office and asked her to arrange for him to test out of high school.
She asked why, and Grif said he senses a cover-up and isn’t going to take the risk of Carl Plummer succeeding next time. Ms. James said there is no way they will let Carl Plummer back in school, and Grif said, “Let’s wait and see.” She gave Grif a pass to take the rest of the day off, and he asked Ms. James to copy Carl Plummer’s school file. If there is a cover-up, someone will alter it so he can return to school.
Grif went home, called Dad, and told him what happened. He told him about Hallie’s warning and his feeling that there would be a cover-up. Dad said he’d call the attorney and get things started. He already sent him a copy of the video, so he’s ready. Dad said the school board and the principal aren’t going to like you much after this, and they laughed. Dad said he’d update him when he gets home, and they said goodbye.
He ate lunch, changed clothes, went to the garage, and practiced martial arts on the heavy bag. Grif lost track of time and was drenched in sweat when he finished. He stripped at the laundry, leaving his sweats, and guzzled two bottles of water in the kitchen. Then Grif went upstairs, showered, and turned on the computer. He listened to the final two German-language CDs. Then he searched the internet for Carl Plummer. Carl had a Facebook page, and it was a gold mine of information.
Carl’s Dad was Kenneth Plummer, President of the City Council and owner of the local Ford dealership. Grif needed to get Kenneth Plummer’s computer files and thought about how. Grif thought of an idea and opened a Hotmail account anonymously. Then he sent Kenneth an email warning him that an investigative reporter was targeting his dealership after multiple complaints of additional charges added to the sale price. Grif attached his worm and laughed while shutting his computer off.
He’d read an internet story about the car sales tactic and a state attorney general suing the dealership. Grif was sure the email would get Kenneth’s attention. Dad arrived home with dinner, so they ate at the kitchen table. He told Grif that his attorney, Mitch Renolds, filed a protective order for you requiring Carl Plummer to stay 500 feet away from you and our home. He also sent letters to the school board and the school to protect all video and records concerning Carl Plummer and notified them of our intent to sue.
Mitch recommended waiting to see what happens to Carl before proceeding. Grif told Dad what he had found online about Carl’s Dad, Kenneth Plummer. Dad said there would be an attempted cover-up for sure. Kenneth can’t afford to let this get out and hurt his standing in the community or car sales. He said he would call Mitch tomorrow and have him research what charges Carl will face. If he’s stonewalled or offered a plea deal, there’s a cover-up.
Grif told Dad about asking Ms. James to arrange for him to test out of school and to copy Carl’s school file to prevent tampering, and he said that was a good idea. Your safety will be at risk if Carl is allowed back in school. They finished dinner and watched Under Siege with Steven Seagal, Tommy Lee Jones, and Gary Busey. Grif memorized the fight scenes, and at the end, they said goodnight. Grif practiced the fight scenes for thirty minutes, then went to bed. When he fell asleep, the tingling started, and he fell into a deep sleep.
Early Thursday morning, Grif was dressing for football practice in the gym. Two offensive linemen slammed him into the locker and said to drop the charges against Carl Plummer. He had them down on the ground in seconds and said to tell Carl I will be seeing him soon. At the end of practice, Grif told Coach Rolston he was quitting the team. Two of Carl’s friends threatened me in the locker room this morning. He wished the coach good luck on the remaining games and left.
He could hear the coach yelling at the team as he walked down the hallway to the office. Ms. James saw Grif and gave him Carl Plummers’ school file. She said he was right about a cover-up. She saw Principal Holcomb pull Carl Plummer’s file after she copied it yesterday. The IT tech was also called into the principal’s office, so I scheduled your testing at North Texas Academy in Granbury on Monday at 9 a.m. That way, no one can change the results. Grif thanked Ms. James for her help, and he went to meet Greg and Nick.
They asked how practice went, and Grif said it was not good. Two of Carl Plummer’s friends threatened him in the locker room before practice, so he told Coach Rolston what had happened at the end of practice and quit the team. They said shit, the coach is going to be pissed, and Grif said he was yelling at the team when he left. But your team should be alright, and they laughed and went to their classes.
Grif sat in the back of the class, and Hallie came to his desk. She told Grif that Carl’s dad was influential, so he should be careful. Grif said his attorney was on top of it, but you should warn your dad. If he gets involved with the cover-up, it won’t be good. Hallie said shit and ran out of the class. Grif laughed, and that answered the question of whether the police were involved.
Hallie called her dad and said she spoke with Grif Barrett. He knows there’s a cover-up of Carl’s actions, and his attorney is aware, too. Grif said to warn you that if you get involved, it won’t be good. Hallie’s dad thanked her for the tip and said he had a message to call Kenneth Plummer. He told her not to worry and would call Kenneth and give him the bad news.
Don Beck Hallie’s dad called Kenneth Plummer and asked what he needed. Kenneth said Carl got into trouble again and needed the knife that was found on him to be misplaced. Don told Kenneth this was too big for a cover-up. The nurse, two officers, and several witnesses saw Carl with the knife in the nurse’s office. Then there’s the CCTV footage of his attack on a student. Don told Kenneth not to say to him anything he did illegally, or he would risk arrest. He wished Kenneth good luck and hung up.
Then Don called Ben Cline, the DA, and warned him not to agree to a plea deal on the Carl Plummer case. He was warned that people are watching this closely. So, if you like your job, go for the maximum sentence and stay above suspicion. Ben thanked Don for the tip because Kenneth Plummer had just left his office. He wanted the charges dropped to a misdemeanor assault with probation, and they said goodbye.
Grif signed out after lunch and went home. He called Dad and told him about getting Carl’s school file and telling the daughter of the chief of police about the suspected cover-up. Hallie, the police chief’s daughter, ran out of class to call her dad. Dad laughed and said, “You closed the door on Kenneth Plummer.” Then Grif told him about what happened at practice and his resignation from the team. Dad said, “You did the right thing.” They could hurt you on the field and claim it was an accident.
They said goodbye, and he checked his cloud account. Kenneth Plummer’s computer files were there, and I examined them. Ken was married, and he also had an office girlfriend. There were several photos of them in his office engaging in sex and a few videos taken in a hotel room. Grif copied two pictures and a video and sent them to Ken’s wife, Pam, using his anonymous Hotmail account. That should help Kenneth take his focus away from Carl and him.