Chapter 1

A group of adults were in a conference room at Wearmoure High School, discussing a boy named Doyle Grogan. The space had a funky scent due to its use as the school detention hall, which also explained the crude art and rude words etched into the table’s surface. One of the overhead florescent lights looked to be at its end as it irritatingly flickered.

Gill Frey sat at the head of the table; he was in charge of the school’s Special Education Program. His dark hair, cut perfectly in a style many called ‘don’t fuck with me,’ matched his nearly black eyes. Those eyes seemed to burn like coals as they made a lazy perusal of the other people seated around the table.

Annually, each student in the program was reviewed to see if they should stay or could be moved into the general high school population. Each meeting participant had a folder opened with Doyle’s student ID picture and his permanent record.

“Are you ready, Miss Gennings?” Gill asked.

“Let me set up the recorder,” she said as she opened her phone and found the app. “Ready.”

“Today is October 9, 2023, and this meeting is to reevaluate Doyle Grogan’s Individual Education Plan. Our job is to reassess whether Doyle remains eligible for special education services.”

He looked up from the folder and smiled at the assembled group.

“Thank you all for participating in this meeting. I know you’re on your lunch hour, so I hope to keep this quick. Please identify yourselves for the recording,” Gill said as he pointed to his left.

“I’m Kelly Stein, Doyle’s mother.”

She had a different last name from Doyle because his father had left her shortly after Doyle was born. Kelly had remarried, hence her name change. Her new husband, Kevin, hadn’t felt comfortable adopting Doyle since he planned to have his own children with Kelly. Unfortunately, that never happened.

Kelly had once been a beauty, but the past fifteen years had taken its toll with raising a ‘special’ kid like Doyle. Today, she looked like she’d rushed out of the house with her hair in a disorganized ponytail and her face bereft of makeup. Her dark eyes had a touch of discomfiture as she watched the other people seated around the table.

Kelly looked at the man to her left, who identified himself as “Kevin Stein. Stepfather.”

Kevin stared at Doyle’s picture instead of prompting the woman next to him for her introduction. A moment passed before she introduced herself.

“I’m Karen Glade, Doyle’s English teacher.”

Next up was a tall, heavyset man.

“I’m Steve Hughes, Doyle’s shop teacher.”

The last to introduce herself was an attractive woman with emerald-green eyes and a warm smile.

“Lisa Redding, the school psychologist.”

“Thank you, everyone,” Gill said. “We are here today to reevaluate Doyle’s IEP. We retested Doyle to better understand his development over the past year. Ms. Redding administered the test, so I’ll turn the floor over to her.”

Lisa pulled the report from her folder and read it aloud.

“Doyle Grogan is a fifteen-year-old who identifies as male. Doyle’s been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism. His main issue is a lack of focus, which has caused him problems with his academics.”

Lisa looked across the table at Doyle’s mother. Kelly saw that everyone was looking at her, making her duck her head and focus on the graffiti on the table.

Principal Hastings is a with the rest marked out.

Lisa picked up where she left off. “Doyle’s parents are also concerned that he’s having problems with the social dynamics of school. And that he may be the target of bullying.”

Kelly’s head snapped up. “May be?”

Lisa ignored the outburst.

“The testing shows that Doyle may be distracted, but when focused, he is extremely gifted.”

Kevin glared at the psychologist.

“Is ‘distracted’ a fancy way of saying the kid’s a slacker?”

Lisa focused on Doyle’s stepfather before answering. “Often, those with Asperger’s Syndrome are easily distracted. When taking the tests, I had to help him refocus so he could finish them.