Chapter 8: I'm Not Your Stepping Stone

On the Monday after Aileen's birthday, it was announced that the school board's investigation was closed. Just as Colin had feared, based on Mr. Miller's report sighting no evidence of foul play, the school board saw no need to keep the investigation going.

With Mr. Miller no longer coming to the school and having his questioning sessions, things were starting to get back to normal, but not completely. Coach Fletcher was given a reprimand for causing such a commotion based on the soundless theory of one student (i.e. Colin). The coach was ordered to immediately reinstate all those players he had suspended. The coach was also told that they should be put back in the positions they rightfully deserved.

Colin's captaincy of the team was short lived as Seth reclaimed it. Colin thought about just throwing in the towel and quitting the team again but then he thought better of it. He wasn't going down that road again. Seth could play his game all he wanted but Colin was not going to be one of the game pieces.

So it wasn't Colin that quit the team, but in the aftermath of the investigation another person did decide he had enough. It was shortly after the investigation ended that Coach Fletcher put in his resignation saying this would be his last year coaching basketball at Liberty High. He announced it to the team at practice on Tuesday. A strong wave of guilt washed over Colin for the coach's resignation and he knew he had to go talk to Coach Fletcher.

Colin arrived early for practice on Wednesday and went to see the coach in his office. The door was open and the coach was sitting at his desk looking over some papers, Colin knocked on the open door. "You have a minute Coach?"

Coach Fletcher looked up from his desk and waved Colin off. "Not now, Martin," he said gruffly.

"Please Coach, I need to get this out or it will eat me up inside," Colin said.

Coach Fletcher sighed and motioned for Colin to come in and sit down. "What is it that you need to say Martin? If you want to quit the team again I won't blame you," he said.

Colin came into the office and sat in the one empty chair in front of the coach's desk. "It's not that sir," he said. "I made a commitment to the team and I'm not going to let you down. What I am here about is your resigning from the team. It's all my fault Coach and you shouldn't take any blame or responsibility for any of this. I'm fully prepared to take whatever reprimand is deemed appropriate for starting all this."

"Martin, close the door," Coach Fletcher said. Once the door was closed Coach Fletcher looked at Colin and he was shocked to find instead of the intimidating stare, the coach had a look of melancholy sincerity on his face. "Colin, I know damn well those boys were throwing games," the coach said, "anyone who paid close enough attention could see it. I was all ready taking steps to bring this matter up with Principal Grant or even the school board if I had to, I just needed to be completely sure that what I thought was going on really was. It was the game against Saint Mathew's that finally had me convinced. When you came forward with your suspicions about the way certain players were playing I had hoped maybe other players would come forward as well, but that was wishful thinking.

"The investigation was a joke." Coach Fletcher lowered his head in a sorrowful manner. "You're awfully young to have to learn about how much injustice there is in the world, but I learned when I was even younger. Right now you are struggling against an injustice because of who you are. I've had to struggle all my life against injustices, not only because of who I am but what I am. I'm a black man living in a world where there are still people who judge me and discriminate against me only because of the color of my skin.

"For some people the road of life is harder than it is for others, it's just the way things are. That can make some of us bitter and unmotivated, for others it just makes us try harder. I've always been a fighter; there are narrow minded people out there that think less of me because I'm a black man, so I've had to fight harder than others to prove I deserved whatever I was fighting for. I have always been of the mindset that the harder I tried and the further I got in life the easier it would be for the next generation. I felt I owed that to the generation that came before and paved the way for me to come this far. That's how we've gotten as far as we have, each generation stands on the shoulders of the previous one.

"But I'm tired now and feel my time here is done. I didn't spend half a lifetime getting to where I am in life to be dictated to by an eighteen year old kid who thinks he owns the school just because of the people he knows. I've gotten to a place where I have to choose my battles, and I don't want this one."

"But what are you going to do now Coach?" Colin asked.

"I may be tired, but I'm not finished. There are other places for me out there, other teams to coach. I can still make a difference somewhere, still pave the road a little smother for the next generation, but I think I've worn out my welcome here," Coach Fletcher said.

"Coach," Colin said feeling surprisingly emotional, "I just want you to know how much I respect you and that you have made a difference in my life. One thing I'm thankful for is that I got to have you for my coach through my senior year. If you have to leave, at least I'll be leaving too. I've learned a lot from you Coach, not only about basketball but about life. I've had two men in my life who were father figures and both have let me down, if I could have chosen my father, I would have chosen someone like you."

Coach Fletcher removed his horned rimmed glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose between his eyes; if Colin didn't know better he would have sworn he saw moisture there. For a man who claimed he didn't have a heart, he sure seemed to be showing one now. "You're a good kid Martin," the coach said. "I was worried about you for a while there but you've shown me that you've grown into a respectable man. I'm proud of you. I'm glad that I have you on the team my last year here."

"The feeling is mutual sir," Colin said, his voice cracking a little.

"Now get out of here before you're late for practice and I have to make you run extra laps in the gym." Coach Fletcher said.

Colin got up and left.

On the way to the locker room Colin met up with Brian Chaplin and William Grey. "Did you speak to the coach?" Brian asked as they walked on.

"Yes," Colin said.

"What he say, is he still resigning?" Brian queried.

"Yes, there's no talking him out of it," Colin said.

"We should have come forward, backed you guys up," William said.

"Yes, you should have," Colin agreed.

"Come forward with what?" Brian asked. "We had no proof of any foul play. If Seth heard we spoke out against him we would be royally screwed. Not all of us are related to him," Brian said glancing meaningfully at Colin.

Colin stopped and stuck his hand out flat against Brian's chest halting him. "What's that supposed to mean?" Colin asked.

"You know exactly what it means, not all of us can stand up to Seth and get away with it because we're his cousin," Brian said caustically.

Colin shoved Brian up against a locker and there was a loud "Clang!" His forearm pressed up against Brian's neck placing pressure on his windpipe. "If you think I get special treatment from Seth because I'm his cousin; well, you're right," Colin said irately. "I've taken more shit from him all my life than any of you. I'm his special project. Seth's mission in life is to make me miserable. I stand up to him because I have to! If I didn't he would be walking over me all my life. If you want to trade places with me I'd be more than happy to. Is that what you want?"

"Colin, quit it!" William said. "We know what he's done to you, we know you don't get off easy cause you're his cousin. Don't we Brian?" Brian nodded as best he could with Colin's arm under his neck.

Colin saw what he was doing and released Brian. He hated himself for letting his anger get the best of him, but after all the grief Seth had caused him, what Brian said hurt. He walked away from the both of them.

"Colin!" Brian rasped then took a couple breaths before trying again, "Colin, wait up!" Brian and William caught up with Colin.

"Look man, I'm sorry," Brian said. "I got upset because it's true what William said, we should have come forward, but I just couldn't do it. I'm mad at myself for being a coward and letting you and the coach down. I took it out on you because you were the only one of us to stand up to Seth. I tried to make myself feel better by coming up with an excuse for why you had the guts to do that and I didn't, I'm sorry. We still friends?"

Colin looked at Brian a moment then said, "Yeah we're still friends." Brian held out his hand and Colin grasped it and they did one of those handshake hugs that guys do where they shake with one hand and slap each other on the back with a closed fist with the other hand.

"So we just have to put up with Seth's shit for a few more months and then he's out of here," William said. William was only a junior and would be back at Liberty for his senior year next year.

"If you think Seth's graduating will loosen his control on things here you're mistaken," Colin said. "He's just going to get more power and influence over the school, the neighborhood, the entire city as time goes on. Who knows how far he'll go if no one stops him? Unless he ends up getting himself killed considering the people he associates with, but I think he's too smart for that."