"Expelled!?!?" Heather yelled.
I just stared back at her. That was my decision. The 18 year old would be expelled. It would be official when I filed the paperwork with the superintendent.
"But I'm wearing..." She gestured at her cheerleader uniform. "I'm cheering at the game tonight!"
"Not anymore.," I looked up from my paperwork. "You'll need to turn in your uniform by the end of the week... unless you have a change of clothes here."
"You know I don't." Her head dropped.
"Then the end of the week will be fine. Staff will be in contact with you to clear out your locker and return your books and the like."
She looked like she was about to cry. "Isn't there anything..."
But there wasn't. I had received the call from the athletic director of Morris High the previous evening. Heather had been caught pleasuring the star of the Morris basketball team, in uniform on her knees in front of him.
"You've been given plenty of chances, miss. The grades. The drinking. Now this." I glared at her. "You should have been kicked off the team months ago. I let it go on for too long. I'm really left with no other choice."
She sobbed lightly. "I was just trying to help..."
"Help?"
"I was trying to motivate the players." She wiped away a tear. "I'm supposed to motivate our guys, right?"
"What?" I gasped. "By sucking... er... by fellating an opponent?"
'I told both teams I'd give a BJ to the leading scorer on the winning team." She frowned. "Morris won and Tommy scored the most points. I couldn't go back on my word!"
My mouth dropped open. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Does that sound reasonable to you?"
"I made the same offer to both teams in the game against West." Heather grinned. "We won..."
"Heather!"
"Oh, grow up Mr. Julius..."
'This is not normal." I was flabbergasted. "This not how the world works."
"Expelled. I can't believe it." Heather let out a sigh. "At least Tommy will get expelled, too."
"I guess that's up to the AD at Morris." I replied.
"So I could get kicked out of school for giving a blowjob, and nothing would happen to Tommy for getting one?" She rolled her eyes. "That's sexist bullshit!"
"My guess is they'll have to expel Tommy after what happened gets out."
Heather looked confused. "What do you mean 'gets out'?"
"Only I know about this." I gestured toward my desk. "I haven't filed the paperwork yet."
You could see a scheme forming in Heather's mind. A devilish smile crossed her lips. She reached out and touched my hand.
"So what if..." She let out a little laugh. "What if Tommy hasn't been expelled yet? You wouldn't have to expel me, would you?"
I gulped. What was she suggesting? A filfthy quid pro quo?
"If they haven't expelled Tommy and no one else knows, it could be our secret." Heather giggled. "It would fun having a secret with you, Mr. Julius..."
It had been a tough year for me. My marriage of 10 years had broken up. My job as a high school athletic director, already hectic enough had added 3 new varsity sports this year and the cheerleading program had been rolled into my department. Newly single, too busy to even consider dating, yet forced to spend a portion of my workdays supervising the most attractive girls in our high school who I dared not even think about in 'that' way.
"Look, Heather," I gathered myself, "what you did can't be ignored. It demands discipline."
"Ooh!" She squealed. "I like that!"
"Stop it, Heather! There is no way..."
"Tommy is Morris High's best player," she interrupted, "I bet they're in no hurry to expel him."
"So what?"
"Call them. She'd shot me a wicked grin, "if they expelled him, expel me and I'll leave you alone."
"If not?"
"I'll give you a reason not to expel me." She gave her lips a sultry lick. "Tommy didn't complain... until we got caught."
"If you think..."
"I see the way you look at me.' She interrupted again. "C'mon... give them a call. Keep your options open."
All I had to do was expel Heather and this would all be over. I can't explain why, but I picked up the phone and called the Morris AD. Heather sat across my desk from me and listened intently.
"Quite a situation we have here Joe." I said after a couple of minutes of small-talk. "I can't see any other option but to expel the girl."
"I know what you mean, Ray," the Morris AD replied, "you like to give a kid another chance, I'd like to give Tommy a chance. I've got a number of college recruiters sniffing around here. I'd hate for something like this to side-track the kid's future."
"So you haven't taken any action yet?" I asked.
Heather arched an eyebrow then stood. She made a slow walk around the desk and stood beside me, her hip brushing against my arm.
"Not as of yet." The AD replied. "It would complicate things if your student were expelled."
I considered what I said next.
"Well, every kid deserves a second chance.' I glanced up at Heather. She grinned at me. "I'll take her under my wing. She'll be a special project."