Chapter 2 #2
Paisley had said very little so far, finding it odd that they had talked so much about the town and the school district. Then again, she believed they were trying to entice her to come to Hawthorne. After all, she was a big name in the world of sports.
Or at least she had been.
“Do you have any questions so far?” Blanche asked.
“No. You and West have answered them, outlining the school’s pedagogy and mission statement, from students to student athletes. It sounds as if Hawthorne High School has a lot going on and would be a great place to work.”
West said, “That was the easy part.” He grinned. “Now, we’re ready to grill you.”
He wasn’t kidding. They asked her at least three dozen questions, getting her perspective on everything from curriculum to handling discipline to working with her colleagues.
Then West drilled down, asking very specific questions about the type of program she would run and how she would handle her student athletes.
Paisley felt good about her answers, however, and comfortable with the pair.
At the end of an hour, Blanche and West exchanged a glance, and she knew the job was hers if she wanted it.
A deep yearning suddenly filled her. She wanted to be part of this school. This town. To truly belong to a community for the first time ever.
Although she had always considered her basketball teammates her family, Paisley had held them at arms’ length.
She had never formed close friendships with any of them.
She had discussed this with Dr. Langston at length during their therapy sessions, and the therapist said a lot of Paisley’s feelings were rooted in the fact that she had been abandoned by her mother at the tender age of four, causing her to mistrust everyone around her, keeping her from forming serious attachments, be they friendships or love interests.
While it appeared to outsiders that she was close to all her teammates, it was more a transactional relationship, the same as it had been with Coach Callahan when she had fostered Paisley.
Callahan had used Paisley’s talents to springboard to a better job with the school district.
Once Paisley had graduated and could no longer offer anything to the woman, Coach Callahan had never contacted her again, letting her know that their time together was done.
That meant she had nowhere to go during breaks from college, and Paisley had crawled inside the loneliness and embraced it.
It had been a bitter pill to swallow, but she had learned to close herself off from any close relationship from that point on, knowing that others only valued her for her basketball skills and not for who she was.
She decided she would take this job in Hawthorne.
Became a Hawthorne Hawk and work with her players, bringing out the best in them, just as she had done with her fellow teammates over the years.
Then she would move on. A new school. A new town.
She was fooling herself to think that this situation might be different.
They merely wanted her to coach here because of her fame and basketball knowledge.
She would do the best job she could in this position, and when a new opportunity came along, she would take it without a backward glance.
Paisley looked at West Sutherland now, his gaze warm and friendly. Welcoming. She turned her eyes to Blanche Biggerstaff, who gave Paisley a big smile.
“We would like to offer you the girls basketball head coach position,” the principal said. “I don’t know if you’ve interviewed with other schools or not, but if we could have your decision by—”
“I’ll take it,” she interrupted. “I know with school starting around the corner, I need to get settled. So do you. I know you’re going out on a limb for me, Mrs. Biggerstaff.”
“Blanche,” the principal insisted.
Nodding, Paisley added, “I haven’t officially coached. It’s not on my resumé. It may cause some in the community and the school board concern. I have been coaching all my life, though. Mentoring other players. Giving them feedback during and after games. Helping coaches draw up new plays.”
She grinned. “I guess I’ll finally have an official title. I like the sound of Coach Roberts.”
The pair rose, and Paisley followed suit, shaking hands with both of them again.
Blanche said, “Welcome to Hawthorne, Paisley. It’s a wonderfully supportive community. Our high school sports teams have many rabid fans.” She laughed. “And that’s just the students. You should see their parents and the rest of the town.”
“I know oftentimes that girls sports aren’t the same draw as boys.”
West shook his head. “That’s not the case in Hawthorne. Blanche is right. You’ll be amazed at the turnout for home games. And the fact that we’re getting such a well-known face is going to be icing on the cake.”
“I don’t want to trade on my Olympic or WNBA fame,” she insisted. “If that’s the only reason I’m being hired for this position, then maybe I shouldn’t accept it.”
West met her gaze. “We want you because you’re the best candidate, Paisley.
You’ve got the best basketball knowledge, plus you have a passion for the game, coupled with a nurturing spirit.
You’re going to be a fantastic coach.” He paused.
“And you’ve got a challenge ahead of you.
I think that’s why Coach Finnerty left us. ”
“You must be referring to the Lady Hawks’ record the past two years.”
Part of her deep dive into Hawthorne High School had included researching the basketball team over the last five years Coach Finnerty had been head of the girls basketball program.
While Finnerty had brought home two district titles early during her tenure, she had a losing record her final two seasons.
But it surprised Paisley that Finnerty hadn’t made a lateral move when she left.
Instead, she’d jumped two classifications within the UIL system, landing a job at a large high school in an Austin suburb.
Then she had discovered that Finnerty’s brother-in-law was the athletic director in the district she had gone to, and it made more sense.
“I know the girls have had a couple of losing seasons.” Determination filled her. “That’s going to change on my watch.”
Blanche smiled. “We like a positive attitude. You’re going to fit right in, Paisley.” Turning to West, the principal said, “Give her the grand tour, Coach. I’ll call admin so they can have the contract drawn up. You can head over there after Paisley has seen the school and facilities.”
“Thank you, Blanche. I’m grateful for this opportunity.”
“We’re happy to have you on our faculty, Paisley.
Stop by my office after you’ve seen everything.
I’ll have a packet pulled together for you.
It’s one we give all our new teachers. It’ll give you dates of teacher trainings and keys to your rooms. You can have your picture taken for your employee badge when you go to admin, and that will allow you access into the building and field house. ”
The principal offered her hand again. “Thank you for wanting to be a Hawthorne Hawk.”
West took her around the high school, showing her the cafeteria, auditorium, faculty lounge, and the copy room. They went to the gyms, and she was pleased to see there were two, one a normal size and another quite large. She could envision pep rallies in this gym.
“There’s a schedule as to when each team gets to use which gym,” he told her.
“Sometimes, you’ll be running practice on half the court, and another team will be using the other side.
It might be volleyball. Gymnastics. We’re lucky a bond package passed several years ago which allowed us to build a second gym and stands.
Because of that—and the size of the new gym—we host a lot of tournaments and playoff games. ”
West led her to the locker rooms, and she saw the facilities were more than adequate. They left the main building and headed over to the field house, where the coaches’ offices were located.
“As the district’s athletic director, I’ve chosen to house here instead of over at admin.
It’s more convenient as the head football coach to have my home base be here, plus it helps me keep an eye on all the other sports at HHS.
I’ve got an open-door policy. You can come to me anytime about any issue.
I’ll be sure to get you Hope Sewell’s contact info. She’s your assistant coach.”
“Why wasn’t she considered for this position?” Paisley asked, curious.
“Hope is a great teacher and has the potential to be a great coach. Last year was her first year to teach and coach, however. She chose not to interview for the position, saying that she wanted more seasoning before becoming a head coach.”
“Do you think she’ll resent me? I’ve never coached a day in the public schools. She’s got more experience than I do.”
“Your situation is pretty unique, Paisley. You’ve competed successfully at every level of your sport.
Plus, as you yourself said, you’ve been coaching informally during your entire career.
This is merely a formality, giving you a title and paying you for what you’ve done on the side for years.
No, I think Hope is going to enjoy working with you.
She’ll learn a lot from you. On the other hand, I hope you’ll be open to whatever she brings to the table. ”
She noted that West did not say Hope would be working under Paisley. He had chosen the phrase working with instead. That spoke volumes to her about the kind of program West ran here.