21. Tiffin Talks Honor Board
Wine, vodka seltzers, weed, Molly, ketamine, hallucinogenic gummies, threesomes, fivesomes, a burning bed, and fourth-former Grady Tish in the hospital.
How much of this is true? we wonder.
Rumors abound: Pippa Sacks had people over to her house while her mother was in New York for a party turned orgy turned disaster. Tilly Benbow starts calling it “the Haydensboro Massacre.”
Tilly tells Madison J. and Willow that she was invited to Pippa’s but decided not to go. “For the record, I told Olivia not to go either, but you know Olivia. She’s thirsty.”
Some people say that Liam Donovan went to Pippa’s house… but we all saw Liam in the Paddock at dinner and then later on the Senior Sofa studying with Davi, East, and Charley.
Cassie Lee texted her best friend, Imogen, at six thirty to say that Grady had OD’d and was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. I think he might be dead, she wrote.
Our stomachs dropped. Dead? Grady Tish is a legend among the fourth-formers because he helped mastermind Zip Zap the year before and somehow managed to not get expelled.
At seven o’clock, Olivia H-T called Tilly in hysterical tears.
What Tilly managed to put together is that Olivia, Pippa, Grady, Cassie, and Reed Wheeler drank, smoked weed, and did other drugs.
Olivia said she fell asleep, and the smoke detector woke her up because the bedsheets had caught on fire. Grady was unconscious next to the bed.
“An ambulance took him to the hospital!” Olivia said. “What if he dies?”
Mr. Ewanick picked up Olivia, Cassie, and Reed and brought them back to school. The Haydensboro Police showed up to talk to Pippa about the drugs. Sondra Sacks had been contacted and was on her way back from New York.
Royce Stringfellow, who was tutoring third-former Spence Thorpe in biology, said, “If Grady dies, Pippa could be charged with murder.”
Murder? we thought. That would be a first for Tiffin.
Hakeem is a little more vested in this drama than he might ordinarily be because he dated Cassie Lee for a few months the previous year and he knows Reed from football. Hakeem FaceTimes Taylor, who said she wanted to study for finals by herself in her room. “Pippa better hope Grady is okay.”
Taylor has one arm draped across her aching breasts.
What Hakeem doesn’t know is that Taylor took an Uber into Haydensboro herself that afternoon so she could buy a Plan B from the pharmacy…
though she fears it’s too late for Plan B.
She can’t quite consider the implications of this—not during finals week, not when she’s learning about the biggest disciplinary infraction of their entire tenure at Tiffin.
“Even if Grady is okay, Pippa will have to face the Honor Board,” Taylor says. “It won’t be pretty.”
Because he’s a dorm parent in Classic North, Rhode hears all about what went down at Pippa Sacks’s house.
He tries to remain calm and supportive of the boys on his floors, all of whom are worried about Grady.
When Reed Wheeler returns to the dorms, he’s given a somber welcome—there’s lots of backslapping and bro-hugs—and the kids ask if they can order pizza or Chinese from Moon Palace.
Rhode says no. First of all, Reed looks exhausted (hungover?)—he needs a shower (he reeks of smoke) and bed. Secondly, Reed left school grounds without permission to drink and do drugs; this should not be celebrated with special privileges.
It’s not until ten thirty that the news arrives: Grady will be fine. A cheer goes up all down the hall, and Rhode releases a long-held sigh of relief.
The following day, finals are administered as scheduled. When Rhode’s Boarding School Lit class gathers to write their in-class final paper, Rhode overhears Royce telling Davi that Reed Wheeler had a threesome with—
“Enough!” Rhode snaps. There was a moment the year before when Rhode had considered writing his own boarding school novel. He imagines writing about the “Haydensboro Massacre” and laughs. No one would ever believe it.
Pippa Sacks doesn’t show up for the final, and Rhode receives no communication from her explaining her absence. He gives her a zero.
That evening, Rhode receives an email from Audre, subject line: Honor Board Meeting, 9 a.m. tomorrow, Schoolhouse 004. The email reads simply: The Honor Board will meet to discuss disciplinary measures for Philippa Sacks.
Huh, Rhode thinks. It sounds like only Pippa will be facing the Honor Board.
The other kids will automatically serve Head’s Detention for leaving campus without permission.
(Olivia H-T is lucky her college applications are already in.) Neither Pippa nor Olivia will be allowed to attend the Kringle, and Cassie, Grady, and Reed will miss out on the screening of Elf in the auditorium for the underclassmen.
Other than that, they’ll leave for the holiday break unscathed, except for their memories.
Rhode feels a twinge of lurid excitement as he heads to the Schoolhouse on Friday morning.
It’s Rhode’s first Honor Board meeting since he served on the Honor Board himself as a student, when he was known for being a total pushover.
(In 2002, Rhode’s vote had spared Trent Fellows an expulsion for his third smoking infraction.
As Rhode viewed it, nicotine was an addiction, hence the fault lay with Big Tobacco, not Trent Fellows.)
Room 004, located in the basement of the Schoolhouse, is what Rhode thinks of as “old Tiffin”: It hasn’t been renovated, refreshed, or even painted since the previous century.
The room was designed specifically for Honor Board hearings.
It’s windowless with a wooden stage area at one end where a table and six ladder-back chairs are set up for the members of the board.
Three folding chairs face the stage—for the student and parents.
When Rhode enters, he finds Audre and Cordelia already seated at the table.
Historically, the Honor Board is composed of the Head plus two staff members and three students.
Behind Rhode, Taylor Wilson, Willow Levy, and Dub Austin file in.
They silently take their seats. Honor Board hearings are serious business.
Taylor looks like she’s going to vomit, and Rhode tries to recall if she and Pippa are friends.
He doesn’t think so, but the details of this case are enough to make anyone ill.
The walls of Room 004 are bare, except for a portrait of Mary Tiffin Sinclair—the artist did her no favors—and a round black-and-white clock ticking away the seconds. The clock reads 9:00 sharp, but there’s no sign of Pippa or her parents.
Dub and Willow are scrolling their phones beneath the table, Taylor has her eyes closed and is engaged in some kind of deep breathing exercise. Audre says, “I was crystal clear with the Sacks family about the time and place.”
Cordelia sniffs as if to say, What did you expect?
A moment later there are footsteps, the murmur of voices.
Pippa steps into the room, followed by a tall Viking of a man, her father.
He’s in an immaculately tailored gray suit and a white shirt with fine black pinstripes, no tie.
The guy is a behemoth—he must be six-foot-six—with a full head of bright-blond hair.
He gives a wave and a surprisingly amiable grin. “Hello, all,” he says. “I’m Erik Sacks.”
Audre nods. “Have a seat, please, Mr. Sacks.” She glances toward the door, which has been left open. “Are we expecting anyone else?”
“Pippa’s mother, Sondra, is supposed to meet us here.” Erik checks his watch, a Rolex Daytona. “She’s always late.” He strides over to close the door, and he and Pippa take seats.
The room was designed so that the Honor Board looks down upon the defendant. Pippa is wearing a gray pleated skirt and an untucked oxford with a navy sweater thrown over the top. Bare legs, motorcycle boots. She looks exhausted, or maybe just bored.
Taylor revives enough to read out the list of offenses: Philippa hosted Tiffin students at her home without permission. Philippa provided alcohol to these students, knowing they were underage. Philippa provided illegal drugs to these students.
Taylor pauses. “As I’m sure we’re all aware, one of those students, Grady Tish, had to be rushed to the hospital.”
Pippa scoffs. “As I’m sure we’re all aware, he’s fine.”
Erik Sacks says, “I admit, Pippa exercised poor judgment, and believe me, she will be appropriately punished by her mother and me. I guess where I’m confused is why this is being treated as a school matter. It happened off campus. It has nothing to do with the school.”
Taylor says, “Pippa invited Tiffin students to her home, then she endangered them.”
“I think you’re just jealous you weren’t invited,” Pippa says.
“Ha,” Taylor says. “You think wrong.”
“It was a simple case of kids being kids,” Erik Sacks says. “Pippa is only seventeen.”
“Some of the students present were only fifteen,” Dub says.
“How is that my fault?” Pippa says. “I didn’t force them to come.”
Audre has never quite warmed up to Pippa Sacks.
She came in prepared to hear the girl out—but her insolence is appalling.
“You provided drugs and alcohol to your peers, Miss Sacks. You are the only day student to attend Tiffin during my tenure, the only day student in Tiffin’s recent history.
When we agreed to admit you, we informed you that you would be treated the same as any boarder.
Therefore, ‘your house’ is equivalent to any room in Classic South.
If you had hosted a gathering like this in Classic South, you would be dismissed.
If we were to keep you on and something like this happened again next semester… ” Audre shakes her head.