Again, Connor took a moment before speaking. He walked between the tables until he came to where Keaton was seated. “Now, my brother Dylan likes to razz me by asking how that kid could have been all that bad if he could be taken down by our little sister. That’s the thing about bullies, though. They aren’t bigger, faster, smarter, braver. They’re just mean enough to make people afraid of them.”
He looked right at Keaton until the boy looked away. Only then, did Connor turn his attention to the other children. “I’ve never asked myself why my sister was able to scare Keith Bacon into leaving me alone. Viviana is one tough cookie. But I have wondered many times why my older brother didn’t step in. His growth spurt had already hit. He towered over us and wasn’t afraid of anyone. I only asked him once, and it didn’t go well. I couldn’t understand his anger. Then I realized it was because he felt bad he hadn’t stepped in. My brother loves me.”
Another round of laughter erupted from the group.
This time, Connor arched an eyebrow. “Oh, I’m sorry, are you all too cool to say the word love? You’ll outgrow that. If you still have your mom, you’d better hug her tonight and tell her that. I lost mine a long time ago, and I still miss her every day.”
Angelina gasped in the strained silence that followed. His gaze met hers briefly, and she glimpsed a sadness that shook her. Have I completely misjudged him?
He turned his attention back to the students. “Why do you think my brother wasn’t the one to help me? He’s not a bad person, but he did nothing. That happens more than you’d think. Good people see something they know is wrong, and they don’t step in to stop it. Ever wonder why?”
No one spoke at first.
From the sidelines, Bradford said, “They’re afraid the bully will come for them next.”
“Maybe,” Connor said. “But I don’t think Dylan was afraid.”
As the talk connected with how she felt about Mr. Svete, Angelina found herself speaking her truth. “Being the first voice is scary.”
Connor’s attention riveted back to her and she regretted her outburst. He was supposed to leave Reemsly so impressed with the school that he encouraged the Barringtons to enroll their children. He’s not supposed to see issues that need fixing. What am I doing?
Andy Monroe, one of the larger boys who had struggled with his weight the year before said, “Maybe they don’t care because no one helped them when they were picked on.”
Another silence.
Connor moved to stand next to Andy. “Now that is one I understand, but let me pass on to you a little something I learned from my father. He gave me a lot of advice I didn’t take, but this one bit stuck with me. He said, ‘Don’t let the worst person you know be the one who influences you the most.’ I didn’t know what that meant when he first said it. I get it now. In your life, you will meet countless amazing people, but almost everywhere you go there will also be one wing-dinger of a jerk. Sometimes more than one. The one you become the most like depends on which one you spend more time thinking about. Ever hear the tale of two wolves?”
Andy shook his head.
Connor sat down next to him. “I just read about it. Some people say it’s a Cherokee legend. Honestly, everyone wants to claim the genius of it. Essentially, there are two forces inside of you that are constantly battling. One is negative and angry. That’s the voice in your head that remembers every awful thing people have said or done to you. The other is positive and hopeful. That’s the voice that believes people are essentially good and worth defending even if they weren’t brave enough to defend you. Which wolf wins? The one you feed.”
Rising to his feet, Connor looked from one table to the next. “Back to Keith Bacon. What do you think happened to him after my sister woke him up to how he was behaving?”
Timmy Edwards raised his hand. “He switched schools.”
Connor shook his head. “I’m from a small town. We only have one school. Our graduating class had fifty people in it. His parents were dirt poor. They weren’t going anywhere. No, we became friends.”
A general sound of disbelief echoed through the group.
After shrugging and walking from table to table again, Connor said, “I know. I know. But this was before people recorded everything. No offense, but we had some things easier. Back then, we made mistakes and if we learned from them everyone moved on. Before social media, we weren’t all defined by the stupidest thing we’ve ever done.”
Connor returned to the table where Keaton was. “I don’t like the word bully because I don’t like labels. They trap people into thinking they can’t do better. When Keith and I became friends I spent time at his house and it was not a happy place. He needed intervention as much as I did. And once he saw what he was doing, he stopped. All it took was one person to tell him that there might be a better way.”
“What college football team did you learn all this wisdom from?” the coach asked in a snide tone.
Several of his students snickered.
A few looked away, seeming embarrassed.
“That’s about all the time we have for today.” Angelina rushed to Connor’s side, prepared to bring a quick end to this.
Connor closed the distance between himself and the coach, until he was towering over him. Next to him, the coach looked neither intimidating nor confident. Collectively the teachers and students held their breaths.
For what felt like an eternity, Connor simply stared the man down. The coach went white, then red, then some angry shade between. Still Connor said nothing, merely arched an eyebrow.
The coach’s fists clenched.
Bradford took a step out of the shade.
Angelina joined them, unsure of what she’d do if fists started flying. No. No. No. This is not how the talk was supposed to go.
Connor held out his hand and flashed those perfectly white teeth of his. “Feed the right wolf, my friend. Few will have as big of an impact on these young men as you will. You’ll be the one they’re quoting when they’re our age. What do you hope they’ll say?”
Cornered and aware the exchange was being recorded, the coach had limited options. He shook Connor’s hand. “That I taught them how to win.”
After dropping his hand, Connor looked around at the boys who were enthralled by the exchange. He smiled. “And hopefully to never be the block letter version of a team.”
Just like that the soccer team was won over. Their laughter was much lighter.
Angelina wished her son had been there to watch the transformation, but he wasn’t a member of the team. She could have called for a school-wide assembly, but that wasn’t what had been in the plans.
Not that this was either.
“Does anyone have a question for Mr. Sutton?” Angelina asked the students.
“No questions,” Connor said in a harsh tone. “I’m already late to my next engagement.” Connor’s reaction took her by surprise. So approachable one moment—so closed off the next.
“Of course.” Angelina was quick to smooth the situation over. “Why don’t we all give Mr. Sutton a big thank you for coming out to see us.”
The boys clapped and cheered.
Connor leaned forward and said something to the coach that made him relax a bit. Angelina wished she’d been standing close enough to hear. It couldn’t have been a threat. Every time she thought she knew what to expect from the famous actor, he zigged when she thought he’d zag.