Clara Kent Superwoman

Chapter 16: Call From Mother

Jason Teague sat at his coach's desk which was located in a tiny box room that Coach Arnold had used to keep the old equipment. It was filled with now outdated helmets, jerseys and footballs, as well as a dusty trophy cabinet with the less important awards. Coach Arnold kept the prestigious trophies for his own, much larger office. Before him on the rickety desk was the insurance report from his car, stating that they could not find a fault in the wiring or the engine that would cause the blaze and therefore they were labelling it arson. Fortunately, he was insured for arson, thanks to his mother's perpetual paranoia, but still, it was troubling. Who would want him dead? He had made a point of staying out of his father's affairs, opting not to study law, an action that had seen him disinherited.

Jason never wanted a glamorous life; he wanted to do the thing he loved, football. He'd earned his football scholarship to Met-U, he'd been a rising star, and everything was set...until he tore his rotator cuff and been taken out on contention. It had never been the same since. So, if he couldn't be on the field, he's decided to teach those who could, and therefore remain involved with his first love, football. He'd been earning a secondary degree at Central Kansas A & M on top of Coaching their team when his mother had called him, asking him to come to Smallville. To be truthful he'd felt sceptical about what she'd asked him to do, but he had just come out of a bad breakup, and seeing them every day was becoming harder and harder. His mother always wanted what was best for him and what she'd asked wasn't that terrible, so he'd agreed. Later that day he'd gotten the call from Principal Kwan, asking him to join the staff as Coach. Only, once he'd arrived, he realised that he was treading on another man's toes. Coach Arnold wasn't retiring anytime soon and did not take kindly to some "trust fund brat" trying to take his place. He took every opportunity to put his Assistant down. But Jason had grown up around two-faced back biters and the bitchy heirs to empires; he could handle a 55 year old man with delusions of grandeur.

Jason actually felt a little sorry for Arnold, he had spent his whole life with the Crows, but had developed bad habits and now he was unable to adapt to the changing face of high school football. Principal Kwan had confided that Coach Arnold was neglecting to enforce the academic discipline needed to qualify to play on the team. Nearly half of the players were falling behind in school, some may not graduate unless it was addressed. Coach Arnold only cared about the win, not the wellbeing of his players, he'd laughed in Kwan's face. Jason saw Arnold for what he was, a solitary hothead. Kwan wanted a younger role model, one who would stress the importance of academics and health as well as competition. Jason could see how he fit the bill; he had maintained a 4.0 Grade average in High School despite a busy football schedule, earned himself a football scholarship and graduated with a degree in Sports Management from Met-U. He wasn't just qualified to coach football; he was capable of teaching men and women's soccer, wrestling and basketball.

All of this made him a better role model for teenage boys, in both the sports and academic arenas. Arnold was definitely threatened, he may even be forced to retire, but would that be enough to drive him to torch Jason in his own car? Arnold was a pretty straightforward guy, rash and arrogant, but Jason would have expected a direct confrontation, a fist fight rather than a fire bomb. Maybe it had nothing to do with Arnold, and everything to do with why his mother had sent him here.

"Carry on my wayward son..."

Speaking of which, that was the ring tone for his mum, Jason flipped the phone open and answered:

"Hello mother"

"Jason, my sweetheart! How are you? I heard about the arson on Friday, why didn't you call me?"