Chapter 7 - For Now
The phrase became central.
For now.
Dalton’s attorney argued it was harmless.
A warning that Noah’s grade could fall if his work did not improve.
Aisha saw it differently.
“It may not prove he manipulated Noah’s grade,” she told Claire, “but in context, it can reasonably be interpreted as pressure.”
Claire hated legal language.
“Pressure?”
“He offers paid tutoring. Noah refuses. Dalton says his B is safe ‘for now.’”
“That’s a threat.”
“Maybe.”
Claire groaned.
Aisha smiled slightly.
“My job is to separate what we feel from what we can establish.”
“So what can we establish?”
“That Dalton promoted his private tutoring to a current student whose work he graded. That he used school concerns to market the service. That he linked Noah’s performance to the private help. And that he later engaged in humiliating conduct captured on video.”
“That enough to fire him?”
“That’s the district’s decision.”
The state ethics commission also opened a review.
Suddenly Dalton’s problem extended beyond one principal.
At home, Noah remained more interested in his grades than the investigation.
Mr. Patel, temporarily teaching Dalton’s classes, returned essays.
Noah received an eighty-four.
He stared at it.
Not great.
Not terrible.
Mr. Patel stopped beside him.
“Questions?”
“No.”
“You look suspicious of the paper.”
Noah hesitated.
“Did you grade it easier?”
Mr. Patel frowned.
“No.”
“Because of everything?”
“No.”
“How do I know?”
Mr. Patel pulled up a chair.
“That’s a fair question.”
Noah looked surprised.
“I used the same rubric as the rest of the class. If you want, I can walk you through every point.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I know.”
Noah almost laughed.
There was that phrase again.
Choice.
Mr. Patel showed him.
Thesis: strong.
Evidence: good.
Organization: inconsistent.
Grammar: mostly correct.
Conclusion: weak.
No mystery.
No personality judgment.
No mention of Hannah.
Just work.
Noah felt something loosen inside him.
“So I actually got an eighty-four?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.”
Mr. Patel smiled.
“You sound disappointed.”
“I’m weirdly happy.”
“Please don’t tell administration I made a student happy about a B.”
Noah laughed.
Across the room, Lily smiled.
The class itself changed too.
Without Dalton, students talked more.
Sometimes too much.
Mr. Patel had to restore order.
But he rarely humiliated anyone.
Once, Cole Richards interrupted three times.
Mr. Patel said:
“Cole, we need to talk after class.”
Cole groaned.
Mr. Patel did not turn it into a public show.
Noah noticed.
Discipline could exist without degradation.
That realization embarrassed him.
It seemed obvious.
Why had Dalton convinced everyone otherwise?
Because he was effective, some people said.
His students scored well.
His classes were quiet.
His deadlines were met.
The more Noah thought about it, the more he wondered what those numbers had cost.
One afternoon, Hannah drove him home.
“You seem better.”
“I am.”
“Because Dalton’s gone?”
“Partly.”
She glanced at him.
“I need to tell you something.”
“That sounds bad.”
“It’s not bad.”
“Usually means bad.”
Hannah sighed.
“When I had Dalton, I loved his class.”
“I know.”
“No, let me finish.”
Noah waited.
“He praised me constantly. I thought it meant he believed in me.”
“He probably did.”
“Maybe.”
She gripped the steering wheel.
“But I also remember him using me against other kids.”
Noah looked over.
“What do you mean?”
“If somebody forgot homework, he’d say, ‘Hannah remembered.’ If someone got a bad test score, he’d say, ‘Look at what Hannah managed.’”
Noah felt uncomfortable.
“I hated those comparisons.”
“I know.”
“I’m not mad at you.”
“I’m mad at me.”
“Why?”
“Because I liked it.”
She swallowed.
“I liked being the example.”
Noah considered this.
“You were fourteen.”
“So are you.”
“Exactly. Fourteen-year-olds are idiots.”
She laughed.
“Fair.”
Then Noah said, “You didn’t make him do it.”
“I know.”
She looked at him briefly.
“But maybe I can admit I benefited from it.”
That was harder than apologizing for something she had not caused.
Noah respected her for saying it.
At school, Whitmore continued examining Dalton’s grading.
She did not expect to find blatant fraud.
She didn’t.
Most grades were supported.
But one pattern stood out.
Students whose parents hired Dalton privately received unusually detailed improvement notes in school records.
Students who declined his services were more likely to receive comments about attitude and responsibility.
Statistically, the sample was small.
But ethically, it looked terrible.
Then finance staff found something else.
Dalton had used his school email account to communicate with private clients.
Hundreds of times.
Some messages were harmless scheduling.
Others were not.
One read:
I can push him harder during class if you reinforce the same expectations at home.
Another:
Her current grade may not reflect the weaknesses I’m seeing. My private program would let us address these before they become visible on report cards.
Whitmore stared at that one.
Before they become visible.
He was selling fear.
Not necessarily inventing problems.
But using his public position to make his private service feel necessary.
The district scheduled a formal pre-disciplinary hearing.
Dalton would be allowed to respond.
Noah did not have to attend.
He was relieved.
Then Claire received an unexpected phone call.
A man introduced himself as Michael Dalton.
Richard Dalton’s younger brother.
Claire almost hung up.
“I’m not calling to defend him,” Michael said.
“Then why are you calling?”
“Because there’s something you should know before the hearing.”
Claire’s grip tightened.
“What?”
Michael hesitated.
May you like
“Richard has been doing this much longer than the school realizes.”
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