Work Text:
Rhemann set the phone down with a frustrated huff before rubbing his hands over his face. Surely at some point the university’s administration must turn in for the night. It was late. Much later than he typically preferred to stay at the Gold Court, but he’d found himself trapped in his office fielding call after call the moment he returned to campus. It wasn’t often one of his Trojans made the headlines, especially not in such a dramatic fashion, yet his freshman striker had done exactly that. The firestorm of opinion pieces, speculation and interview requests had not slowed in the few days following the banquet.
He couldn’t find it in himself to be upset with Jeremy Knox. Not when the boy was preparing for his own brother’s funeral. The closest he came was disappointment in the knowledge that his gut had been correct in suspecting the kid’s drug use. Jeremy was an incredibly skilled exy player and drugs would only hamper his abilities, if he wanted to succeed on and off the court, this habit of his would need to be dealt with. Rhemann shook his head to clear that line of thinking. There would be time to address the drug problem later, the more pressing issue now was not only the media circus but the administration that seemed hellbent on seeing Jeremy removed from his team.
Rhemann saw the light on his desktop phone before it’s shrill ringing began, and he stifled a groan. How many more of these damned phone calls would he have to field tonight? With a sigh, he snatched up the phone and pressed it to his ear, “Rhemann.”
“Hi James,” David Wymack was quite possibly the last person Rhemann had expected to hear from, but he couldn’t deny the relief he felt at not facing another endless conversation with USC administration. “I wasn’t sure you’d still be in the office. It’s pretty late over there.”
“It is,” Rhemann allowed. “But admin waits for no one when the school’s reputation is on the line.” Wymack’s chuckle filtered through the speaker as Rhemann continued, “I suppose you’d know all about disgruntled admin. Perhaps I should be asking you for advice,” he mused, and the other man hummed in agreement. He suddenly suspected that Wymack may have called to do just that and when he didn’t immediately launch into strategies they lapsed into a tentative silence.
Rhemann and Wymack were not what one would refer to as close. They were friendly, sure. Rhemann admired what Wymack was attempting with his Foxes and had defended their small program more than once. They chatted from time to time about the latest in the world of collegiate exy and Rhemann was positive Wymack had his person cellphone number. So yes, friendly, sure, but actual friends? He wouldn’t go that far.
“I could take him.”
“What?” Wymack’s sudden words left Rhemann blinking in confusion.
“Jeremy,” Wymack clarified, as if he could be talking of anyone else. “He could come to Palmetto, be a Fox.”
For a moment, Rhemann could only stare down at the blinking phone light in confusion. This was the real reason for the call? He wanted to steal away Rhemann’s star freshman for his own team after one misstep?
“I do know what it’s like,” Wymack continued before he could spiral too far into frustration. “There are lots of eyes on collegiate exy, especially for a team like yours. I’ve faced that backlash with my Foxes but it’s more or less expected for us to have problems. I can only begin to imagine the kind of pressure on a program as prestigious and upright as the Trojans.”
Rhemann wanted to argue that one scandal could hardly outweigh the countless fights Wymack had endured for his Foxes in the last year alone, but Wymack pressed on. “Truly James, I know you want to do right by the kid, but I also know that sometimes the choice is taken out of your hands.” There was a rustling over the line as Wymack adjusted the phone. “He could start over here. That’s the idea for all my Foxes; a fresh start regardless of their past. He could get away from the pressures of his life in California, away from the dealers and friends he gets high with. It could be good for him.”
Rhemann couldn’t speak. His mind raced with everything the other man was offering. It was a neat solution. A way to get admin off his back while ensuring that Jeremy had a safe place to land. He knew Wymack would look out for the kid, would probably even send him frequent updates on Jeremy’s progress if Rhemann asked. And he couldn’t deny that being removed from the dark circles Jeremy found himself in here could only benefit him. He could escape to a fresh start.
It seemed like the perfect solution, but something in Rhemann still balked at the very idea. Jeremy was a Trojan. One of his Trojans. Rhemann had seen it in him more than once, his good heart, his capacity for kindness and the ease with which he fell into leadership even as a freshman. He could thrive as a Trojan and Rhemann wanted desperately to watch him rise, to help guide him towards a better future.
It was that thought that gave him pause, he wanted to see Jeremy succeed, to be the one to coach him toward that success. He wanted to see up close and personal just how far Jeremy could go, but was that what was best for Jeremy? Or was Rhemann putting his own wishes ahead of Jeremy’s needs?
Wymack’s gruff voice broke Rhemann’s train of thought once again, “Look, I know it’s not ideal. Hell, if the roles were reversed, there’s no way I’d be happy at the idea of sending away one of my kids. It shouldn’t matter what he gets up to in his private life.” Rhemann knew Wymack wasn’t referring to the drugs and his own mind drifted to Adi, to their own private life kept so quiet few knew beyond his Trojans. “But these people don’t know how to mind their own business and they’ll keeping digging until they find something else to bite at. I know the things that kind of scrutiny can dig up, and I know you have other kids to look out for.” The careful ambiguity stopped short of outright announcing Wymack’s acceptance of Rhemann’s own alternative recruitment style while making it clear he could read between the lines.
He was right of course, Rhemann did have other kids to protect. He thought of his Trojans, thought of the work he’d put in to build a system in which queer players were welcomed with open arms. He knew this was what Wymack was hinting at. This added scrutiny could be the undoing of more than one queer kid just starting to find their place in the world. How could he put the needs of one kid ahead of the rest?
“Let me look out for Jeremy.”
It was almost too perfect of a solution. He would be a fool not to accept this sweetheart deal Wymack was offering him. But then he closed his eyes and imagined it, imagined telling Jeremy he’d made an agreement with Palmetto for Jeremy to join the Foxes. Telling this kid who had been so excited and eager to join the Trojans that his time with them was over. What kind of message would that send him? A simple, ‘sorry kid, you’re just not worth the trouble’? Rhemann shook his head. That wasn’t what the Trojans were about. The Foxes might be the team of individual second chances, but his Trojans have always worked together to make the most of any situation. They were a team of good sports and even better teammates, the ones who pick each other up, dust each other off and find a way to do better the next day. Rhemann would be damned if he allowed his Trojans to alter that mentality with while he was in charge.
“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the offer,” Rhemann spoke with as much certainty as he could muster. “But I think this one’s meant to be a Trojan.”
“Well okay then,” Wymack huffed out a soft laugh and Rhemann could picture the satisfied look on the other man’s face hundreds of miles away. “Fight on Trojan, fight on.”