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CHAPTER 1

As far as I could tell,Shakespeare, identifying historical inaccuracies in cable TV shows, and berating Ryan Washburn "Eighteen sixty-three, Mr Washburn Is that so hard to rened the Ehteen sixty-three"

Ryan was a big guy: a little on the quiet side, a little shy I had no idea what it was about him that had convinced Mr Simpson he needed to be taken down a notch--or seven But more and more, this was how history class went: Simpson called on Ryan, repeatedly, until he an

As Mr Simpson railed on, Ryan stared at his desk, his head bowed so far that his chin gouged his collarbone Sitting directly to his left, I could see the tension in his shoulder rip on htened

"Where is that incredible pro about in the teachers’ lounge?" Mr Simpson asked Ryan facetiously "You have a lot of fans at this school, Mr Washburn Surely they can’t all be mistaken about your intellectual capacity Perhaps the e in this country is sih tonote of the date?"

"I’ inside me snapped "It wasn’t all of the slaves," I said evenly

Mr Simpson’s eyes narrowed and flicked over toto share with the class, Ms Kendrick?"

"Yes" I’d long since shed the Southern accent I’d had when I’d e of four, but I still had a habit of taking my time with my words "The Euid pace, "only freed slaves in the Confederate states The re nine hundred thousand slaves weren’t freed until the ratification of the Thirteenth Ahteen sixty-five"

A muscle in Mr Simpson’s jaw ticked " ‘The fool doth think he is wise,’ Ms Kendrick, ‘but the wisesince five that aze from his desk

I leaned back in my seat "Methinks the lady doth protest too uidance counselor scrolled through my file When I didn’t provide an immediate answer, she looked up from the computer, folded her hands on the desk, and leaned forward "I’ about the way Mr Simpson victimizes his most vulnerable students, I auidance counselor kryptonite She pressed her lips together in a thin line "And you think inappropriate backchat"--she read the phrase off the slip Mr Simpson had writtenyour concerns?"

I decided that was a rhetorical question

"Tess, this tiirls’ track team You had nearly perfect attendance You were, by all reports, sociable enough"

Not sociable, but sociable enough

"Now I’ assignments You’ve already missed five days this semester, and we’re not even three weeks in"

I shouldn’t have stayed hoivenup, that o days too many I should have kept my mouth shut in Simpson’s class I couldn’t afford to draw attention to myself To uidance counselor was relentless in her onslaught "You no longer seem to associate with any of your peers"

"My peers and I don’t have much in common"