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A frowning Kelsey occupies the third chair, and she’s got a lot to say “Principal Whit, useless turd”
I sit on a nearby crate full of printing paper “What’d he say?”
“Other than interrogating me on who pulled the fire alar, if he would have even noticed The fire alarm? Really?” She smacks her forehead and fu a part of normal-people world, it’s the damned unfair treatment of anyone who isn’t in football”
I lift an eyebrow “Normal-people world?”
“On the streets, things made better sense I knew my place I could fend for myself in any manner I chose If someone messed around with my food, oh, you’d better bet they’d meet Betsy”
Betsy is the name of a pink switchblade she’s had since she was nine—or so she says I never know if she’s carrying it on her, and I never ask If she’s caught with it, I’m sure she’d be expelled or worse, as weapons aren’t allowed on school grounds, so I just assume she keeps it at home Stashed under a pillow, perhaps
“But here?” she goes on “In normal-people world? I just can’t stand how many restrictions there are My dads remind me every day, too Can’t do this Can’t do that Law this Felony that Blah, blah It really sucks sometimes to have an ex-cop for a daddy” Kelsey eyes me suddenly “What did the principal ask you?”
I suddenly find I don’t want to talk about it anyainst the shelf of yearbooks at uys probably got off with a slap to their football-gloved wrists And I’uy hates me now”
Kelsey’s face wrinkles up “Hates you? No way He stood up for you He was just short a set of brass knuckles is all”
I shake my head “No I tried to thank him on his way into the principal’s office, but he …” The look Vann gaveit away, only to have his last, rude words replay in my ears instead “He probably thinks I’m a weak, spineless loser I could see it in his eyes He didn’t want to help uess”
“Compelled? Hm me “Maybe there’s more to this Donovan Pane fellow than meets the eye”
“Yeah … Other than he’s a jerk And a little bit of a prick And also ree”
Kelsey leans in and lowers her voice “And kind of hot, too”
Her lowered voice still carries and fills this cramped closet of a room Both our fellow yearbook staff aotten
Then the door opens, the frizzy-haired Ms Reyes rushes in with a, “Sorry, sorry, got held up in the teacher’s lounge! Phew, I should bring you guys soood,” and finally the five of us dive right into the usual brainstor ideas for the yearbook—noith the addition this year of Kelsey, who is quickly introduced to the others, despite us all knowing each other already The rest of the hour speeds by, and it isn’t long before seventh period findsTheatre Arts auditorium where the plays are performed Scattered around the seats are tiny cliques of theatre people I’ve never really grown that close to, chirping and chatting and being their bubbly selves And in the back row, I sit with -distance pen pal and occasional late-night-chatter Jih scores at the arcade, and after getting soay teen in a s brother I never had But with his own big brother being Spruce High’s football coach, I worry telling Jiht have an adverse domino effect
So once again, I’ve simply resolved to keep it all to myself It’s been my best plan of action so far, ever since the major incident that set rade
An incident I’m not sure I’ll ever fully recover from
When the final bell rings and I’ve grabbed all ht of a poster on the wall outside the lance, see called STAB But it actually stands for Spruce Teens Against Bullying, a group I’ve never attended I only spend half ain protecting the vulnerable within these walls