Accelerated by Bronwen Hruska Page A

thing we know for sure, it’s that you are being pumped full of fascinating facts and skills that will serve you throughout your lifetime. You’re a lucky young man to be at a school like Bradley.”
    Across the table, Nicole narrowed her eyes. Had anyone else heard the snort? It was subtle, but audible.
    Sean slurped his pea soup as loudly as possible. “Wow this is good, Maureen. Bacon, right?”
    “Tastes more like ham hocks, actually.” Maureen turned to Nicole. “Everything all right, dear?” She poised the silver spoon at her lips.
    Sean glared at his sister. She knew better. But that rarely stopped her.
    Nicole grabbed a breadstick and crunched it aggressively. “Mmm.” It was more of a grunt than anything.
    This was when Ellie would swoop in with a Topic. He wracked his brain. All he could come up with was P. Diddy’s love child, Lindsay Lohan’s latest arrest, and the top ten celebrity divorces of the year. He had nothing.
    “Toby has a new teacher,” he blurted out. “She seems good, right, Tobe?” He realized a moment too late he’d made a tactical error. He was supposed to steer the conversation away from school.
    “I’m sure she’s wonderful,” Maureen said. “Bradley has its pick of the litter.”
    “Only the best,” Dick said, smugly.
    Nicole’s nostrils flared.
    Sean had to think of something benign, landmine-free. And quickly. “Crazy weather, huh?” He wished there were a hurricane or a tsunami somewhere to keep the conversation going.
    “Even though the teachers are excellent, I’ve always felt that Bradley’s academic excellence comes from the exceptional children they admit.” Maureen smiled at Toby.
    Nicole rolled her eyes and sat back heavily.
    Everyone turned to look at her.
    “Is something wrong?” Maureen’s eyebrows furrowed. She was oblivious.
    “No,” Nicole said. “Of course not. It’s just impressive that we’ve already started talking about how exceptional Bradley is and we haven’t even had the salad course yet.”
    “You disagree?”
    “Not everyone here goes to Bradley,” she said, modulating her voice. “Remember?”
    Maureen looked confused, then caught on. “Oh, well, I’m sure Kat’s school is just fine.”
    Kat smiled, unfamiliar with the concept of the backhanded compliment.
    “Really? Fine?”
    “We think Kat is a lovely girl,” Maureen said. “Public school is just so … fraught.”
    “Public school is the only option some of us have. Most people in the country go to public school. It’s a great, democratic education.”
    “Of course it is,” Dick chimed in. “Some wonderful minds have made it through the public system.”
    “Oh come on, you know I wasn’t saying that Kat isn’t smart,” Maureen said. “It’s just, well, I read the stories in the paper every day. I was just reading about the rubber room. Have you heard about that?” She turned to Sean. “The school isn’t allowed to fire the teachers because they’re unionized, but they don’t want them near the kids, so they keep them locked in the rubber room all day.” She snorted. “Bureaucracy. That’s what you get when New York City runs anything.”
    “Public schools have a lot going for them. I would have sent Toby to—”
    “And the money. New York City schools are always cutting programs. Art, music, gym … the city has decided they’re luxuries. It’s madness.”
    “You’re talking about Kat’s education,” Nicole reminded her.
    Maureen turned to Kat, who sat primly at her seat. “Sweetheart, how many teachers do you have in your classroom?”
    If she was doing what Sean thought she was doing, it was ill-advised.
    “We have Ms. Herbst.”
    “So just one.” Maureen nodded. “And how many children in a class?”
    “Twenty-eight.”
    “Wow,” Maureen said with a see-I-told-you-so tilt of her head. “That’s a lot of kids for one teacher to handle.”
    “At least they’re not snotty Bradley kids who go around bragging that they’re