power over it. There’s nothing worse than feeling powerless, but by performing the mental gymnastics I had eliminated that. Now, all I had to do was change Principal Lockhart’s mind before Friday’s deadline, and my problem would be solved.
Right.
Forty minutes into my problem solving Maudrina called.
“What happened?” That was how the conversation started. No, Hi, how are you? Why did you leave school early today? From the excitement in her voice, my big news had already spread across campus like the plague.
“I got suspended. For going to The Explosion. Leave it to me to be the first person in the history of G.U to get busted for attending The Explosion,” I grumbled.
“How did Lockhart know you were even there?”
“That boy that Guy did the mind thing on, Danny Tambor. He showed up in Principal Lockhart’s office this morning with all sorts of fake injuries from a beating he said he suffered at The Explosion. Seems the only person he could remember seeing there was me.” She was silent for a few moments. “Maudrina?You there?”
“Why do you suppose Principal Lockhart would listen to someone like him?”
I hadn’t thought about it. I’d been too busy trying to solve my problem. But now that Maudrina had mentioned it, there was something unnatural about the connection.
“I don’t know,” I breathed, my eyes dancing along the ceiling searching for an answer, my mind a-whirl. “What do you think?”
“Aunt Jaz warned us there were others out there who had it in for you.”
Satanists.
I gasped audibly as the impact of what she was implying hit home. “Look, I know Principal Lockhart can be a real witch, but that doesn’t make her a Satanist,” I said, trying to lighten the mood. “Satanists at G.U.? It’s absurd.”
“Is it?” Her tone was somber. “Think about it, Megan. Lockhart is a tough-as-nails principal. Why would she take the word of boy who I’m sure was a lousy student when he went to G.U.? It doesn’t make sense.”
“I don’t think she believes him,” I said, allowing the pieces to fall into place.“She saw an opportunity to put an end to The Explosion. The school board has wanted to put an end to it since it began. Danny Tambor is just a tool.”
“He’s a tool all right.”
I laughed for the first time all day. Maudrina was quite an amazing friend, always there when I needed her, always having my back.
“Wow,” I said with a dejected sigh. “I fooled myself into thinking I needed to convince Principal Lockhart she was acting on false information. But she doesn’t care. I admitted I was there. She’s going to squeeze me until I tell her what she wants to know, or she’s going to expel me.”
I was right back where I started.
“I still think we need to check out the Satanist angle. I’m going to run her name past Aunt Jaz, and see if it turns up anything.”
“Great,” I grumbled.
“Don’t sound like that. We’ve already beaten the devil. Lockhart is just a high school principal. She’s no match for us.”
I found myself smiling at Maudrina’s gumption. But Maudrina wasn’t the one who was about to get expelled, I was. I hoped she was right.
I asked her to collect my AP assignments for the week so that I wouldn’t fall behind.
#
It was six p.m. when Suze finally summoned me downstairs. She was standing in the entryway to the living room next to the grandfather clock we’d recently picked up at a garage sale. The clock didn’t work, which is why we got it so cheaply. Once it was cleaned up, though, it looked great in our entryway. That was all that mattered.
Suze appeared tired as I came down the stairs. She seemed older. It was as if realizing I wasn’t the girl she thought I was had added years to her life in a few short hours.
No teenager is exactly who their parents think they are. I don’t care how open and honest the relationship is. Being a teenager is like being a member of a secret society. Only members of the
Right.
Forty minutes into my problem solving Maudrina called.
“What happened?” That was how the conversation started. No, Hi, how are you? Why did you leave school early today? From the excitement in her voice, my big news had already spread across campus like the plague.
“I got suspended. For going to The Explosion. Leave it to me to be the first person in the history of G.U to get busted for attending The Explosion,” I grumbled.
“How did Lockhart know you were even there?”
“That boy that Guy did the mind thing on, Danny Tambor. He showed up in Principal Lockhart’s office this morning with all sorts of fake injuries from a beating he said he suffered at The Explosion. Seems the only person he could remember seeing there was me.” She was silent for a few moments. “Maudrina?You there?”
“Why do you suppose Principal Lockhart would listen to someone like him?”
I hadn’t thought about it. I’d been too busy trying to solve my problem. But now that Maudrina had mentioned it, there was something unnatural about the connection.
“I don’t know,” I breathed, my eyes dancing along the ceiling searching for an answer, my mind a-whirl. “What do you think?”
“Aunt Jaz warned us there were others out there who had it in for you.”
Satanists.
I gasped audibly as the impact of what she was implying hit home. “Look, I know Principal Lockhart can be a real witch, but that doesn’t make her a Satanist,” I said, trying to lighten the mood. “Satanists at G.U.? It’s absurd.”
“Is it?” Her tone was somber. “Think about it, Megan. Lockhart is a tough-as-nails principal. Why would she take the word of boy who I’m sure was a lousy student when he went to G.U.? It doesn’t make sense.”
“I don’t think she believes him,” I said, allowing the pieces to fall into place.“She saw an opportunity to put an end to The Explosion. The school board has wanted to put an end to it since it began. Danny Tambor is just a tool.”
“He’s a tool all right.”
I laughed for the first time all day. Maudrina was quite an amazing friend, always there when I needed her, always having my back.
“Wow,” I said with a dejected sigh. “I fooled myself into thinking I needed to convince Principal Lockhart she was acting on false information. But she doesn’t care. I admitted I was there. She’s going to squeeze me until I tell her what she wants to know, or she’s going to expel me.”
I was right back where I started.
“I still think we need to check out the Satanist angle. I’m going to run her name past Aunt Jaz, and see if it turns up anything.”
“Great,” I grumbled.
“Don’t sound like that. We’ve already beaten the devil. Lockhart is just a high school principal. She’s no match for us.”
I found myself smiling at Maudrina’s gumption. But Maudrina wasn’t the one who was about to get expelled, I was. I hoped she was right.
I asked her to collect my AP assignments for the week so that I wouldn’t fall behind.
#
It was six p.m. when Suze finally summoned me downstairs. She was standing in the entryway to the living room next to the grandfather clock we’d recently picked up at a garage sale. The clock didn’t work, which is why we got it so cheaply. Once it was cleaned up, though, it looked great in our entryway. That was all that mattered.
Suze appeared tired as I came down the stairs. She seemed older. It was as if realizing I wasn’t the girl she thought I was had added years to her life in a few short hours.
No teenager is exactly who their parents think they are. I don’t care how open and honest the relationship is. Being a teenager is like being a member of a secret society. Only members of the
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