This wasn’t the way I did things. Jason Weatherby stood in the background, unconcerned and to himself. Now I was front and center, and my stomach complained about it. That, and Thomas Singletary was nowhere to be found.
As I turned to leave the cafeteria, Carter faced me. I don’t know how long he’d been standing there. His right arm was casted and in a sling, and his face was as hard as the lead pipe that had busted the bone. “So this is it, huh?” he said, motioning to the poster.
I nodded.
“You’re going to pay, Jason.”
“I’m changing this school. You can’t touch me.”
He smiled a wicked smile. “I’m not going to touch you, Jason”—he raised his cast—“just like you didn’t touch me.”
I frowned. “I don’t care if you think I did it or put somebody up to it or whatever. I didn’t. You’re a psycho.”
“And I don’t care if you didn’t do it, Jason. As I said before, we’re beyond that. You’ve started something you can’t stop.”
“Go to hell.”
He smiled again. “You have no idea where I am, Jason. None.” Then he turned, walking away.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
B ROOKE AND I sat under an elm tree in the courtyard during lunch. She brought out a croissant stuffed with cream cheese, ham, and sprouts. “Who broke his arm, Jason?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, it’s got to be somebody.”
I took a swig of Gatorade. “You don’t trust me, do you?” She ate.
“Tell me.”
She swallowed, taking a moment. “The truth?”
“Yes.”
“You and Carter hate each other, for one. For two, I could see anybody breaking his arm as some sort of justice for ordering Singletary’s arm broken, and for three, you come from a home with violence in it.” She glanced away. “I also heard about the fight you and Kennedy got into.”
I screwed the cap on my Gatorade and stood. “For one, Brooke, I don’t need your analysis of my life. For two, unlike you, my family isn’t all daisies and tulips, and for three, you don’t know shit about anything in my house.”
She blinked. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to …”
“To what? Judge me? Sort of like I
didn’t
judge you in the Chamber? Or
are
you a slut?”
Her chin quivered. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
“Well, it came out that way, and I don’t need it. I don’t lie, Brooke. I might be a coward and a slacker and everything else my dad says, but I’m not a liar.”
She took a deep breath, picking a sliver of grass and rolling it between her fingers. “You’re right. I trust you. I just don’t know what’s going to happen.”
I sat. “Me neither.”
“What if he goes after me? Or Elvis?”
“Then I’ll kill him,” I said, instantly regretting it. “Figuratively, I mean.”
“My mom is going to kill me when she finds out what we’re doing.”
“Figuratively?”
She laughed. “Yes.”
“Are you still on board?”
She nodded. “Elvis is uncontrollably nervous, Jason. When we were putting up our posters this morning, he excused himself to the bathroom to be sick.”
I chuckled. “He’ll do fine.”
“We still need a majority to do this, you know. If we only carry three seats, it’s not enough to bring a vote.”
I looked across the courtyard, where students gathered and wandered and hustled here and there. “Thomas Singletary.”
“What?”
“He’s running for a council position.”
Her eyes widened. “Joke of the year, right? He hates you.”
I nodded. “He might hate me, but he hates this school more.”
“Nobody knows him. He’s a mystery around here.” She paused. “A freaky one.”
“People aren’t going to vote for
somebody
, Brooke, they’re going to vote for a cause. Just like with Elvis.”
“What about the Chamber? They must know by now.”
“The Chamber can screw off.”
A moment passed before she spoke. “Does Carter still think it’s you?”
“I don’t think it matters to him now. He’s off his rocker, and I think even if he knew it wasn’t
As I turned to leave the cafeteria, Carter faced me. I don’t know how long he’d been standing there. His right arm was casted and in a sling, and his face was as hard as the lead pipe that had busted the bone. “So this is it, huh?” he said, motioning to the poster.
I nodded.
“You’re going to pay, Jason.”
“I’m changing this school. You can’t touch me.”
He smiled a wicked smile. “I’m not going to touch you, Jason”—he raised his cast—“just like you didn’t touch me.”
I frowned. “I don’t care if you think I did it or put somebody up to it or whatever. I didn’t. You’re a psycho.”
“And I don’t care if you didn’t do it, Jason. As I said before, we’re beyond that. You’ve started something you can’t stop.”
“Go to hell.”
He smiled again. “You have no idea where I am, Jason. None.” Then he turned, walking away.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
B ROOKE AND I sat under an elm tree in the courtyard during lunch. She brought out a croissant stuffed with cream cheese, ham, and sprouts. “Who broke his arm, Jason?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, it’s got to be somebody.”
I took a swig of Gatorade. “You don’t trust me, do you?” She ate.
“Tell me.”
She swallowed, taking a moment. “The truth?”
“Yes.”
“You and Carter hate each other, for one. For two, I could see anybody breaking his arm as some sort of justice for ordering Singletary’s arm broken, and for three, you come from a home with violence in it.” She glanced away. “I also heard about the fight you and Kennedy got into.”
I screwed the cap on my Gatorade and stood. “For one, Brooke, I don’t need your analysis of my life. For two, unlike you, my family isn’t all daisies and tulips, and for three, you don’t know shit about anything in my house.”
She blinked. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to …”
“To what? Judge me? Sort of like I
didn’t
judge you in the Chamber? Or
are
you a slut?”
Her chin quivered. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
“Well, it came out that way, and I don’t need it. I don’t lie, Brooke. I might be a coward and a slacker and everything else my dad says, but I’m not a liar.”
She took a deep breath, picking a sliver of grass and rolling it between her fingers. “You’re right. I trust you. I just don’t know what’s going to happen.”
I sat. “Me neither.”
“What if he goes after me? Or Elvis?”
“Then I’ll kill him,” I said, instantly regretting it. “Figuratively, I mean.”
“My mom is going to kill me when she finds out what we’re doing.”
“Figuratively?”
She laughed. “Yes.”
“Are you still on board?”
She nodded. “Elvis is uncontrollably nervous, Jason. When we were putting up our posters this morning, he excused himself to the bathroom to be sick.”
I chuckled. “He’ll do fine.”
“We still need a majority to do this, you know. If we only carry three seats, it’s not enough to bring a vote.”
I looked across the courtyard, where students gathered and wandered and hustled here and there. “Thomas Singletary.”
“What?”
“He’s running for a council position.”
Her eyes widened. “Joke of the year, right? He hates you.”
I nodded. “He might hate me, but he hates this school more.”
“Nobody knows him. He’s a mystery around here.” She paused. “A freaky one.”
“People aren’t going to vote for
somebody
, Brooke, they’re going to vote for a cause. Just like with Elvis.”
“What about the Chamber? They must know by now.”
“The Chamber can screw off.”
A moment passed before she spoke. “Does Carter still think it’s you?”
“I don’t think it matters to him now. He’s off his rocker, and I think even if he knew it wasn’t
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