me, he’d still be gunning for me.”
She grunted. “You said the only people who knew about the pipe were in the Chamber.”
“Yep.”
She glanced at me. “Woodsie?”
“I don’t know, Brooke. He said no, but it’s not like anybody is going to admit it. For all I know, Kennedy and Steven hate his guts, too.”
Just then, Chancellor Patterson floated across the courtyard, saw us, and came over. He smiled. “Jason, Brooke, wonderful to see both of you.”
We stood, shaking his hand. “Sure.”
“Your father called me this morning about the new wing,Jason, and I congratulated him on your running for president of the student council.” He paused, then went on. “He seemed … unaware of it. And of the innovative platform you, and your friends, of course, are running on.”
I groaned. Dead. My dad was going to kill me. Taking a breath, I erased the images flashing in my head of all the different and creative ways he could make me not living. Then it occurred to me what it felt like to know you’ve got nothing to lose. I met his eyes. “It is innovative, huh? We were just talking about how much the school would change if it happens.” I looked at him. “Lots would change, yes?”
“Well, Mr. Weatherby, that’s not for me to decide, is it?”
“No, it’s not,” I said.
He paused. “You know, Jason, I’ve been a teacher here for over thirty years. Chancellor for six.”
“Sucks for you, huh? Dealing with a bunch of rich pricks like me.”
“What I was alluding to is that politics play a tremendous part in Lambert’s history, and in my years here, I’ve never quite seen an attempt such as this.” He paused again, then went on. “To change the very foundation of what Lambert has become is … noble.”
I gawked. “You’re joking, right? You’ll have a quarter of this school’s parents knocking on your door if I win, and they’ll have your head on a platter.”
He smiled politely. “Need I remind you that I am merely the steward of policy at Lambert? The charter dictates, not I.”
I looked at him. “Why do you talk that way?”
He furrowed his brow.
“Never mind. My bad. What are you saying?”
His eyes met mine. “I’m saying, Mr. Weatherby, that I truly wish you the best of luck. And also that when I spoke to your father this morning, I was under the assumption that he knew of your undertakings here.”
I stared at him. “Really?”
He turned away, and as he did, that soft chuckle came again. “Things sometimes evolve in a way they shouldn’t, and oftentimes a person may find friends when there seem to be few around. My apologies for letting your cat out of the bag.”
That caught my attention. “You
want
us to win?”
He turned back, grinning. “Sometimes, Mr. Weatherby, rich pricks get tiresome.”
Then he was gone, and I felt like a total ass for assuming he was against us. “Huh.”
“What?” Brooke said.
“He’s stuck in the middle,” I laughed. “Just like me.”
She grinned. “Did you know he volunteers at a soup kitchen every weekend? My mom told me.”
“No, I didn’t.”
She nodded. “Not everybody is bad, Jason, and nobody is all bad.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
“G OT NEWS , J ASON.”
I looked at Woodsie. Class was out, and he’d caught up to me in the hall. “What?”
He looked away. “Carter called a Chamber meeting today at lunch. You weren’t invited.”
That didn’t surprise me a bit. “What happened?”
“He said you weren’t to be trusted, and that you needed to be stopped. I agreed.”
“You what?”
He nodded. “Yeah. That’s when I told him I was running for secretary of the student council. The same position as Singletary. He’ll be my competition.”
“Whoa, back up here. You agreed?”
“Yes. I’m running on a different platform than you. A neutral one. I told Carter it was to hedge the Chamber’s bet in controllingthings if you and Brooke and Elvis make it. I would be the swing vote, because Carter has
She grunted. “You said the only people who knew about the pipe were in the Chamber.”
“Yep.”
She glanced at me. “Woodsie?”
“I don’t know, Brooke. He said no, but it’s not like anybody is going to admit it. For all I know, Kennedy and Steven hate his guts, too.”
Just then, Chancellor Patterson floated across the courtyard, saw us, and came over. He smiled. “Jason, Brooke, wonderful to see both of you.”
We stood, shaking his hand. “Sure.”
“Your father called me this morning about the new wing,Jason, and I congratulated him on your running for president of the student council.” He paused, then went on. “He seemed … unaware of it. And of the innovative platform you, and your friends, of course, are running on.”
I groaned. Dead. My dad was going to kill me. Taking a breath, I erased the images flashing in my head of all the different and creative ways he could make me not living. Then it occurred to me what it felt like to know you’ve got nothing to lose. I met his eyes. “It is innovative, huh? We were just talking about how much the school would change if it happens.” I looked at him. “Lots would change, yes?”
“Well, Mr. Weatherby, that’s not for me to decide, is it?”
“No, it’s not,” I said.
He paused. “You know, Jason, I’ve been a teacher here for over thirty years. Chancellor for six.”
“Sucks for you, huh? Dealing with a bunch of rich pricks like me.”
“What I was alluding to is that politics play a tremendous part in Lambert’s history, and in my years here, I’ve never quite seen an attempt such as this.” He paused again, then went on. “To change the very foundation of what Lambert has become is … noble.”
I gawked. “You’re joking, right? You’ll have a quarter of this school’s parents knocking on your door if I win, and they’ll have your head on a platter.”
He smiled politely. “Need I remind you that I am merely the steward of policy at Lambert? The charter dictates, not I.”
I looked at him. “Why do you talk that way?”
He furrowed his brow.
“Never mind. My bad. What are you saying?”
His eyes met mine. “I’m saying, Mr. Weatherby, that I truly wish you the best of luck. And also that when I spoke to your father this morning, I was under the assumption that he knew of your undertakings here.”
I stared at him. “Really?”
He turned away, and as he did, that soft chuckle came again. “Things sometimes evolve in a way they shouldn’t, and oftentimes a person may find friends when there seem to be few around. My apologies for letting your cat out of the bag.”
That caught my attention. “You
want
us to win?”
He turned back, grinning. “Sometimes, Mr. Weatherby, rich pricks get tiresome.”
Then he was gone, and I felt like a total ass for assuming he was against us. “Huh.”
“What?” Brooke said.
“He’s stuck in the middle,” I laughed. “Just like me.”
She grinned. “Did you know he volunteers at a soup kitchen every weekend? My mom told me.”
“No, I didn’t.”
She nodded. “Not everybody is bad, Jason, and nobody is all bad.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
“G OT NEWS , J ASON.”
I looked at Woodsie. Class was out, and he’d caught up to me in the hall. “What?”
He looked away. “Carter called a Chamber meeting today at lunch. You weren’t invited.”
That didn’t surprise me a bit. “What happened?”
“He said you weren’t to be trusted, and that you needed to be stopped. I agreed.”
“You what?”
He nodded. “Yeah. That’s when I told him I was running for secretary of the student council. The same position as Singletary. He’ll be my competition.”
“Whoa, back up here. You agreed?”
“Yes. I’m running on a different platform than you. A neutral one. I told Carter it was to hedge the Chamber’s bet in controllingthings if you and Brooke and Elvis make it. I would be the swing vote, because Carter has
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