Matt, whose face had gone a nasty shade of gray. Tossing the megaphone back to the boy he had borrowed it from, he jumped off the bench and started walking rapidly in the direction of Wigglesworth.
Quickly weaving her way through the crowd, Callie followed him.
“And what are the rest of you doing standing around andstaring?” she heard Grace bark, still speaking into the megaphone. “Are we here to gawk, or are we here to save Latin?”
“ Salvum Latinae! ” several people cheered, waving their signs. “ Protestatione curriculum mutationes! ”
Callie had almost caught up to Matt when she heard someone call her name. “Andrews! Robinson! Just a minute, please.” As usual, that authoritative voice was impossible to disobey. “I’m flattered, Robinson,” the former managing editor continued bluntly as they turned to face her, “but I’m also gay.”
“Gay?” Matt repeated, his mouth hanging open.
“Yes,” said Grace. “As in I like girls, not boys.”
Callie stared at the trunk of the nearest tree. On the (long) list of her life’s all-time Most Awkward Moments, this had definitely just skyrocketed up into the top five, eclipsing that time she dropped a box of underwear in front of Gregory on the first day of school and then flashed the entire freshman class when she slipped in the dining hall a few days later.
Matt continued to gape. Grace watched him, waiting for a reaction. The silence lingered until Callie couldn’t take it anymore. “Thank you for, uh, choosing to confide in us,” she blurted, struggling to remember the contents of the “Coming Out” section of an LGBT pamphlet passed out on Diversity Day back in high school. “We, um, appreciate how difficult this must have been for you,” she continued, forcing herself to meet Grace’s eyes, “but we want you to know that we fully support you and…your lifestyle choices.”
To her great surprise, Grace started to laugh. “Don’t tell me youthought this was my first time coming out!” she roared, throwing her head back. “And to you two, of all people!”
Callie glanced at Matt, who still appeared dumbfounded.
Grace wiped her eyes. “Ah,” she sighed when she had regained her composure. “Sorry. I’ve been out for over a year—two years to my closest friends—and so I just assumed that by now everybody knew.”
“Well, clearly not everybody,” said Callie, almost cracking a smile. She poked Matt in the ribs.
He jumped, looking like a lovelorn puppy torn between embarrassment and relief. “Are you…sure?”
“Quite sure,” Grace replied, patting him on the arm. “Otherwise, I’m quite sure I would have accepted your invitation. Though maybe next time you ask a woman for a date, you should consider doing so in a less dramatic fashion. I am, after all, still your…boss.”
The last word hung in the air, technically no longer true.
Callie stared at the pavement.
“I will take that under advisement,” Matt murmured, his features finally relaxing. “And, er, Grace,” he said, glancing between her and Callie. “There’s something you should know. Callie didn’t write those Insider articles.”
“Then who did?” Grace asked, narrowing her eyes.
“I don’t know yet,” said Callie. “But I strongly suspect that Alexis Thorndike is involved.”
Matt grimaced. “That’s just one theory. But we don’t really have any evidence—”
“ Yet ,” Callie interjected.
“And I for one,” Matt pressed on, “am having difficulty believing that any one person could be so…well, evil. I mean, blackmailing and boyfriend stealing are one thing, but trying to ruin careers and get people expelled?”
“I wouldn’t underestimate her if I were you,” said Grace. “I believe she is capable of all that and more. But the question isn’t whether or not she would do it. The question is did she do it and, if so, how to prove it.”
Callie stared at her. If there was one person in the world who hated Lexi more
Quickly weaving her way through the crowd, Callie followed him.
“And what are the rest of you doing standing around andstaring?” she heard Grace bark, still speaking into the megaphone. “Are we here to gawk, or are we here to save Latin?”
“ Salvum Latinae! ” several people cheered, waving their signs. “ Protestatione curriculum mutationes! ”
Callie had almost caught up to Matt when she heard someone call her name. “Andrews! Robinson! Just a minute, please.” As usual, that authoritative voice was impossible to disobey. “I’m flattered, Robinson,” the former managing editor continued bluntly as they turned to face her, “but I’m also gay.”
“Gay?” Matt repeated, his mouth hanging open.
“Yes,” said Grace. “As in I like girls, not boys.”
Callie stared at the trunk of the nearest tree. On the (long) list of her life’s all-time Most Awkward Moments, this had definitely just skyrocketed up into the top five, eclipsing that time she dropped a box of underwear in front of Gregory on the first day of school and then flashed the entire freshman class when she slipped in the dining hall a few days later.
Matt continued to gape. Grace watched him, waiting for a reaction. The silence lingered until Callie couldn’t take it anymore. “Thank you for, uh, choosing to confide in us,” she blurted, struggling to remember the contents of the “Coming Out” section of an LGBT pamphlet passed out on Diversity Day back in high school. “We, um, appreciate how difficult this must have been for you,” she continued, forcing herself to meet Grace’s eyes, “but we want you to know that we fully support you and…your lifestyle choices.”
To her great surprise, Grace started to laugh. “Don’t tell me youthought this was my first time coming out!” she roared, throwing her head back. “And to you two, of all people!”
Callie glanced at Matt, who still appeared dumbfounded.
Grace wiped her eyes. “Ah,” she sighed when she had regained her composure. “Sorry. I’ve been out for over a year—two years to my closest friends—and so I just assumed that by now everybody knew.”
“Well, clearly not everybody,” said Callie, almost cracking a smile. She poked Matt in the ribs.
He jumped, looking like a lovelorn puppy torn between embarrassment and relief. “Are you…sure?”
“Quite sure,” Grace replied, patting him on the arm. “Otherwise, I’m quite sure I would have accepted your invitation. Though maybe next time you ask a woman for a date, you should consider doing so in a less dramatic fashion. I am, after all, still your…boss.”
The last word hung in the air, technically no longer true.
Callie stared at the pavement.
“I will take that under advisement,” Matt murmured, his features finally relaxing. “And, er, Grace,” he said, glancing between her and Callie. “There’s something you should know. Callie didn’t write those Insider articles.”
“Then who did?” Grace asked, narrowing her eyes.
“I don’t know yet,” said Callie. “But I strongly suspect that Alexis Thorndike is involved.”
Matt grimaced. “That’s just one theory. But we don’t really have any evidence—”
“ Yet ,” Callie interjected.
“And I for one,” Matt pressed on, “am having difficulty believing that any one person could be so…well, evil. I mean, blackmailing and boyfriend stealing are one thing, but trying to ruin careers and get people expelled?”
“I wouldn’t underestimate her if I were you,” said Grace. “I believe she is capable of all that and more. But the question isn’t whether or not she would do it. The question is did she do it and, if so, how to prove it.”
Callie stared at her. If there was one person in the world who hated Lexi more
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