busted by emma harrison

7/21/2019 BUSTED by Emma Harrison

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Busted by Emma Harrison

BUSTED

BY

EMMA HARRISON

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Chapter One

Ask anyonewell, anyone who knows meand they will tell

you that I have this 1uncannyability for finding the fun. It doesntmatter how 2sedate the situation, how 3staidthe partiipants, I, !im"tratford, will inspire laughter where there is only misery. I an bring#effervescence to plaes where boredom seems to $permeatethe verywalls. I am the %indomitablemistress of &mayhem.

'(amples) *ou ask for e(amples) +o problem. I have a plethoraof good stories.

-ow about last year when we were all fored to sit throughareer planning with r. /inters, the guidane ounselor of 0doom,and I redued the entire lassroom to hysteris by repeatedly insistingI wanted to pursue a areer in highend porn) I know. It was1ingenious.4 5r when my mother and I went to Aunt 6enees for7hanksgiving and I refused to give up until I persuaded even my11execrable8nle organ to play 12charades. -e did a killer 9aws, bythe way4. :ast summer, I even got the rowd giggling at the funeral ofmy best friend, ;orinne, when I brought up her maaroniandheeseobsession during my 13eulogy. 5kay, so maybe I didnt find the fun

1 uncanny. weird

2 sedate dull

3 staid serious or dull

4 effervescence sparkle

5 permeate penetrate

6 indomitable unconquerable

mayhem. !a"oc# plethora e$cess or lar%e number

& doom. unpleasant or disastrous destiny

1' ingenious cle"er or inspired

11 execrable terrible or dis%ustin%

12 charades. player acts out a p!rase (or ot!ers to %uess

13 eulogy speec! %i"en at a (uneral

2


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for myself that dayit was ne(t to impossiblebut I did find it forother people.

"o why, I ask you, why was I sitting there for the fifth afternoonin a row, wathing yet another 1#appalling, mindnumbingly stupidsoap opera) -ad I really sunk so very low)

It was my first ever winter break from ollege. 5ne month bakat my house in ;onnetiut, where there was virtually nothing to do, Iwas faing four whole weeks 1$sequesteredfrom all the new friendsId made at "tanford 8niversity in the first few months of myfreshman year, and I was 1%wallowing. Im not proud to admit it, but I

was. It was about twenty degrees outside and I 1&abhor the old,unless, of ourse, Im on the slopes with my snowboard, sportingsome 1sleek, se(y and 10imperviousboarding gear. I had already readevery last book I would be re


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the past semester, for whih I take the 2%bruntof the responsibility. Ihadnt been very 2&fastidiousabout returning phone alls and emails,preferring not to be reminded of senior year and of ;orinne. I was

ready to move on. And when I first stepped off the fivehour flight to;alifornia I was over>oyed by my 2fortuitous hoie of shools."tanford was so far away from the Ivies on the 'ast ;oast where mostof my friends were going that Id never be e(peted to see them. Itwas a new life for me. A new start.

+ow, of ourse, I was paying for it. 7hey all had given up on me,for good reason, and there was no one I ould all, no one to distrat

me from the talk shows and the20

turgiddramas of these horrid overators. y life had beome so 3insipidI ould hardly even stand to bearound myself.

I glaned around the 31impeccablykept living roommy motheris a neat freak while I tend toward the messylooking for somethingto inspire me. oms many awards of servie, 32extollingher virtuesas a poliewoman, lined the walls. y karate and trak trophies weredisplayed with pride along the mantle. 7he eclectic olletion ofbooks and videos we had 33amassedsine I was a kideverythingfrom ?ree to @e *ou and e to ;harlies Angels 1 and 2paked theshelves 3#adjacent to the fireplae, but none of them was interestingenough to stir me from the omfort of the ouh. 7he 3$effulgentsun

26 brunt wei%!t or burden

2 fastidious care(ul or attenti"e

2# fortuitous lucky

2& turgid sti(( or stilted3' insipid dull

31 impeccably. (lawlessly

32 extolling praisin%

33 amassed. collected

34 adjacent to ne$t to

35 effulgent bri%!t or beamin%

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3%glintedoff the snowovered lawn outside, blinding me whenever Imade the mistake of looking toward the window. I 3&squinted andovered my eyes. 7his was sad. I was beoming allergi to sunlight.

5kay, !imbo, time to get off your ass, I told myself. 3Musteringall my energy, I pushed myself from the omfy 30faux-suedeushionsand padded over to the mirror to hek my refletion. It was beyond#mortifying. y skin was so #1pastyyoud think I was a #2nocturnalbeing 7rs vampiri. y short brown hair was #3mussedinto spikes onone side. I even had the pattern of the plaid throw pillow imprintedon my heek. It was time, as they say, to get a life.

At that moment one of those ##ebullientommerials ame onthe 7, #$touting the energiBing effets of some nutritionalsupplement for the elderly. I saw the refletion of the sreen in themirror and aught a glimpse of an anient ouple riding their bikesalong a path, smiling all the way. "uddenly I had an #%epiphany. Iould do that. I had a bike . . . somewhere. "o what if it was #&subzerotemperatures out there) I had to do something.

I hanged into a pair of warm leggings, my favorite "tanford#sweatshirtand my #0windbreaker, got my hair under ontrol with a

36 glinted. be s!iny* as i( wet or %listened

3 squinted. partly close one+s eyes* as w!en !it by direct blindin% li%!t or squinc!ed

3# mustering %at!erin%

3& faux-suede. man)made ,synt!etic- leat!er wit! a napped sur(ace

4' mortifying s!ame(ul

41 pasty. pallid or pale

42 nocturnal acti"e at ni%!t

43 mussed. made messy or untidy44 ebullient bri%!t and c!eer(ul

45 touting. ad"ertiin% in stron%ly positi"e terms/ boastin%

46 epiphany sudden realiation or awakenin%

4 subzero. below (reein%* lower t!an ero de%rees

4# sweatshirt. cotton knit pullo"er wit! lon% slee"es worn durin% at!letic acti"ity/ pullo"er

4& windbreaker. a kind o( !ea"y 0acket or parka

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ski hat and headed out to the garage. It took a few minutes to$excavatemy dirt bike from the bak of the room, whih served as astorage plae for all $1discarded furniture, applianes and $2sundry

items that my mother ouldnt seem to part with but refused to keepin her $3meticulouslylean house. @y the time Id filled the tires withair and heked the brakes, I was $#raringto go.

As soon as I was out on the road I felt a million times better. 7heold air in my lungs and the pumping of my musles brought on alightheaded kind of $$euphoria. -ow had I forgotten how muhbetter e(erise always made me feel) I definitely needed to get out

more. I rode to the end of my blok, slowing down as I passed thehouses of my former friendshomes where Id attended doBens ofslumber parties, obsessive @uffy viewings and ountless >unk food$%fests. /hen I ame to ;orinnes house I pedaled a little bit faster.7here were ertain things I >ust ouldnt $&ruminateon.

I turned down orrison "treet, the main avenue of orrison,;onnetiut, my $quainthometown, whih was lined with omandCop businesses, the town library and the $0obligatoryDap. 7he windwas biting against my fae, but I ouldnt help smiling. I felt like I wasriding down memory lane as I Boomed by -Eagen=aBs and theorrison =iner, the only two hangouts for kids in this town. I rodethrough eterans Cark and the benh where ;had artin had given

5' excavate di% out

51 discarded t!rown away

52 sundry. consistin% o( a !ap!aard assortment o( di((erent kinds/ mi$ed

53 meticulously care(ully or t!orou%!ly54 raring. (ull o( ea%erness

55 euphoria e$!ilaration or 0oy

56 fests. a %at!erin% or e"ent wit! a particular (ocus

5 ruminate t!ink o"er

5# quaint old)(as!ioned or c!armin%

5& obligatory una"oidable or necessary

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me my first ever kissand the last kiss for a long time. It was sosloppyF /ho wanted to do that again) :ittle did I know that ;hadwas >ust a smoohing %novicelike me. 5ver the last ouple of years

Ive definitely improved, though I dont know if ;had an say thesame.4

?inally I ame to orrison -igh "hool where lass was insession. 7he Amerian flag on the front lawn whipped around in thewind, and as I looked up at it, I ouldnt help realling when it hadflown at %1half-mastlast year for a month after the senior prom.

If it hadnt been for me it never would have been lowered, a little

voie in my head taunted me. I pulled my ap down to over my earsand raed away, pushing the thoughts from my mind. Im an e(pertat issueavoidane4. As I hit the orner the bell %2pealed behind me,signaling the end of lasses. I pedaled even harder. 7he last thing Iwanted was a reunion with some of this years seniors. I took the=onnybrook hill at a rate that would have made :ane Armstrongproud.

5n the other side of the hill, I normally would have >ust%3coasted, but I felt the need to esapeto put as muh distane aspossible between myself and the shoolso I pedaled >ust as hard as Ihad on the way up. y insane %#momentumtoward the bottom of thehill sent my heart into my throat, and I slammed on the brakes,stopping >ust seonds before %$hurtling into traffi at a fourwayintersetion. I plaed my feet on the ground and aught my breath.

6' novice be%inner61 half-mast. a position some distance below t!e top o( a mast to w!ic! a (la% is lowered in

mournin% or to si%nal distress

62 pealed ran%

63 coasted. mo"e easily (orward wit!out applyin% more power

64 momentum (orce o( motion

65 hurtling. makin% a t!rustin% (orward mo"ement or lun%in%


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/anting to esape was one thing. %%ndangeringmy own life wasanother.

Det a grip, I told myself. If I ouldnt be out on the streets oforrison without having a nervous breakdown, then I was in for onetough winter break.

Aross the street was the orrison Colie "tation, my mothershome away from home. I saw her 7aurus parked in the spot markedG6eserved for the ;hief of ColieH and smiled, my heart swelling withpride. y mother had worked so %&diligently to beome the firstfemale hief in the ounty. I bet she grinned to herself every morning

when she pulled into that spae.

/hen the light turned green I pushed my bike through theintersetion, deiding to surprise my mother with a visit. "he hadgone in early that morning and would be off in about an hour. aybeI ould hang out for a while and then we ould go %chowdown on apiBBa together. 7he only thing better than the %0blissof a good ridewas the reward of a steaming pepperoni piBBa afterward.

I loked my bike up outside and &barreled through the frontdoor of the station, into the &1rusticfront offie. ;hief !no(, the manwho had &2abdicated the position of polie hief to my mother, hadbeen an &3avidhunter and fisherman. -ed had the station outfittedlike a log abin with woodpaneled walls, benhes made of ut logs,

66 endangering puttin% in dan%er

6 diligently t!orou%!ly or industriously

6# chow. in(ormal term (or a meal

6& bliss pleasure or en0oyment' barreled. mo"ed alon% "ery quickly

1 rustic old)(as!ioned or rural

2 abdicated abandoned

3 avid. marked by acti"e interest and ent!usiasm

4 outfitted. (urnis!ed wit! essential equipment (or a particular occupation or undertakin%

occupation or equipped

#


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and paintings of various fish &$indigenousto the lakes and streams of;onnetiut. y mother had taken the &%helm only last year, andredeorating hadnt been her top priority, so the &&vestiges of ;hief

!no( remained.

G-ey, "elmaFH I said to the &diminutive female offier whoalways worked the desk.

"he was the only other woman on the sar full of s forthe taking. "he even hanged them with the seasons, making sure tobuy the orange and blak ones in 5tober, the pastel ones around'aster, and the red and green ones at ;hristmastime. *ou had to lovethat kind of attention to detailor be slightly afraid of it.

It was 9anuary now, so the s were bak to beingmultiolored. "hed probably tossed any 1superfluous red and green

andies first thing in the morning on =eember 2%. @ut even for all her2quirks, I liked "elma. "he always had a smile for everyone.

G!imF Its so good to see youFH she 3trilled, grinning up at me.G-ows shool)H

G?antasti, thanks,H I replied honestly, wishing I was bak in my

5 indigenous nati"e

6 helm. leaders!ip

vestiges traces or remnants# diminutive tiny

& infuse (ill or introduce

#' pastel. delicate and pale in color

#1 superfluous e$tra or unnecessary

#2 quirks. stran%e attitude or !abits

#3 trilled spoke musically or warbled

&


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dorm right about then. 7he emotional bike ride had taken a lot out ofme.

G-ere to see your mom)H "elma asked.

G*ep,H I replied, pulling off my knit hat. "elmas eyes traveled upto my hair, whih I was sure was stiking out in a million diretionsdue to stati. GIs she busy)H

G"hes in with 7ad and Juiny,H "elma said. G"o probably not,Hshe added with a little wink.

7ad and Juiny were the two detetives on the orrison s


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through the desks to get to my moms offie at the bak of the station./hen I was a few feet away I heard raised voies on the other side ofthe 02shuttered glass walls that surrounded her offie. I paused,03flabbergasted. It was ompletely 0#bizarre to hear yelling in thenormally 0$sereneoffie. +ot muh happens in a sleepy town likeorrison4. 0%!ntrigued, I paused outside the windowwalls to listen.

G7he 0&headmastersays the problem has >ust been 0exacerbatedsine ;hristmas break,H I heard Juiny say in his highpithed voie.-e sounded 00tremulous, like whatever he was talking about was aserious and somewhat sary issue. G7hey >ust had to e(pel five kids

and theyve offiially reust to get ummy and=addys attention. /hy was I not surprised they had a drug issue thathad grown into a 12predicament worthy of polie involvement)

&2 shuttered. pro"ided wit! s!utters o(ten used in combination/ closed

&3 flabbergasted stunned

&4 bizarre stran%e

&5 serene peace(ul or calm

&6 intrigued interested or absorbed& headmaster. presidin% o((icer o( a sc!ool or sc!oolmaster

exacerbated intensi(ied or made worse

&& tremulous unsteady or tremblin%

1'' upscale. desi%ned (or consumers wit! !i%! incomes

1'1 snobs. re%arded as arro%ant and annoyin% people

1'2 predicament problem or dilemma

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G*eah, 9enna, thats the problem,H 7ad said.

GId prefer it if youd address me as ;hief "tratford,H my mother13snapped. G5r >ust plain K;hief would be fine.H

I grinned. Do, om.

G"orry, ;hief,H 7ad 1#amended1$acerbically. y mother wiselyhose to ignore his tone. 7he last thing she needed right then was apointless 1%altercation. G@ut weve been over this already. +one of usis going to pass as a high shool kid. /e dont have anyone in the1&precinctunder thirty.H

GIf youre about to suggest yet again that we all in the "tateColie, save your breath,H my mother said.

GIm sorry to say it, ;hief, but it looks like were gonna have to,HJuiny replied, sounding like he didnt want to 1contravenebut feltit was his only option. G7heres no other way.H

G7here has to be,H my mother insisted.

I knew my mother was being 10obstinatebeause of her outof

ontrol pride. /hen shed been promoted to hief a lot of people hadpredited she would failthat she didnt have enough e(periene totake over. 7he last thing she wanted to do was all for help and proveall those 11incendiariesrightprove that a woman ouldnt 111hackitas hief of polie.

1'3 snapped. uttered in an an%ry* s!arp* or abrupt tone

1'4 amended. made better impro"ed

1'5 acerbically bitterly or sarcastically1'6 altercation ar%ument

1' precinct. city district marked out (or administrati"e purposes

1'# contravene disobey

1'& obstinate stubborn

11' incendiaries people w!o stir up trouble

111 hack. be able to mana%e or mana%e success(ully

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G/ere >ust going to have to find someone who an pass as ateenager and 112deputizethem,H my mother said.

"uddenly I felt a rush of e(itement rash over me. "omeone whoould pass as a teenager . . . . -ell. I was a teenager. aybe I ould doit. I wouldnt mind spending a few days at -ereford finding out whatit was really like. y friends and I had always speulated about whatthe lasses were like, how the plae was run, whether they had a issinhintype headmistress 113policing the halls. I would kill to getinside -ereford. +ot to mention how ool it would be to 11#collaroneof those trustfund babies for dealing.

@ut was I up to the >ob)

*ou so know you an do this, I told myself, my palms beginningto sweat and ausing the dye to smear all over my skin. :astsummer Id partiipated in the ountys :aw 'nforement Internprogram and had been their numberone 11$recruit. Id learned allabout the various enforeable laws, how to


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I popped the last few s into my mouth and thrust open thedoor to my moms offie. 7ad, tall and 110sinuous, was hovering overmy moms desk. "he and the 12rotundJuiny both stood the moment

I walked in. y moms fae was lined with surprise and onfusionover the lear sense of purpose on my fae.

GIll do it,H I announed, 121bubblingover. G=eputiBe me, om.Im going in.H

11& sinuous %race(ul

12' rotund (at or round

121 bubbling. !i%! spirits or e$citement

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Chapter "wo

It took my mother a few seonds to reover from her shok, but

when she did, she was 122adamant.

G8huh. +o way, no how,H she said. Juiny and 7ad steppedout of her way as she rounded the desk. y mother is an123impervious woman, to say the least. 7all and strong, she has asaw thats even more 12#pronounced when shes at workbeause she always has her red hair pulled bak in a bun. Idobviously taken after my father more. 12$#eredity ould be weird that

way. I hadnt laid eyes on my dad in eleven years, but I saw himevery time I looked in the mirror. @esides, I kept a photo album12%repletewith family photos under my bed so I knew he was short,dark and 12&pudgylike me.

/ell, Im not usually pudgy, but that G12freshman fifteenH thingis no myth, let me tell you.

G;ome on, om,H I said, rossing my arms over my hest and

looking up at her, trying to onvey120

resolution with my eyes. GIm allover this. *ou know me. Ill be walking out the front gates of thatdump with your suspet in hand in less than a week.H

13$udacious, I know, but I had to be. "he was looking at me all

122 adamant stubborn

123 imperious bossy or commandin%

124 pronounced. easily noticeable

125 heredity in!erited traits126 replete (illed or (ull

12 pudgy. s!ort and plump ,c!ubby-

12# freshman fifteen. re(ers to an amount o( wei%!t o(ten %ained durin% a student+s (irst year

at a colle%e or uni"ersity

12& resolution determination or (irmness

13' audacious bold or darin%

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131dubiouslike I was some kind of 132feeble little girlygirl. "o not thease. I dont even own one artile of pink lothing, let alone a bottle ofnail polish. And even if I did deide to go out tomorrow and wipe out

the @etsey 9ohnson setion at :ord 7aylor, I ould take are ofmyself, lae skirts and all.

G!im, I dont know what you overheard, but Im not sendingyou in on this ase and thats final,H my mother said, her >awlenhing. G*oure not even on the fore.H

G@ut you said yourself you ould deputiBe somebody,H I said,throwing out a hand as she turned her bak on me and went behind

her desk again. I ould feel the adrenaline mounting in my veins and Irefused to be 133deterred. GIm eighteen. Im totally deputiBable.H

5kay. "ometimes I make up words.

y mother sighed as if she was suddenly 13#encumberedby theweight of the world. "he did that around me a lot. "ometimes I thinkshe would have rather had a more 13$acquiescent daughter, but Iknew she loved me. =eep down she appreiated my 13%ferventspirit. I

ould tell by the way she looked at me whenever I kiked ass in akarate math or ame home with another detention for talking bak tomy 13&misogynistichigh shool history teaher, r. ;onroy. "he wasproud of me. I >ust wore her out sometimes.

G!im, this is not even an issue,H my mother told me, looking mein the eye. GIm not sending my only daughter into a potentiallydangerous situation.H

131 dubious doubt(ully132 feeble weak

133 deterred discoura%ed

134 encumbered burdened

135 acquiescent passi"e or unresistin%

136 fervent !ot)blooded

13 misogynistic. !atin% women in particular

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I 13scoffed. G-ow dangerous ould it be) Its -ereford. /hat areyou afraid theyre going to do to memake me wear @urberry)H 7adlaughed, and my mother shot him a 130reprovinglook that ould have

melted steel. Juiny, meanwhile, leared his throat and started togrow flushed and 1#patchyaround his heeks and nek. I ould tellthere was something he wanted to say, and from the almost1#1penitentway he was looking at my mother, I had a feeling he wasgoing to agree with me.

+ieF

G/hat is it, Juiny)H my mother demanded.

G/ell, ;hief,H he said, shifting from one foot to the other. GIthink !im would be perfet for the >ob.H

G5h, you do, do you)H my mother asked, 1#2lacingher fingerstogether. -er fae seemed to go flat and Juinys only reddenedfurther.

GIm with Juiny on this,H 7ad put in. G!im was a 1#3stellarreruit in last years summer program. "he an handle those 1##tarts

over at -ereford.H

I smirked at his use of the word Gtarts.H 7ad was nothing if notpolitially inorret and, well, 1#$crude. @ut everyone in orrison hadthe same opinion of the kids who attended -ereford. It was a wellofftown, but ompared to the students at the private shool, we were

13# scoffed 0eered or lau%!ed at

13& reproving disappro"in%14' patchy. une"en

141 penitent apolo%etic

142 lacing. entwinin%

143 stellar. indicatin% t!e most important per(ormer or role

144 tarts. a promiscuous woman

145 crude "ul%ar or o((ensi"e

1


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pratially 1#%indigent. It wasnt >ust about the money either. 7hesekids were total snobs. All they ever did was ome into town in theirbrandspankin new @/s and toss out insults to all us GtowniesH as

they so originally alled us. 'ither that or rae their rides out on 6oute23 and put eah other in the hospital. 7hey were nothing but a bunhof >erks.

G;ome on, ;hief,H Juiny said. GDive !im a hane.H

I had to 1#&preen slightly. It was kind of ool how both Juinyand 7ad had suh onfidene in me. If only my mother ould >ump onthe bandwagon.

I grinned at my mother and reeived a blank stare in return.Apparently 7ad and Juinys arguments hadnt e(atly been1#efficacious. +ot that I was surprised. y mothers 1#0hidewas ashard as rok.

G/ould you two gentlemen e(use us, please)H my motherasked, keeping her eyes on me.

G"ure, ;hief,H Juiny said


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G!im, I dont think you understand the seriousness of thesituation,H my mother began. GI know youre a very 1$3self-sufficientperson, and I know you did well in the ourse last summer, but that

does not mean you are prepared to take on a ase like this on yourown.H

GI wont be on my own,H I told her. G*ou guys will help me,right) Its not like youre going to drop me off in the 1$#hallowedhallsof -ereford and >ust leave me to my own 1$$devices.H

G5f ourse not. If I were to send you in we would be in onstantontat,H my mother replied. G@ut !im, going underover is a very

deliate skill. It takes 1$%finesse . . . it takes 1$&cunning . . . it takesimaginationG

G:ike I dont 1$exemplify all those things,H I said, rolling myeyes.

G!imG

Gom, listen,H I said, 1$0curtailingwhatever she had planned forher ne(t 1%harangue. I walked over and leaned my hands into her

desk so I ould look down on her. It wasnt often I got to take the1%1domineering 1%2stance with my mother. I knew I was being1%3pertinacious, but I had to do what I had to do.

153 self-sufficient. able to pro"ide (or your own needs wit!out !elp (rom ot!ers

154 hallowed sacred or respected

155 devices. any cle"er maneu"er

156 finesse %race or (lair

15 cunning slyness or sneakiness15# exemplify ser"e as an e$ample o(

15& curtailing !oldin% back

16' harangue lecture or criticism

161 domineering dominant

162 stance position or "iewpoint

163 pertinacious constant

1&


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GIf theres a drug problem at -ereford, I want to help.H "heblinked, and I ould tell she was starting to understand e(atly why Iwas so 1%#resoluteabout this. GI have to help,H I added, >ust to drive

the point home.

G!im . . . ,H my mother said in a tone that told me she wasbreaking.

GClease, om,H I said. G9ust give me a hane. I swear I wont letyou down.H

y mother took a deep breath and let it out very slowly. G?ine,Hshe said finally. G@ut one thing goes wrong up there on that ampusand you are outta there. +o umping up. A pak of butterflies went wild in mystomah. G*esF 7hank you, thank you, thank youFH

I ran around the desk and gave her a big hug, and my mothersust say that)

G5kay, these are your suspets,H 7ad told me, laying threephotographs on the table in front of me. It was the following morning,and I was sitting in the onferene room at the polie station, my bak1%%rigid. I had worn my most boring brown sweater and my leanest

>eans to 1%&engenderan air of responsibility, but 7ads businesslikedemeanor only served to make me feel like the 1%inept1%0rookieI was.

164 resolute (irm or stead(ast165 reluctantly unwillin%ly

166 rigid (irm or sti((

16 engender produce

16# inept clumsy or unskilled

16& rookie. amateur or be%inner

2'


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Id woken up with slightly less onfidene than Id e(hibited theday before. aybe that rush of 1&aplomb Id had was >ust an1&1extensionof the rolleroaster emotions Id been e(periening, but

by the light of a new day the truth was lear.

I mean, yeah, I was a good atress. /itness the lightheartednessat the funeral and the total dupe Id pulled on my guidane ounselor.7he man is a 1&2dunce, but still4. "o maybe I ould make thepopulation of -ereford believe I was >ust another rih student, butwho knew if I was a good detetive) /hat if I went in there and1&3tanked) /hat if I let my mother down and embarrassed her) 7his

was so important to her. /hat was the headmaster of -ereford goingto think if the 1emissaryfrom the loal polie department ouldnteven navigate the shool or keep the suspets straight) I dont havethe greatest attention span.4

I ouldnt do this. /ho was I kidding)

I sipped at my =unkin =onuts offee and glaned at the loseddoor as 7ad momentarily turned his bak on me. /hat were the

hanes I ould1&$

abscond with a >elly donut and make a lean1&%getaway)

G!im, have you even looked at the photos)H 7ad demanded.

I glaned up at him with 1&&trepidation. ?or all the 1&acclaimhed

1' aplomb sel()con(idence or ease

11 extension product or out%rowt!

12 dunce (ool or idiot13 tanked. cras!ed and burned/ (ailed badly

14 emissary representati"e or a%ent

15 abscond run away

16 getaway. escape

1 trepidation (ear or ner"ousness

1# acclaim praise

21


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1&0heapedupon me the day before, he was bak to being 1abrasivetoday. 7alk about 11fickle. @ut if 7ad was having his doubts, maybemy doubts were 12well-founded. "till, somehow I didnt want to let

him see me sweat.

G"orry,H I told him, setting the offee aside. I used my fingertipsto slide the three photographs toward me. 7he first 13depicted ahandsome guy with urly brown hair, broad shoulders and an open,1#genialsmile. It was learly his lass piture beause he was posed inan unomfortable position in front of a featureless bakground. 7hepiee of tape slapped on the bottom of the piture read G=avid 6and.H

G=avid has a reord,H 7ad began, sitting down aross from me.G-es from @rooklyn and hes got two arrests under his belt. 5ne forbreaking and entering, although no harges were brought. 7he otherfor possession of mari>uana.H

Cossession of mari>uana. :ike that was suh a shoker in this dayand age. +ot that I would ever say that to 7ad, who would definitelygo on a 1$tirade1%enumeratingthe evils of drug use. I didnt need to

hear it beause I was right there with him. y generation may havebeen all about the easy high, but I had never touhed the stuff, noranything harder. I kind of wished no one around me had.

I looked at the =avids sweet fae again. -e hardly seemed like a1&hardenedriminal.

1& heaped. piled

1#' abrasive %rouc!y or irritatin%

1#1 fickle unpredictable or unreliable1#2 well-founded. tenable ,based on sound reasonin% or e"idence-

1#3 depicted s!owed

1#4 genial (riendly

1#5 tirade outburst

1#6 enumerating listin% or namin%

1# hardened. con"erted to solid (orm ,as concrete-

22


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G/hy were no harges brought on the first arrest)H I asked.

GDood


24/222


G7hat kid is an All"tar football, basketball and baseball player,H7ad 103clarified. GAnd get thishe runs an 10#intramural karateleague.H

G;ool,H I said, looking down at the photo. "omehow, eventhough he was a fellow 10$devoteeof the martial arts, I took an instantdislike to arshall. -e had one of those 10%haughty e(pressions Ie(peted from kids at -ereford. -is hin was slightly raised and hissmile was almost a smirk. -e was handsome, no doubt. @road andathleti with dark skin and dark eyes, but I ould pratially hear himin my head going on and on about how great he was.

Im so hot . . . Im so ool . . . Im so rih I ould buy you and yourfamily . . . .

G+ow, arshalls a suspet beause hes at -ereford on fullsholarship,H 7ad said.

y line of thought was 10&disrupted and I flushed withembarrassment. 5kay, so he wasnt rih. "o muh for >umping toonlusions. G/hy does that make him a suspet)H I asked.

GIts not that. Its the fat that even though hes dirtpoor and onsholarship, hes always walking around with all the same toys theother -ereford kids have,H 7ad e(plained, leaning both elbows on thetable. GCalmCilot. . . iCod . . . laptop omputer and on and on.H

G"o wheres he getting the money)H I said, my brain starting toome to life. I felt like I was beginning to 10hone my investigative

1&3 clarified e$plained or made clear

1&4 intramural. intra%roup or occurrin% wit!in an institution or community

1&5 devotee (an or ent!usiast

1&6 haughty proud or conceited

1& disrupted interrupted or disturbed

1 hone s!arpen

24


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skills right here. y level of onfidene 100mounted, and I shiftedforward in my seat.

G'(atly,H 7ad said with a satisfied smile. G;ould be drugmoney.H

I laid arshalls piture on top of =avids and grabbed the ne(tone. 7his kid had 2juveniledelinquentwritten all over him. 21%allidskin, a 22furtivee(pression. *ou ould pratially feel the tension inthe piture, like as soon as it had been snapped hed 23boltedfor thenearest door. -e had dark, shaggy hair and a bit of 2#stubblearoundhis hin. -e sported a leather >aket over the 2$requisite shirt and tie.

'ven though he was rough around the edges, I thought he wastotally hot. -is green eyes were intense, and Ive always liked thebadboy type. 5r, more aurately, the guys that looked like bad boysbut underneath were simply misunderstood torturedartist types >ustwaiting for someone who really gets them. *ou know, like 9ames=ean or Caey /itter or Angel.

5f ourse, he may not have been a bad boy. Id made

assumptions on the last piture that had proved to be 2%fallacious. Ididnt want to make the same mistake twie.

G/hos this guy)H I asked.

G9onathan /isnewski,H 7ad replied with a 2&sneer. GIn myopinion, hes your number one. -e hangs out with the only rough

1&& mounted. climbed

2'' juvenile delinquent. a youn% o((ender

2'1 pallid pale2'2 furtive sly or sneaky

2'3 bolted. absconded or ran away

2'4 stubble. s!ort sti(( !airs %rowin% on a man+s (ace w!en !e !as not s!a"ed (or a (ew days

2'5 requisite required or necessary

2'6 fallacious incorrect

2' sneer. contemptuous or scorn(ul remark

25


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rowd at -ereford and hes always looking over his shoulder. -e >usthas that ust think hes hiding something,H 7adreplied.

Dreat. It looked like I wasnt the only one >udging books by theirovers around here. "till, I ouldnt help it. I was >ust a 2peerof thesekids, and we always >ump to onlusions about eah other. @ut 7adwas an adult and a polie offier. -is behavior seemed a bit20precipitate, to say the least.

G;an a person really be a suspet based on their appearane)H Iasked.

-e opened a folder and read from it. G"tudent e(hibits21persistente(haustion, 211paranoiaand 212shiftlessness. -is eyes areoften glassy and 213rimmedwith red. -e is 21#sullen, withdrawn and21$lashes outwhen 21%provoked.H

I blinked. G*ou >ust desribed half my graduating lass,H I toldhim.

G/ell, we deided hes a suspet, so hes a suspet,H 7ad shotbak, 21&eschewingthe issue.

2'# peer. equal or matc!

2'& precipitate reckless or !asty

21' persistent constant

211 paranoia. se"ere mental disorder in w!ic! contact wit! reality is lost or !i%!ly distorted212 shiftlessness lainess

213 rimmed. lined or (urnis!ed

214 sullen %loomy or morose

215 lashes out. a%%ressi"ely c!allen%es in speec! or writin%/ attacks

216 provoked irritated or a%%ra"ated

21 eschewing a"oidin%

26


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GAll right, all right,H I said, not wanting to get into a big blowout.G"o its >ust those three) +o other possibilities)H

G7hese are the three suspets weve 21weeded outafter a arefulreview,H 7ad said. GIts one of these guys. =ont waste your timeelsewhere.H

GDotha,H I said.

At that moment Juiny walked in and handed me a brownfolder with an I= lipped to the top. I smiled when I saw that it was a-ereford Aademy I=, omplete with my senioryear photo and awhole new 210alias!im "harpe.

G;ool,H I said, yanking the I= free. /ith it ame a freshly22laminated;onnetiut drivers liense and an A7 ard, both with!im "harpes name. G/ow, you guys are good,H I said, impressed.

G7hanks for the 221compliment,H Juiny said, blushing. G+ow, inthat file is your new history. *ouve gotta learn that bakward andforward.H

G+o problem,H I said, opening the file and flipping through thepages.

G-es not kidding, !im. @akward and forward,H my mothersaid, appearing in the doorway. G"ideways wouldnt be a bad ideaeither.H

I took a deep breath and plaed the folder down in front of me. GIgot it, a,H I said. I didnt want her to treat me like I was >ust her kid

around the offie. It

222underminedmy redibilityif I had any.

21# weeded out. remo"ed unwanted elements

21& alias (alse name

22' laminated. co"ered wit! a t!in s!eet o( non)(abric material

221 compliment praise or (lattery

222 undermined dama%ed

2


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G7his isnt a >oke, !im,H my mother told me, walking into theroom. G7heres someone at that shool dealing a whole hell of a lot of'stasy, and theyre going to be on the lookout for anyone out of the

ordinary.H

I straightened up at my mothers tone and pulled the file towardme again. G5kay,H I told her. 7hen, notiing her solding e(pression, Iadded, GIll study it tonight. Im going to be a 223paradigm of anunderover offier. I swear.H

GAll right, then, good,H my mother said. "he pulled a foldedsheet of paper from her bak poket and opened it before laying it in

front of me. Juiny smiled and plaed a fatherly hand on myshoulder. y heart started to pound 22#freneticallyas I looked downat the ertifiate.

7his ertifies that !imberly Ann "tratford is hereby 22$instatedasa =eputy 5ffier of the :aw in the town of orrison, ;ounty oforris, "tate of ;onnetiut.

It was really happening. I was about to beome an 5ffier of the

:aw. !ikassFG*oull have to sign this before we an 22%dispatchyou on any

assignment,H Juiny said, learing his throat in an offiial way as hehanded me a pen.

I grinned at all of them, feeling like some kind of 22&maverickyoung lawmakerthe type of woman they made bad lifetime moviesabout. Any doubts I had about my abilities were 22allayedas I saw

223 paradigm e$ample or model

224 frenetically wildly or (rantically

225 instated. installed someone in o((ice/ induct

226 dispatch send out

22 maverick rebel

22# allayed put to rest

2#


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the onfidene in their eyes. 7here was no way I ould walk awayfrom this now. I signed the ertifiate with a 220flourish.

=avid, arshall and 9onathan had better wath their baks, Ithought. =eputy !im "tratford was on their tails, and they were nevergoing to see me oming.

As I followed s. @eanyes, s. @eanthrough the halls of-ereford, I felt like I had been almost 23prescient. 7he shool waseverything I had predited it would be and more. 7he walls werefashioned out of dark, gleaming wood, >ust as Id imagined. 7he floorswere glossed to suh a high shine I ould almost see my refletion in

them. 'verywhere I looked there was another painting or photographof an 231aloofheadmaster or a 232decorouslydressed faulty member.'very now and then Id hear a 233medley of voies or a 23#peal oflaughter, but the volume was 23$mutedby the thikness of the walls.

G*ou will be sharing your room with =anielle ?isher, one of ourfinest pupils,H s. @ean told me, her heels liplopping as she took aset of stairs to the seond floor. 7he woman had a pointed hin and

glasses with tiny round frames, and she wore a blak turtlenek. /edbeen right about the iss inhin ideashe looked >ust like theheadmistress in "ara ;rewe or /hat -appened at iss inhins by?ranes -odgson @urnett.

G"he has had her room to herself sine the 23%commencementof

22& flourish s!owy %esture

23' prescient prop!etic231 aloof distant or cold

232 decorously properly or decently

233 medley 0umble or mi$

234 peal. deep prolon%ed sound ,as o( t!under or lar%e bells-

235 muted mu((led or quieted

236 commencement start or be%innin%

2&


30/222


the shool year, but Im sure shell be 23&amenable to this newarrangement.H

*eah, right, I thought. I knew I would be 23psychedif I had myown room and some new hik ame 230swoopingin and took over.7his =anielle girl was about to 2#forsakeher swingin singleroomlifestyle thanks to me. I ould >ust imagine how a spoiled, stukup-ereford girl would feel about that. "hed probably be on the phoneto =addy in twopointfive seonds. 9ust what I neededinstant2#1enmity.

s. @ean rapped on a door marked G21&H and smiled a tight

smile in my diretion.

G;ome in,H a


31/222


supposed to feel nothing but disgust.

G-i,H she said, lifting her hand in an almostwave.

G-i. Im !im "harpe,H I said, proud of myself for getting eventhat little bit right. I 2#%bustledinto the room and plaed my bags onthe empty bed that was shoved against the far wall along with anempty desk and a dresser.

G5h, we an rearrange the furniture. Its >ust like that beauseIve been alone,H =anielle said.

G7hanks,H I replied.

I notied that =anielles room, while not a total disaster, was farfrom 2#&antisepticlike my mothers house. -er open loset was >ampaked, and there were some sweaters bunhed up on the floor on topof her shoes. 7he garbage was in desperate need of an emptying, andher bed looked slightly 2#mussed, as if shed reently been napping orreading over there. I had a feeling we were going to get along >ustfine.

G/ell, Ill leave you girls to get a


32/222


mind, ause I ant ontrol it.H

GAre you kidding) Its fineFH =anielle told me. GIm alwaysslipping and using big words myself. 7he kids here think Im showingoff, but Im not. Its >ust the way I talk.H

Ge tooFH I said, grinning. "ee) I knew I liked this girl.

G"oF 7ell me all about yourselfFH =anielle prompted, leaning bakagainst the wall.

GAll about myself)H I repeated unertainly. "he had to be the2$inquisitive type, didnt she) I ould probably 2$1regurgitate

everything I knew about !im "harpe in the spae of ten minutes, butthen what were we going to talk about)

G5h, sorry. I dont mean to be 2$2presumptuous,H she said,flushing so fast I thought her skin was about to burn off. GI guess Im

>ust e(ited to have a roommate. 7heres kind of a 2$3dearthof peopleto talk to around here. At least for me.H

G6eally)H I asked.

:eading ust say Im not iss Copularity at -erefordAademy,H =anielle replied, getting up and rossing to her dresser."he toyed with the 2$$scallopededge of a frame that was 2$%propped

25' inquisitive. s!owin% curiosity251 regurgitate repeat

252 presumptuous conceited or presumin%

253 dearth s!orta%e or lack

254 pressed questioned persistently

255 scalloped. !a"in% a mar%in wit! rounded scallops

256 propped. supported by placin% a%ainst somet!in% solid or ri%id

32


33/222


up there. 7he piture appeared to be of her and a guy, but it was hardto tell from that distane.

y heart instantly went out to her. "he seemed so 2$&forlorn.

GIts really >ust me and =avid,H =anielle added, regaining someof her spark.

G=avid) Is that your boyfriend)H

=anielle laughed. G8h . . . no. =avid and I do not have that kindof relationship. /ere >ust buddies. -es my best friend here, whih iswhy its so ool that youre here now.H

G/hat do you mean)H I asked.GI may atually get to have a girlfriend,H =anielle said

2$sheepishly.

5h, wow. 7hat wouldve been patheti if it werent so 2$0earnest.

"he heked her wath. G=avids atually going to be here anyseond to go down to dinner. *ou an ome with usFH she saidbrightly.

"he was so 2%jubilantat the prospet of dinner I nearly laughedout loud. 7hen it hit me that we were standing here talking aboutsomeone who had the very same first name as one of my suspets.;ould I possibly be that luky)

I pulled out a -ereford student 2%1directory that s. @ean hadgiven me.

G/hats =avids last name)H I asked. I flipped open the diretory

25 forlorn sad or un!appy

25# sheepishly. su%%esti"e o( a s!eep in docility or stupidity or meekness or timidity

25& earnest. sincerly intended and wit! stron% (eelin%

26' jubilant 0oy(ul

261 directory. an alp!abetical list o( names and addresses

33


34/222


as if I were >ust runofthemill urious to see what he looked like.

G6and. =avid 6and,H =anielle larified. G-es the best. *ouregoing to love him.H

I ouldnt believe it. y roommate was bff best friends forever4with one of my 2%2prime suspetsF -ow perfet was this) I was soaught up in the 2%3felicitousturn of events that I barely even notiedthe fat that =anielle was ating like she already knew me and ouldtell what kind of people I was going to love.

7here was a knok at the door, and my stomah lurhed. 7hiswas it. 7he investigation was on.

G-eyFH =anielle said, opening the door for a guy that was,without a doubt, suspet number one=avid 6and. -is hair wasropped a bit loser than it had been in the piture, and he was shorterthan I e(peted, but it was himmy little haker.

G-ey. 6eady for some 2%#grub)H =avid asked, rubbing his handstogether. 7hen he notied me, and his eyes did that kind of flikingthing they do when you see someone you find attrative. /hatever

=avid saw in me, he obviously liked it. I wasnt sure whether to feelflattered or sared. I mean, he was a suspet, and from the sound ofhis file, he was also kind of a nut >ob.

GAnd you are)H he asked, 2%$sidlingover to me. -e didnt lakonfidene, that was for sure.

G=avid, this is !im, my new roommate,H =anielle said with thatgiddy smile. G!im, meet =avid 6and.H

G-ey,H I said. G+ie to meet you.H

262 prime ma0or or (oremost

263 felicitous (ortunate

264 grub. in(ormal term (or a meal

265 sidling. mo"in% unobtrusi"ely ,undesirably noticeable- or (urti"ely ,quiet and sneaky-

34


35/222


G7he pleasure is mine,H =avid said with that broad smile hed2%%evinced in his piture. G"hall we)H he asked, glaning at =anielle.

G/e shall,H she >oked bak with a formal nod.

"he grabbed her keys and we all headed out for the dining halltogether. =avid and =anielle walked ahead of me as I losed the doorand I ouldnt help saying a little thankyou to the gods. I was alreadyin with my first suspet and Id only been at -ereford for half anhour.

7his ase was going to be ake.

266 evinced displayed

35


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Chapter "hree

G"o, !im, you ready for your first lass with 2%&&efarious

+itkin)H =anielle asked the following morning as she, =avid and Imade our 2%descentto the basement lassroom where senior -istorylass was held. At dinner the night before they had given me a2%0rundownof all my teahers, but no one had mentioned this guy.

G+efarious +itkin)H I asked, raising my eyebrows.

G=anielle ame up with that one,H =avid said with a laugh. GItsso perfet.H

G/hat) Is he really evil or something)H

G*oull see. I would have told you about him, but no one ouldever do +itkin >ustie,H =anielle told me, tuking her hair behind herear.

/ithin seonds I understood why. r. +itkin was a skinny littleman with angular features and a dark mustahe that gave him aserious -itleres


37/222


was. It was so 2&$noisome I almost 2&%heaved up my nutritious-ereford breakfast.

7hat was one thing I had to give this plae. y first teaher mayhave been 2&&odious, but so far, the food was beyond 2&reproach. Afterthat mornings yummy oatmeal, fresh fruit and endless supply of 59, Iatually ouldnt wait to see what the hefs 2&0whippedup for lunh.

=anielle and =avid both took seats at the front of the room,saving an empty desk for me right between them. +o good. If I sat upfront Id never be able to san the rest of the lassroom and see ifeither of the other suspets was there. 8nfortunately, =anielle was

waving at me 2giddily and I ouldnt ignore her. "he was soobviously 21ecstatic to have someone new to sit with. Coor kid. Isighed, 22resigningmyself to a lass period with nothing to absorbe(ept historial fats. 5nes I probably already knew.

GDood luk. *oure probably gonna need it,H =avid said, leaningtoward me.

G/hat, you think I ant handle this lass)H I asked.

GIts not a ommentary on you,H he said with a grin. G+one of usan handle this lass.H

I smiled. After spending dinner and breakfast with =avid, I washaving a hard time believing this kid ould be a drug dealer. -e was

>ust so sweet and funny and smart. -e ouldnt be the type of personwho would get involved with something like that. ;ould he)

25 noisome !arm(ul or nasty

26 heaved. made an unsuccess(ul e((ort to "omit/ strain to "omit2 odious !orrible

2# reproach criticism

2& whipped. beat wit! or as i( wit! a wire w!isk

2#' giddily. li%!t)!eadedly or diily

2#1 ecstatic deli%!ted or o"er0oyed

2#2 resigning %i"in% up or yieldin%

3


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G=id you hear about ;ora !lein)H a girl behind me whispered toher friend. G-er parents are sending her off to some shool in ?rane.H

G7hats what happens when you flunk the urine test,H the othergirl said, snorting a laugh.

=anielle and =avid e(hanged a 23loaded look. G/hos ;ora!lein)H I asked innoently.

G9ust some moron who got busted for ',H =avid replied as heopened a notebook. G7here were, like, five kids booted from here lastweek. If you get a @ig @rother vibe around here, its probably beauseeveryones wathing us like hawks now.H

Interesting. /ould =avid talk about the situation so easily if hewere the drug dealer)

G@et your parents wouldnt have sent you here if they knew itwas 'stasy entral,H the girl behind me said 2#snottily.

5n the ontrary, I thought. 7hats why I was sent here.

GAll right, lassFH r. +itkin slapped his hands together the

moment the bell rang and everyone fell into their seats. G:ets see whoamong you has atually done the reading.H

A 2$generalgroan went up among the students, and I felt a littlewave of nerves run through me. A pop


39/222


5r not, I thought, the very idea of ?s ausing goosebumps to popout all over my skin. I mean, a person ouldnt go from perfetionistto 2&delinquentthat fast. It ould give you 2whiplash.

All my 20obsessingturned out to be pointless anyway. +efarious+itkin wasnt handing out papers. -e was simply standing at thefront of the lassroom eyeing us like we were the 20slushhed kikedoff his boots. eanwhile, all the kids around me were pratiallytrembling.

G6evereFH +itkin barked, ausing an 201obesekid to my left to202flinch. GIn what year was the @attle of the @ulge fought)H

6evere, whose first name I later was to learn was atually Caulruel parents203blanched. G8h . . . end of 10## into 10#$)H

G7hat is orret,H r. +itkin said, making a mark in his leatherbound notebook. GAlthough you should know by now that I do notaward full points to a person who begins his answer with Kuh.H

Caul sank a bit lower in his seat as +itkin paed the front of theroom.

G?isherFH he blurted. I was happy to see that =anielle was notintimidated. "he stared bak at him, her hands folded on her desk, here(pression 20#impassive. G/ho was the Allied Deneral in harge of the+ormandy ;ampaign)H

GDeneral =wight =. 'isenhower, r. +itkin,H =anielle replied

2# delinquent careless or irresponsible

2## whiplash. a quick blow deli"ered wit! a w!ip or w!iplike ob0ect2#& obsessing worryin% or (i$atin%

2&' slush. partially melted snow

2&1 obese (at or o"erwei%!t

2&2 flinch crin%e or start

2&3 blanched %rew pale

2&4 impassive emotionless

3&


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20$nonchalantly.

Gery good,H +itkin said with a smirk. I ould tell he liked=anielle, but I wasnt sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Ifsomeone learly evil likes you, there must be something wrong.

9ust kidding.

G;oneFH

'veryone turned around as my heart leaped into my throat.arshall ;one, suspet number two, was sitting at the bak of thelassroom, his hair tipped onto its bak legs and his arms draped

over two more hairs that he had pulled loser to him. -e lifted hishin at +itkin and smiled the same oky smile Id notied in hispiture. 8nlike most of the kids in the room, he was 20%unabashedby+itkins attak.

I instantly disliked him and all his little friends. 7hey remindedme all too muh of the soalled Gpopular kidsH at my high shoolthe ones who thought they were so ool and that everyone lovedthem, even though everyone hated them for being suh egotistial

>erks. 20&!ronichow the kids that are alled GpopularH are usually onlyfriends with a very small group of people.

G;one, name the 8nited "tates primary Allies in /orld /ar II,H+itkin said.

'asy


41/222


+itkins fae hardened. GI suppose you think youre funny, r.;one,H he said. G@ut you get Bero points for the day.H -e made a notein his book and resumed with the 20rapacious ust earned. As an 31overachiever by nature, I >ust ouldntunderstand people like that. @esides, wasnt this kid on sholarship)-ow ould he afford to pull a stunt like that)

7he lass period dragged on endlessly. +itkin spent the entirehour


42/222


wouldnt want to hat and 3&detainme from my mission. I was toofast for them, though, and the seond I hit the hallway I alled outarshalls name.

'very single person in our viinity stopped and gaped at me. +otthat I ould blame them. -ow dare the new girl 3deignto speak tothis 30exaltedpopular one)

I have to admit, I felt pretty ool. If this were last year I probablywould have been intimidated by this rowd, but it was like mymission had sparked some kind of previously 31untapped well ofaudacity within me.

I turned beet red as arshall turned to fae me, a eans and s


43/222


threatened,H she said with an 31#indifferent31$scoff. "he learly was.4

G;heryl, Im telling you, I dont even know this girl,H arshallsaid.

G+o, you dont,H I said. GIm !im "harpe. I hear youre theperson to talk to about the karate program.H

arshall and the guys that hovered around him laughed, but;heryls fae took on a wiked 31%gleam.

G5h, youre the poor thing who got stuk rooming with =anielle,arent you)H she said with 31&calculated fake sympathy. "he made a

fae as if the name tasted31

rancidon her tongue. GI feel sorry foryou.H

G/ell, dont,H I said. I had to bite the inside of my heek to keepfrom lashing out with the rest of the 310caustic omebaks that werebouning around inside my head. If I was going to investigatearshall, I had to 32infiltrate this rowd. 7he last thing I needed wasto 321implantmyself at the top of his girlfriends list of enemies.

G"orry, new girl,H arshall said with a sneer. G/e dont havehiks on our team.H

8ghF -e was so 322puerile I was surprised he wasnt sportingCampers. -e started to turn away, but now he had me fuming and Irefused to be 323rebuffed. I stepped in front of him and glared right

314 indifferent uncarin% or unconcerned

315 scoff. lau%! at wit! contempt and derision

316 gleam. %listen

31 calculated deliberate or plotted31# rancid rotten

31& caustic s!arp or bitter

32' infiltrate break into

321 implant insert or place

322 puerile c!ildis!

323 rebuffed re0ected or snubbed

43


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into his eyes.

G*ou do now,H I said.

arshall paused and looked me up and down, learly impressedby my attitude, but trying not to show it. ;heryls grip on his handtightened, but he didnt seem to notie.

GAll right, new girl,H arshall said finally. G*ou wanna get yourass kiked after lasses today, then show up at the gym at fiveolok.H

GIll be there.H

arshall and his followers moved away, muttering andlaughing. ?reakin popular kids. I ouldnt stand them. /ho did theythink they were, anyway) A few of arshalls friends ast32#wondrouslooks bak at me and shook their heads as if they thoughtI was 32$doomed.

7hey obviously had no idea who they were dealing with.

G*eah, ;heryl pretty muh 32%detests me,H =anielle said over

lunh that afternoon.I plaed my tray of food at a table near the wall and dropped my

books on an empty hair. 7he 32&aroma oming from the kithenaused my stomah to grumble 32inaudibly. I was still in shok overthe fat that the lunh lady had grilled my hamburger right in front ofme, making sure it was medium rare the way Id ordered it. 7hiswasnt a shool lunh. It was fine Amerian 320cuisine.

324 wondrous .wonder(ul

325 doomed. marked (or certain deat!/ damned

326 detests !ates

32 aroma smell

32# inaudibly (aintly

32& cuisine cookin%

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G/hy)H I asked, dumbfounded. /ho ould hate a sweet,33innocuousperson like =anielle) I mean, the girl had given up halfof her loset for my lothing 331overflow. "he was a saint.

G;heryl was 332biasedbefore she ever even met =anielle,H =avide(plained, shoveling ?renh fries into his mouth. GAll she had to hearwas that we had a new 333geniuson our hands and she was ready tohate whoever it was.H

G5h, so youre a genius)H I teased.

=anielle flushed and looked down at her hands. GIm probablygoing to be 33#valedictorian,H she said, her smile 33$abject. GApparently;heryl was the 33%forerunnerand then I got here . . . .H

G"o you 33&surpassedthe priness and she ouldnt handle it,H Isaid, glaning aross the room at arshall and his 33raucousfriends.;heryl was 330gabbingwith a 3#bevy of 3#1impeccablydressed girls,asting 3#2scathing looks in my diretion every few seonds. 7heywere probably making some 3#3obnoxious 3##assessments about me

33' innocuous !armless331 overflow. outpourin%/ brim o"er

332 biased un(air or pre0udiced

333 genius brilliant person or mastermind

334 valedictorian. t!e student wit! t!e best %rades w!o usually deli"ers t!e "aledictory

,(arewell oration- address at commencement , an academic e$ercise in w!ic! diplomas are

con(erred-

335 abject miserable

336 forerunner predecessor

33 surpassed beat or outdid

33# raucous wild or rowdy33& gabbing. talk socially wit!out e$c!an%in% too muc! in(ormation

34' bevy crowd

341 impeccably. (awlessly

342 scathing mockin% or woundin%

343 obnoxious annoyin% or intolerable

344 assessments 0ud%ments or opinions

45


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and my wardrobe. G*ou gotta love it when people are thatpreditable.H

GAmen,H =avid said with a laugh. GI think surprises are highly3#$overestimated.H

At first this statement aught me off guard. =avid seemed tohave e(atly the kind of funloving personality that would 3#%thriveonsurprises. @ut then I remembered his file and it atually made sense.A guy who broke into houses to see if he ould 3#&bilk the alarmsystem) "omeone who haked into the shools omputers to keepwath over his lassmates) 7hat, my friends, is a ontrol freak.

G/ell, its not my fault Im here. I didnt even want to ome. yparents only sent me beause they thought I would have a betterhane of getting into -arvard if I had a -ereford diploma,H =aniellesaid. "he glaned aross the room at ;heryl. GI wish they would moveon already and stop direting their 3#animosityat me.H

G7hey)H I asked.

GIts not >ust ;heryl, its her friends,H =avid e(plained, rolling his

eyes. G7hat whole rowd. 7heyre total 3#0lemmings. Doing against;heryl and arshall is like . . . 3$blasphemy around here.H

I raised my eyebrows. G/ell, then, no offense, =anielle, but=avid, why did you rise above the rowd)H

7hey both laughed and I was glad =anielle didnt seem to take

345 overestimated o"errated or !yped346 thrive prosper or blossom

34 bilk trick

34# animosity !ostility or ill will

34& lemmings. rodents ,small placental mammals !a"in% a sin%le pair o( constantly %rowin%

incisor teet! specialied (or %nawin%-

35' blasphemy serious disrespect to belie(s

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3$1umbrageto my ust be a faLade, I toldmyself. *ou ant get suked in.

8nfortunately, it sounded like being friends with them wasgoing to 3$3hinderany strides I might otherwise make with the reamof the rop, so to speak. If arshall and ;heryl really hated =anielle,then the more I hung out with =anielle and =avid, the slimmer myhanes of being aepted into arshalls rowd. And I had to be

aepted. 7he investigation depended on it.

G"o why were you talking to arshall ;one anyway)H =avidasked.

G5h, I want to >oin the karate team,H I replied, eyeing arshall ashe 3$#wolfeddown his seond burger.

G6eally) *ou do karate) 7hats 3$$astonishing,H =anielle said, her

eyes wide. GAre you any good)H

351 umbrage o((ense

352 congenial (riendly

353 hinder %et in t!e way o(

354 wolfed. ate !astily

355 astonishing incredible or unbelie"able

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G-ey, youre talking to the girl who won the ;onnetiut "tate7ournament last year,H I replied.

7he seond the words had left my mouth, my stomah was in3$%upheaval. !im "harpe was supposed to be from ;alifornia, not;onnetiut.

GI thought you >ust moved here,H =anielle said, not missing abeat.

5h, Dod. 7hey knew I was a 3$&fraudF I hadnt even lasted a fullday before blowing my over. /hy ouldnt I 3$refrainfrom listingmy many aomplishments) /as my ego that 3$0inflated)

G5h, I meant the ;alifornia "tate 7ournament,H I said with anembarrassed laugh. G;onnetiut . . . ;alifornia . . . . I guess I >ust have;onnetiut on the brain.H

G;alifornia, huh) *ou dont seem like a ;alifornia girl,H =avidsaid. I was so happy that hed moved on I ould have sreamed.

G7hats why they 3%ostracizedme,H I replied lightly, even though

my heart was still pounding. GI think it was the brown hair thatpushed them over the edge.H

=anielle and =avid laughed, easing my nerves even further.G/here did you go to shool)H =anielle asked.

G"tanford Crep,H I said. y mother had deided it would3%1behoove all of us if we set !im "harpes past in a plae I wasfamiliar with so that I ould talk freely. "o +orthern ;alifornia and

the "tanford area it was. If only I ould remember that in asual356 upheaval. a state o( "iolent disturbance and disorder

35 fraud (ake or p!ony

35# refrain a"oid

35& inflated pu((ed up or o"erblown

36' ostracized disliked or did not accept

361 behoove. be appropriate or necessary

4#


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onversationF

G/hy did you transfer)H =avid asked. GI mean, you ould havestayed even if your parents moved, right)H

G*eah, but my mom didnt like the idea of being so far awayfrom me, so . . . .H

G3%2Overbearingparents,H =anielle said. GI an relate.H

G/ell, good luk with arshall,H =avid told me. G-es a little3%3intense.H

5ooh. I ould tell a 3%#spillage of inside info was 3%$imminent.

aybe I ould make up for my earlier 3%%flub. G-ow so)H I asked.:eading


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for it. =oes it all the time.H

G-ow do you know all this)H I asked. GAre you 3&1clairvoyantorsomething)H

=anielle and =avid e(hanged a knowing look. GI have myways,H =avid said.

*eah. *ou haked into the shools entral omputer, I thought,resisting the urge to all him out. y brain was daning around to thetune of GI know something you dont knowF +anananana.H

"ometimes my brain an be so 3&2callow.

I was about to ask him to elaborate when I saw someone emergefrom the lunh line out of the orner of my eye. It struk me as3&3incongruousbeause most of the students had gotten their food andsat down by now. I felt all the blood rush to my head as I realiBed Iwas looking at my third suspet.

9on /isnewski was 3slouchinghis way aross the afeteria witha heaping tray of food. -e kept his eyes trained straight ahead and

down toward the floor. -is >aket was so big for his thin

3&$

framethatit 3&%billowedout behind him as he walked. -e shoved through themetal door at the top of the room and 3&&trudgedoutside where hetook a seat at one of the pini tables in the 3&quad.

'ven though it was about ten degrees outside, he proeeded tosit there and eat his lunh, his breath making mist louds in the

31 clairvoyant psyc!ic or mind)readin%

32 callow immature33 incongruous stran%e or out o( place

34 slouching. slumpin%

35 frame. (i%ure

36 billowed (luttered or wa"ed

3 trudged. walked !ea"ily and (irmly* as w!en weary* or t!rou%! mud

3# quad. a rectan%ular area surrounded on all sides by buildin%s

5'


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3&0frigidair. -e was even hotter in personin that moody,'()scowlingway.

G!im) /hatre you staring at)H =anielle asked.

G"orry,H I said. GDuess I Boned out for a seond there. "ee) I am a;alifornia girl.H

y >oke earned a ouple of smiles and then they thankfullymoved on to the sub>et of +itkins assignment, leaving me free towath 9on for a few more minutes. Anyone who would hoose to sitoutside alone in the freeBing old rather that eat lunh among hislassmates was either a total 31outcast or an 32avowed 33introvert.7here was something about 9on that made me think it was the latterhe was 3#soloby hoie. I had a feeling 9on /isnewski was going tobe a tough nut to rak.

After lunh the students at -ereford got a halfhour break thatwas 3$akinto reess. I hadnt had reess sine the fourth grade. Andthey alled this plae a prep shool.

G/e go outside when its nie out, but on days like this we >ust

hang out here or in the library,H =anielle told me, leaning bak in herhair. @ehind her I saw 9on get up from his pini table and toss hisgarbage in a nearby 3%receptacle. I held my breath as he walked bakinto the afeteria, then headed for the door at the far end of the room.

?ollow him, a little voie in my head told me. *ou have thirtyfree minutes. *ou should be doing something produtive.

3& frigid (reein%

3#' scowling. sullen or un(riendly in appearance3#1 outcast outsider

3#2 avowed. openly declared as suc! or asserted

3#3 introvert s!y person

3#4 solo alone

3#5 akin similar

3#6 receptacle container

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I >umped up from my seat so fast I slammed my knee into thetable, ausing all the trays to >ump. y knee 3&throbbed, but I tried to3repressany 30visceralreation.

GAre you okay) /here are you going)H =avid asked.

GI >ust realiBed I forgot my ?renh book in the room,H I toldthem, rubbing at my knee. GIll . . . see you guys later.H

I surried along the wall as fast as I ould without lookingsuspiious. 9on pushed through the swinging door that led to themain hallway and I took a deep breath and followed. I had to getmore info on this guy and if I had to do it 30surreptitiously, then so beit.

9on walked at a fast pae down the enter of the hall, shaking hishair bak from his fae every so often. At first I had to remind myselfto breathe. I kept remembering random things 7ad had said abouthimthat he was onstantly looking over his shoulder he hadntdone that one4 and that he hung out with the only rough rowd at-ereford Id yet to see anyone that looked rougher than the kids

from "mallville4.@ut if he aught me following him, what was I going to say)

-ey, you have >ust as muh of a right to be in this hallway as hedoes, I told myself.

"o I 301endeavored to look like >ust another student out for aasual stroll, but lukily he never notied I was there. -is blak bootsmade so muh 302racketthere was no way he ould hear my tiptoeing

3# throbbed. pulsated/ s!i"ered

3## repress !old back or keep inside

3#& visceral. intuiti"e or nonrational

3&' surreptitiously sneakily or secretly

3&1 endeavored tried

3&2 racket. a loud and disturbin% noise

52


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Adidases.

-e took a left at the end of the hall and I pressed my bak againstthe wall and waited for a ount of ten, then followed. 7he doorway tothe stairwell at the end of the hall was >ust swinging shut. I ould hearlaughter and voies ehoing up and out into the hall from below,followed by the 303acridsent of igarette smoke.

Interesting. It seemed that 9on was >oining in on some seretmeeting. /hoever was bak in that darkened stairwell, they had30#played hooky from lunh. Cerhaps this was 9ons little Groughrowd.H It was all I ould do to keep from slapping myself on the

bak. Id found out where 9on and his friends seretly 30$conveyedFDo, meF

I stepped away from the wall and was >ust about to head into thestairwell to introdue myself and let the hips fall where they may,when a hand losed around my upper arm. I gasped, my heart seiBingup, and turned to find a pair of flared nostrils right in my fae. It was-eadmaster ;o(, the man who 30%reignedover -ereford. Id met him

the day before when my mother had brought me in, but hed barelyeven looked at me during our brief meeting.

Gs. "harpe,H he said, his 30&beady eyes narrowing. G/ill youplease ome with me)H

I ast a longing look over my shoulder as he basially draggedme bak in the diretion from whih Id ome. /ho did this guy thinkhe was) 7his ould have been a 30pivotal moment in my

3&3 acrid. stron% and s!arp

3&4 played hooky. played truant ,absent wit!out permission- (rom work or sc!ool

3&5 conveyed. e$pressed

3&6 reigned ruled

3& beady. small and round and s!iny like a s!iny bead or button

3 pivotal important or crucial

53


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investigation. I was about to 300lay into him for #interfering, butwhen we ame out into the main hall there was a group of teahershatting near the door to their lounge. I ouldnt openly #1defy the

headmaster without blowing my over to bits. It looked as if 9on/isnewski had #2eludedmy grasp. ?or now.

7wo minutes later I found myself sitting aross a huge oak deskfrom the #3hulkingheadmaster and I was ##seething. /here did thisguy get off #$foilingmy mission) /asnt he the one whod alled thepolie, #%railingabout the #&exigentdrug situation at his shool)

G*oure #impedinga polie investigation by bringing me here,H

I said, my >aw set.

G/hile youre a guest at my shool you will treat me withrespet,H he snapped bak.

G"orry. *oure impeding a polie investigation by bringing mehere, sir,H I replied, refusing to be #0dauntedby him. 7he studentshere may have lived in fear of this guy, but that didnt mean I had to.It was important that I maintain an air of authority. After all, I was in

harge of the investigation here at the shool.-ow ool was that)

GI suppose you think youre lever,H he said, leaning his beefy

3&& lay into. !it "iolently* as in an attack

4'' interfering. comin% between so as to be !indrance or obstacle

4'1 defy disobey or c!allen%e

4'2 eluded escaped (rom

4'3 hulking. o( %reat sie and bulk or !ulky4'4 seething. (eelin% or s!owin% e$treme an%er

4'5 foiling blockin% or t!wartin%

4'6 railing. complainin% bitterly

4' exigent di((icult or tricky

4'# impeding %ettin% in t!e way o(

4'& daunted (ri%!tened or intimidated

54


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arms into the edge of his desk. G@ut let me tell you something, missy. Idont #1approveof having a mole in my shool. I dont like lying tomy kids.H

G7hen why did you ask for our help)H I asked.

G/hen I reerksdidnt impress me.

G/ell, sir, its nie to know I have suh #1#vociferous supportfrom the front offie,H I told him, my eyes #1$flashing.

7hen I turned and strode from the room, already looking

forward to my nightly all with ;hief "tratford. I was sure she wouldbe interested to know that the headmaster was trying to #1%trammelthe investigation. As far as I was onerned, that was suspiiousbehavior. aybe we should add another name to our suspet list.

9ust for fun.

41' approve a%ree or support411 espionage. underco"er work or spyin%

412 growl. low dull rumblin% sounds

413 wavering s!akin% or tremblin%

414 vociferous "ocal or ent!usiastic

415 flashing. %leam or %low intermittently

416 trammel %et in t!e way o(

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Chapter *our

@y the time lasses were dismissed that evening, I was more than

ready for a good #1&therapeutickarate math. 'ah teaher at -erefordwas more #1dour than the last, and they all seemed to think that theonly way to get through to the students was by #10inundatingus withhomework. I had more assignments in one day than I had been givenin my first week at "tanford. 7hats a topten ollege, peopleF

I ran to my room and hanged into my karate robe, then headedfor the gym. I hadnt set eyes on the plae yet, and I ended up getting

ompletely turned around in the#2

labyrinthof the shools hallways.I was >ust about to give up on the whole thing and onsider arshall a#21lost causewhen I finally heard the distant sounds of shouting malevoies, followed by a #22smatteringof applause. I followed the sounds,and eventually the hallway opened up onto a small lobby with thegym >ust beyond. I paused in the doorway of the #23cavernous room,taking it all in. "o this was where all the shools money went.

7oto, were not in orrison -igh anymore.

7his plae was double the siBe of my old gym. 7he eilings wereso high it was like a athedral, and the hardwood floors gleamedunder the #2#fluorescentlights. 7he bleahers were stateoftheartmetal with ushioned seats, and obviously >ust reently installed.@urgundyandgold hampionship banners for #2$myriad sports

41 therapeutic %ood (or t!e !ealt!

41# dour stern or un(riendly

41& inundating o"erw!elmin%42' labyrinth mae

421 lost cause. a de(eated cause or a cause (or w!ic! de(eat is ine"itable

422 smattering. a small number or amount

423 cavernous !u%e or "ast

424 fluorescent. emittin% li%!t durin% e$posure to radiation (rom an e$ternal source

425 myriad countless

56


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overed the walls. Apparently -ereford had won its division in everysport imaginable for the last three years.

GImpressed)H arshall asked, breaking away from the rest of theteam. -e #2%loomedover me.

G7he #2&accolades#2abound,H I said #20facetiously. G:et me guess.*oure responsible for all of these,H I added, glaning up at thebanners.

G+ot all of them,H arshall said with a shrug. G7he hiks wontheirs on their own.H

I made a noise in the bak of my throat. I was so going to en>oy#3vanquishing this guy.

G*ou sure you want to do this)H arshall asked, looking me upand down #31derisively. +ot that I ould blame him. y karate robesonly #32accentuatedmy petite siBe.

All the better to fool you with, my dear.

G5h, yeah. @ring it on,H I said.

G*our funeral.H

arshall led me over to the mats where the rest of the team was#33sparring. 'ven if I wasnt impressed by the #3#multifarioushampionship wins, I was pleasantly surprised at the number of guys

426 loomed . came into "iew indistinctly* o(ten t!reatenin%ly

42 accolades praise or compliments

42# abound are plenti(ul42& facetiously 0okin%ly

43' vanquishing de(eatin% or crus!in%

431 derisively. mockin%ly

432 accentuated drew attention to

433 sparring. bo$ li%!tly

434 multifarious "arious

5


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on the team. +ot to mention their #3$agility. 7he two kids who werebattling were fast, smart and displayed some sophistiated moves."till, I had a feeling I ould take them.

I was, after all, a karate goddess.

As we wathed, the tall blond guy flipped the shorter, lessblondguy over his shoulder and pinned him with a foot to the hest.'veryone heered. ath over.

GAll right, guysFH arshall shouted, then whistled with bothfingers in his moutha skill I had always wanted to master. G7his is!im. "he thinks she an fight.H A few of the guys laughed. G7om, whydont you show her what the -ereford karate team is all about)H

I blinked, surprised. G/hy dont you show me yourself)H I askedarshall as 7om, a rather #3%gauntguy, desended from the bleahers.A bunh of the guys GooohedH preditably at my hallenge.

arshall laughed. G7rust me. *ou dont want that.H

G7ry me.H

I ould pratially see the#3&

gearsin arshalls head working. Iwas alling him out and if he ignored the hallenge of a girl, he wasgoing to look like a omplete oward. -is immature friends wouldnever let him live it down.

GAll right, fine,H he said, ad>usting his belt. 7om sat down again.G*our funeral.H

G*ou said that already.H

As we took our plaes on opposite sides of the sparring irle,

435 agility swi(tness or de$terity

436 gaunt t!in or bony

43 gears. mec!anism (or transmittin% motion (or some speci(ic purpose

5#


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arshall #3gloweredat me, his nostrils flaring. I was probably a total#30aberrationto him. arshall was the kind of guy that people didnttalk bak to or ##denigratein any way.

5ne of the guys Id seen hanging out with arshall at lunhblew a whistle, and I bowed to my opponent. arshall barely tippedhis head forward. 7hen the whistle sounded again, and the fight wason.

After eleven years of karate lessons and mathes, I an tell whena guy is ##1discomfitedby the idea of fighting a girl. And I know howto use it to my advantage. arshall was one of those guys. Instead of

oming out ##2no-holds-barred, he irled me ##3tentativelyfor a fewmoments, unsure of what to make of me.

"o I surprised him with a ###roundhousekik to his upper hest.-e was ompletely taken off guard and didnt even get his hands up./hen he stumbled bak, the guys in the rowd groaned. In a formalmath, a shot like that wouldve earned me a point. In this math, it

>ust made me grin.

@ut after that, arshall didnt hold bak.-e ame at me with a ##$one-two punch, and I dodged right, then

left so he aught only air. /hile he was off balane I dropped to theground and swept his feet out from under him. 7he bigger they are,the harder theyyou know. And arshall was definitely one of the

43# glowered looked an%rily

43& aberration irre%ularity or (reak

44' denigrate talk down to441 discomfited uncom(ortable

442 no-holds-barred. (ree o( restrictions or !amperin% con"entions

443 tentatively cautiously or !esitantly

444 roundhouse. workplace

445 one-two punch. combination o( two blows deli"ered in rapid succession in bo$in%*

especially a le(t lead (ollowed by a ri%!t cross

5&


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bigger. 7here was an ##%audible intake of breath as he went##&horizontal, hitting the ground with a thud. 7he rest of the team waslearly ##disheartened by their ##0bumblingleader.

@ut arshall wasnt one to stay down for long. -e popped to hisfeet and #$buffetedme with a #$1flurryof frustrated punhes. I bakedup ust glaned off my shoulders and hest,but he was fast for his siBe, and one finally hit home with full fore,right in my ribs. 7he pain was #$2mind-blowing, and I gasped for air.7his guy was powerful.

-e baked up, waiting for me to ath my breath, and I knew I

ouldnt let him get in another shot like that or I was done for. 7histhing was going to have to end now.

I was about to do him in with my #$3patented !im "tratford>umpingkikandelbow>ab ombination when something in his#$#belligerentfae triggered a realiBation within me and made me sikto my stomah.

I had to let him win.

7his was a guys guythe ampus #$$studaptain of threehampionship teams in three different sports. Detting beaten by a girlwould probably be the single most #$%ignominious thing that ouldhappen to a guy like that. -ow was I supposed to investigate him if

446 audible capable o( bein% !eard

44 horizontal parallel to t!e %round

44# disheartened discoura%ed or dispirited

44& bumbling. lackin% p!ysical mo"ement skills* especially wit! t!e !ands

45' buffeted beat or battered451 flurry. rapid acti"e commotion

452 mind-blowing. intensely a((ectin% t!e mind or emotions

453 patented. protected by patent

454 belligerent. c!aracteristic o( an enemy or one ea%er to (i%!t

455 stud. mac!o)man

456 ignominious !umiliatin%

6'


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he was reminded of his #$&infamousdefeat every time I stepped into aroom) If I beat him, hed never speak to me again.

I was going to have to throw the fightsomething Id neverdone in my life.

=amn. And I had so wanted to #$belittler. ;oky. 5h, well.

It was #$0heinous, it was #%reprehensible, but I took a dive. I leftmy right side wide open, and arshall landed a hop aross the bakof my nek that took me right down. I ouldve gotten up again, but Ididnt. Instead I did my best #%1dramatic #%2renditionof a person tooweak to go on, pushing myself up and then stumbling down again.arshalls friends went wild and soon, he was offering his hand tohelp me to my feet.

I was flushed from #%3exertionbut it was #%#compoundedby myfrustration over what Id >ust done and the fat that the guys werenow #%$jovially>eering at me. 5h, how I wished I ould take every lastone of them on in a math.

GAll right, guys, thats enough for tonightFH arshall dismissed

them, smiling triumphantly.

I hung bak while the rest of the team filed past me, some of themore human members shooting me #%%awedglanes. I had, after all,

45 infamous well)known or le%endary

45# belittle put down

45& heinous terrible or o((ensi"e

46' reprehensible wron% or blamewort!y461 dramatic sta%ed or t!eatrical

462 rendition. a per(ormance o( a musical composition or a dramatic role etc.

463 exertion p!ysical e((ort

464 compounded made worse

465 jovially merrily or %lee(ully

466 awed impressed

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#%&dominatedfor most of our time on the mat.

G+ie fighting,H a kid with urly blond hair said. -e washanging bak with arshall and they both seemed to be looking meover.

G"o, am I on the team)H I asked.

G/ell, Im definitely impressed,H he said. GI gotta admit, you hadme there for a while.H

I had you there Ktil the end, I thought.

G/e do need a replaement for =umbo,H the blond kid said.

G=umbo)H I asked.

G7his kid =anny =umbrowski,H @londie replied. G-e got kikedoutta shool last week beause he got aught with drugs.H

G"o weve been alling him =umbo ever sine,H arshall put in,wiping his fae with a towel.

G/ow. 7hats the seond person I heard about getting booted,H Isaid. GIs this a shool or a rak house)H

arshall and @londie both laughed. G7he moral of the story is,dont get aught,H @londie said #%cryptically.

I wanted to punh him in the fae. "o typial. A bunh of hisfriends get e(pelled from shool for drugs, and he still thinks its okayto do them as long as you dont get aught. *oud think hed learnsomething from his friends lives being ruined.

G5kay, I guess you an work out with us,H arshall said finally.G*oure pretty ool, +ew Dirl. It takes guts to do what you >ust did.H

46 dominated been in control

46# cryptically. mysteriously

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I ouldnt believe he was atually #%0conceding to my worth.aybe he wasnt so bad. 8nless, of ourse, he was the dealer.G7hanks,H I said, shoving my feet into my sneakers. GAnd my name is

!im.H

G*ou know, you should dith those losers youve been hangingout with and have lunh with me and mine tomorrow,H arshall said.

5kay, #&scratchthat. -e is so bad.

G5migod, you are suh aG

arshalls fae darkened.

=ammit, !imF @ite your tongueFG"uh a saintFH I #&1improvised, smiling. GI would love to sit with

you guys.H

G;ool,H arshall said.

G;ool,H @londie repeated.

As we walked aross the gym together, I swallowed bak the#&2impertinentremarks that kept reeping their way into my mouth. Ihad to be nie to arshallit was one of the reob.@ut when all this was over, I really wanted to get him bak on thatmat. @ig time.

G"o, whats so great about =avids room)H I asked as =anielleand I limbed the stairs into the guys dormitory that night. Afterdinner, =avid had suggested we hill with him at his digs, and=anielle had taken him up on it before Id even had a hane. "he

really was making my >ob ea

busted by emma harrison

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