“Right?”I sat up straight in my chair.“There was definitely a wet spot.And I think Fox chafed Mr.Minor pretty badly with their switchcomb.”
Keme made a noise of unutterable disgust.“He’s the worst.”
“You know what we should do next?”
Keme’s eyebrows went up.
“We should spike the punch at prom,” I said.
“What is wrong with you?”
“It’s a great idea.It’s a classic.”
“God, for, like, five seconds you were actually being normal.”
“And we can steal the mascot from the other high school—”
“What other high school?”
“—and it’ll probably be a pig or a goat or something, so we’ll have to hide it at Hemlock House—”
“Good luck convincing Indira to go along with that.”
“—and we should do the most amazing senior prank, like fill the swimming pool with beans or let a badger loose in the main office or—or put shaving cream on everybody’s cars!”
“You ate lunch alone a lot, didn’t you?”
“Keme!”
The door opened, and Indira and Fox stepped out.Fox was grinning.Openly.Indira, on the other hand, looked less than pleased, and her gimlet gaze took in first Keme and then, for what seemed like an eternity longer, me.
“You are in trouble,” Fox announced, their grin spreading.
“Yes,” Indira said.“You are.And it’s not funny.You—” This was directed at Keme.“—should have been in class.”
“But Dash—” he tried.
“And you—” This was directed at me.“—should have been at home.Writing.”
“Okay, but in my defense,” I said, “I only followed you because—”
But there didn’t seem to be a good way to expressI assumed you’d need my help.
“Go ahead,” Fox said drily.“Finish that sentence.”
“The Xbox is mine,” Indira announced.“For two weeks.”
“You can’t!”I wailed.
“That’s so unfair!”Keme shouted.
“Do you want to make it three?”she asked.
Keme and I traded glances.We didnotwant to make it three.
“That’s settled, then,” Indira said.“Let’s get Keme to class, and then we’re going home.”
We walked a few yards in silence before I asked, “So, whatwasMr.Dunkle doing?”
