Wait… Julian was gay? That was something I hadn’t expected.
“I swear to God, it wasn’t me!” Kami shouted, walking backward. She bumped into me, and I wrapped my arms around her, glaring at everyone else.
“Kami was outside with me. She didn’t do anything,” I said, unable to believe what was happening.
“You’re her boyfriend. Of course you’d say that!”
“You always stick up for her!”
Danny mumbled a few words under his breath that I couldn’t hear, but they clearly terrified Kami, so I did something I’d been wanting to do for weeks. I punched him straight in the mouth, sending him to the floor.
An announcement came over the PA:All students to the gymnasium immediately! I repeat, all students to the gym immediately!
Danny got up and brought his face close to mine just as the crowd started to disperse. “Touch me again, Di Bianco,” he said, “and it’ll be the last thing you ever do.”
Kami got between us before I could challenge him. “Taylor, please,” she said, “don’t let him get to you.” Her voice trembled, making me look back at her, the only person I really cared about just then. Screw Danny.
I grabbed her hand. “We should get to the gym.”
Everyone was scowling at us. More at Kami than at me. When we reached the gym, the bleachers were full and everyone wassilent. Kami’s anxiety was palpable, and I was angry, knowing that she had another worry on her plate. Who was setting her up, and why?
The principal came in, along with the rest of the teachers. He stood in the middle of the gym, grabbed the microphone, and began to speak.
“I’m sure all of you have seen the hallways. I don’t know who thought this was a funny prank, but we don’t tolerate this sort of thing around here. This is without a doubt the worst act of vandalism we’ve ever seen at this school. We’ve always been proud of having the kind of student body where we didn’t need surveillance cameras or security personnel, where we didn’t have to conduct investigations. Well, I guess that’s over. But let me promise you all something: We will find the person who did this, and not only will they be expelled, they will pay for the cost of repainting the lockers. We’re looking at thousands of dollars in damages, and they’d better be ready to pay every cent of it. Now, I’m going to make an offer, but only this once: If whoever did this comes to my office and confesses, their punishment will be less severe. I’ll consider suspension instead of expulsion. I will not tolerate this type of behavior. Is that clear?”
No one dared to respond.
“Now get back to class.”
Everyone filed out, but once we were in the halls, the whispering and gossiping started up again. I could see Kami getting more and more nervous every time she overheard her name. I pushed her into the handicapped bathroom and locked the door. “Kami, you were with me, and Ellie is our witness. People aren’t going to blame you once they find out, I promise.”
“Who do you think did it, though? Why would someone want to make me look bad?”
“People are jealous of you, babe.” I stroked her cheek. “They want to see you fall, and they’re trying to make it happen.”
“I’ll fall if that’s what they want. I don’t care. I just want to be left alone.”
“Trust me. I’ll make sure they leave you alone.”
I kissed her, and we opened the door and walked to biology class.
Everyone glared at us when we walked in late, except for Kate, who didn’t even look up when we passed her. The rest of the day was a nightmare. I spent it trying to convince people that Kami was innocent, that she had been with me the entire time. Some of the guys believed me, but most sided with Danny Walker, and for him, this was the perfect excuse to get even more people to hate his ex-girlfriend. How pathetic could one guy be?
At practice, things got worse. Kami was home by then since our detention had finally ended and she had quit the cheerleading squad. I’d seen her outside, waiting for her dad in the bitter cold. I told her I’d drive her home and hurry back to practice, but I knew it would make me late, and she insisted that she was happy out there, that the cold cleared her head, and that she needed a little time on her own to think.
During warm-up, Thiago grabbed Danny by the arm and pulled him into a corner. No one seemed to notice, they were too busy practicing free throws, but I listened in.
“You keep spreading these rumors and I’ll bench you until Judgment Day, get it?”
Danny pulled away from Thiago and smiled moronically.
“Your days are numbered,Coach,” he responded, walking backward and glancing over at me. “You be careful too,” he said to me. “You don’t want him walking off with your girlfriend.”
After that, Danny rejoined the team. I froze, trying to take his words in before looking at my brother, who was still staring at Danny. “What was that supposed to mean?” I asked him.
“He’s a dumbass,” Thiago said calmly. “That’s what it’s supposed to mean. Now keep practicing those jump shots.”
I held his stare for a moment and then let it go. I wasn’t going to dwell on the thought, even if it had been nagging me for weeks.
Kami wouldn’t do that.
Kami wouldn’t cheat on me, and my brother sure as hell wouldn’t let her.
