I waited a beat, then slowly pulled the window open so its hinges wouldn’t squeak. It wasn’t the largest of portals, but I would fit through just fine. I hoisted myself up and through the window, landing on the floor in a low crouch. Several classmates noticed but didn’t say anything. They wouldn’tdare.
In fact, theyhelped.Someone across the classroom raised their hand to ask a question as I slipped into my usual seat. Alayna handed me her science binder and a pen, since I hadn’t brought anything with me. My backpack was stuffed in my locker.
“Thank you,” I whispered, a line of sweat running down my back.
“No worries,” Alayna whispered back. “Grace doing okay?”
“She’s alive,” I said.
“Good.” She smiled as a light bulb flickered on in my head.I pictured the sympathy notes on my sister’s locker. My fellow studentslovedGrace. Now, the question was: Did the teachers?
“Oh, James!” Ms.Olsen suddenly exclaimed. Her hand went to her heart like I’d just sprung out from behind her desk in a scary Halloween mask and shouted “Boo!”
I looked up from Alayna’s biology notes. “Yes?”
“I didn’t know you were here!”
I shrugged. “Uh, well, I am?”
My math teacher put down her dry erase marker to reassess today’s online roll sheet. “I didn’t check off your name,” she said. “Why didn’t I check off your name?” She frowned. “I marked you absent.”
“I don’t know,” I said, abandoning the backstory I’d brainstormed. It seemed too manipulative now, saying that I’d been in the bathroom while she’d taken attendance.
I also didn’t want the class to witness me lying on the stand. Helping me sneak in was one thing, but blatantly fibbing in front of them? I didn’t think that would play out in my favor. Gossip spread around school in seconds. Mrs.Emerick in the nurse’s office would never offer me Tums again.
“Oh, oops,” Ms.Olsen said, laughing to herself. “I must’ve skipped over you for some reason.” She waved her hand before dramatically clicking something on her computer. “James Barbour, present!”
Phew,I thought, sliding down in my seat.Mission accomplished.
After the bellfinallyrang, I hauled ass to Mr.Henderson’s classroom. Five minutes. I only had five freaking minutes. “Hello, James,” my English teacher greeted me. “What can I do for you?”
“I have detention this afternoon,” I said.
“Yes, I assigned it to you,” he replied evenly. “For relocating my car.”
Which you thought was so funny,I thought, annoyed.So funny that you shook my hand tocongratulateme, yet now you seem totally pissed.
I swallowed my words. Things were already complicated enough.
“Well…,” I said slowly. “I was wondering if, maybe, we could reschedule it fornextFriday? Instead of me serving it today?”
Mr.Henderson leaned back in his chair, amused. “And why would we do that?”
“Because of my sister,” I said, and released a deep sigh. “I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but Grace is pretty sick—I actually went home at lunch, to check on her—and our parents both have to work late because they took her to the ER this morning. They have huge projects to finish by the end of the day.” I rubbed my forehead. “I just feel badly that Grace is going to be alone for a while. She was still throwing up when I left. It took a lot to leave her like that.”
Mr.Henderson was so bowled over that he rose from his chair. “James, I apologize,” he said. “I knew, but didn’t realize…” He shook his head. “Absolutely. We canabsolutelypostpone your detention.” He grabbed a pen from theI never asked to be the world’s best teacher but here I am completely crushing itmug on his desk and jotted down a note. “Deliver this to the main office,” he said afterward, handing me the memo sheet, “and consider it done.”
Again, I didn’t know what it was with our school. Had the faculty ever heard of email? Or texting? Why did they insist on carrier pigeons?!
“Thank you, sir,” I said before leaving the classroom. “I really appreciate it, and I know Grace does, too.”
My teacher nodded. “You’re welcome. She’s a trooper, your sister. Tell her to hang in there.”
“Will do.” I nodded and smiled once I was back in the hall. It hadworked.Detention for today had been squared away.
Well, almost.
Students were pushing and shoving one another, racing to beat the next bell, but I stopped by my locker and grabbed a sweatshirt before heading in the opposite direction of the gym. Mr.Murphy never took attendance, way too eager to split Everett’s and my class into dodgeball teams.
