“Why do you do that? Why do you insist on making me feel uncomfortable whenever we are alone?”
“A hug is a good thing, Franks.”
“Not always.”
“Like—when is a hug not a good thing?”
“When it makes someone uncomfortable.”
“I’m down with hugging,” I say. “I hug everyone indiscriminately.”
“Not everyone wants to be hugged.”
“Well, that’s just dumb.”
“Why, because you say so?” Franks says. “Would you hug Lex Pinkston?”
I’m sorta getting pissed at Franks, especially after everything I did for him last night—not to mention how he invited Lex and his buddies into The Franks Lair—but the second bell rings, which means I’m late, so I just leave without answering and go to homeroom, where there is a pink slip waiting for me, so I about-face and walk my little behind down to Prince Tony’s office.
All of my boys are on the bad-boy bench, except Chad who is in Das Boot.
“Amber,” the red-lipped Mrs. Baxter says to me just before I address my boys, “can you come over here?”
So I walk over to Prince Tony’s secretary’s desk.
“I heard about last night,” she whispers. “You certainly have chutzpah.”
“Thanks,” I say, and then join my boys, who are more than a little bit fidgety sitting on the bench of discipline.
“We better not get in trouble,” Ty says.
“Ricky Roberts needs to go to calculus in how many minutes?”
“This don’t seem so good,” Chad says from Das Boot.
“Beats going to gym,” says Jared.
“Guys, it’s Prince Tony,” I say. “Just let me do the talking. No sweat.”
“What if he calls us in one at a time?” Ty asks.
“No chance,” I retort.
“How do you know?” asks Jared.
“How many minutes until math?”
“I know Prince Tony. He’ll want to save time. He’s efficient to a fault.”
The door opens. Prince Tony says, “The lot of you. Inside.”
I give my boys a knowing glance, as if to say Told ya!
Inside we all take seats in the various corners of the office, Chad motorizes Das Boot front and center, and Prince Tony sits behind his huge desk.
“The school board voted to keep the business department.”
We all clap and cheer!
“You’ll be pleased to hear that Mr. Franks will be getting an increased budget.”
I smile and nod my head confidently. Score!
“Now, all of those other things you were complaining about last night,” Prince Tony says, “were you serious? Do you really feel strongly about those other issues, or was it just a collective front to save Mr. Franks?”
“Pretty much just a front,” says Ty.
“We just really like Franks,” Jared says.
“How many minutes until math?”
“Halo 3 during lunch and before school. Is that too much to ask?” Chad adds.
“So this matter is resolved?” Prince Tony says. “No more busting into school board meetings? You’re satisfied?”
“Pretty much,” Ty says when no one else speaks up.
“Good,” Prince Tony says, and then adds, “you kids were impressive last night. Truly. Now off to class.”
All of my boys jump up and happily follow Das Boot and Chad out of Prince Tony’s office, but I stay seated and shake my head sadly.
Even after all the slaying they have done in their virtual Xbox world, my boys just don’t have the killer instinct.
“Ms. Appleton?”
“Is that how it works with adults?” I say.
“I’m not sure I follow.”
“It takes a bunch of threats to get what you want, but no one really cares about anything that doesn’t concern them? No one cares about doing what’s right for the sake of doing what’s right?”
“What are you talking about? Mr. Franks’ program is secure for at least another year—through your graduation. You’ve accomplished your goal. You should be happy.”
“Maybe.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know.”
“You can talk to me, Amber,” he says, like any old adult would.
“Don’t you think that we should recognize MLK day and diversify the faculty? Don’t you think we should make the entire school handicap accessible and friendly? Don’t you think that kids shouldn’t have to endure harassment from people like Lex Pinkston?”
“Of course. Yes to all of those.”
“Then why don’t you make all that stuff happen?”
Prince Tony leans forward, looks me in the eye all fatherly, and says, “Don’t you think I would if I could?”
“But you’re the principal of the school. You can do anything you want.”
Prince Tony smiles sorta sadly, and says, “You’re a good kid, Amber. And you are going to be a great woman someday.”
“Why does everyone say that to me? Like I’m a bottle of wine or something.”
“Someday you’ll understand.”
“That’s such a BS answer.”
“And someday you’ll give that same answer to someone younger than yourself.”
“No, I won’t.”
“Better get to class, Ms. Appleton,” Prince Tony says, and then he starts opening his mail, like I’m not even there anymore, and I wonder if anything we did last night meant anything at all.
CHAPTER 9