I breathe out.
Then again, I can’t admit anything yet. At least, not until I’ve discussed it with Harriet. I owe Harriet that much after promising I wouldn’t say a word.
If only there was a way to confess to Nat and keep Harriet out of it. But how would I explain the essay swap happening at the same time I was in Legal Studies?
Even if I could work out a way not to implicate Harriet, confessing to Nat would mean the end of Amelia Westlake. Nat would make me promise to cease and desist. I know she would. She’d consider any further activity a further risk of exposure, and once Croon knew I was involved she’d find a way to bring Nat down with me.
Thinking this through makes me realise that I’m not ready to give up on Amelia. Harriet and I are just getting started, and I know how invested Harriet is in this project. Even though my loyalty should be with Nat, the thought of disappointing Harriet kind of kills me. I don’t know why. Honestly? Harriet could benefit from some exposure to disappointment. But it’s a strong enough feeling to keep me quiet.
‘Were you going to say something?’ Nat asks.
‘Oh. Just that I heard Hadley’s back,’ I improvise. ‘Liz Newcomb mentioned it in Maths. Apparently he was on some Olympic reunion trip with his wife and kids.’
‘Barf,’ Nat says. She looks thoughtful. ‘You know what really gets me? That Croon’s so keen on finding out who drew that cartoon but not whether there’s any truth behind the cartoon’s claim. What she should really be doing is interviewing students about Hadley’s behaviour.’
I agree, and reel off my usual list of gripes about the fascist state of Rosemead. Then Nat repeats her usual list, adding a few extras, so I come up with a couple of new ones to even the score.
‘Now. Where were we?’ She leans in to kiss me and I freeze.
Nat looks at me sideways. ‘Are you okay?’
‘I think so. I just …’
‘What is it?’ Nat takes a step back. ‘Will, are you into this?’ she asks. Her voice has changed.
‘Of course!’ I lean in again but she backs away.
‘It’s okay if you’re not,’ she says. ‘I’d be fine about it. Really.’
‘But this is great,’ I say, mustering my enthusiasm.
Nat tilts her head. ‘Are you sure?’
I look at her. ‘Are you sure?’ I ask.
She hesitates. ‘Of course,’ she says at last.
I wish I knew if she really was, but her face is a mask.
Is it my guilt about Amelia Westlake that’s getting in the way of this thing between us? Or maybe the problem is the newsroom. It’s where we always hook up, and it stinks of mouldy sandwiches and dust. Not exactly the sexiest of venues. ‘Perhaps we should try doing this off-campus some time?’ I suggest on a whim.
Nat shrugs, smiling. ‘We could try that.’
‘Then I’ll call you,’ I say in my most seductive voice, wiggling my eyebrows.
She cracks up and gives me a friendly shove. ‘Get out of here, Everhart.’
Chapter 14
HARRIET
At Assembly on Wednesday I sit with Beth and Millie, as usual. In our prefect spots in the front row, Beth fills us in on the latest news about Miss Fowler.
‘Making a complaint was a great idea, Harriet,’ she says. ‘When I told Richard what happened –’ (Richard is her father) ‘he was so riled he marched up to the school on the spot.’ Her eyes are gleaming. ‘He demanded a meeting with Principal Croon, but apparently she was at some interschool principal love-fest, so he was stuck with Deputy Davids. Anyway, the Dep hauled Miss Fowler in while he was there and quizzed her about the whole thing.’
‘She did?’ I feel a flutter of excitement. I have played Beth like a fiddle, which is somewhat disloyal, but it appears to have reaped worthwhile rewards.
Our conversation is interrupted by the start of Assembly, which always begins with a guest speaker. This week it is Tania Janice, an Old Girl of the school. She used to be a CoverGirl model before marrying a Hollywood director who she met at a bar. Tania is widely considered one of Rosemead’s most successful graduates.
‘So what’s going to happen to Miss Fowler?’ I ask Beth in a whisper when Tania has finished recounting her regular celebrity dinner guests.
‘They’re making her review her marking practices,’ Beth whispers back. ‘And she has to apologise to the class.’
Success at last!
My feeling of wellbeing is cut short when I look up. Coach Hadley has come onstage. An image flashes onto the screen above his head: the Olympic rings.
Beth groans. ‘Not this again.’
‘Has it been a year already?’ Millie whispers.
Every year on Coach’s birthday, the whole school watches a recording of his silver medal win. Principal Croon considers it motivational. Afterwards, one of the teachers always gives a speech about the value of ‘hard work’, ‘determination’ and ‘putting your all’ into things.
It is as though Will and I never published that cartoon. I wonder why Principal Croon’s investigation is taking so long.
If, indeed, there is one.
What am I thinking? There must be. I suppose it takes a while to do a thorough job. Which is no doubt the reason we haven’t yet heard anything.
After Miss Fowler gives the motivational part of the presentation, everyone immediately starts talking until we are interrupted by the sound of Deputy Davids coughing into the microphone. ‘Your attention again, girls, please.’ She clasps her hands across her chest. ‘Mouths closed and eyes to the front.’
Slowly the room settles down.
‘Firstly, I have some wonderful, wonderful news,’ Deputy Davids says. She clears her throat loudly. ‘This morning, our Senior Science girls won the highly competitive National Schools Robotics Competition. A truly tremendous achievement. Mr Buddy, the robot they built, will be on display in the library foyer from this afternoon.’ Deputy Davids starts
