The Perfect Secret Page 9

  “I was hoping to meet with you for a few minutes,” I said. “It’s an emergency.”

  “Of course. Everything okay?”

  “Yes,” I replied, following him back to his office.

  “Have a seat,” he said, gesturing to a chair. He sat on his desk. “So, what’s so urgent?”

  I got right to the point. “I just came from ELA. Mrs. Woods is the perfect person for that long-term sub position. Please tell me you’re offering her the job.”

  “I did offer it to her. She turned it down.”

  “What! Why?”

  “You’d have to ask her that.”

  I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach. True, that had never happened to me, but I imagined that finding it hard to breathe and feeling nauseous would be the result. She turned it down, I thought. My perfect plan is ruined—again.

  “I’m sorry, Natalie, but rest assured, we’re going to hire a very capable person. Don’t worry.”

  I nodded.

  “You should head to your next class,” Principal Allen said. “And I have to get this office cleaned out. Wanted to do it last year when I took the job, but I never found the time. You wouldn’t believe how much stuff is crammed in here, taking up precious space. Stuff that was left over from the previous principals and that we don’t need anymore.”

  I glanced at the boxes he was referring to. “What’s that?” I asked, pointing to an open box piled high with stuff.

  “Looks like issues of the old school newspaper.”

  “School newspaper? I didn’t know Lake View Middle had one.”

  “Used to,” Principal Allen said. “But from what I understand, the interest wasn’t there to keep it going. Mrs. Yazmire was in charge of it until a few years ago.”

  “Maybe Mrs. Woods can revive it,” I said, springing forward from my chair. “She could volunteer. Where do you think Mrs. Ma—”

  I was about to say, Where do you think Mrs. Magenta gets her passion for volunteering from? but I stopped myself before that came spilling out. I didn’t need Mr. Allen to know I had an ulterior motive for getting Mrs. Woods to the school. If I continued to act as eager as Scott did, that would be certain to raise suspicion. I recomposed myself. “What do you think?” I said, speaking in a calm voice.

  “I guess it’s worth a shot,” Principal Allen said. “I’ll ask her.”

  “Thank you. Please let me know what she says. I would love to be involved in the school newspaper. So would many others, I’m certain.”

  “I’ll keep you posted. Enjoy the rest of your day, Natalie.”

  “You too. Thank you for your time, Principal Allen.”

  I left his office with newfound confidence. I wasn’t giving up. I was going to get Mrs. Woods and Mrs. Magenta together yet. My only concern was how long it would take before Principal Allen was able to contact Mrs. Woods and ask her my question, but that wasn’t anything I had to worry about, because it wasn’t only during school that something of importance occurred, but afterward as well.

  Natalie was in her take-charge mode at lunch. Something was up.

  I sat next to her at our table. “What’s going on?”

  “We need the guys here first,” she said. “Then I’ll explain.”

  “They’re in line to buy food, so they’ll be a few minutes.”

  “Ugh,” she groaned. “Why don’t they bring their lunches to school? It’s so much easier—and healthier!”

  I chuckled. Natalie took out her perfect little triangle sandwiches with the crust cut off, and her yogurt and carrot sticks. It’s what she brought every day. You couldn’t have paid the guys to eat a lunch like that.

  “Here they come,” she said. “Finally.” She stood and waved her arm, trying to get them to hurry up.

  “Dude, what’s the deal?” Mark said. “Why are you freaking out?”

  “If you guys would hurry up and sit down, I’d tell you.”

  “Whoa. Pushy,” Mark joked.

  “Sit down,” Natalie ordered.

  They did. You didn’t mess with Natalie when she meant business. She leaned forward and began explaining. “I think I’ve found a way for us to get Mrs. Woods here, and if we do that, then we can work on getting her together with Mrs. Magenta.”

  “What way is that?” Gav asked.

  “Principal Allen is going to ask her if she’d consider volunteering to be the adult overseeing our school newspaper.”

  “We have a school newspaper?” I asked.

  “We used to, and now we’re bringing it back from the dead,” Natalie answered.

  “Who’s we?” Mark asked.

  “Us.”

  “Sounds fun!” Scott cheered.

  “Dude, are you listening? She wants you to write for the paper,” Mark said. “Still think it’s gonna be fun?”

  “That’s not necessarily true,” Natalie shot back. “There are many roles to fill at a newspaper besides writing articles. But we can decide on all of that at our first meeting.”

  “When’s that going to be?” Gav asked.

  “I don’t know yet,” Natalie admitted. “Soon, I hope. But first we need Mrs. Woods to accept Principal Allen’s offer. In the meantime I’ll be meeting with Mrs. Yazmire so she can give me pointers before she goes out on maternity leave. She used to help with the paper. And remember, once we do get the paper up and running, we’ll need to figure out how to get Mrs. Magenta involved, but that should be the easy part.”

  “Great work, Natalie,” Scott said.

  “Yeah, great work, Natalie.” Trevor mimicked in a high-pitched voice.

  It was silly teasing, so we giggled, but it was super-funny when Scott grabbed Trevor and pulled him into a headlock and started giving him a noogie.

  “Yeah, get him,” Mark encouraged.

  “Yeah,” Gav joined in.

  Trevor didn’t stand a chance against Scott, but we cheered for our underdog.

  “Not the hair,” Trevor cried, wrestling his way free—but not before his face had turned beet red.

  Gav and I high-fived Scott.

  “Dude, your hair? Gimme a break. Who do you need to impress?” Mark asked.

  “No one. Shut up,” Trevor grumbled.

  Call me crazy, but I thought I saw him glance at Natalie when he said that. And I thought I saw her quickly look away. No way.

  The bell rang and brought an end to the boys’ horseplay. It also saved me from feeling bad about keeping my big news a secret. It would’ve been fine if going to the Elite Stars Camp hadn’t meant missing Gav’s first-ever football game. The worst part was, he wasn’t going to have any idea why. I just hoped his game went well so that he would be in better spirits and then I could explain everything to him after I got back.

  Unfortunately, destiny doesn’t always play out the way you want it to.

  NATALIE KURTSMAN

  ASPIRING LAWYER

  Kurtsman Law Offices

  BRIEF #8

  Mid-September: Serendipity

  At the conclusion of our first session, Mrs. Davids and I had agreed to meet at the public library for our future lessons. I suggested the library for several reasons: (1) we could find a quiet study room downstairs where we’d be left alone, (2) it contained all of the resources and materials I’d need to be an effective teacher, and (3) it was also home to the children’s room, and that offered a much better space for Meggie than my parents’ office. (Meggie was going to be with us during each of our sessions.)

  I walked to the library directly after school and got set up at a table in one of the study rooms. There still wasn’t a permanent librarian working in the children’s room, so it was quiet when I arrived. Mrs. Davids and Meggie showed up shortly after me.

  “Hi, Meggie. I’m Natalie,” I said, and smiled. She was wide-eyed, staring at the
room full of books. “I thought you’d like this place.” I took her by the hand and led her on a tour. “This is the room we cleaned and painted last year when we were coming here with Mrs. Magenta’s program.” I glanced at the throw rug on the floor but didn’t mention the secret beneath it.

  “Can I look at the books?” Meggie whispered.

  “Yes, of course. You can look at as many as you want,” I said. “There’s only one rule: when you’re done with a book, you need to put it on that cart over there.” I pointed. “I’ll teach you how to put the books back on the shelves when we’re done.”

  She was all smiles.

  “Your mom and I will be in that room right back there.” I pointed in a different direction. “If you need anything, come and get us.”

  “Okay,” she said, finding her voice and skipping off.

  “Thank you,” Mrs. Davids said.

  I nodded. “Let’s get started.”

  We walked into the study room and sat down. I pulled out the alphabet paper and we began reviewing the basics. Then I got Mrs. Davids practicing with blends and reading short words. She was a quick learner. I wondered why she hadn’t done this before, but I didn’t ask.

  Meggie was a good girl. She left us alone, and we were able to make excellent progress, but eventually she came in to show us what she’d found.

  “Mommy, look at these,” she said, referring to the stack of books she was hugging.

  I had to smile. It was cute to see her that excited.

  Meggie plopped the books onto the table and went through them one by one, showing her mom different pages and explaining to her what each story was about. She had one about a bear who ended up with baby geese, and the geese thought the bear was their mother. Meggie found that one especially funny. We laughed with her. She had another about crayons who took turns complaining to the boy who owned them. That one was fun, too. And then she had one about a wedding.

  “Tell me about yours and Daddy’s wedding, Mommy,” Meggie said. “I never heard about it.”

  “Maybe later, mija. We need to get going. Our time is up.”

  It was an abrupt end to our meeting, which I attributed to the time of day.

  “Can we take these home?” Meggie asked. “Gavvy can read them with me.”

  “Not today. I don’t have a library card,” Mrs. Davids said.

  “I can check them out for you,” I offered.

  “Yay!” Meggie cheered.

  “Thank you, Natalie,” Mrs. Davids said. “That’s very nice of you.”

  “Your mom will be reading these books to you in no time,” I told Meggie. “But remember, our meetings are—”

  “Compidental,” Meggie said, finishing my sentence.

  “That’s right, confidential,” I said. Was I worried about her spilling the beans? Not in the slightest. It was much harder keeping Scott’s lips zipped about things.

  We got our stuff together, and then I showed Meggie how to work the self checkout kiosk. I was beeping one of her books when I heard someone behind me say, “Hello, Miss Kurtsman.”

  To say I was startled would be a gross understatement. I don’t know how to accurately describe what I felt when I saw Mrs. Woods, so let me just say that I was a mix of elated and dumbfounded. This was serendipity.

  “Mrs. Woods, what’re you doing here?” I said.

  “The library still hasn’t hired a full-time children’s librarian, so I’ve been volunteering some.”

  I wanted to ask her about the school newspaper, but I waited. Mrs. Davids and Meggie first, I told myself. “Would you be able to help Mrs. Davids get a library card?” I asked.

  “Of course,” Mrs. Woods said. “Good to see you, Mrs. Davids. I hope Gavin is well. Just need your driver’s license,” she said.

  Mrs. Davids sighed. “Hello, Mrs. Woods. I’m embarrassed to say this, but I do not have my license with me.”

  “That’s okay,” I said. “We can do it next time.”

  “Thank you,” Mrs. Davids said, gathering up the books and quickly whisking Meggie away.

  “Bye, Natalie,” Meggie called.

  “Bye.”

  In hindsight, I should’ve given that moment more thought, but I was still flummoxed by Mrs. Woods’s sudden presence. She was the one who had my focus now. It would be much easier for her to turn down the newspaper gig if Principal Allen did the asking, so I wasn’t taking any chances. I was going to offer her the job myself. After all, Mr. Allen and I had discussed the possibility. I was merely acting on his behalf—not exactly the truth, but close enough.

  “Mrs. Woods, I have the perfect volunteering opportunity for you,” I said.

  Mom picked me up from school on Friday afternoon, just after lunch. We had a three-hour drive to get to the Elite Stars Camp. Check-in started at four o’clock, and we didn’t want to be late. I quietly disappeared from Lake View Middle School without mentioning to any of my friends a word about where I was going. Would they even notice I was gone? I hadn’t stopped stressing about missing Gav’s first game, but as soon as we reached the camp, Gav and the rest of the Recruits slipped from my mind.

  The camp was being held on the campus of an old boarding school. The school was no longer operating, but the buildings were still beautiful and well kept. Check-in for gymnasts took place in the lobby of the dorm where we were staying, but there were several other camps also arriving.

  I finished registering before my roommate, so that meant I got to choose which bed I wanted. I picked the one by the window, but I’d switch if that made her upset. I wasn’t going to make a stink about it, because I knew I’d be spending most of my time at practice anyway. Mom helped me get things situated, and then we walked to the gym. Parents were allowed to stay and watch our first workout, but after that they had to leave. Mom said she’d hang out for the first half, but then she needed to get on the road. She had a long drive back. It was kind of crazy. Just last year I’d been ready to run from Jane, and now I was nervous about being away from her.

  Once we warmed up, my nerves were quickly replaced by excitement. All the girls were talented, and being together pushed us to be better. Our first session that evening flew by. I loved every minute of it. I learned a lot. The girls I met were super-nice, and so were our coaches, especially Ally. I was spent by the time we finally turned in for the night, and psyched for the rest of camp and how much more I was going to learn.

  I had no idea.

  Scott told me what Coach had said about winning the team. His advice made sense. The only problem was, I didn’t know how to do that if I never even got the chance to play. Instead of being excited for our first game, I woke up worrying on Saturday morning. Holmes couldn’t keep me off the field for all four quarters, could he?

  I planned on being the first one to the gym on game day, ’cause part of winning the team was working the hardest—in every aspect—but Scott beat me to it. Matter of fact, he’d already been there for a while by the time I showed up. He was busy spraying Windex all over our helmets, inside and outside, giving them a good shine.

  “What’re you doing?” I asked him, even though I could see.

  “Winning the team,” he said proudly.

  “With Windex?” I teased.

  “Yup. I had something else when I started. I used it on the inside of Nicky’s and Adam’s helmets, but then the nozzle stopped working. It was an old can and the label was worn off. This Windex was the only other thing I could find.”

  “Well, it’s doing the trick. The helmets look awesome.”

  Scott beamed when I said that. The kid was so proud. The best part was that most of the guys thanked him and told him the same thing when they rolled in and saw what he’d done for them. I smiled inside ’cause I knew Scott was winning the team. The junky part was that “most of the guys” didn’t include Nicky and Adam.

/>   “Hey, water baby,” Nicky said. “What’re you doing here so early?”

  “Cleaning helmets so we look sharp out there today.”

  “ ’Bout time you did something useful,” Nicky said. “Keep up the good work, and I might let you wash my jock.”

  Adam laughed. “Ha ha ha! Good one.”

  “Yeah, too bad the sissy probably doesn’t even know what a jock is since he wears panties.”

  “Ha ha ha!” The sounds of those two cracking up over their stupid jokes filled the air. My muscles tensed. I felt the heat rising in my neck and face. I was this close to losing it, but brawling in the locker room with Coach Holmes’s prized boys wasn’t going to help anything. Besides, the other thing I heard was silence. No one else was laughing along with them. The locker room was changing. Scott was winning the team.

  Stats Man finished with his last helmet and then quietly left to do his other jobs while the rest of us got our gear on. After we were suited up, Coach Holmes gathered us in the team room and took a few minutes to talk game plan.

  “If you protect Nicky, we should have plenty of guys reaching the end zone. He’s our best player, so take care of him!” Coach Holmes barked.

  “Protect Nicky.” It was all about Nicky. Our best player. Whatever. Holmes did a lot of yelling after that, and I did a lot of not listening. I could stop worrying, ’cause I’d just gotten my answer. I thought for sure there was no way I was getting into the game. Turns out, I was wrong. And that was all thanks to our stats man.

  “All right, boys. Helmets on,” Coach Holmes hollered. “Give me two lines behind Nicky and Adam.”

  That was when things got exciting.

  “Ah! What the hell!” Nicky yelled. “What’s all over my helmet?”

  “Mine too!” Adam cried.

  “I’ll kill that little twerp!” Nicky screamed. “Dad!” His voice was changing. There was something new in it—panic. “Dad!” he screamed again.

  “What’s the matter?” Coach Holmes said.