Page 24 of Shaped to Be Yours

I snorted again.Go Mom.

Only this time, McDickhole looked at me. He pushed away from her desk with a lurch and took a step backward—back and to his right—as if to get farther away from me.

“Well, I can see that I might need to speak to someone in higher authority, given you are clearly compromised in your opinion.” He slid his eyes back to Mom like he wanted to melt her. “You have a habit of hiding information and cannot be trusted to give straight answers about the monster presence.” He leaned toward her again with his voice lowered. “And I personally do not think it appropriate to allow an unsanctioned monster into this building.”

“Unsanctioned?” Now I was done with this guy and stood. I was several inches taller and broader than him, and frankly, I liked seeing him cower when he realized that. “I have a visa. And my mom didn’t hide anything. She didn’t know. I hid that I became a monster. Bad move on my part, I’m aware. But there aren’t any kids here right now, are there? So the only person I could possibly be a danger to is you.”

“Jason,” my mother hissed.

“Already spewing threats!” McDickhole stood taller.

Bad move again. Crap.Come on, Jason, get it together. “I just meant—”

“This is exactly what that article warned us about, whichyoudismissed as editorial.”

“Itwaseditorial.” Now Mom stood, and I had to backtrack through the conversation because how did this guy know I was a monster? Not word of mouth but there’d been an article?

“You clearly cannot share my fears when your son is one of them,” McDickhole continued. “How can I not be concerned? Sometimes they look just like us!Youcould be one of them. If we don’t keep accurate records and put in place the right precautions—”

“I assure you, Mr. McPherson, that we are all about record keeping,” my mom tried to assure him. “I am not a monster, but yes, my son is. He is not the issue here, however. Thegovernment is very tight with those visas. They are taking every necessary precaution.”

“And yet I had no idea your son would be on school grounds this summer.” He glared at me. “I think this is something other parents would want to know, just like we had every right to demand that audit of your… character.”

“What?” I stepped out from behind my desk. “What is he talking about?”

“Did his eyes just glow?” McDickhole squeaked.

Shit. Had they? I had to calm down.

But they tried to investigate Mom?

“Mr. McPherson,” she somehow managed to remain calm, “my son is simply getting on his feet and doing his due diligence as a recent graduate who spent his entire life in this town and should always be welcomed back in it. Now, if you have a formal complaint you would like to make—”

“Oh, I intend to—”

“Then take it up with the school board!” she finally yelled, and when my mom yelled, that was the end of a conversation.

“Sandy, is everything all right out here?” The principal peeked her head out of her office. I hadn’t even known she was here. So was the vice principal, I realized now, because I could see him peering through the glass of his office door, wondering if he should get involved too. “Ah, Mr. McPherson, I see. Do we need to have another discussion—”

“Unnecessary. Apparently, I’ll be speaking with the school board next.” McDickhole left in a huff, while I was left feeling like a grade-A moron.

“Ms. Greystone, I am so sorry,” I started, but the principal was a paragon of patience too and had a genuine smile for me. I guess people who worked at schools sort of had to overflow with patience or drown in a million other emotions.

“It’s okay, Jason,” she said. “Mr. McPherson has been a thorn in our side for weeks. Honestly, I’ll be happy to have him be the board’s problem for a while. It’s good to see you.” She came over and extended her hand.

She’d been the vice principal when I went here and had been a favorite of the students, and of my mom’s, so I’d always liked her. She said a lot with that handshake. It told me she was on my side. On Mom’s side. It hadn’t dawned on me that obviously Mom would have needed permission for me to work here for the summer, so everyone here had to know what I was.

But what was all that McDickhole had said?

“It’s good to see you too, Ms. Greystone. But what did he mean by audit?” I looked from her to Mom. “Did you get in trouble because of me?”

“No, honey.” Mom joined us at my desk. “Ronald and a few of the other parents just stirred a little fuss after the paper ran a very one-sided opinion piece about Elder Ridge becoming a tester town and the reveal of your… change.”

“His name is Ronald McDonald?” I joked.

“McPherson.”

“Still a clown.”

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