Page 258 of Something Rad
Because, right after I finish signing my name, the intercom above us crackles to life, Principal Whileyman’s voice coming through. “Attention, could Ms. Sara Cooper please make her way to my office as soon as possible? That’s Sara Cooper. Thank you.”
“Uh, I got to go, I guess,” I murmur, handing Alice her yearbook back. “Can I finish it later?”
“Oh, yeah. Of course,” she says, clearing her throat then motioning her head up towards the intercom. “Do you know what that’s about?”
“No, I’m not sure,” I tell her. “But I guess I’ll go find out.”
She nods, handing my yearbook back to me. “Best of luck.”
I push my hair behind my ear, taking it from her hands. “Thanks.”
When I turn around, I find Robbie a little ways down the hall in a huddle of athletes. He looks at me from over top of the crowd, tilting his head and holding his arms in the air, clearly asking about the announcement.
I shrug, mouthing to him that I’m not sure what it’s about, then motion my head towards the direction of the front office, letting him know I’ll be right back.
Once I make it inside, the secretary behind the desk says hello and tells me to go right in. I thank her, making my way down the short hallway towards the principal’s office.
When I approach, the door is open, and I can see Principal Whileyman sitting at his desk. I approach hesitantly, knocking my fist against the wall just to the side of his door.
He instantly looks up, catching sight of me and waving me in, directing me towards the empty chair in front of him. “There you are, Ms. Cooper. Come on in.” I start to make my way inside when he adds, “Thank you for joining us.”
“Us?” I start to ask, but stop, stiffening when I see the other chair that wasn’t visible from outside occupied. “Jesse?”
“Hi, Sara,” Jesse nods, smiling tightly.
My brows pull together as I settle into my own chair.
“So, you’re probably wondering why you both are here,” Principal Whileyman says, and I resist the urge to blurt out that he’s right.
“So, with graduation coming up next weekend and final grades being submitted for senior students, I just wanted to touch base on your valedictorian and salutatorian honors. We’ve got some things to discuss.”
Oh.
I instantly relax into the chair, realizing he must want to talk to Jesse and me about our graduation speeches. It also occurs to me that I had completely forgotten about the fact that I would be required to give a speech at graduation, which means I haven’t given a single thought to what I plan to say. Part of me wonders if anyone would notice if I just tweaked and repeated my student body president speech.
“Do I get equal time as salutatorian to give my speech?” Jesse speaks up.
“Oh,” Mr. Whileyman says, seeming caught off guard by the question, “well, no. We have ten minutes allotted for the valedictorian and five minutes for the salutatorian.”
“Wanna switch?” I ask Jesse, half serious. Surprisingly, he actually laughs, which makes me laugh in return.
“So…actually, about that…”
My and Jesse’s heads both swivel back forward to where Mr. Whileyman sits.
“About what?” I ask him.
Principal Whileyman folds his hands on the desk, clearing his throat. “So, there’s really no best way to say this.”
I slowly sink back into my chair, bracing myself for what he’s about to tell us.
“With the final grades being entered this week…it appears there were some shifts in the last grading period.”
I swallow against the tightness in my throat, having a feeling I know exactly what thoseshiftsare that he’s referring to.
“This really wasn’t expected, so I’m sorry to spring this on you both, but…”
Just say it.
