Page 6 of A Scandal in Homeroom
“Bitch,” he muttered.
Maybe. The way I saw it, I was just a girl looking after my own interests.
“Let’s get out of here,” I said, as I headed up the steps and, outside, was happy once I was breathing fresh air again. Over my shoulder, I told Coyle, “Don’t forget to lock the door. I’ll need a copy of the key. I’ve got to find a way to make this room hospitable by Saturday.”
I walked away from him with a bad feeling in my gut. I didn’t know if that was the building, my new silent majority partner, or the certainty that this game was about to get bigger than I ever imagined.
2
A Week Later
Locke
“I’m bored.”
She whispered the words into my ear from behind me and I forced myself not to react. Beyond homeroom and gym, AP Chemistry was the only other class I shared with Irene, and, from the very first day, she’d chosen to sit behind me.
This was not the first time I’d gotten a whispered declaration of boredom from behind.
Although this time the room was dark. The teacher was nearly asleep. As were most of the students. We were watching a documentary on the identification of the newest defined element, oganesson, named for the Russian physicist who discovered it.
Deciding to humor her, I leaned back in my chair so I was practically touching the front of her desk and whispered in response.
“I don’t care.”
“I don’t think that’s true. I think you’re just as bored as I am. We should play a game.”
A game? Did she say…a game?
Curiosity piqued.
We were at the rear of the room, the movie droned on at the front. I wasn’t worried about attracting any attention. Still, I decided a silent exchange would be better. Use of phones during class was strictly prohibited, although everyone used them anyway; however, I was more of a traditionalist.
I carefully tore a piece of paper out of my notebook. The trick was always making sure I was the last to hold the note. This way the evidence of the correspondence could be destroyed, rather than lingering on in a digital text exchange indefinitely and backed up to multiple servers.
I simply put down a “?” then reached behind me to slip her the note.
A few seconds later I felt a tap on my shoulder, and I reached behind me again, this time to collect the note.
I know for a fact someone has been cheating in this class. I challenge you to find out who.
I read the note and had to keep myself from snorting. I’d been in this class for a week now.
I knew the teacher was practically obsessed with Jenny who sat in the front row. She liked to wear skirts and sit with her legs open in an imitation of man-spreading. Which was why Mr. Crowely was often required to sit behind his desk while he taught.
Mr. Crowely, it would seem, was a pervert.
I knew Jeffery, a junior with a very bad skin condition, was successfully flirting with Ryan, who was, quite frankly, out of his league. I also knew neither Jefferey nor Ryan were out yet publicly.
And I knew Kylie, three rows in front of me, was struggling so much with the material, she was offering make-out sessions to Beau, who was considered one of the biggest nerds in the class, but certainly the strongest in Chemistry, in order to improve her grade.
Beau had declined the offer. Apparently, he was not yet ready to make out. Given that his mother drove him to school each morning, and, for some unknown reason, he chose to sit in the back seat of the car as opposed to the open passenger seat, this did not surprise me.
His refusal had led to her cheating off him earlier this week during an impromptu quiz.
They called thempop quizzesin the States. Silly name really.
She’d been discreet enough the teacher hadn’t noticed. Beau hadn’t noticed.
