“What whole story?” Megan asked.
“Doug. Why he is the way he is,” Finn said. “It’s not so cut-and-dried as you think. I mean, you try growing up as the twin brother of a kid like Miller. And then surrounded by five other kids. He’s not a bad person, you know? He’s just . . .”
Megan swallowed hard. “Your brother.”
“Yeah,” Finn said. “I’m not saying it’s an excuse, really. It’s not. I just saw what it was like for him. It’s not fun when the kid next to you gets everyone’s attention. And then there’s nothing you can say about it because he’s sick, you know?”
Megan and Aimee exchanged a look.
“Okay, but what are you going to say?” Megan asked him finally.
Finn turned and walked over to the office door. He sighed and looked up at the ceiling.
“I don’t know. Maybe I’ll just tell them that Doug was with me last night,” Finn said.
“They’ll never buy it,” Aimee told him.
“She’s right. You’re his brother. They’ll think you’re just lying to get him out of trouble,” Megan said, her heart starting to pound. She thought of Doug’s expression after the fight with Evan the other day. She’d seen the way he was with Caleb and Ian. Somewhere under that gangsta demeanor was a good kid. Maybe he just needed someone to see it. “But they might buy it from me.”
She reached for the door, but Finn grabbed her arm.
“Megan—”
“Think about it, Finn. I have no reason to protect him, right?” Megan said.
Finn considered this. “Well, you do hate his guts. So . . . why are you doing this?”
“Call it a sickness,” she joked. “I don’t like to see my friends suffer.”
Finn smiled and Megan’s heart swelled.
Megan opened the door and stepped inside, then peeked her head back out into the hall. “You did know I was talking about your suffering, not his, right?”
Finn laughed. “Just go.”
Megan let the door close behind her. Doug was sitting on an old pleather couch against the left wall, across from a closed door. He looked up when she walked in. On his lap was a pile of books, all of which were covered with his signature doodles. Megan clucked her tongue and grabbed the pile as she dropped down next to him.
“You know, for a supposed smart guy, you’re really not that smart,” Megan said, unzipping her backpack.
“What’re you doing?” Doug asked.
“Saving your ass,” Megan replied.
She took out a few of her own, clean notebooks and placed them in his lap, then shoved his books in her bag.
“Where’s your Scarlet Letter paper?” she asked.
“What? You’re trippin’.”
“Where is it?” Megan asked again.
Doug pulled a face, leaned over, and slid the paper out of one of his notebooks. Megan placed the neatly printed pages on top of the pile of books, then zipped her bag shut.
The door opened and Dr. Frank stepped halfway out. “Who’s this?” he asked when he saw Megan.
“I’m here as a witness,” Megan said, standing up.
“I don’t need your help, yo,” Doug said, rising as well. Megan was happy to see that he had at least left his incriminating jeans at home, opting for a clean, if ripped pair.
“Yeah, right,” Megan said. She held out a hand to Dr. Frank, who, after a moment of total bafflement, shook it. “I’m Megan Meade. I just started here last week,” Megan said. “I have some information about Doug’s whereabouts last night.”
“Oh?” Dr. Frank said, crossing his long arms over his chest. “Come in, then.”
Megan smiled up at the vice principal and slipped by him, followed by Doug, who, quite wisely, and for the first time since Megan had met him, kept his mouth shut. The inside of the office was like a dungeon. The walls were painted gray and there was only one dim light on the desk. The vertical blinds were pulled tight over the window and the only decorations were Dr. Frank’s framed degree and a poster featuring a picture of cross-country runners with one word printed beneath it: Discipline.
“Have a seat,” Dr. Frank said, gesturing toward the two chairs across from his metal desk.
Doug slumped into his chair. Megan sat with her back straight, perched on the edge of hers. If there was one thing she knew how to handle, it was strict adults who thought they knew everything. After growing up surrounded by army officers, a vice principal was nothing.
“Before either of you says anything, I think you should know that when we saw the anti-Baker graffiti this morning, we naturally assumed that some students from a rival school must have done the deed. But before we took the investigation to the authorities, we wanted to make sure the culprits were not walking our own halls. You can understand how embarrassing that would be.”
Megan nodded. Doug shifted in his seat.
“Mr. McGowan, I have it on good authority that the . . . character adorning our west wall is one of your favorites,” Dr. Frank said, lacing his fingers together over his stomach as he leaned back in his chair. “Most of your friends have already admitted to being involved. I’m not sure there’s much you could say to exonerate him, Ms. Meade.”
“Come on, man. I didn’t do s—”
“Doug and I were studying together last night,” Megan said, interrupting Doug before he could say something he’d regret. “I was helping him with his paper on The Scarlet Letter. My teacher spent an entire quarter on it last year, so I know it backwards and forwards. Anyway, we worked on it until at least midnight and Doug was already passed out by the time I left his room, so . . .”
“She was helping you with your homework?” Dr. Frank asked Doug.
“That’s what she said,” Doug replied belligerently.
Megan sighed. He was really not helping here.
“Can I see this paper?” Dr. Frank asked.
“Oh! I have it,” Megan said sweetly. “I told him I’d read it over during study hall.” She slid the paper out of her bag and handed it over to Dr. Frank. “It looks great, by the way,” she told Doug.
Doug looked at her like she was speaking backward.
Slowly Dr. Frank flipped through the pages. Megan knew he was just stalling, trying to figure out what his next move should be.
“How do I know you’re not just trying to protect Mr. McGowan?” Dr. Frank asked finally.
“Me? Protect him?” Megan asked. “Please. First of all, my parents are both lifers in the army and they taught me never to lie to authority figures,” Megan said earnestly. They also taught me to always be loyal to the unit, but that’s beside the point. “Second, I have no reason to protect Doug. We hate each other.”
“Got that right,” Doug said.
“If you hate each other, then why were you helping him with his paper?” Dr. Frank asked, looking like the cat that swallowed the canary.
“Well, I can’t turn down a person who comes to me looking that pathetic and needy, now, can I?” Megan asked with an indulgent smile.
Doug rolled his eyes and looked away. For a long moment, Dr. Frank studied them both. Finally he sighed and handed the paper to Doug.
“Well, Douglas, none of your friends mentioned your involvement in the incident. I was just going on instinct here and your penchant for anime,” Dr. Frank said. “Without any clear-cut evidence, I can’t exactly hold you responsible.”
“See ya.” Doug noisily and dramatically pushed himself out of his chair and started for the door.
“But!” Dr. Frank called out, bringing Doug up short. “But I can put you and Ms. Meade here in charge of the cleanup crew.”
“What? But she just told you I didn’t do nothin’,” Doug said.
“Anything, Mr. McGowan. And trust me, if you don’t want me to look further into this matter, you will accept my generosity right now,” Dr. Frank said, rising from his chair. Both Megan and Doug had to tilt their heads back to look up at him in the small space. “Get yourselves a crew and we’ll have the
supplies ready and waiting for you today after school.”
“This is so—”
“We’ll be there,” Megan said, standing and opening the door. “Nice to meet you, Dr. Frank.”
He smiled for the first time, exposing a line of very large, very yellow teeth. “You too, Ms. Meade.”
* * *
“Hey! So what happened?”
Finn was standing right inside the cafeteria door when Megan walked in moments after her meeting with Dr. Frank. Doug had shoved her books at her, taken his own, and stormed off in the opposite direction without so much as a grunt of thanks.
“He got off . . . sort of,” Megan said.
“What does that mean?” Finn asked.
“Well, he didn’t get suspended.”
Finn’s face lit up. “Megan, that’s awesome! Thank you so much.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t think Dr. Frank completely believed us, so we’re now in charge of graffiti cleanup,” Megan told him. “We have to get a crew together to meet up after school today.”
“Ouch,” Finn said. “Well, you’ve come to the right place.”
They looked out across the cafeteria, where hundreds of their peers sat and ate, just waiting to be tapped for after-school labor.
“I guess I should get started,” Megan said.
“What about Doug?” Finn asked.
“It’s just a gut instinct, but I don’t think he’s going to be much help,” Megan replied, walking backward. “Wish me luck.”
“Good luck,” Finn said with a smile.
Megan knew that most of the people in the room still had no desire to talk to her or even know her, but she didn’t have a lot of options. Dr. Frank had seemed like a pretty no-nonsense guy. Who knew what her punishment might be if she failed this little task? She decided to start with her so-called friends, figuring those who had once spoken to her were the most likely to speak to her again.
“Hey, guys,” she said, pushing her hands into the front pockets of her jeans as she approached the end of Ria’s table.
For a moment, there was no response. Then Jenna looked up from her fruit salad quickly and said, “Hey,” back.
“So . . . this is how it’s going to be now?” Megan asked. “A few rumors get started and I’m suddenly contagious?”
Ria sighed and kept eating. Pearl just looked ill.
“Well, whatever, I’m not here for this. I’m here to tell you that I’m getting together a bunch of people to help clean up the graffiti this afternoon and I thought you guys might want to come.”
“Shouldn’t the people who did the crime do the time?” Ria asked. “Or did you do the crime?”
“I’m not a vandal,” Megan said.
“Who’s to say what you are?” Ria asked.
“Ria,” Jenna said in a quiet voice.
“No, it’s okay, Jenna,” Megan said, her body temperature rising. “You know what, Ria? I didn’t do any of those things they say I did, but that’s not even the point. This isn’t about me. It’s about our school being defaced and whether or not you or anyone else cares enough to help out. I’ve only been here for a week and I can’t stand it being up there. What’s your excuse?”
Ria stared down at the table, looking ever so slightly smaller than she had a minute ago.
“Believe whatever you want to believe about me,” Megan said. “I just hope I see you guys later.”
Megan turned and headed for the next table. She didn’t want to let Ria’s behavior get to her, but in a way she was glad that it had. It gave her the righteous indignation she needed to face down the rest of the student body.
“Hi, I’m Megan Meade,” Megan began. “I’m putting together a crew to help clean up the graffiti. . . .”
As she launched into her speech, Megan noticed that on the other side of the room, Finn was addressing a table full of artsy types. Megan caught his eye and smiled. Finn smiled back.
Over his shoulder, Megan saw Miller and Aimee sitting at their table outside. They weren’t talking, but they didn’t look uncomfortable either.
Megan squelched her smile and returned her focus to the task at hand. If she didn’t watch out, her friends were going to kill her adrenaline rush before she ever got a chance to use it.
* * *
That afternoon, after making her excuses to a very displeased Coach Leonard, Megan headed for the west side of the school. She was just hoping that someone, anyone would show up. She had a feeling that even Doug’s presence was iffy, and no one had paid much attention to her at lunch.
Megan came around the corner and her jaw dropped. Finn was standing in the center of a crowd of students that included Ria, Jenna, Pearl, Aimee, and Doug, along with a few other girls from the soccer team.
“Hey,” Megan said as she joined the group.
“Hi,” Finn replied with a smile. “I was just explaining to everyone how this stuff works.”
Open at his feet was a plastic container full of goop. There were also boxes of safety goggles, plastic gloves, and putty knives. Five ladders were lined up along the wall.
“Who put you in charge?” Megan asked.
“Well, Janitor Steve, I guess,” Finn said, rubbing his hands together. “He didn’t want to wait around for you to get here, so he explained the process to me. He said something about this being his bowling night; I don’t know.”
“Okay, so what’s the deal?” Megan asked.
“We spread this poultice stuff all over the paint and it supposedly sucks up the color,” Finn said, kneeling down and snapping on some plastic gloves. “Problem is it stinks and we’re not supposed to get any on us.”
“Great. Sounds very safe,” Megan said, earning a laugh. “Let’s get to work.”
Everyone gathered around the boxes of protective gear and started getting outfitted. Megan found herself next to Ria and handed her a pair of gloves.
“Thanks,” Ria said.
“No problem,” Megan replied.
“Look, I just wanted to say I think it’s really cool, you doing all of this,” Ria said as she picked up a couple of pairs of goggles. “I mean, since you’re new here and everything.”
“Yeah, well,” Megan said. “It wasn’t really a volunteer thing, but I think it’s important.”
“It is,” Ria said. She was looking at the ground as she fiddled with the strap on her goggles. Megan smiled. Humility on Ria was an odd fit, which made it all the more touching. “And, well, I’m sorry about the last couple of days. I’ve been kind of a jerk. I don’t know why I believed Hailey anyway.”
“Yeah, you do,” Megan said with a laugh. “The girl is scary.”
Ria laughed as well. “Yeah, but not as scary as me.”
“You have a point there,” Megan replied. “Come on. Let’s get this over with so Coach Leonard doesn’t kill us all.”
Megan started to relax as she got to work. Everyone was chatting pleasantly and no one was talking about her or Evan or Hailey. With the sun pouring down on them and the sounds of the various sports being practiced in the background, Megan felt at peace.
She had just finished getting rid of the varsity jacket when Aimee came to mix the poultice.
“So, I saw you outside with Miller today,” Megan said. “Did you guys talk?”
Aimee blushed. “Not really. I just like being around him.”
“Yeah, that’s ’cuz he ain’t talkin’,” Doug said, slapping some poultice onto the wall. “You’d be bored off your ass if he was.”
“Ignore him,” Megan said to Aimee, trying to disregard her own rush of anger. “He’s just pissed at the world.”
“Oh, so now you think you know me?” Doug said.
“Yeah, I do,” Megan shot back. “You’re smart, you’re funny, you’re talented, and you have an awesome family, but all you want to do is walk around like some kind of victim. It’s really just annoying, actually.”
Wow. Where is this all coming from? Megan wondered. It seemed like once she started voicing her
thoughts, she couldn’t stop herself.
Doug’s skin deepened to a near purple. “You better shut your mouth, bitch, ’cuz you got no clue what you’re talkin’ about.”
“Hey!” Finn shouted, stepping in. “What did you just call her?”
“You heard me,” Doug said, his face contorted in anger.
“Apologize, Doug,” Finn said.
“Yeah, right,” Doug said with a scoff.
“What’s your problem, man?” Finn said. “You know, Megan totally saved your ass today. You could have been suspended, again. You could have been expelled. You should be thanking her.”
Megan crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Doug expectantly. There was a grin tugging at her lips, but she tried not to give in to it. Finn and Doug stared at each other while everyone around them waited and watched. Finally Doug broke the stalemate and looked at Megan.
“Thanks a lot,” he said sarcastically. Then he yanked off his plastic gloves, tossed them at her feet, and stormed away.
Finn let out a sigh as he gazed after his brother. “You know, my parents really should have stopped with me.”
Everyone cracked up laughing and they were soon back at work. Megan smiled her thanks at Finn and he picked up Doug’s putty knife, brushing off the dirt and grass.
“It really was cool of you to help him out the way you did,” Finn said. “Especially considering the way he’s treated you.”
“Well, someone told me a few things that made me rethink my position,” Megan said. “I still think he needs a slap, though.”
“I think you just gave him one,” Finn said. “I doubt he was expecting you to tell him he was smart and funny and talented.”
“I just call them like I see them.”
From:
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[email protected] Subject: Boy Guide
Megan Meade’s Guide to the McGowan Boys
Entry Eleven
Observation #1: Boys are vulnerable.
Even the ones that seem like total, complete jerks.
Observation #2: Boys don’t know when to call a truce already.
Especially the ones that seem like total, complete jerks.
Fourteen