Revenge of the Geek (27 page)

“It was my understanding that you were the one who discovered Miss Lee’s plagiarism and brought it to Mrs. Gordon’s attention,”he finally said.

“That’s right,”I said.

“You must have understood when you did so that Miss Lee would face serious consequences. After all, what she did was a breach of the honor code,”Headmaster Hughes said.

I nodded. “I knew there would be consequences. And there should be. But does her punishment have to be so harsh?”

“The Notting Hill Independent School for Gifted Children is a very special place. Coming here is a privilege. Because of that, we take our academic integrity very seriously,”Headmaster Hughes said.

I drew in a deep breath. “But I’ve talked to Nora. She’s really sorry for what she did. And I believe her. She’s not a bad person. She only did what she did because she was new here and trying to fit in,”I said.

“We have new students at Notting Hill every year. None has ever felt the need to plagiarize another author’s work and attempt to have it published under her own name. If that story had been published in
The Ampersand
, it could have ruined the reputation of the magazine. A reputation that has been built over many years, through the hard work of many fine students,”he said.

“But it wasn’t published. So no real harm was done,”I said.

“I disagree. Dishonesty always has consequences,”the headmaster said, shaking his head.

But I wasn’t ready to give up yet.

“I’m not saying she shouldn’t be punished. But couldn’t you just suspend her, instead of completely expelling her? You could even put her on probation,”I said.

“Miss Bloom, this isn’t a criminal case and you are not Miss Lee’s attorney, bargaining for a lesser jail sentence. Miss Lee violated the honor code. The punishment for a severe violation such as this is expulsion,”Headmaster Hughes said.

I hesitated. “You won’t reconsider?”

He shook his head. “I’m afraid not.”

I nodded and stood. I wasn’t surprised. I knew going in that I didn’t have much hope of convincing the headmaster to change his mind. But I felt like I had to at least try.

“Thank you for seeing me,”I said. “I appreciate your time.”

“Anytime, Miss Bloom. But before you go, may I ask you a question?”the headmaster said.

“Sure,”I said.

“Am I correct in my understanding that you also submitted a short story to
The Ampersand
? And that Miss Lee’s plagiarized short story was chosen over yours?”he asked.

“Yes,”I said.

“But despite that, you decided to come plead Miss Lee’s case to me?”

I nodded again.

“Why?”he asked simply.

“I don’t know, exactly. I guess it’s that I really believed Nora when she said she was sorry. And doesn’t everyone deserve a second chance?”I asked.

The headmaster nodded slowly. “A noble sentiment. But, unfortunately, second chances aren’t always possible.”

“They should be,”I said, shouldering my backpack.

“What’s this I hear about you meeting with the headmaster today?”Finn asked at lunch.

Charlie shot me a sharp glance. “You met with Headmaster Hughes?”

I looked up from the chicken salad sandwich I was trying to work up the nerve to eat.

“It didn’t take long for that to get out,”I said.

“I have my sources,”Finn said.

“Mrs. Boxer,”Charlie and I said together.

“She’s not my only source,”Finn said with mild indignation.

“How do you get her to tell you this stuff? Do you have something on her that you’re holding over her head?”I asked.

“Mwa ha ha,”Finn laughed evilly. He wiggled his eyebrows up and down. “I’ll never tell.”

“What’s going on, Miranda?”Charlie asked.

“I asked Headmaster Hughes to reconsider his decision to expel Nora,”I said.

Charlie’s mouth actually dropped open. Considering she’d just taken a bite of her sandwich, this was not attractive. “What? But why? After everything she’s done to you?”

“Actually, I didn’t tell you, but she came to see me,”I said. “She apologized.”

“And you believed her?”Charlie asked skeptically, her eyebrows arching.

“Seriously, M. That chick has issues. You should steer clear,”Finn said.

I dropped my sandwich back on the plate. Even though my stomach was growling, I still couldn’t bring myself to eat Geek High chicken salad. I picked up a limp carrot stick and munched on it instead.

“Yes, I believed her. And no, we won’t be friends again. But I feel bad for her. She’s had a tough time of it. She doesn’t get a lot of support at home,”I said.

“That doesn’t excuse what she did,”Charlie said.

“No, it doesn’t. But I think she deserves some compassion,”I said.

“So what did Hughes say?”Charlie asked.

I shook my head. “He said he’s not going to reconsider her expulsion,”I said.

“I’m not surprised. The headmaster is pretty hard-core,”Finn said. “The other day he made me turn my T-shirt inside out.”

“Which T-shirt?”Charlie asked suspiciously.

“The one that says, ‘Your Favorite Band Sucks,’”Finn said.

“I can’t imagine why he found that offensive,”I said.

Finn missed the sarcasm. “I know, right? He said that words that rhyme with
truck
and
duck
are not appropriate for school. And I said, ‘How about
muck
or
buck
? Are those okay?’And then he threatened me with a detention.”

“You are a twit,”Charlie said, although with much more affection than she normally used when insulting Finn.

In return, he slung an arm around Charlie. I was still getting used to their casual shows of affection. Luckily, they weren’t obnoxious about it, and rarely made me feel like a third wheel.

“Are you going to eat that sandwich, Miranda?”Finn asked, eyeing my plate.

“It’s all yours,”I said, pushing it across the table to him.

Finn took a bite. “This actually isn’t bad for Geek High tuna.”

“That’s because it’s chicken,”I said.

Finn made a gagging sound and spit the sandwich out into a napkin.

Chapter Thirty

I
didn’t see Nora at all over the next month. I knew from Hannah that Nora had enrolled at Orange Cove High School. Hannah said that Nora kept to herself, although Hannah had heard that Nora was working on the school newspaper.

Then, in early October, I came home after a Tuesday afternoon
Ampersand
meeting to find a battered-looking ten-speed bike parked in the driveway, and Nora again sitting on our front step.

“Hi,”I said. “Is that your bike?”

Nora nodded and stood. “I bought it at a garage sale. I got tired of walking everywhere.”

I hesitated, wondering why she was here. I’d forgiven Nora and truly wasn’t angry anymore. But I also didn’t want to start hanging out with her again. I hoped she wasn’t hoping for a reconciliation.

“So, what’s up?”I asked cautiously.

“I just came by to let you know that I’m leaving,”Nora said.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m moving back to Boston to live with my mom,”Nora explained.

“What about her fiancé?”I asked.

Nora made a face. “They broke up. The wedding’s been called off. So I’m allowed to return home. For now, anyway. My mom’s never without a guy for long,”Nora said. She must have seen pity in my eyes. “Don’t worry; it’s fine. Maybe this time she’ll stay single until I leave for college.”

I nodded. I hoped so, for Nora’s sake. “When are you leaving?”I asked.

“Tomorrow,”Nora said. “I’m all packed and ready to go. My grandmother’s thrilled to get her condo back to herself. She’s throwing a bridge party to celebrate. Anyway, I didn’t want to leave without saying good-bye.”

“I’m glad. Good luck with everything.”

“Thanks. You, too,”Nora said. “And, Miranda?”

“Yeah?”

“For what it’s worth, thank you for being such a good friend to me at the beginning of the year. I haven’t had a lot of friends, so . . . well. I’m just sorry I blew it,”Nora said.

I didn’t know what to say. I knew what she meant, though. I thought Nora was someone I might have been good friends with, had our relationship not been so irreparably damaged.

“Bye, Miranda,”Nora said.

“Bye, Nora.”

Nora turned and walked over to her bike. She wheeled it around, mounted it, and then looked back over her shoulder at me. I raised a hand, and she waved back. I watched her as she biked down the driveway and turned into the street, until she was out of my view.

“I was thinking, Thanksgiving break is only six weeks away,”Dex said that night, as we talked on Skype.

“I know. I’m counting down the days,”I said, hugging a pillow to my chest.

“Me, too. Then I come back here, have four weeks of school, and then I’ll be home for three weeks at Christmas,”Dex said.

“Wow, three whole weeks,”I said. After so many months apart, three weeks sounded like a decadent amount of time.

“I know, I can’t wait. Please tell me you’re not going to London,”Dex said. “I don’t think I could handle the disappointment.”

I grinned, thinking that maybe it wasn’t so bad having a long-distance boyfriend, after all, especially if he was this excited to see me. Maybe absence really did make the heart grow fonder.

“No, I’m not. I was worried that Sadie would be disappointed when I told her I’m staying here for the holidays, but she was fine with it,”I said. “And Hannah’s really excited about our first Christmas together as a family,”I said. And for the first time, the idea that the four of us—Dad, Peyton, Hannah, and me—were a family of sorts didn’t feel completely artificial and forced. “She’s making all sorts of plans. We’re going to go up to Sea World one day. They have a whole holiday display with seals and polar bears and Santa.”

“Sounds great. Can I tag along?”Dex asked.

“You have to ask?”I said.

“I can’t wait to get away from here for a while,”Dex confessed.

“I thought you’d started to like it there,”I said.

“I do, most of the time. But I’m ready for a break. Especially from trig class, which is kicking my butt,”Dex said.

The doorbell rang. Willow sat up on her bed, blinking sleepily and yawning. She’d never been much of a watchdog.

“Was that your doorbell?”Dex asked.

“Yep,”I said.

“Do you have to go get it?”

“No, someone else will. Everyone’s home,”I said. “You’re still having problems with your trig class?”

“Right now, I’ll be lucky if I pass,”Dex said darkly.

“Are you serious? I’ll help. What are you working on now?”I asked.

“I don’t want to think about it,”Dex said. “I barely get to talk to you as it is. I don’t want to spend what little time we have talking about trig.”

There was a knock at my door.

“Miranda? Are you in there?”Hannah called through the door.

“I’m kind of busy right now,”I called back.

“Since when did Hannah start knocking?”Dex asked. “She usually just bursts in.”

“I don’t know. It’s a relatively new development,”I said.

Hannah opened the door anyway. She was frowning.

“Can this wait?”I asked her. “I’m talking to Dex.”

“It’s your mom,”Hannah said.

“My mom? What about her?”I asked.

“She’s here,”Hannah said.

Chapter Thirty-one

“S
urprise!”Sadie said.

She was sitting in the living room, perched on a leather chair. Sadie looked great. Since she’d moved to London, she’d traded in her long hair and hippie skirts for a short, sleek bob and tailored suits. I thought she might have also lost a little bit of weight; her jaw seemed more defined, and her waist was slimmer.

Seated across from Sadie on a low white sofa were my dad and Peyton. They both seemed tense. Sadie had always had that effect on my dad, even when they were married, and Sadie and Peyton had never gotten along. Only Sadie looked relaxed, lounging in her chair, completely at ease. She had always loved surprising people.

“Mom!”I said, rushing over to her. She stood and enveloped me in a hug. I breathed in her familiar scent of perfume mingled with coffee.

“What are you doing here?”I asked her, finally stepping back.

“I came to surprise you,”Sadie said.

“It worked,”I said. “I’m definitely surprised!”

“And I have news,”Sadie said.

Sadie twinkled in Dad and Peyton’s direction, as if they were all in on whatever she was up to. But I could tell from their twin confused expressions that Dad and Peyton had no idea what Sadie was about to announce.

“If you’d told me you were coming for a visit, I would have been able to pick you up from the airport. I have a car now,”I said proudly.

“That’s just it. I’m not here for a visit,”Sadie said.

“You’re not?”

“Nope. That’s my surprise. I’m moving back to Orange Cove!”Sadie announced.