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Authors: Eve Marie Mont
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not to retaliate.”
“Revenge isn’t my style, Mr. Gallagher.”
“The poem seems to imply otherwise.”
“It’s just a poem. It’s not real.”
He sighed, looking exasperated. A thick lock of hair fell onto his forehead. “It’s just, Elise Fairchild ...”
We both knew what he wanted to say. Elise Fairchild was big money. He was powerless to punish her. And even if he did, she’d have her father’s cavalry of lawyers here in a heartbeat, rescinding thousands of dollars of endowment money that funded the very scholarships we had.
“Those girls will always be poison because they’ve been given everything they’ve ever wanted,” he said. “You two have had to work for what you’ve gotten. Elise is threatened by that. You’ve earned your spot. Elise bought hers. Does that make any sense?” We nodded. “I hope you two can put this behind you and manage to have a happy Halloween, despite it all.”
“Thanks, Mr. Gallagher,” Michelle said. He smiled faintly, and Michelle and I got up and headed for the stairs.
I was speechless. Michelle was the most courageous person I’d ever met. I envied her ability to stand there and take the consequences for a poem I had written. Why hadn’t I said something? Done something? Sometimes it felt like I was sleepwalking through life, reading lines from a script instead of making conscious choices. I wanted to be strong like her.
“Michelle—” I began to say as we came out into the cool October air.
“I don’t walk to talk about it, okay?” she said, passing the journal to me. “Keep that thing under lock and key from now on.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said.
She shook her head. I thought she was too angry to respond, but then she blurted, “Let’s do something, for God’s sake!”
“What do you mean?”
“Go somewhere. Live a little. If I don’t get out of this place, I’m going to explode.”
“But where do you want to go?” I asked.
She got a mad gleam in her eye and exclaimed, “Braeburn!”
C HAPTER 6
A ll the way back to the dorms, I tried to talk Michelle out of sneaking to Braeburn, but I felt like I owed her something.
“Come on, it’ll be fun,” she said. “Owen told me Braeburn’s having a big bonfire tonight.”
“Really? You think they’ll have a drum circle and make us tie-dye our clothes?”
“At this point, I don’t care if they sing ‘Hare Krishna’ and dreadlock my hair. I need to get away from these Lockwood bitches. And let’s wear costumes. Get out of our own skins for a change. It’s Halloween!” Her mood was suddenly effervescent, and I found myself won over by her enthusiasm.
We rummaged through our closets in search of costumes, but I couldn’t find anything promising, just boring sweaters, faded jeans, and bland T-shirts. Michelle emerged from her closet with a ruffled red blouse and a pair of red leggings. “Sexy devil,” she said. “What do you think?”
“Slutty.”
“Perfect.” She twirled around, holding her outfit to her rib cage and flashing a mischievous smile.
I picked through my paltry wardrobe and settled on a simple black dress with a white collar. Barbara had bought it for me to wear to her niece’s wedding last year. I slipped it on and turned to show Michelle.
“What are you going as, a nun?” she said.
“Very funny. I was thinking Wednesday Addams.”
“Oh, right,” she said, nodding. “You actually look a little like her. Let me do your braids.”
After we finished dressing, we set out into the night, heading down the hill toward the stables. It was only seven o’clock, but it was already dark out. Most of the girls were taking the path to the Commons, where Student Council was hosting a chaperoned Halloween party, but no one seemed to notice we were headed in the opposite direction. When we reached the woods, Michelle took out her flashlight.
“I talked with Nicole Manning,” she said. “She and Blake were the ones who got caught last year. She said the
“Revenge isn’t my style, Mr. Gallagher.”
“The poem seems to imply otherwise.”
“It’s just a poem. It’s not real.”
He sighed, looking exasperated. A thick lock of hair fell onto his forehead. “It’s just, Elise Fairchild ...”
We both knew what he wanted to say. Elise Fairchild was big money. He was powerless to punish her. And even if he did, she’d have her father’s cavalry of lawyers here in a heartbeat, rescinding thousands of dollars of endowment money that funded the very scholarships we had.
“Those girls will always be poison because they’ve been given everything they’ve ever wanted,” he said. “You two have had to work for what you’ve gotten. Elise is threatened by that. You’ve earned your spot. Elise bought hers. Does that make any sense?” We nodded. “I hope you two can put this behind you and manage to have a happy Halloween, despite it all.”
“Thanks, Mr. Gallagher,” Michelle said. He smiled faintly, and Michelle and I got up and headed for the stairs.
I was speechless. Michelle was the most courageous person I’d ever met. I envied her ability to stand there and take the consequences for a poem I had written. Why hadn’t I said something? Done something? Sometimes it felt like I was sleepwalking through life, reading lines from a script instead of making conscious choices. I wanted to be strong like her.
“Michelle—” I began to say as we came out into the cool October air.
“I don’t walk to talk about it, okay?” she said, passing the journal to me. “Keep that thing under lock and key from now on.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said.
She shook her head. I thought she was too angry to respond, but then she blurted, “Let’s do something, for God’s sake!”
“What do you mean?”
“Go somewhere. Live a little. If I don’t get out of this place, I’m going to explode.”
“But where do you want to go?” I asked.
She got a mad gleam in her eye and exclaimed, “Braeburn!”
C HAPTER 6
A ll the way back to the dorms, I tried to talk Michelle out of sneaking to Braeburn, but I felt like I owed her something.
“Come on, it’ll be fun,” she said. “Owen told me Braeburn’s having a big bonfire tonight.”
“Really? You think they’ll have a drum circle and make us tie-dye our clothes?”
“At this point, I don’t care if they sing ‘Hare Krishna’ and dreadlock my hair. I need to get away from these Lockwood bitches. And let’s wear costumes. Get out of our own skins for a change. It’s Halloween!” Her mood was suddenly effervescent, and I found myself won over by her enthusiasm.
We rummaged through our closets in search of costumes, but I couldn’t find anything promising, just boring sweaters, faded jeans, and bland T-shirts. Michelle emerged from her closet with a ruffled red blouse and a pair of red leggings. “Sexy devil,” she said. “What do you think?”
“Slutty.”
“Perfect.” She twirled around, holding her outfit to her rib cage and flashing a mischievous smile.
I picked through my paltry wardrobe and settled on a simple black dress with a white collar. Barbara had bought it for me to wear to her niece’s wedding last year. I slipped it on and turned to show Michelle.
“What are you going as, a nun?” she said.
“Very funny. I was thinking Wednesday Addams.”
“Oh, right,” she said, nodding. “You actually look a little like her. Let me do your braids.”
After we finished dressing, we set out into the night, heading down the hill toward the stables. It was only seven o’clock, but it was already dark out. Most of the girls were taking the path to the Commons, where Student Council was hosting a chaperoned Halloween party, but no one seemed to notice we were headed in the opposite direction. When we reached the woods, Michelle took out her flashlight.
“I talked with Nicole Manning,” she said. “She and Blake were the ones who got caught last year. She said the
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