The Education Of Hailey Kendrick Part 3

"It's nothing. Just a scratch. Don't worry about it-or, you know, what happened. It didn't mean anything. Must have been all the endorphins from tearing the arm off that guy. Thrill of the hunt. You hear about that kind of thing happening all the time in battle." I looked away quickly, and hoped he couldn't tell that I was blushing.

"Yeah." Joel's voice was flat. "It was just an accident. I would never do anything to hurt Tristan. He's my best friend."

"I know. I don't want to hurt him either. Don't worry. I won't say anything. We can pretend the whole thing never happened."

"Is it really that easy? Just forget it and erase everything?"

"Exactly. Poof. Look at that-I've already forgotten." I waved my hands between us as if I were creating a magic spell. My heart was beating fast. Joel had to agree. If we told Tristan, he would be crushed. He would never understand. Heck, I didn't understand. I'd never had romantic feelings for Joel in all the years I'd known him. But that kiss . . . It was like I had been possessed.

Joel looked into the woods and said nothing. He rubbed his hand over his face and then took a step closer. My heart stopped dead in my chest. Was he going to try to kiss me again? He bent over, cupping his hands. "Step up. Let's get you back inside."

I let myself take a breath. It was forgotten. It was going to be okay. I stepped into his hands, and from there up onto his shoulders. I could feel the strength of his hands as they cupped my ankles, holding me steady. My hands scrambled to find something to hold on to. I was still a few inches short of the windowsill. The rocks in the walls didn't stick out far enough to make any sort of handhold, and I was afraid the ivy wouldn't hold me.

"I can't reach," I whispered down to him.

"Okay, hang on. Step onto my hands and I'll boost you up farther." He gave a grunt and then raised his arms up above his head. I hugged the wall and stepped up. His arms were shaking with the effort, and I had the image of what it would be like if I fell and broke something. Luckily, the extra lift was enough and I was able to get a hold of the wooden sill for my room. I pulled myself up. Clearly I needed to do more chin-ups in gym, because my arms were screaming from the effort. My feet sc.r.a.ped on the stone wall searching for a bit of extra purchase. I didn't as much crawl into my room as fall in. Once I was inside, I leaned back out the window.

"You okay?" Joel asked.

"Uh-huh. You okay?" I couldn't see his face in the dim light, but I could make out his shape. He nodded. "Thanks for coming to find me."

"You can always count on me."

I wasn't sure what to say, so I waved to him and shut the window. I slid down the wall until I was sitting on the floor. It didn't feel like I could count on anything anymore.

7.

One of things I don't like about Evesham is the shared bathrooms. There are two per floor in the dorms. It's not like they're nasty. You couldn't charge what Evesham costs and get away with chipped tile and laminate counters. The floors are heated, and there's a wide granite countertop vanity where everyone sits to do their makeup in the morning. It was designed to look like the washrooms they have in Harrods department store in London. My Evesham bathroom was nicer than the bathroom I had at home, and I wasn't even expected to clean it. Evesham has a fleet of janitors who swoop in and mop and polish it as soon as we're done in the mornings. There's never so much as a stray hair in the corner. The problem with the bathrooms at Evesham is that you can never be alone.

I closed my eyes and wished for total silence. It was impossible to block out the sounds of the girls who were singing in the shower and the two girls next to me who were breaking down the calorie count of every food item ever known to man. Another girl was standing behind me spraying clouds of some perfume that stuck to the back of my throat like an oily smear of crushed roses. I opened my eyes to glare at her in the mirror.

"I'm sorry, Hailey." She waved her hands around to try to get rid of the smell, but all that did was wave it into my face. "I should do this in my room. I don't know what I was thinking." She scurried out of the bathroom.

I leaned forward to look at myself closely. My foundation had almost completely hidden the scratch on my cheek. All anyone would be able to see was a faint pink line, and they wouldn't even see that unless they were looking really hard. I searched my face. I couldn't put my finger on it, but it seemed as if there had to be something else, something I wasn't seeing, that marked the events from last night. Maybe a giant I KISSED JOEL I KISSED JOEL carved into my forehead. My mind kept replaying the kiss over and over like some demented TiVo. carved into my forehead. My mind kept replaying the kiss over and over like some demented TiVo.

"You okay?"

I jumped and spun around. "What are you doing here?" I asked. Kelsie's room was on the other end of the floor, and she usually used the other bathroom.

Kelsie stopped short. "Whoa. Someone woke up cranky. I came to bring you a Starbucks. I bribed one of the juniors to make a run. It's my way of saying sorry again for the history project thing." She held out a cup for me.

My mind went blank for a second. I had completely forgotten about our history project. It was like something that had happened in another lifetime. When I'd gotten back to my room the night before, I'd felt like I had run a string of marathons. I had pulled my muddy clothes off, dumped them into the hamper, and crawled into bed without even taking the time to brush my teeth.

I hadn't done a thing on our project. The time line wasn't done. The presentation wasn't even close to done. We were screwed. I opened my mouth to tell her what had happened last night, and then clicked it shut. It wasn't that I didn't trust her. I told Kelsie everything. We'd been best friends since freshman year. It wasn't like she expected me to be perfect, but I couldn't escape the feeling that she wouldn't approve of what had happened. Not that she should should approve. Even I knew that kissing Joel back was a lousy thing to do. I had lain in bed earlier that morning thinking about it after my alarm had gone off. I liked Joel, I really did. But not like that. He was always teasing how he was crazy for me, but it was just a running joke. He never meant anything by it. If he did, he surely wouldn't have joked about it right in front of Tristan. Besides, even if we did like each other, it wasn't like it would work out. He was best friends with Tristan. The kiss was just a onetime thing. There had been all that emotion, and then Joel had talked about how he felt like an outsider, and things had just happened. Besides, Joel and I had already decided that we were going to blot out the event altogether. If I told Kelsie, even if I told her only part of the story, it would make it real again. approve. Even I knew that kissing Joel back was a lousy thing to do. I had lain in bed earlier that morning thinking about it after my alarm had gone off. I liked Joel, I really did. But not like that. He was always teasing how he was crazy for me, but it was just a running joke. He never meant anything by it. If he did, he surely wouldn't have joked about it right in front of Tristan. Besides, even if we did like each other, it wasn't like it would work out. He was best friends with Tristan. The kiss was just a onetime thing. There had been all that emotion, and then Joel had talked about how he felt like an outsider, and things had just happened. Besides, Joel and I had already decided that we were going to blot out the event altogether. If I told Kelsie, even if I told her only part of the story, it would make it real again.

Plus, there was the fact that Kelsie couldn't keep her mouth shut. She was an awesome friend, but she wasn't the kind of person who had a big future ahead of her in keeping secrets. It was safe to say the CIA wouldn't be recruiting her anytime soon. She was just incapable of keeping a good story to herself.

"Earth to Hailey," Kelsie said, interrupting my thoughts.

I blinked a few times and saw Kelsie staring at me with concern in her eyes. "Sorry. My dad and I had a fight last night and it's playing with my head."

Kelsie yanked out the plush stool next to mine and plunked down. "You and your dad never fight. What happened? Was he screaming? My dad yells so hard that the vein in his forehead looks like it's going to pop out of his head. I think it's all the sugar he eats at his job. It makes him really high strung."

"Well, I guess it wasn't really a fight. There was no yelling or anything. In fact, we didn't even talk."

"So this was, like, an imaginary fight?" One of Kelsie's eyebrows went up.

"He sent me an e-mail. He's canceling our summer plans. He's going to England for some conference."

"What about the party? Everybody's already planning on going."

I felt a rush of anger. The party? That was the first thing she thought of, how it would affect her and her summer plans? "There isn't going to be any party," I spat out.

Kelsie touched my arm softly. "I'm sorry. I know how much you were looking forward to the whole curing lepers thing. On the upside, now you can go traveling with Tristan all summer. Think about how amazing that will be. Be a gla.s.s-full kind of person."

"Yeah."

"Wow. Try to keep down the enthusiasm there. Oh, the horrors you have to deal with, a whole summer in Europe with the cutest guy in the world, who's insane for you. How will you manage? The UN should totally step in and do something. Maybe some celebrities could band together and hold a telethon. If you ask me, the big problem you have is telling everyone the party's canceled. People are going to be seriously b.u.mmed. I know a few people booked flights and vacations around the plan. I wonder if Tristan can talk to his folks and see if they'll host it. I bet if you asked him, he'd clear it with them."

"I didn't get our project done," I said, changing the subject.

Kelsie's face wrinkled up. "What do you mean you didn't get it done?"

"I had the fight with my dad and I forgot. We'll have to ask Ms. Brown for an extension."

"She automatically drops two grades for an extension. That means at best we get a C."

"What? Is it going to ruin your chances to get into your acting cla.s.s?" I yanked my brush through my hair. Now Now she was all worried about our history grade? Where was the concern when she was supposed to be getting the time line done? she was all worried about our history grade? Where was the concern when she was supposed to be getting the time line done?

Kelsie held up both of her hands. "Don't snap my head off. I brought up the grade because of how you get about it. A C is fine with me. Heck, it's a step up from what I'm getting in French."

I felt suddenly deflated, like someone had sucked all the energy out of my body. "I'm sorry. The thing with my dad got to me."

Kelsie put her hand back on my shoulder. I could see both of us in the mirror. "I bet if you told Ms. Brown what happened, she wouldn't mark you down. You're her favorite by a mile. You're the only one who does the suggested additional reading in that cla.s.s. It's clear you actually like history. You're the daughter she always wanted to have. Besides, if she doesn't change your grade, you can blame your dad and maybe he'll feel guilty enough to buy you a car for graduation."

I looked at my watch. "We better hurry or we'll be late for a.s.sembly."

Kelsie threw her arm around me as we walked down the hall. "Don't stress, Hail. What is it you're always saying? Things happen for a reason."

8.

Evesham starts every day with an all-school a.s.sembly. The official reason is tradition. The administration liked to "bring us together as a community" and start the day with a "shared vision." Near as I could tell, the real reason we do it is because our dean, Mr. Winston, likes to be the center of attention. The school is nondenominational, but I'm pretty sure Mr. Winston secretly wants to be one of those evangelical ministers. Every day he starts with an inspirational story or quote, before diving into the various announcements about clubs and the importance of people being careful not to toss their silverware into the trash when they dump their trays in the lunchroom.

Most people would have preferred to have an extra fifteen minutes of sleep, but I usually didn't mind a.s.sembly. There's something relaxing about the sameness of it. The pews we sit in always smell like lemon polish, and the large arched windows make the hall feel important, like a cathedral. That morning I almost wished it were a church. I would need to do some serious praying if I were going to be able to get Ms. Brown to give us an extension with no penalty. History was my favorite subject. I felt like it should be science, since that was my dad's thing, but deep down it mattered more to me how I did in history.

Kelsie and I were two of the last people to walk into the a.s.sembly hall. We slipped into the back row just as Mr. Winston was taking his place at the lectern. My eyes skimmed over the crowd. Girls and guys sat on opposite sides of the hall, seniors in the back, with the younger grades closest to the front so the teachers could keep a close eye on them. Tristan caught my eye. His hair was still wet from the shower. He winked at me, and I found myself smiling. Then I noticed Joel was right next to him, and my heart skipped a beat. Joel looked at me and then pointed at his watch, shaking his head. Kelsie flipped him off, and I felt the tight band around my chest loosen. It was going to be okay.

Kelsie pulled her iPhone out of her bag and held it in her lap, where none of the teachers would see it. She liked to check celebrity blogs during a.s.sembly.

"I'm afraid there is a serious issue we need to discuss this morning," Mr. Winston said.

"Holy s.h.i.t," someone whispered a few rows in front of me. I looked up and saw Mr. Winston standing with Mr. Hanson, the football coach, who was holding the metal arm from the knight. A few people started to giggle, but stopped as Mr. Winston's gaze fell on them.

"That is priceless," Kelsie whispered to me.

"People, this is not a joke. I see no reason for laughter. This statue is a symbol of this inst.i.tution. It stands for the values that this school is based upon. It was a gift from a benefactor from the 1950s. This crime is a slap in the face of every student here."

"How the h.e.l.l did they get the arm off? They must have had a blowtorch," Kelsie said, leaning forward to see the arm better.

I shrugged. I wondered if I'd left any fingerprints on the statue. Would the school have some sort of CSI crew that could dust it? Crime wasn't my usual thing. I had never even stolen a Tootsie Roll from the bulk section of the grocery store. I could feel myself starting to sweat.

"I would like the guilty parties to do the honorable thing and stand up and admit to their crime," Mr. Winston said. People looked around to see if anyone felt honorable. My b.u.t.t felt glued to the seat. My eyes shot over to Joel, but he was staring around like everyone else. I forced myself to slow my breathing down.

"Very well." Mr. Winston straightened up. "Would Hailey Kendrick and Tristan Johl please come forward?"

I felt everyone in the room swivel around to look at Tristan and me. I wanted to sink into the bench. Kelsie was staring at me with her mouth open. The link between my brain and my legs didn't seem to be working, and I didn't think I could stand. Tristan was standing, but looked confused.

"Ms. Kendrick. Front and center, please," Mr. Winston bellowed.

Tristan came to the end of the row and held out his hand for me.

"Don't worry. We didn't do anything," Tristan said softly in my ear.

I wanted to explain to him that it was complicated, that I had done something, but I couldn't get my mouth to form words. Everyone was watching us, and Mr. Winston was standing at the front like an executioner. I was shaking, but I managed to stand, and we walked to the front. There was a rustle of whispering. I would have turned and run out of the hall, but there was nowhere for me to go. You can't really run away in rural Vermont unless you have your own car.

"Mr. Winston, I'm sure there's been some sort of mistake," Tristan said, turning on the charm.

"Really?" Mr. Winston looked down his nose at Tristan. It was well known that Mr. Winston preferred the kids who came from "old money." He thought kids who were connected to Hollywood were trouble. He seemed almost happy to have finally caught one doing something wrong. "The both of you should know you could be expelled for this prank. Ms. Kendrick, I am especially disappointed in you. I expected far more from you as a member of the student council and a leader in this school. What do you have to say for yourself?"

I stared into his eyes. My mind seemed to have lost the ability to communicate.

"We had nothing to do with this," Tristan said, motioning to the severed arm that Mr. Hanson was still holding.

"I saw you," one of the security guards said as he stepped forward. "I heard something, just after eleven and when I got to the statue, I saw the arm on the ground and you standing there making out. I looked you straight in the face," he said, looking at me. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"But I was in study group," Tristan said, sounding lost.

"Then, who were you with?" Mr. Winston asked, turning to me. I could hear someone in the audience gasp.

"You were with some other guy?" Tristan asked. He looked as if I had slapped him.

"Tell me who else was involved," Mr. Winston demanded.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Joel starting to stand. The situation was going from bad to worse. If Joel admitted that he was the person I'd been making out with during the Great Statue Destruction, then Tristan was going to be completely crushed. He already looked at if someone had scooped his guts out with a rusty ice cream scoop. If he heard in front of the entire school that it had been Joel I was kissing, he wouldn't be able to cope.

"It was some guy from town," I spit out. "I was with this guy, and we broke the statue as a joke."

"This is true?" Tristan's voice cracked. We were close enough that I could see his lower lip starting to shake. His eyes looked like he was close to crying. He would be gutted if he cried in front of everyone. He didn't even cry soph.o.m.ore year when he broke his arm in gym cla.s.s. I felt my face turn red hot with shame. Everyone in the crowd was staring at me like I had grown a tail. Even Mr. Winston looked unsettled. He had thought he had everything tied up, but things were turning out to be more complicated. The chapel bells on campus chimed eight. Mr. Winston glanced down at his watch, annoyed that even time was getting away from him.

"The rest of you are dismissed for cla.s.ses. Ms. Kendrick, you'll come with me to the office." He took me by the elbow and guided me toward the door. "Mr. Johl, there's no need to stand there. You're going to be late." We brushed past Tristan. I could feel his eyes burning into my back as the dean and I walked out of the hall.

Fifteen minutes before, I had been sure that everything was going back to normal. Now my entire world had blown up and was never going to be the same.

9.

I shifted on the wooden bench. It must have been made out of some type of especially hard wood designed to make people feel pain. I was stuck waiting outside Dean Winston's office in the area that held his secretary, while he spoke to my dad on the phone. Mr. Winston and I had already discussed: shifted on the wooden bench. It must have been made out of some type of especially hard wood designed to make people feel pain. I was stuck waiting outside Dean Winston's office in the area that held his secretary, while he spoke to my dad on the phone. Mr. Winston and I had already discussed:

*How what I'd done was vile and on par with kicking disabled kittens.*That I was on the path to becoming a criminal and likely would spend the rest of my life in jail giving myself homemade tattoos with a needle and a Bic pen.*That the statue was a work of art, and would I dare to tear the arm off the Mona Lisa? He didn't think so.*That I was a disappointment to him, my family, my boyfriend, my fellow students, and likely all of Western civilization.

I watched out the window as people walked past. I wanted to see Tristan to explain, but at the same time I had no idea what I would say. How do you tell your boyfriend that you kissed someone else but you hadn't meant to? Kissing isn't exactly a common accident. I couldn't explain it to myself, so how was I going to explain it to him? I jumped, suddenly noticing Kelsie standing outside looking in. She met my eyes and spread her hands in a universal WTF? WTF? gesture. I shrugged, and for the first time felt like crying. gesture. I shrugged, and for the first time felt like crying.

"Ms. Kendrick," Dean Winston barked. I spun around. He was standing in his doorway. "Your father would like to speak with you." He held the door open so I could walk past him into the office. His large desk was clean, with only the phone in the center of the highly glossed mahogany s.p.a.ce. The red light blinked, indicating the speaker phone was on. Mr. Winston dropped into his leather chair and pointed to the small wooden chair across from him. I had hoped I might be able to talk to my dad by myself, but it looked like Winston was planning to have a front row seat for the discussion.

"Hi, Dad," I said, weaving my fingers together to avoid picking at my fingernails.

"Hailey, can you explain what's happened?" My dad's voice sounded clipped through the speaker.

"It was sort of a joke." My eyes darted over to Dean Winston, and I rushed to finish. "I realize it was a huge mistake and not remotely funny at all. It was one of those things that sort of just happened."

"Things like this don't just happen," my dad said. "This is very serious. If the school wanted to file charges for vandalism, they could. The cost of the statue is significant."

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Mr. Winston nodding along with what my dad was saying. He was most likely wishing my dad would come up with some form of vile punishment, but once your family sends you off to boarding school, there isn't that much more they can do to you.