How to Ditch Your Fairy (19 page)

Demerits: 4

Game suspensions: 2

Public service hours: 35

Boys who like me: none of them?

Girls who hate me: almost all of them

bobsleds dragged up the ice: 1

bobsleds ridden down the ice: 2

Near deaths: 1

I
didn’t pass out, but I was pretty shaky being led to the doctors’

offices. They prodded and measured and scanned us and then dropped us in the waiting room with a diagnosis of mild concussion.

Fiorenze sat beside me, with her chin resting in her hands. She did not look happy. But then, we had almost died.

“My fairy’s gone,” I said.

She looked up. “Yes, I expect mine is too.”

“I’m so happy,” I said, though my head throbbed. “Did you see the way Nick looked at me? Pure hatred. It was beautiful! I wonder what my proto- fairy’s going to be? Do you think it wil come out of hiding now?”

“I don’t know. It might be gone too, you know.”

“Don’t be sily. It’s a proto- fairy, not a real fairy. Aren’t you excited? Maybe you’l have a brand-new fairy too! Is it too much to hope for a shopping fairy?”

Fiorenze shuddered. “I hope not. I never want another fairy.”

I stared at her. “You don’t want a fairy? That’s al I’ve ever wanted.”

“I hate fairies,” Fiorenze said. “I just want to be me on my own without their help. Their help is malodorous. I hope the parking fairy is truly gone.”

“You don’t know if it’s gone?” I asked. “Don’t you feel lighter? I feel lighter.” Though that could have been the dizziness.

“It’s not like there’s been a chance to get in a car and test it. I assume it’s gone.
I
definitely thought we were going to die.”

“Me too! When we went flying off the track! Whoa! How far do you think we fel?”

“Stefan said it was only about a meter. How do you feel?” Fio asked. “I mean other than al jibbery about the fairy’s absence.”

“My head hurts.”

“Me too. Our heads are rattled,” Fiorenze said. “Thanks for vetoing the helmets.”

“We’d stil have our fairies if we’d worn helmets. Besides, neither of us passed out. We only have mild concussion. That’s nothing!

Our near-death experience went perfectly.”

Fiorenze forced a smile.

“Why so glum?” I asked her.

“We’re in trouble,” Fiorenze told me. “The bobsled was a write-off. And we racked up serious demerits for al the classes we skipped. The principal wants to see me.”

“How do you know?”

“Doctor told me.”

“Wel, um, that might not be as bad as you think.” I wondered why the principal hadn’t asked to see me.

“It’s the
principal
, Charlie. No one sees her unless things are bad. What if we get kicked out?”

“We won’t be,” I said, even though I was worried. “We’re both good students. I mean, except for Accounting and Statistics and PR. But you’re briliant at those. And al your other compulsories.

We’re both at least top ten percent for our electives. You’re captain of Basketbal B! Plus we’ve got extenuating circumstances: our fairies. Not to mention Danders Anders’s kidnappings. Surely they’l give us a break because of al of that?”

“I’l find out, won’t I?” Fiorenze sounded mournful. “I love this school. I can’t imagine having to go somewhere else. Ever since I was little this is where I wanted to go.”

“Me too.”

Dr. Tahn caled me into her office again. She asked me again if I knew who the mayor was, and Our Zora-Anne, and what year it was, and what my name was. She didn’t make any jokes. It was unnerving. This was Dr. Ha Ha! She always made the most injured jokes imaginable.

My heart squeezed tight in a way that made breathing awkward.

Maybe we realy were in danger of being expeled.

The feeling expanded when Dr. Tahn told me to report to the principal’s office.

Demerits: 4

Game suspensions: 2

Public service hours: 35

bobsleds dragged up the ice: 1

bobsleds ridden down the ice: 2

Near deaths: 1

I
t was my first time.

Although I’d been in a lot of trouble, I’d never had to report to the principal. Only the most disruptive, disorderly, and difficult students went to the principal’s office. Sometimes they didn’t come back.

Fiorenze was already there. I smiled and waved, hoping a cheery front would quel the butterflies in my stomach. She nodded slightly.

“Charlotte Adele Donna Seto Steele?” caled the sternlooking man seated behind the desk.

“That’s me.”

He scribbled something on his tablet. “Sit over there,” he commanded, pointing to the seat farthest away from Fiorenze. “Not a word until you’re caled.”

“Yes, sir.”

I wiggled my fingers at Fiorenze. She smiled.

“No hand signals either, Ms. Steele. You are in trouble. You should adopt the demeanor of someone so situated.”

I put my hands in my pockets, wondering how much worse I’d made my situation by annoying the principal’s assistant.

He turned to Fiorenze. “You may go in now.”

She stood up.

“Good luck,” I said.

“Thanks,” she said, walking past the assistant to the door behind him.

Now I just had to wait until it was my turn. The butterflies in my stomach were not as steady as they had been when I first came in.

The thought of expulsion terrified them. Me too.

Whatever the principal asked me, I was going to tel the truth.

And not just because being busted lying was a bad thing. The truth was on my side. I realy hadn’t been such a bad student. I would explain that. Explain how hard I’d worked and that I’d work even harder now that my malodorous fairies were gone. I’d promise Whatever was asked. I’d go to public service every day, including Sundays. Whatever it took.

The assistant made half a dozen phone cals, most of which seemed to be about raising money, though after a while I noticed that Danders Anders’s name kept coming up. I wondered if the powerful Water Polo Association was using its muscle to make sure that he graduated early so he could represent New Avalon in the world championships. Figured.

How many demerits did you get for breaking a luge? Or bobsled or Whatever it was? Had Steffi being there saved us from that?

I looked at my watch and caught sight of the day, which rang a bel. Wednesday. What was special about this Wednesday?

Nettles. Her concert. Monkey Knife Fight. I’d promised I’d try and make it. Wel, if I was expeled I certainly would. And if I wasn’t expeled, then I’d find a way. I owed her. I’d been a slack sister this year.

The principal’s door opened and Fiorenze came out. I couldn’t read her face, but then, she’d never had a very readable face. She didn’t look sad, but she didn’t look happy either.

The butterflies were now having knife fights in my bely. Butterfly Knife Fight. I wondered how they’d do against Monkey Knife Fight. Butterflies were fragile and little and monkeys were big and hairy. But butterflies could fly. Maybe they’d flutter over the monkeys and drop their knives on them.

“Charlotte Adele Donna Seto Steele?” the principal’s assistant said, puling me away from the butterflies and monkeys.

“Yes, sir.”

“The principal wil see you now.”

“Thank you, sir,” I said and walked toward the door. I took a deep breath and walked through. It closed behind me. Must have been the assistant, but it felt like it closed on its own.

The principal was a tal white- haired woman with the lightest skin and eyes I’d ever seen. I hadn’t realized it was possible to be that pale. I wondered if she had some rare skin disease and that’s why she so rarely appeared before the students. Or maybe she was a vampire.

She held out her hand and we shook. Her grip was firm and her hand warm. Too warm for a vampire.

“Take a seat,” she said, sitting herself on the sofa. I sat in the lounge chair.

“So how are you doing, Charlie? You’ve been racking up quite a few demerits, haven’t you? You already had four and today you amassed eighteen. That’s twenty-two altogether.”

“Yes, Principal.” Eighteen?! How many classes had I missed? I guess luge—bobsled—destruction warranted quite a few. Plus I hadn’t gone to either recess or lunch, so I hadn’t clocked in my calories. Maybe I was lucky it was
only
eighteen. If you could cal waiting for your principal to tel you that you’re expeled “lucky.”

“Fiorenze tels me it’s because of your fairy?” She sounded almost concerned. Velvet glove, iron fist, I reminded myself. She was going to be al sweet and kind and then throw me out on my ear.

I nodded. “I just wanted to get rid of it. I didn’t want to get into trouble.”

She nodded back at me sympatheticaly. “Too many people wanting to use you to park their cars?”

“Yes,” I said.”And I don’t even like cars.”

“Me neither,” she said. “Dreadful contraptions. I’d much rather walk. Or ride my bike.”

“I love bikes. They make me happy. I miss them,” I blurted.

She smiled. “I rode in five different Tours. I stil ride whenever possible.”

“That must have been great,” I said. When was she going to interrogate me? Or was this her subtle way of doing it? Was this the velvet glove? “More fun than cars,” I added.

“Andrew Khassian Rogers has been borrowing you to ride in his car quite a lot, hasn’t he?” she asked. If anything she was looking even more sympathetic. It was disconcerting. “Tel me about it.”

“Wel,” I said. Why was she asking me about Danders Anders?

The principal nodded, encouraging me to continue.

I told her al in a rush that even to my ears didn’t quite make sense. “And this week,” I finished, “he kidnapped me so my fairy came back even though it had been just about to disappear from al the walking. That’s why me and Fiorenze swapped. I know everyone says it’s impossible. But it realy isn’t. But then it turned out that her fairy was even worse, and that’s why we broke the luge. I mean, bobsled. We’re vastly sorry but I’m glad our fairies are gone. They were the worst fairies ever.”

“I’m sure,” she said. She sounded like she was humoring me.

“What’s your fairy?” I blurted out. I couldn’t help it.

“My fairy? I don’t have one.”

Did that mean she didn’t believe in them? Steffi was the only person I knew with a fairy who didn’t believe in them. If she didn’t believe in fairies, then she’d never accept our explanations for how the luge or bobsled or whatever it was had been destroyed.

I was going to be kicked out of New Avalon Sports High. My life was over.

“And where did Andrew take you, Charlie?”

“Andrew?” I asked. “In his car, you mean?”

“Yes, where did he want to park?”

“Al over.”

“Can you be more exact?”

I wasn’t sure. I hadn’t been paying much attention. “Wel, he took me to lots of places in town. There was this old terrace. And different shops and restaurants. Dana’s Crabhouse, Tweezies, and Burt’s something or other. And one skyscraper. The Connors building. It wasn’t very big. For a skyscraper, I mean. And he’d go in for anywhere between ten minutes and an hour.”

“Do you think if we drove around town you could spot the places again?”

I stared at her. This wasn’t about me and my demerits. This was about Danders Anders.

“Yes,” I said. “Most of them. At least two were on Chappel Street. Is Danders—I mean, is Andrew in trouble?”

“Charlie, you understand that this conversation is confidential?

You can’t discuss it with anyone else.”

I nodded.

“Did Andrew ever give you money for helping him with his parking?”

“He used to. But he says he’s got no money anymore. He said he’d pay me later.”

“Did he say how he was going to get more?”

“No.” I paused. “I don’t think Dand—Andrew means to be bad.

He’s just … He thinks differently.”

“Did Andrew tel you what he was doing at any of the places he made you stop?”

“No.”

“Did he ever mention gambling to you?”

“What?!” That’s what Danders had been doing? That’s why he was broke now? “Is he going to be expeled?”

“I can’t discuss that with you, Charlie. But I can tel you the charges against him are serious. Would you be prepared to tel a court what you have told me?”

I didn’t know what to say. What would happen if I dobbed on Danders Anders? It’s not like he’d kil me. He wasn’t malicious.

Would it jeopardize my career at school? Did the principal want me to testify or not?

Then I realized who the real danger was: the Water Polo Association. They were notorious. They would definitely go after me for blackening the name of next year’s star recruit!

“Charlie?” the principal asked.

“Um,” I said.

“New Avalon Sports High wil support you in whatever you decide, Charlie. You have my word that if you choose to testify there wil be no repercussions. This school has put up with bad behavior from some of its star students over the years, but Andrew Khassian Rogers’s behavior sets a new low. We wil not tolerate it.”

“Kidnapping and gambling are bad.”

“Yes. Those are
not
his only infractions.”

I wondered what else he’d done. He couldn’t have thrown a game. Water Polo A hadn’t lost once since he joined the team. “Do you know why he started gambling? Dan—Andrew’s not a bad person. Maybe there was a reason he needed money?”

“Perhaps,” was al she said before changing the subject. “You and Fiorenze wil have to pay for a new bobsled. I have reduced your demerits to ten, which leaves you with one game suspension.

Tennis, I believe. I advise you to keep up your public service until they are erased. Fiorenze assures me that you are unlikely to gather any more demerits now that your fairy is gone.”

“Yes, Principal. Thank you, Principal.” I’d never heard of anyone having that many demerits wiped out before.

“Good luck, Charlie. And let me know what you decide. Do not talk about this with anyone.”

“I won’t, Principal.”

“You may return to class, Charlie, if you’d like. Dr. Tahn says you should be fine, but if you’d prefer to rest or go home, you may.”

“Thank you, Principal,” I said, going out the now open door.