Justin Kramon by Finny (v5)

Finny was just surprised at herself, at how easily she’d been taken in.
    “Look,” Poplan said, and made a chopping motion with both hands, like a politician coming to a point, “it’s not that I’m telling you not to be friends with Judith or go on about your life here and have fun. I’m happy to see that you’re enjoying yourself and making friends. I’m only saying you need to be your own person. Judith seems like she knows everything, but she doesn’t. If you follow your own judgment, Finny, I think it’ll turn out all right.”
    Finny wanted to stop Poplan, to protest, but didn’t know how to do it. And it was true, there was a sense in which Finny had been less of herself since she’d come to Thorndon. Part of it was Judith, her overwhelming influence. But part of it was also Finny, a new desire in her to please and be rewarded, so different from her old life, her old way.
    And now that other question appeared in Finny’s mind. Who told? She was certain Judith wouldn’t have snitched, or even tipped someone off about what Finny was doing, but still, the idea was there. It was a mark of Judith’s power, Finny realized, that you could imagine her doing inexplicable things, for her own reasons. But also a sign of Finny’s own insecurities, that she could believe her closest friend had betrayed her.
    “Anyway, that’s all I wanted to say about that,” Poplan concluded, and stood up. She’d regained some of her military bearing. “Now, there is one thing you can do to make this up to me, and I hope you won’t refuse.”
    “What is it?” Finny asked.

“It’s an important task.”
    “What?”
    Poplan smiled.
    They set up the blocks on the floor.
    “Don’t think I’m going to let you win either,” Poplan said, “just because you had a bad night.”
    “I don’t,” Finny said.
    “And if I catch a cold from this, you know who I’m coming to.”
    “I do.”
    When Finny knocked down the tower, Poplan jumped up and performed a little boxing routine in the middle of the floor. “Yahoo!” she screamed, giving the air a final jab with her fist.

    Chapter 10
The Vacation Begins, a Bit Early
    They crept toward spring break, more slowly than Finny had hoped. Her punishment made the days drag. But Judith was a model friend, spending nights in the dorm with Finny while the other girls went out. Finny didn’t mention the story Poplan had told her about Jesse, since she’d promised Poplan she wouldn’t. Finny could see both sides of it—why Poplan was annoyed that Jesse had gotten the brunt of the punishment, but also why Judith was upset over her friend’s moving away. It made sense why Judith didn’t talk about it.
    One afternoon, a couple of weeks after the note incident, Finny returned to her dorm room and there was another letter on the door. Delphine Short , it said on the envelope, and inside was Miss Simpkin’s familiar handwriting: Mrs. Barksdale requests that you report immediately to her office. If we do not see you by the end of your lunch period, she will seek you in your next class.
    Her faithful secretary ,
Miss Filomena Simpkin
    ·    ·    ·
    Today Mrs. Barksdale’s office had an even stronger odor of spoiled milk. It was hot in the room, and when Finny walked in, the principal looked agitated, some sweaty curls of hair adhering to her temples. Mrs. Barksdale had a gnawed pencil in her mouth, and when Finny shut the door behind her, she heard the utensil snap in Mrs. Barksdale’s teeth.
    “Tuh,” the principal said, and spit the splintered pencil onto her desk, among the remains of other decimated utensils. “Please have a seat.”
    Finny sat down across from Mrs. Barksdale. She glanced at the photo of the principal’s husband. The tiny man’s frightened expression seemed to warn Finny of some impending danger.
    “His birthday,” Mrs. Barksdale said about the picture of her husband, noticing Finny was looking at it. “I got him good.”
    “I guess you did,”