eyes."
"Certainly." He turned around, and shut the blinds. Now I could see his face; his eyes watched me from behind those thick glasses. I decided that I liked it better when I couldn't see him.
"Why won't you tell me who's in the club, Jared?" he asked.
I sighed. "Because it's a secret club," I said. "I'm sworn to secrecy."
Greene didn't seem to react at all. He just sat there, staring out at me from behind his bug-eyed glasses. "Secret club?"
"Yeah, weren't you ever in a secret club when you were a kid? Is there something wrong with that?"
"I don't know," he said. "That's what I want to find out."
I stood up. It was very intimidating, the way Greene sat there staring at me, and it was so hard not to tell him everything he wanted to know. But if I did, I knew he would put two and two together. He would figure out about all the tricks we did—and worse, we would end up getting the blame for David's trumpet, and the other nasty tricks that we had nothing to do with. I couldn't tell him a thing. I began to pace around the room, looking at things: the books on his shelf, a diploma on the wall, a filing cabinet with a lock on it. This office made me nervous. I felt like I was in jail, getting the third degree.
"Who told you about the club, anyway?" I asked, knowing full well who did.
"It doesn't matter," he said.
"It was Tyson McGaw, wasn't it?"
Then Greene leaned forward and took off his glasses Without his glasses, his eyes seemed a lot smaller. "Leave Tyson out of this."
"I'll bet it was him!"
"Give Tyson a break," said Greene. "He's got enough problems without you making things worse, believe me."
"What kind of problems?" I asked, sitting down again.
Greene waited for a while, as if he was going to tell me something, but instead he said, "It doesn't matter." He thought for a moment, then said, "You know, Tyson thinks an awful lot of you."
I looked away from Greene's small eyes. He looked funny without glasses. He looked more like a person, and less like avice principal.
"Why?" I asked.
"I don't know. I guess because you're a good kid." Hesmiled. That made me feel a little uncomfortable. I don't know why. That cold feeling in my hands came back, along with that sick feeling I had at our last meeting at Stonehenge.
"I barely even know him," I said.
"Why don't you get to know him?"
I shrugged. "I have my own friends. I have the track team. I don't have time for that."
"I see." Mr. Greene nodded, and looked at me for a long time, as vice principals like to do, and then he asked, "Is the Shadow Club a gang, Jared?"
I couldn't believe he actually thought that! I just sat there, dumbfounded.
"You know, we've never had trouble with gangs here."
"The Shadow Club isn't a gang!" I said.
"How can I believe that?"
"You have to believe it! It's just a bunch of good kids having a good time, that's all."
"All by yourselves, without any adult supervision?"
"Exactly."
"I don't like the sound of that."
By now that little room he called his office felt like a cage. I sunk deeper into the hard wood chair, figuring Greene would just keep picking on the club. He didn't. Instead he started talking about something else I didn't want to think about.
"Aren't the District Olympics coming up, Jared?" he asked.
"Yeah, in about a month." I squirmed in my seat, trying to get comfortable. There was no way to get comfortable in that chair.
"I hear you could be running for our school," he said.
"Me or Austin Pace. It depends on who has a faster time," I said through clenched teeth, because I knew Austin's time was still better than mine.
Mr. Greene nodded. "You know, Jared, I'd hate to see you disqualified because you've done something stupid."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I mean that if this 'club' of yours gets you into trouble, you could be suspended from the team."
"Mr. Greene," I said, "our club has nothing to do with school—we don't even meet at school. Can't you just leave us alone?"
"It's my job to make sure
"Certainly." He turned around, and shut the blinds. Now I could see his face; his eyes watched me from behind those thick glasses. I decided that I liked it better when I couldn't see him.
"Why won't you tell me who's in the club, Jared?" he asked.
I sighed. "Because it's a secret club," I said. "I'm sworn to secrecy."
Greene didn't seem to react at all. He just sat there, staring out at me from behind his bug-eyed glasses. "Secret club?"
"Yeah, weren't you ever in a secret club when you were a kid? Is there something wrong with that?"
"I don't know," he said. "That's what I want to find out."
I stood up. It was very intimidating, the way Greene sat there staring at me, and it was so hard not to tell him everything he wanted to know. But if I did, I knew he would put two and two together. He would figure out about all the tricks we did—and worse, we would end up getting the blame for David's trumpet, and the other nasty tricks that we had nothing to do with. I couldn't tell him a thing. I began to pace around the room, looking at things: the books on his shelf, a diploma on the wall, a filing cabinet with a lock on it. This office made me nervous. I felt like I was in jail, getting the third degree.
"Who told you about the club, anyway?" I asked, knowing full well who did.
"It doesn't matter," he said.
"It was Tyson McGaw, wasn't it?"
Then Greene leaned forward and took off his glasses Without his glasses, his eyes seemed a lot smaller. "Leave Tyson out of this."
"I'll bet it was him!"
"Give Tyson a break," said Greene. "He's got enough problems without you making things worse, believe me."
"What kind of problems?" I asked, sitting down again.
Greene waited for a while, as if he was going to tell me something, but instead he said, "It doesn't matter." He thought for a moment, then said, "You know, Tyson thinks an awful lot of you."
I looked away from Greene's small eyes. He looked funny without glasses. He looked more like a person, and less like avice principal.
"Why?" I asked.
"I don't know. I guess because you're a good kid." Hesmiled. That made me feel a little uncomfortable. I don't know why. That cold feeling in my hands came back, along with that sick feeling I had at our last meeting at Stonehenge.
"I barely even know him," I said.
"Why don't you get to know him?"
I shrugged. "I have my own friends. I have the track team. I don't have time for that."
"I see." Mr. Greene nodded, and looked at me for a long time, as vice principals like to do, and then he asked, "Is the Shadow Club a gang, Jared?"
I couldn't believe he actually thought that! I just sat there, dumbfounded.
"You know, we've never had trouble with gangs here."
"The Shadow Club isn't a gang!" I said.
"How can I believe that?"
"You have to believe it! It's just a bunch of good kids having a good time, that's all."
"All by yourselves, without any adult supervision?"
"Exactly."
"I don't like the sound of that."
By now that little room he called his office felt like a cage. I sunk deeper into the hard wood chair, figuring Greene would just keep picking on the club. He didn't. Instead he started talking about something else I didn't want to think about.
"Aren't the District Olympics coming up, Jared?" he asked.
"Yeah, in about a month." I squirmed in my seat, trying to get comfortable. There was no way to get comfortable in that chair.
"I hear you could be running for our school," he said.
"Me or Austin Pace. It depends on who has a faster time," I said through clenched teeth, because I knew Austin's time was still better than mine.
Mr. Greene nodded. "You know, Jared, I'd hate to see you disqualified because you've done something stupid."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I mean that if this 'club' of yours gets you into trouble, you could be suspended from the team."
"Mr. Greene," I said, "our club has nothing to do with school—we don't even meet at school. Can't you just leave us alone?"
"It's my job to make sure
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