I should be gauging my audience’s reaction, but instead I’m indulging my paranoia—looking past Connor’s head toward Reid. But he’s just laughing at something Logan says and they don’t seem to be paying attention at all.

“Is it worth it just for one night?” Makayla asks, snapping me back to the table. “We all have a lot on our plate.”

Danica shrugs. “It does kind of seem like a lot of work and no guarantee.”

“The annual budget is set. Why would anyone—Mrs. Mulaney or the school committee—change their mind? The money would have to come from somewhere else,” Connor says.

“It’s easy to say no to a couple of students with a proposal.” Henry’s typical soft-spoken voice is so low that everyone has to lean toward him to hear. “But if we organize, keep the budget low, put our proposals together, and prove the community will invest in this event and climate change causes, like they do for band events, we can be great PR for the school too.”

There is a beat of silence, everyone processing.

“So the money… would come out of the band’s budget?” Makayla asks.

“Theoretically,” I say.

Danica presses her lips together, her expression skeptical. “Are you really cutthroat enough to go up against the band? Against your dad?”

This is it. I can feel it. Whatever we say next will seal it or sink it.

“This isn’t about the band. It’s about Mrs. Mulaney and the school committee justifying what art should mean to us. As if the purpose of the programs they offer are to add to the school’s image—like grant money, good PR, or fancy awards—not to give us a place to express ourselves or try new things. They could’ve budgeted a portion of the band’s funds toward salvaging our clubs. The fact that no one even tried? It’s messed up.”

“We’re not anti-band, we’re anti-bureaucracy,” Fitz emphasizes.

“Sorry, Connor,” Arjun says.

Connor shakes his head. “I’m a glorified event planner with a smooth baritone, actually.”

“If that isn’t bureaucracy in a nutshell,” Fitz says.

Henry coughs. “We’re losing the plot. Are we following Natalie’s lead?”

I look around the table, watch everyone’s expressions as they silently work through this. I know we have to keep it quiet, but the silence is stressful. It becomes clear after a few minutes that everyone is waiting on one person’s response.

Finally, she delivers.

“Okay, Jacobson. Let’s join forces,” Danica says.

Cherish nods in agreement. “What do we have to lose?”

Makayla smiles so hard her nose crinkles.

“Let’s see what we can do,” Arjun agrees, bumping fists with Connor and Liliana.

“The Trebles have to sing ‘Let It Go’ at intermission,” Kendra says.

“Maybe we can do a short print run of the lit mag and sell it at the show?” Liliana suggests.