I step in, enter her combo. The door pops open. “Maybe if I hadn’t gone off script? I was so nervous—”

“You did great. I was proud of you. I’m proud of us.”

I laugh bitterly. “Well, so is Principal McNeil. He thanked us for our diligence.” I make air quotes around “diligence.”

Logan pages through our presentation. “Yet, for some reason, it wasn’t enough to cancel the debate.”

I unzip my backpack, take out what I need for my morning classes, then stash my bag in Logan’s locker. “What else can we do?” I ask.

Her eyes shimmer, and when she speaks, her voices cracks. “Would it seem ridiculous if I said I’m still hoping Mr. Bartley will see reason and change his mind? I’m hoping he’ll read through our presentation again, recognize we’re right, and have the guts to cancel the debate. That guy isn’t the Mr. Bartley I know.” She stops, swallows hard.

I look at our matching clothes. “Maybe it’s his evil twin brother?” My attempt at humor falls as hard as a boulder tumbling down a cliff. She fights back tears. I take her hand and link our fingers together. I can’t think of a thing to say to cheer her up.

“I’m going to make a pit stop before class.” She motions to the girls’ bathroom, slips her hand from mine.

“You gonna be all right?”

She nods.

I turn to go and nearly smash into Daniel. “Sorry.”

“No. My fault.” He shuts his locker, which is only a few feet from Logan’s. Has he been eavesdropping?

“Hey, Daniel?”

His hair flops into his eyes. “Yeah?”

“What do you think of Mr. Bartley’s debate?”

“It’s pointless. The Final Solution is evil,” he adds sheepishly.

“Yes! Exactly. Logan and I think Mr. Bartley should change the assignment.”

“Oh. I started this weekend and finished my paper.”

My heart sinks. “Okay. I understand.”

“Do you need help? I did a ton of research.”

“No. Thanks, though. I’ll see you later.”

As I head to English, I stop near the girls’ bathroom, wondering if I should wait for Logan. I spot Heather and call her over, “Will you check to see if Logan’s inside?”

Ten seconds later, Heather’s back. “Nope. But I have class with her next period. You want me to give her a message?”

Logan must have exited while I was talking with Daniel. I shake my head. I consider mentioning to her what happened in Principal McNeil’s office, but before I can decide, Kerrianne swoops in, loops her arm with Heather’s, and starts telling her about the Snow Ball dance.