But it wasn’t like that, at least not the way it sounds. I was just trying to help, just being nice. And if it comes to that, I’ll tell Mr. Chen to take a good look at Sarah and put himself in my position. He was a guy himself once. And he’s not blind. I’ll ask him what he would have done if he were me. And he’ll understand.

Sarah

Yesterday I was a hero. Today they think I’m scum. Well, la. That’s how it goes.

Yesterday it was, “Oh heavenly Sarah! So generous and kind!” It was, “Oh sainted Sarah, who hath saved my scrawny rear!”

Now it’s, “Sarah! You slime! Look what you made me do!”

See Dan. See Dan sulk.
See Dan convince himself
That I put a gun
To his empty head
And made him cheat.
See Dan’s red face
Ready to kill someone,
Probably me.
Which figures.
Like they say:
“No good deed
Shall go unpunished.”

It’s my own fault. What was I thinking, sharing those answers with that worthless jock?

Rob hasn’t blamed me yet, though. He just looks totally flipped, pale as a ghost, muttering that his old man’s going to kill him.

And Jake? Yesterday he practically begged me to let him give me the answers. “Midterm’s the same every year,” he said. And I believed him.

“No problem,” he said.
“Sneak into my big sister’s room?
Snoop through her drawers?
Steal her answer sheet from last year?
Ride my bike to your house and hand deliver it?
No sweat,” he said.
“Glad to help,” he said.
“Happy to be of service!”

But that was yesterday.

He just now creepy-crept in here to the office on sticky bug feet, his eyes darting around. When he decided the coast was clear, he crept even closer.

“Please don’t tell,” he bug-squeaked. “Please, please, please, please. Don’t tell on me.”

Spineless cockroach.

As if I’d tattle. As if I’m a snitch looking to bring everyone down with me. As if that’s just who I am.

*   *   *

Hey! Where’s Katie? Her answers must’ve been wrong, too. Why isn’t she here, sweating it out on this splintery bench?

Hmmmm. Could Katie be the one who tipped off Mr. Teacher?

Maybe Mr. White heard her clippity-clop-clippity-clopping over his bridge. Maybe he gnashed his evil troll teeth, and said he was going to eat her up for his evil troll dinner. Crush her bones to make his bread. Fee fi fo fum.

And she cried, “Oh no, Mr. Teacher-Troll! I’m just a short scrawny goat with dry stringy meat! Save your appetite for my big fat classmates:

“The delicious Daniel Goat Gruff! Yumm!

“The tasty Robert Goat Gruff! Double yumm!

“And the delectable Sarah Goat Gruff! Yumm yumm yumm!”