I knew that Rashid’s speech was like lobbing a bomb into a crowd. But I hadn’t expected him to toss it with such panache. Fox came up to me later that very morning and asked me to take a walk with him. I resisted an impulse to giggle, thinking of all the Mafia movies wherein wiseguys had been asked to take a walk from which they’d never returned, and fell into step with him.

“Bryson caused quite a stir with that speech today,” he said.

“I’d say so.” I paused. “I think it’s good for the students to challenge each other in that way, though. Myself.”

“And what did you think of what he had to say, Ms. Hansen?” Being cute. He’d seen me stand up, for God’s sake. And he’d heard me in the faculty meeting.

“I think you know perfectly well what I’m going to say, but if you insist. I think that while he’s young and wants everything to happen right away, he’s got a point that we ignore at our peril. You know that, Ted.” I paused, then plunged ahead. “It wouldn’t hurt to diversify the faculty a little bit, either.”

Fox looked at me sharply as they reached the door of his office and he opened it, then stood back so I could enter before him. “One thing at a time, Jana, one thing at a time.”

“Why? Why is it always one thing at a time?” I was surprising myself, but I suddenly really wanted to know. I was sick of pussy-footing around.

“Because this institution is nearly one hundred years old, and there are a great many people who would happily see it not live another hundred years.” Fox’s voice took on a mournful edge. “We are guardians of the values of another time, Jana. And while I can’t say I wholly disagree with you or young Mr. Bryson, the changes you desire have to be made thoughtfully, in a way that will last and that will honor the great traditions of the Chelsea School. I can’t just open the floodgates. But, in fact, I wanted to ask you today to help shove the door open just a little bit wider.”

That’s how I found myself recruited to go to Parkside Academy, a small charter high school in Brooklyn, to troll for some likely candidates. With Jerome. And Rashid. Jesus. I couldn’t refuse—there’d be no way to explain it. We were just going to have to act like adults. If that was possible. We were to leave in a week.