When she saw Caleb, Ms. B closed the notebook. “Why aren’t you at the assembly?” she asked.

“Uh, there’s something I need to talk to you about,” Caleb said.

Ms. B raised an eyebrow uncertainly. “Wait in the hall. I’ll just be a minute.”

She closed the door. While he waited in the hall, Caleb thought about Zach’s phone-in-the-notebook scam. It was pretty clever for a kid who often walked through the halls with his hoodie pulled so tight that only his nose and one eye were visible. A kid who’d been pantsed practically every day in fifth grade and who some called Zach the Wack because of how weird he could be.

A few moments later the door opened, and Zach and Ms. B came out. “You’d better hurry,” Ms. B said. Zach began to run down the hall toward the auditorium. “Zach!” Ms. B called. Zach skidded to a stop. Ms. B pointed up the hall. “It’s in the gym.”

Zach spun around and raced in that direction. Now Ms. B turned to Caleb.

“We’re late,” she said. “Let’s walk and talk.”

As they headed toward the gym, Caleb told her about Crosby’s plan to cheat on the geometry test that afternoon.

“I already know about it,” Ms. B said. “But thanks for telling me.”

Ms. B was puzzled. So far this morning, two students had informed her that Crosby planned to cheat on that afternoon’s geometry test. One of the sources had been Caleb, which did not surprise her. But the other source had surprised her. Greatly.

The hall outside the gym was lined with backpacks that students had been told to leave because the bleachers would be crowded. Suddenly, Caleb squatted down and started to retie his shoelaces. “Go ahead, Ms. B. I’ll just be a moment.”

Ms. B continued toward the gym, knowing precisely why Caleb told her to go ahead. He didn’t want to be seen entering the gym with her. Caleb was a clever boy and mature for his age. Last year he began showing her articles and videos about eSports. At first Ms. B had been doubtful about eSports in school, much the way Principal Summers was that morning in the computer lab. But Caleb was relentless and finally got her to agree to help him with the Providia grant. Even now, she was amazed that they were able to get the computers for free.

And that brought her thoughts back to Zach. Ms. B had known boys like him. Boys who worried her because they seemed perpetually lost, lonely, suffering from poor impulse control and low self-esteem. Boys who were unaffiliated with anyone and anything at school. But what Zach had done with his notebook was oddly encouraging. The work was so careful. So precise. The corners of the hollowed-out rectangle for the phone were perfectly square. The sides meticulously trimmed. The pages stuck together with just enough glue, not a single extra drop or glob. The work revealed a level of care and craftsmanship that she never would have associated with him. When she asked what he’d been doing with the phone, he said something about a video game. That made her think that he might be a good fit for the eSports club.