Piranhas in Pink: Piranhas in Pink Book One

by Nova Knightley

  “Nothing, Justice Jupiter Jenkins. I have a checkup meeting with Chambers.”

  He grinned. “You remembered my name. Hey, tell him this school sucks and that he’s basically running a dictatorship.”

  “I don’t know, Justice. I like it so far.”

  He stared at me, bit his Pop Tart, chewed, and swallowed it. “You haven’t been here long enough to know any better.”

  I shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “I’m sorry, I’m being rude.” He held his piece of Pop Tart out to me. “Would you like a bite? I don’t have anything contagious.”

  I stifled a laugh. “Nah, I’m good.”

  He furrowed his brow. “You don’t want to bite my Pop Tart? Why don’t you want to bite my Pop Tart?”

  “Mr. Jenkins!” Mrs. Arnold snapped as she hung up the phone. It rang again immediately. She picked it up, narrowing her eyes at him.

  He stuffed the rest of the pastry into his mouth. “Just trying to be nice.”

  While Mrs. Arnold was occupied with her phone call, I leaned over to Justice. “You don’t really think Mei was abducted by aliens, do you?” I liked Justice, so I really needed to know that he wasn’t serious about the alien thing.

  “I do.”

  Oh boy.

  “It’s the only reasonable explanation. There aren’t any signs of foul play. They can’t find her car. The aliens probably took it to study our machinery. Kids like Mei don’t just up and run away. But then again, you never really know a person. For all we know, she could have been leading a double life.”

  He stared into my eyes like he was searching for something, and I suddenly wished I had never asked.

  He sat back in his seat. “But it was probably aliens.”

  Just then, Principal Chambers rounded the corner with a man in a suit. The two of them shook hands, and the man headed toward the exit.

  Mrs. Arnold hung up the phone. “Principal Chambers, two students are here to see you. One has an appointment, and the other is you-know-who.”

  Principal Chambers smiled and nodded at me, but his demeanor totally changed when his gaze fell on Justice. He suddenly looked exhausted. “What’s wrong with the world today, Justice?”

  The phone rang, and Mrs. Arnold answered it quietly, jotting down a message.

  Even though he hadn’t been invited to, Justice stood. “Mr. Massey thinks he has the right to force me to stand during the Pledge of Allegiance. The whole thing is a lie. One nation! Tuh! Liberty and justice for all? Since when?”

  Principal Chambers raised an eyebrow. “We’ve been through this. I already told him you didn’t have to stand if that was your choice. I can’t see him trying to force you to do it.”

  Mrs. Arnold cleared her throat and handed Principal Chambers the memo she had been writing.

  His gaze traveled over the yellow slip. “Well, Justice, according to Mr. Massey, the issue isn’t that you wouldn’t stand. It’s that you were howling. Why were you howling during the pledge?”

  Justice glanced at me from the corner of his eye. “Well, see—”

  I wanted to hear what he had to say, but Principal Chambers apparently wasn’t interested at all. “You know what, it doesn’t even matter. If you don’t want to participate in the pledge, then don’t, but don’t disrupt the others who do. Do you understand?”

  “Yeah, but—”

  “Justice, if you interrupt the pledge again, you’re getting a demerit. I believe it’ll be your fifth one.”

  He smirked and folded his arms over his chest.

  Principal Chambers continued, “Now, I know you don’t care about getting kicked out of Bainbridge, but your father does. Should we call him?”

  Justice’s demeanor completely changed. “No, no. Don’t bother him.”

  Principal Chambers gestured toward the door. “Go back to class and apologize to Mr. Massey and your classmates, please.”

  “All right.” He backed up toward the door. “But I still think we should rewrite the pledge to make it more accurate.”

  Principal Chambers nodded. “I know, Justice. We should rewrite over a hundred twenty years of history.”

  Justice waved his hands. “Exactly! It’s outdated! This is a totally different world now.”

  “Goodbye, Justice.”

  Before leaving, Justice pointed at me. “See what I mean? Tell him the truth about this place.”

  “Bye, Justice,” Principal Chambers repeated.

  Justice sighed and disappeared into the hallway.

  Principal Chambers shook his head. “I’m sorry about that. Ms. McRae, shall we go back to my office?”

  I rose and followed him down a narrow hallway that led to the offices of the principal and assistant principal.

  “Have a seat,” he told me.

  His office was the same way it had been during my interview. It still smelled like pine. The green walls and wood furniture made me feel like I was in the forest. He had a questionnaire in front of him and began rattling off a series of questions, like how everything was going so far, how I was handling the workload, and if I was participating in anything extracurricular. When he got to the final question, Have you witnessed or been the victim of bullying? I remembered what Justice said about telling the truth. I hesitated.

  Principal Chambers put his pen down. “Anything you say to me stays right here in this room.”

  Should I tell him? I had to say something, but I also had to figure out a way to do it without naming names. “Yes. Yesterday, I saw lots of students being awful to Claire Reed. They were calling her names and bumping into her on purpose. Someone had even put gum in her hair.”

  His eyebrows rose. “Really? Do you have any idea why people were doing this to Claire?”

  I wanted to tell him the truth, but I couldn’t. All he had to do was ask around, and he would find out. He could ask Claire herself. “I don’t know.”

  He jotted something down on a separate sheet of paper. “Thank you, Lennox. That is very helpful.”

  “What are you going to do about it?” I wondered because the principal at Piper’s school always said he would look into it, but nothing was ever done about the evil kids who bothered her day after day.

  “Well, first, I’m going to have Claire see our guidance counselor to make sure she’s okay. I’m going to call an assembly and try to get down to the source of this.”

  He told me to come and see him if I ever needed to talk, then I was dismissed. Maybe I could sleep at night, knowing that I had done what I was supposed to. I’d stopped those girls in the bathroom from hounding Claire, I’d made sure the PIPs left her alone, and I had told the principal about what I witnessed. I’d done my part. Right?

  ***

  After track practice, I got a call from an unknown number. My first thought was that it had to be Casey Walker trying once again to use me for a story line.

  “Hello?” I didn’t sound the least bit friendly.

  There was a pause on the other end. “Hello. Is this Lennox?”

  I couldn’t match the voice right away. “Yeah. Who’s this?”

  “This is Beverly Arnold form the children’s center. How are you?”

  “Great,” I croaked, wondering why she would be calling me.

  “I’m so sorry to bother you, and I know that this is extremely late notice, but we’re having a talent showcase tonight at the center. The children have invited their parents, and Phoebe wanted me to ask you if you would come and see her perform.”

  I was speechless. My ice-cold heart might have melted just a little.

  Ms. Beverly must have mistaken my silence for a no, because she kept rambling on. “I can understand if you can’t make it. Like I said, it is short notice, and it’s Friday night. I’m sure you have plans with your friends, but I promised Phoebe I’d at least ask. I’ll tell her you already had something to do.”

  “No, I’ll be there,” I blurted. The PIPs were going to a party, and I hadn’t heard from Brody in a couple days. He was total
ly sucking at being my fake boyfriend.

  “Yay!” Ms. Beverly shouted. “That will make her so happy. The show starts at seven and will end around eight, and we’re serving refreshments afterward.”

  I made a note of that.

  “I guess she’s really taken a liking to you,” Ms. Beverly said.

  “Yeah, I guess.” I liked Phoebe, too, even though she creeped me out a little. But then again, I creeped myself out, so I shouldn’t judge.

  After we hung up, I thought about the party in Hawthorne Heights. Kyla had already texted me, saying she would pick me up at ten. I texted her back.

  Plans have changed. I have something to do before the party. I’ll get there myself. Text me the addy.

  I never thought I would be more excited about going to a kids’ talent show than going to a rich kid’s party, but I was.

  30

  Just like Me

  I made it to the talent show fifteen minutes late thanks to my mom taking forever. I couldn’t have the car because Gary was working late, and she was meeting some friends for dinner. I told her the girls were picking me up afterward because we were going to a party. The truth was that I didn’t know how I was going to get there. I would have to figure it out.

  The tables had been pushed against the walls of the cafeteria, and the space was filled with blue plastic chairs. When I walked in, some kid was playing an off-tune version of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” on a flute. I grabbed an empty seat at the end of the fifth row, hoping Phoebe hadn’t gone on yet.

  After the boy with the flute, two girls did a gymnastics routine, another girl sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” and a set of twin boys showed off their karate moves.

  After them, Ms. Beverly, who was emceeing the show, took the mic. “What a great show so far, isn’t it, ladies and gentlemen?”

  The crowd erupted in applause. Ms. Beverly waited until they finished. “We have much more to come. Now, prepare to be amazed by the talents of our very own Phoebe Moss.”

  The stage went dark for a few seconds. When the spotlight came back on, Phoebe stood there wearing a magician’s hat, back jeans, and a T-shirt that read “I’m a Magician. What’s Your Superpower?” I was thoroughly impressed by the kid’s graphic tee collection.

  She held a magic wand in the air. “Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Phoebe the Phenomenal, and I am here to blow your mind. For my first trick, I will make a bottle of Coke disappear.”

  The audience was deathly silent as she slipped the Coke bottle into a brown paper bag. Phoebe then smashed the bag down and made it flat and tossed it to the side. She then proceeded to make a coin, a card, and a pen disappear.

  “Now for my final act, I shall make my doll disappear.” She held up a rag doll with long blond hair and a blue dress. It eerily reminded me of Esme. After laying her doll on the table, she placed a box over it. Waving her wand over the box, she shouted, “Hocus pocus!”

  Phoebe moved the box around in a circle over the table. When she lifted the box, the doll was in two pieces, the head separated from its body. The crowd gasped.

  She held up the two parts of the doll. “Whoops!”

  Nervous laughter spread through the room. A tall man sitting in the front row stood and clapped wildly. “Whew, Phoebe!” I would have bet anything that was her dad.

  The crowd followed suit, giving her a standing ovation as she left the stage. The whole act had been pretty cute up until the doll decapitation.

  After the show, tables of refreshments were set out. I wandered through the crowd, looking for Phoebe, to make sure she knew I was there. She was talking to the karate twins when she spotted me across the room and weaved her way through the crowd.

  “Lennox, you came!”

  I was taken aback when she wrapped her arms around me and buried her face into my chest. I guessed it had been a while since I was hugged.

  “Of course I did. You were very good. The best, actually. When did you learn to do magic?”

  She blushed. “I’ve been teaching myself for a few months. That’s what I want to be when I grow up. A magician—but a real one like David Copperfield or Criss Angel.”

  “That’s awesome.”

  I wanted to talk to her about something, but before I could, she pulled me by my wrist. “Lennox, you have to meet my dad. He’s really cool.”

  She led me to a man holding a plate with two brownies. I’d been right. It was the same guy who had started the standing ovation. “Hey, Dad. This is Lennox.”

  She took the plate of brownies from her dad, and he shook my hand. “Lennox, it’s nice to meet you. Phoebe talks about you all the time.”

  She does? My ice-cold heart was soon going to be a massive puddle.

  Phoebe smiled at me with a mouth full of brownie.

  Her dad put his hands on her shoulders. He had blue eyes like her, but his hair was almost jet-black. “I’m Eric. You must be pretty special for Phoebe to have taken a liking to you. She hates pretty much everyone.”

  She nodded to corroborate her dad’s assessment.

  Eric Moss was built like a football player. He towered over me and had broad shoulders and massive biceps.

  “Anyway, do you happen to babysit? I’m always looking for someone to watch her when I work evenings.”

  I had never been the babysitting type, but getting paid to hang out with Phoebe didn’t seem like a bad idea. “Sure. Just let me know when.”

  “Yes!” Phoebe said.

  “Phoebe, listen,” her dad said. “I’m going to talk to Ms. Beverly, but then we have to head out, okay?”

  “Okay,” she said, sinking her teeth into another brownie. She watched her dad walk away. “You want me to get you a brownie? They’re really good.”

  “No, I’m okay. You dad seems nice.”

  She beamed proudly. “He is. He’s the best.”

  The crowd of parents and kids hyped up on sugary desserts started to lessen.

  “I want to talk to you,” I said, pulling her over to a couple of chairs.

  Phoebe looked worried. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, everything’s fine. I’ve just been thinking about what you told me the other day about Esme.”

  She shifted a little. “I probably shouldn’t have told you that. Now you think I’m weird.”

  “No, no. I’m glad you told me, and I don’t think you’re weird at all. Listen, what she said about your mom was terrible. I can only imagine how angry I would be if someone had said that to me. I know it feels like taking revenge and getting back at her is going to make you feel better, but it isn’t. I promise you it won’t.”

  I was being a total hypocrite, saying the same thing Abby had told me since I revealed my plans to her, but I never listened. Hopefully, Phoebe would. I didn’t want her to be like me.

  She sank into her seat. “So what am I supposed to do? Act like it never happened? What she did was mean, and she needs to be punished for it.”

  “I agree, but that doesn’t have to be your job. People like Esme who do cruel things will pay for them eventually. She can also learn from her mistakes. You guys are very young, and you’re learning how to be good people.”

  Her face brightened. “You’re right, I guess. But I already cast the spell, and I can’t take it back. I mean, I’m sure there’s a reverse spell, but I don’t care enough to look for it.”

  I pinched her cheek. “That’s okay. I’m sure Esme will be just fine.”

  After Phoebe and her dad left, I stood in the courtyard of the children’s center. Eric had offered me a ride home, but I declined. I didn’t know where I wanted to go, but I didn’t want to go home or to that party, and I didn’t have many other options. I shot Brody a text.

  Lennox: Hey. What are you doing?

  Brody: Heading to the party. What’s up?

  Lennox: Can you come and get me?

  Brody: Sure. Give me about 30.

  I told him I wasn’t at home and gave him the address of the children’s cent
er. When his car pulled up to the curb, I hopped in. “Hey. Long time no see.”

  Brody nodded. “I know. Sorry about that. I’ve been so busy with school and stuff.”

  I looked him over. Something strange was going on. He looked flushed, his hair was disheveled, and he’d missed a button on his shirt, like he had been in a hurry to put it on. “You’ve been with your person, haven’t you?”

  His eyes went wide. “What are you talking about?”

  “This person you’re in love with who you can’t tell me about. You were with them.”

  He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. “Yeah, I was. It’s just that they are very busy, so we have to meet when we can. You said you didn’t care.”

  I shrugged. “I don’t. It’s just an observation.”

  He stared at me for a moment then pulled away from the curb. “It’s too early to head to the party. We can go to Elliot’s house to pregame, or we can get a bite to eat.”

  I didn’t know anything about Elliot other than he was a football player, and I wasn’t in the mood to pregame. “Can we grab something from a drive-through and just sit and talk?”

  We picked up two orders of cheese fries and a chocolate shake for me and headed to the shore. After eating quietly for a moment, Brody turned the music down. “What’s up? Something’s wrong. I can tell.”

  My chest felt like it was going to explode. I had so many things I needed to say but no one I could tell. I watched Brody. Maybe if I trusted him with my secrets, he would trust me with his. “I don’t like being a PIP so much. I didn’t think it was going to be like this.”

  Brody stopped eating. “What did they do?” He didn’t sound surprised.

  Carefully choosing my words, I made sure I didn’t say too much. “What they did to Claire the other day, having the whole school turn on her, I don’t want any part of anything like that.”

  He sighed. “Yeah, that was brutal. Claire’s in my history class, and she looked like she was going to burst into tears at any second. Theo Burgess hit her in the head with his copy of The Diary of Anne Frank and claimed he was just trying to pass it to his friend. The whole thing was so messed up.”