CHAPTER 58

FOR THE LAST FIFTEEN MINUTES of sixth period, the entire class was given time to start their homework. Hudson jotted down the thoughts he’d been wrestling with —which had nothing to do with the assignment he’d just been given.

Fact one: There were more pairs of red shoes tramping through the halls this morning than Hudson could count. He’d definitely made a difference, right? Every person wearing them was making a statement that bullying wasn’t okay. Dad had talked about social pressure not being enough. He wished Dad could see the Red Shoe Brigade.

Fact two: The site was gone —so Robin Hood really could disappear. His job was finished, wasn’t it? And once again, the bullies backed down. All he had to do was get his report on paper and turn it in by Friday.

And that meant he didn’t need to come up with a new plan to pressure the pack and the litter to change. That was good . . . because the idea in his head was so over the top that he didn’t want to think about it. Which was getting harder to do.

The bell rang, and Hudson slung his backpack over his shoulder. He stepped into the hall and waited for Pancake.

They fell in step alongside each other without a word. Hudson kept a sharp eye out for Wolfe and his pack.

Suddenly Pancake grabbed Hudson’s arm. He nodded toward a professional-looking poster taped to the wall just above the lockers. Yellow paper. Black ink. Easily read from thirty feet away.

WANTED: ROBIN HOOD

Generous reward for information leading to discovering his real identity.

A generic silhouette filled a box in the center where a photo might go for a real wanted poster. Two phone numbers were printed below it.

“Think it was Kat’s parents?”

Hudson pictured the crowd of angry parents. “Or the office.”

“My money is on Kat’s parents,” Pancake said. “They’re loaded, you know. And the sign says generous reward. And whoever did this had to pay big bucks to get a poster this fast.”

He was probably right. “Excuse me if I don’t call the numbers to find out.”

“Not even to find out what you’re worth?” Pancake snickered.

Hudson spotted three more posters before they got to their lockers. Another four on the way to the cafeteria. Somebody wasn’t ready for Robin Hood to disappear. He definitely intended to disappoint them.

Maggie was at their regular table, and she seemed to light up as Hudson walked up. He gave a quick shoulder-check to be sure she was really looking at him.

“First,” Maggie said, “I want to say I’m sorry, again, for . . . you know . . . the whole thing at the bike rack.”

Hudson took a seat opposite of her. “An honest mistake. I’m surprised you didn’t call 9-1-1.”

Maggie gave an apologetic look. “I almost did.”

Pancake tapped Hudson’s leg under the table. He gave the slightest head jerk toward Wolfe’s table.

Kat, Alexa, and Giovanna were there. The pack and the litter banding together on the website was bad enough. But sitting at the same table? They were officially joining forces in a bigger way than ever. Not a good sign. The red shoes were raising awareness with kids who weren’t bullying —but how much did it really change the bullies?

“Okay, the second thing,” Maggie said. “I need your help.”

Hudson looked at her. She looked dead serious.

Pancake gave his horchata a shake. “What can we do for you?” He took a swig.

“I want to find Robin Hood.”

Pancake gagged and almost sprayed his horchata all over the table.

“Don’t laugh at me. I’m serious.”

Pancake coughed and cleared his throat. “I’m not laughing at you. But everyone wants to find him. Didn’t you see the posters?”

Maggie nodded. “I know you’ve seen the site —so you know how Robin Hood helped me.” She looked straight at Hudson. “But the site is gone now, and I never got to thank him.”

You just did, Maggie. “You want us to help you find him —so you can thank him?”

Maggie shrugged. “And maybe I’d like to get to know him. For real.”

And what would she do if she knew the truth?

“Him?” Pancake smiled. “It could be a her. For all we know it could be your mom.”

Hudson laughed. “I think Pancake may be right. It’s got to be your mom.”

“You’re both ridiculous.” Maggie squeezed her eyes shut. “I’d just like to be his friend, and if you make fun of me, Pancake, I’m going to dump the rest of that horchata on your head.”

“Hey,” Pancake said. “I totally get the whole friend thing. I really do. When the new Spider-Man movie came out, I really, really wanted him for a friend.”

Maggie reached for the carton of horchata.

Hudson slid it out of reach just in time. “Careful, Pancake. You’re going to get a horchata baptism.”

“I’m not teasing. Robin Hood. Spider-Man. What’s the difference? They’re heroes. They help the little guy. Who wouldn’t want them for friends?”

She leaned forward. “Robin Hood is real.”

Pancake raised both hands. “Hold on. Do not say Spider-Man isn’t real. Don’t go there.”

Maggie laughed. “Okay, I get it. Spider-Man is real. So you’ve found your hero. Now help me find mine.”

“And are you offering a generous reward, too?” Pancake grinned.

Maggie gave him a friendly-looking glare. “Don’t make me hurt you.”

“So,” Hudson said, “how do you propose we find your hero?”

She shook her head. “I have no idea. Keep your ear to the ground, I guess.”

Hudson stole a glance toward the pack’s table, then back.

“You heard about the bumper stickers?” Maggie said.

Pancake raised his horchata. “Who hasn’t?”

Maggie leaned forward like she was revealing national secrets. “That was Robin Hood. They say he stickered a couple hundred cars Saturday night.”

“Busy guy,” Hudson said. “He must have a big group working with him.”

“He has help.” Maggie lowered her voice. “He calls them his band of merry men. Could be dozens of guys. Which means one of them can slip and say something.” She pointed at Hudson and then at Pancake. “So keep your ears open, okay?”

Hudson glanced at Pancake and shrugged. “We’ll do what we can.”

Pancake wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “What if we find this mystery BFF, and you don’t like him?”

“You’re being ridiculous again. How could I not like him?”

Hudson needed to change the topic. “How many pairs of red shoes are at Southfield today?”

Pancake grinned. “Lots.”

Maggie looked down. Folded her lunch bag into a small packet and smoothed the folds with her fingernail. “My mom bought these shoes for me.”

Was Maggie actually opening up?

“Money was tight. It was toward the end of the school year, just before Jo pulled her Houdini act and disappeared from my friend list for good. Mom surprised me with these. It was at a really hard time. See, my mom had —” Maggie gave a little shrug. “Anyway, she said something about them looking cute and trendy —once upon a time.”

Hudson wondered what detail she left out. “They are cute.”

Pancake lifted one leg high and shook it in the aisle. “And definitely trendy. Look at all the kids wearing them now.”

“See why I want to find him . . . and thank him?”

Actually all Hudson could see was that she kept bringing the topic right back where he didn’t want it to be. “Does your mom know how you get persecuted by the litter for your red shoes?”

Maggie shook her head. “It would crush her. She spent the extra money for the shoes, and then after Jo dumped me, she hoped I’d get some new friends.”

“I think your mom was onto something,” Hudson said.

“Maybe so. Kids are smiling. Waving. Nodding at me when I go down the halls. Just before lunch a group of seventh-graders did some weird chest-pounding Tarzan-thing when they passed.”

Pancake’s face lit up. “Hey, I started that!” He bobbed his head. “That Pavlovian stuff really works.”

Hudson laughed. “I’m not sure this would be a good example of that.”

“Are we talking Ivan Pavlov and the dog experiments?”

Pancake nodded. “Hudson explained the whole thing to me. Part of his theory for the Creating Change project.”

“So” —Maggie looked directly at Hudson —“you’re trying to use Pavlov’s principles on the bullies?”

Hudson shrugged. “Just trying to condition them a little.” If she asked him how he was doing that —he’d be in trouble.

She laughed and shook her head. Maggie looked happy —like Hudson had never seen her before. Her face practically glowed. Suddenly the glow faded, and the smile with it.

Kat, Alexa, and Giovanna were up from the pack’s table and headed right for Maggie. Alexa stopped halfway, like she was on the lookout for teachers.

Hudson tensed, tried to be ready, but for what?

“So,” Kat said, “how’s the fashion diva today?” She wrinkled her nose. “Still wearing the red shoes.”

Don’t answer them, Maggie. She’d only give them more fuel to work with.

Kat’s eyes had fire in them. Giovanna had that shark eye look. Dead —and deadly.

“You look stupid,” Kat said. “Just like every other moron following in your footsteps.”

“Following in your footsteps.” Pancake slapped his knee and pasted a hilarious expression on his face. “I get it.” He turned to Hudson. “Red shoes. Footsteps. Kat just made a funny —ha ha.”

“Shut your face, taco-breath.” Kat turned back to Maggie. “Wake up. Your shoes are ugly. They make you look even uglier than you already are.” Kat glared at Giovanna and gave her just the slightest nod.

Maybe Giovanna missed her cue.

Hudson had to stop this. It was another pop quiz.

Bullies are shooting off their mouths, making your friend uncomfortable. What do you do?

Clearly a no-brainer. He stood up. Grabbed Maggie’s arm. “Time for us to go.”

Maggie didn’t resist him. She stood and swung her leg over the seat.

Kat stepped on Giovanna’s foot —and it looked deliberate. Obviously Giovanna had missed her cue again.

“I’m betting that this is the last day you’ll wear those stupid shoes.” Giovanna’s voice was as dead as her eyes. Her prediction sounded rehearsed, like she’d planned to say it all along. Like maybe Kat had scripted the whole thing.

“What is it with you guys,” Hudson said, “and your obsession with her shoes? I’ve got red spray paint.” He pointed to Giovanna’s shoes. “I can fix yours —”

“Save it,” Giovanna said. “The day I wear red shoes is the day I’ll die.”

“And I’ll wear these until my dying day,” Maggie said. “Do you know what I see when I look at my shoes?”

“Hideous high-tops?”

Hudson backed Maggie away from the table.

Pancake stepped up on her other side and grabbed her arm.

“No, Jo.” Maggie swung her arm free. “I see love. I’ve got a mom who loves me.”

Giovanna’s mouth opened slightly —like she couldn’t believe Maggie just said that. Her eyes teared up immediately.

Maggie put her hand to her mouth like she wished she could take it back.

“Let’s go.” Hudson gripped Maggie’s arm again, just above the elbow. She was shaking.

Kat looked really pleased. She backed Giovanna toward their table. Giovanna’s shark eyes were back, but her mascara was running.

Maggie shuddered beneath his grip. “I’m okay. Let me go.”

But she didn’t sound okay. Didn’t look so good either. “What happened —I mean between you and Giovanna just now?” Hudson studied her eyes. “You just shut her down. That was perfect.” Shouldn’t she be skipping down the hall or something?

Maggie shook her head. “I was awful and cruel. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“How are we going to help if we don’t know what’s wrong?”

Maggie looked like a zombie. “You can’t help. Nobody can. I need to work this out alone.” She hiked her pack on her shoulder and headed for the exit.

“Spooky,” Pancake whispered.

Hudson watched Maggie drift out the cafeteria doors. “You mean her mood change?”

“No. Actually —yes. Girls in general, I think.”

Hudson’s mood dipped right along with Maggie’s. He had a sick feeling his day was going downhill from here.