FIFTEEN 

 

Back at the office, Chaz tried to act normal.

“That’s good for today,” he said without looking at me. “See you tomorrow.”

On the bus home I turned my music up loud to try to stop thinking and feeling like crap.

I should just shut up and do what Chaz tells me, I thought. He was my boss, and he was cute so I wanted him to like me. And I did need to get serious about getting into college my senior year. Ms. Williams had told me that Harmon Holt went to Grandin College and she thought I might be able to get in. (She never asked if I wanted to go to Grandin.) She also told me I should write about my Holt internship in my application essay.

“Harmon Holt is a very well-respected and influential man,” Ms. Williams had said. So why was I trying to piss him off by arguing with his stepson on my first day? About some video with some people I’d never heard of until this morning?

My head hurt, so I pressed my forehead against the cold window and watched the buildings slide by. Then I sat up suddenly.

We’d just passed a building window with lots of MELVIN WATTS signs. The bus pulled up to the corner, and people stood up to get off. Not even knowing what I was doing, I got off too.

“What the?” I said to myself as I stood across the street from the building. Because I knew what it was. It was the building in the video. But I didn’t know what I was going to do.

Inside there was a girl sitting at a table, looking bored. She sat up straight when she saw me.

“Hi, are you here to volunteer for the campaign?” she asked.

“Umm, yeah,” I said, looking around the little office. A couple of people were talking on phones. One turned around to see who I was. It was Billy Watts. Then JJ came out of another room, carrying a box. The girl was staring at me.

“Sorry, not now, but I just wanted to stop in …” I trailed off.

“Great,” she said, all fake perky. “Put your contact information here so we can get in touch with you about the next phone bank or door knocking. There’s stuff coming up soon.”

I was writing down a fake name and number when JJ said to everyone, “Smoke break. Back in ten.” He brushed by me on his way out.

Billy jumped up to follow him. “Thanks for volunteering,” he said to me hurriedly as he went by.

I gave the girl a fake smile too and went out after them. Billy was just disappearing around the side of the building. I went the other way. Would I get lucky?

I hustled around the building, slowing down when I heard their voices. I was just around the corner from them. I pressed against the building.

“… hasn’t been a damn thing yet,” Billy was saying. Whining, really. “I don’t want to wait any longer to see him go down.”

I couldn’t hear JJ at first. “… right time. Relax, my friend.”

“Who’d you give it to again?”

“New political blog. Don’t worry.”

“I want to see it on freakin’ CNN,” Billy whined again.

“Oh, you will—once everyone sees how real it is, that video will be everywhere,” JJ said. He laughed.

“He thinks he can just ignore me my whole life, and now that I’m working for his reelection suddenly I’m important to him. I won’t take that crap! You said you’d help me,” Billy said, sounding angrier.

“I did and I am helping you. Chillax. You dad won’t ever be elected again after this blows up.” JJ sounded bored.

A cigarette butt flew past the corner. I jumped back. I heard footsteps going the other way. I flopped back against the brick wall.