JALEN THREW HIS SHOULDERS BACK and headed for the principal.
Dr. Menkin was looking beyond Jalen, sensing the situation with the intuition of a twenty-year educator with a PhD. Jalen stepped right, then left, directly in the principal’s path. Dr. Menkin bounced off Jalen but kept his feet, slipped past, and stood staring down the hallway Jalen had been guarding.
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on here, Mr. DeLuca?” Dr. Menkin gave Jalen an angry look.
The principal caught Jalen by the arm and marched him around the corner. Daniel was nowhere to be seen. “Someone has been stealing money from the lockers all year. Never in my life did I think it was you.”
“I didn’t take anything, Dr. Menkin,” Jalen pleaded.
“Why were you blocking me?”
“I—I tried to get out of the way,” Jalen said. “I got nervous because I was supposed to be using the bathroom, but I stepped outside for some air and I was on my way back to class.”
Jalen still held the wooden bathroom pass in one hand, but he turned his pockets inside out, producing nothing except a worn-down pencil. “I didn’t take anything. See?”
The principal studied his empty pockets, and his expression seemed to soften. “I saw all that stuff about you and James Yager over the weekend.”
“Yeah,” Jalen said, “it’s been great for my dad’s business.”
“Well, you’re lucky I’m a big Yankees fan.” The principal tilted his head. “Lucky calamari, huh?”
“Kind of.” Jalen didn’t know what else to say.
“Okay, I’ll have to get some.” The principal motioned with his head. “Get back to class.”
Jalen practically skipped down the hallways, he was so giddy over having escaped a close call. Daniel was giddy too when they met in science class the very next period.
“Good job, amigo!” Daniel slapped him a high five.
“What are you two up to?” asked Cat, setting her books down on the lab table in front of them.
“Just delivering presents from the Easter bunny,” said Daniel.
“Easter bunny? What, like chocolate eggs?” asked Cat.
“Something like that.” Daniel began to giggle. “Anyway, I don’t want to tell you too much because I don’t want to ruin the surprise you’re going to get at lunch.”
Cat looked at Jalen. “What’s wrong with him?”
“A lot,” Jalen said.
Science class was a yawn because they spent most of it helping their teacher catalog his equipment for next year’s sixth-grade class. But lunch came after that, and Jalen had to admit he was excited to see the result of Daniel’s devious deed.