back her plate. "I'd like to be on our way by ten."
"You want to leave now?" Becka shook her head. "Then Jack can't go with you. He has to go to school."
"He does?" Aunt Linda looked nonplussed, as if the idea of school being in session had never occurred to her. "How inconvenient. I wanted to go to the courthouse today. I don't think they're open on the weekend." She spooned three or four teaspoons of sugar into her tea, and stirred. "Never mind," she declared suddenly. "We'll go after school. It's all settled. Jack—ask the boys about it this morning."
To Jack's surprise, Will seemed up for a road trip. For one thing, Will's parents were having six yards of leaf humus mulch delivered that afternoon. It seemed like a good weekend to get out of town. But Linda Downey's involvement was the deciding factor. Will was ordinarily shy around girls, but he was absolutely tongue-tied around Linda. "You know your aunt is gorgeous, Jack," he'd once said solemnly, almost apologetically. And Jack had to admit, she was.
Jack and Will lingered in the foyer by the school office, hoping Fitch would make an appearance before the last bell rang.
Penworthy was at his usual post by the front door. He was deep in conversation with a man Jack had never seen before. The man was dressed all in black, and towered over Penworthy.
"Hey! You! Swift!"
Jack pivoted to see Garrett Lobeck emerging from the principal's office, flanked by his friends, Jay Harkness and Bruce Leonard. Probably serving detention before school. Any one of them were bigger than two of Jack.
Lobeck kept coming until he was heavily into Jack's personal space. "We need to talk about that scumbag play you made yesterday," Lobeck said. Only, it sounded more like "thumbag" and "yethterday" because Lobeck's lips were swollen to twice their usual size.
"Look," said Jack. "I took a goal shot. That's all. It's not my fault if you got in the way. Get over it."
"I'm going to hurt you, Jack, and that's a promise. You'll just have to wonder when." Lobeck attempted a sneer, but gave it up. Apparently too painful. Leonard and Harkness were grinning, though. Lobeck was playing to his audience. He had to do something, after all. The soccer story would be all over school by day's end, what with Garrett walking around with the evidence displayed all over his face.
Jack couldn't say what made him do it. Some sort of death wish, probably. He leaned in so he was inches from Lobeck's face. He was as tall as Lobeck, if not so big around. "Fine. You do that," Jack said, smiling pleasantly. "Next time, I'll break your nose, and there goes the modeling career."
Lobeck squinted at Jack as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. He extended a hand with the apparent intention of grabbing Jack's shirtfront. Then seemed to think better of it and flipped him the finger instead.
"MISTER LOBECK!"
They all jumped.
It was Penworthy, accompanied by the tall stranger Jack had noticed earlier.
Penworthy stuffed a detention slip into Lobeck's hand. "Mr. Lobeck, it seems you have not spent enough time in detention this week. You of all people should know that obscene hand gestures are expressly forbidden on school property."
Lobeck vibrated like a boiler about to blow. When he finally got his mouth working, he let go a string of obscenities. Penworthy just kept peeling off the detention slips until Lobeck ran dry.
"Uh, Mr. Penworthy," said Will, obviously wary of getting in the way of flying detentions. "We were just heading to homeroom." Lobeck and his friends seemed anxious to leave also.
Jack looked up to see the stranger staring at him. Against his will, Jack found himself rooted to the spot, staring back. The man had high cheekbones and chiseled, aristocratic features that were marred only by a somewhat overlarge nose. His complexion had the pale cast of a scholar or someone whose skin doesn't react to the sun. Startling green eyes were sheltered under brows unusually heavy and black for someone
"You want to leave now?" Becka shook her head. "Then Jack can't go with you. He has to go to school."
"He does?" Aunt Linda looked nonplussed, as if the idea of school being in session had never occurred to her. "How inconvenient. I wanted to go to the courthouse today. I don't think they're open on the weekend." She spooned three or four teaspoons of sugar into her tea, and stirred. "Never mind," she declared suddenly. "We'll go after school. It's all settled. Jack—ask the boys about it this morning."
To Jack's surprise, Will seemed up for a road trip. For one thing, Will's parents were having six yards of leaf humus mulch delivered that afternoon. It seemed like a good weekend to get out of town. But Linda Downey's involvement was the deciding factor. Will was ordinarily shy around girls, but he was absolutely tongue-tied around Linda. "You know your aunt is gorgeous, Jack," he'd once said solemnly, almost apologetically. And Jack had to admit, she was.
Jack and Will lingered in the foyer by the school office, hoping Fitch would make an appearance before the last bell rang.
Penworthy was at his usual post by the front door. He was deep in conversation with a man Jack had never seen before. The man was dressed all in black, and towered over Penworthy.
"Hey! You! Swift!"
Jack pivoted to see Garrett Lobeck emerging from the principal's office, flanked by his friends, Jay Harkness and Bruce Leonard. Probably serving detention before school. Any one of them were bigger than two of Jack.
Lobeck kept coming until he was heavily into Jack's personal space. "We need to talk about that scumbag play you made yesterday," Lobeck said. Only, it sounded more like "thumbag" and "yethterday" because Lobeck's lips were swollen to twice their usual size.
"Look," said Jack. "I took a goal shot. That's all. It's not my fault if you got in the way. Get over it."
"I'm going to hurt you, Jack, and that's a promise. You'll just have to wonder when." Lobeck attempted a sneer, but gave it up. Apparently too painful. Leonard and Harkness were grinning, though. Lobeck was playing to his audience. He had to do something, after all. The soccer story would be all over school by day's end, what with Garrett walking around with the evidence displayed all over his face.
Jack couldn't say what made him do it. Some sort of death wish, probably. He leaned in so he was inches from Lobeck's face. He was as tall as Lobeck, if not so big around. "Fine. You do that," Jack said, smiling pleasantly. "Next time, I'll break your nose, and there goes the modeling career."
Lobeck squinted at Jack as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. He extended a hand with the apparent intention of grabbing Jack's shirtfront. Then seemed to think better of it and flipped him the finger instead.
"MISTER LOBECK!"
They all jumped.
It was Penworthy, accompanied by the tall stranger Jack had noticed earlier.
Penworthy stuffed a detention slip into Lobeck's hand. "Mr. Lobeck, it seems you have not spent enough time in detention this week. You of all people should know that obscene hand gestures are expressly forbidden on school property."
Lobeck vibrated like a boiler about to blow. When he finally got his mouth working, he let go a string of obscenities. Penworthy just kept peeling off the detention slips until Lobeck ran dry.
"Uh, Mr. Penworthy," said Will, obviously wary of getting in the way of flying detentions. "We were just heading to homeroom." Lobeck and his friends seemed anxious to leave also.
Jack looked up to see the stranger staring at him. Against his will, Jack found himself rooted to the spot, staring back. The man had high cheekbones and chiseled, aristocratic features that were marred only by a somewhat overlarge nose. His complexion had the pale cast of a scholar or someone whose skin doesn't react to the sun. Startling green eyes were sheltered under brows unusually heavy and black for someone
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