Page 30 of Wylder & the Rising Rockstar
Wylder stopped outside the headmistress’ partially open door next to the empty secretary’s desk. No one else in the building was working today. Lifting her hand, she knocked.
“Come in, Wylder.” Ms. Jones’ tone held no indication of her mood, but when Wylder pushed the door open further, she found her on the phone.
Wylder hesitated in the doorway.
“Yes, yes,” Ms. Jones said. “We’re going to need similar language in the forms we have the students sign.” She paused. “Okay, get me a preliminary copy I can take to my board. It doesn’t have to be finished, but I need it within the next hour.” She hung up and turned her gaze on Wylder.
“Look, Ms. Jones, the protest wasn’t my idea, but I kind of wish it was. Those theater kids have some serious guts, and I won’t stand here and say I don’t agree with them. Even if my only role was getting students into that auditorium who didn’t tend to mingle with the theater and music kids, I’m proud of the student body coming together. We might not know how to beat each other up while strapping blades to our feet or jump random poles while riding horses who’d rather be in the warm barns, but we have talent too, and we deserve to be seen.”
Ms. Jones leaned back in her chair, folding her hands on her desk. Her lips twitched into a smile. “Are you done?”
“Not really, no. It’s not fair that we’re the only ones facing consequences for the breach in security. It wasn’t even a student who released the video. No one here broke their student contracts, not a single person. Yet, you’re taking away something some of these kids look forward to every single year. Sure, I might not have even known the review was a thing until very recently, but I need it. We all do.”
“Wylder—"
“And another thing. You could have just limited the audience at the review to students only or limited the number of family members who could come. There are rules you could have put in place before deciding to take it away from us.”
“Can I speak now?” Ms. Jones lifted a brow.
Wylder scuffed a foot against the floor. “Go for it.”
“Well, thanks for your permission. Your odd description of our sports programs aside, I agree with you.”
“But you can’t…. Wait, what?”
She laughed. “I was wrong to outright cancel the event. That was the easy road to take, and we should have looked at other options first. I could blame pressure from my board and parents, but the buck stops with me. I’m sorry.”
Wylder’s mouth opened and closed. “Oh… well, thanks.”
Ms. Jones smiled again. “Wylder, you are a bright girl. Despite your antics, you’re one of my favorites. Just don’t tell the hockey team. They sometimes think they’re the most important students on this campus because of the prestige they bring.”
“Don’t I know it.” She wassotelling Killian Ms. Jones said that.
“Have a seat.” Ms. Jones gestured to the chair in front of the desk. “You and I have some work to do.”
Wylder lowered herself to the edge of the seat. “We do?”
Ms. Jones nodded. “I’ve called an emergency board meeting. We meet with them in one hour.”
“We?”
“Yes, Wylder. I need my student advocate, do I not?”
Wylder didn’t know what to say.
Ms. Jones gave her a knowing smile. “I’m only going to say this once, and then we’ll start working on our proposal for reinstating the Winter Review.”
“Say what?”
“I’m proud of you, Wylder. And all the other students involved. Here at the academy, we like to believe we’re forming the future leaders of America. Today showed me our efforts are not in vain.”
“I’m no one’s leader.”
Her brow furrowed. “Tell that to your fellow students who handed you the microphone and then sat hanging on your every word.”
Wylder, a leader? She’d never considered herself anything more than an outcast, someone people thought was too much. Too loud, too sarcastic, just too everything.
“Okay.” Ms. Jones dug in. “So, the first thing we must discuss is this idea of yours to have the A/V club film the performances. I’m sorry, but that is not an idea that will pass the board. I’m sure some of the parents who do not fly in would love seeing their kids, but others will not want them on film. We need to make sure no one has a recording of this review. It’s the way it’s always been done to protect the identities of our students.”
