Page 74 of Breaking Rules
Drew scurried away.
Elvira, Reagan, Train, and I headed for the school’s entrance.
“I so want to punch her lights out,” Reagan said.
“It’s best not to engage her,” Train added.
Nina giggled loudly behind us, but the sound was downright eerie.
Once inside the school, we were about to bank left, when I spied two boys admiring something on the wall in the hall that led to the admin wing. I untangled my hand from Train’s and hurried over to the wall. My jaw slammed to the floor.
Train sidled up to me. “What the fuck?”
Elvira and Reagan both said, “Cool design.”
I hadn’t shown them my tagging signature. I’d only shown one person my Spunk design, and that person was standing next to me. Train would have never done something as crazy and stupid as painting my signature on the school’s wall.
“You said that you painted the wall of the gym in your last school. Right, Montana?” Elvira asked.
“I didn’t do this.” My voice cracked. Principal Flynn would automatically think I was the one who did, though.
“Does anyone else know that this is your signature?” Train asked.
“Wait,” Reagan said. “This is your signature?”
“No one,” I said to Train. “And yes, Reagan, taggers always leave their signature on any graffiti they do. It’s a way for us to brag without anyone other than taggers really knowing who did the cool artwork.”
“If you ask me,” Elvira said, “seems whoever did this sucks.”
I was too shocked to see past the horrible way the person hadn’t stayed in the lines when coloring in the block letters. Then my vision blurred for a second. The color was green. I’d lost my green paint can. I still hadn’t found it.
I clenched my fists. “Someone is setting me up.”
“You can’t go to jail for this,” Reagan said.
“This is vandalism,” I said. “And if the school presses charges, then yes, I can.”
Train kissed my head. “They don’t have proof it was you.”
He was right. I didn’t see this on Friday when we were in school. And I was with Train all weekend except Saturday night when I was working.
“Let’s go,” Elvira said. “We need to get to class.”
My stomach hurt as we ventured down to computer class. “The only person who doesn’t want me here is Nina.”
“True,” Train said. “But maybe Ferris is mad at you for dropping him as your tutor. He asked you out. You said no. Then you fired him.”
All of a sudden, it hit me. “Ferris saw my artwork in my notebook when I was working on a math problem.”
Train let out a low growl. “I’ll kill the fucker if he is trying to get you kicked out of school.”
I might have to help him.
The four of us walked into computer class just as the bell rang. No sooner had I sat down than the speaker crackled. “Montana Smith, please report to the principal’s office immediately,” a female voice said.
I swallowed hard as I clutched my bag then gave Train anI’m screwedlook. His pissed-off expression didn’t help untie the knot in my stomach. I didn’t have time to check on Reagan and Elvira as I hurried out. Once in the hall, I inhaled some deep breaths to calm my pulse. Before I made a move, Train came out.
“I’m going with,” he said.
