Branded - Eric Walters [20]
“What time is it?” Oswald asked.
“Ten to nine,” I said. “Ten minutes until we have to go inside.”
Oswald looked nervous. “You know you don’t have to do this,” I said to him. “You can go in.”
“I could, but I won’t. I just hope it’s not going to be only the three of us.”
“It won’t,” I assured him. “You know that.”
“I know,” Oswald said.
“There will be at least twenty-three people involved,” Julia said.
That was the number of students in our social justice class. Once Julia and I had talked on Friday night—well I guess it was really Saturday morning—we figured it was best to start with our class. We contacted all of them, and they all agreed that after what we’d been taught, there was no way we could walk into school wearing the uniforms.
“You know, Ian, if you had gotten onside with this earlier, there could have been way more people involved,” Julia said.
“I told you almost as soon as I found out,” I said. “The same day.”
“But you knew about the uniform for weeks.”
“This isn’t about the uniforms.”
“Of course it is!”
“No,” I said. “It’s about the uniforms being made under unfair conditions. If these uniforms were made by a company that did business responsibly I’d be walking into school today.”
“I still think that—”
“There’s a news crew!” Oswald said, pointing to the street.
We’d contacted a couple of tv stations and the local newspapers about what was going to happen. The only way any of this made sense was if people knew about it, and the press was the best way to get the word out.
“And here comes Roberts,” Julia said.
Mr. Roberts was slowly descending the stairs. He could have been going anywhere, but I doubted it. He walked straight over to us and stopped in front of me.
“It’s almost time for school to start,” he said. “You three are in your uniforms. Can I assume you’re going to be coming into the school?”
I shook my head, ever so slightly.
“I thought that might be the case,” he said. “You know you’ll be suspended.”
“I know.”
“No exceptions. Any student or staff not in school uniform will be suspended. In the case of staff, their pay would be withheld and they could possibly be dismissed.”
“They’d be fired over this?” I asked.
“That is what I’ve been told,” Mr. Roberts said. “The board will be even less sympathetic to staff than students. So, can you tell me exactly what is going to happen?”
Julia looked shocked. “I don’t think—”
I reached over and touched her hand and offered a reassuring look.
“I won’t try to stop you,” Mr. Roberts said. “Even if I could. I just want to know what to expect.”
Julia didn’t look any less anxious. “It’s okay,” I said. “The first step I’ve already mentioned. When the bell goes we’re not going inside. Instead we’re going to take off the uniforms.”
“And how many students are going to join you?”
“We don’t know for sure,” I admitted.
“Could it be only three?”
“It could be hundreds,” Julia said.
“But we know we have at least twenty-three,” I said.
“Every single person in our social justice class,” Julia said.
“Everybody?” Mr. Roberts asked.
“Well…everybody except you,” I said.
His expression faltered—like I’d struck him—but he quickly returned to his usual stoic look.
“Remember that social justice club you wanted to start?” I said. “I started it.”
“I guess I should be complimenting you on your leadership skills.”
“I had some help. Julia contacted the media and thought a press conference would be a good thing.”
“Getting the word out. Very wise,” he said.
“You taught us that was important,” I reminded him.
“And next?” Mr. Roberts asked.
“We’re going to do a protest march,” I said.
“We’re walking to the board office to ask to meet with the director of education to formally present our objection to the uniforms,” Julia added.
“And i f he won’t meet with you?” Mr. Roberts asked.
“Then the press will be there to see that,” I said.
“That he doesn’t have time for his own students,” Julia said. “I think he’d be an idiot