The Education of Hailey Kendrick - Eileen Cook [40]
“I don’t think Hailey cares how what she did impacts all of us,” Mandy said. “She isn’t showing Evesham school spirit. I haven’t been able to go into town. I know Hailey thinks sticking up for this guy is important, but what I want to do is important too.”
I fought the urge to push Mandy into a pile of pancakes. I could picture the syrup running down her face, slicking her hair down to her head.
“Of course everyone has their own unique wants and feelings, and all of those are important. Does anyone else want to share how this situation is affecting them?” Joel offered.
I turned to look at Joel. Was he kidding? I pulled on his shirt so we were closer.
“Why are you doing this?” I hissed into his ear.
“This is a reasonable way to handle the situation. People are unhappy. They want to share how they’re feeling.”
Joel could act as if he were doing the right thing, but I sensed that the reason he was willing to have me stand up in front of everyone and be humiliated had to due with him being upset by what I’d said to Tristan on Saturday night.
“You can’t do this,” I whispered to him.
“Mandy went to Winston. This is his idea,” Joel whispered back. He shrugged slightly. My lips pressed together. Joel was going to stand there and play the party line. What Winston wanted, he would do.
A freshman in the front row raised her hand. “I think it’s disgusting that you cheated on your boyfriend,” she said. She shot a look at Mandy, who nodded her approval. I had the feeling the room was stacked with people that Mandy had spoon-fed comments to. We’d be there all morning hearing what a lousy person I was.
“I have to go to the bathroom,” I said.
“You can’t leave,” Mandy said. “You have to stand here while everyone gets their say.”
“Fine, but do you mind if I go to the bathroom first? There isn’t a rule against that, is there?”
“It’s important that you understand how what you’ve done affects everyone,” Joel said.
I clenched my teeth. “I’ll be right back.”
I stepped into the hallway and crossed to the ladies’ room. I shut the door behind me and leaned against it. I didn’t plan to stand in front of the whole school while everyone listed out how I was making their lives miserable because they couldn’t get to the mall.
I cracked the door open and peeped out. Mandy was standing in the doorway to the cafeteria, watching the hall. There was no way I was going to be able to sneak past her and out of the building. I wondered how long I could stay in the bathroom before they sent someone in after me. I looked at my watch. There was another thirty minutes left until the first bell. Way too long. I felt my stomach turn over again. I felt like I might throw up my eggs. Maybe if I vomited, people would consider it sufficient apology, but I doubted it. They were going to make me stand there and just take it.
A car horn outside honked, and it made me look up. Above the stalls there was a long thin frosted window. I stepped up onto one of the toilets and slid the window open. The window faced the alley behind the cafeteria building. There was a Dumpster directly below. It was insane. Most likely I wouldn’t even fit, the window was so narrow. Besides, I would only be putting off the inevitable. Sooner or later I would have to face the music. My heart was pounding. All I wanted to do was escape. I heard Mandy’s high shrill laugh from the hall. That decided it.
I pulled myself up onto the ledge and swung one foot out the window, and then the other. I started to lower myself down. My uniform skirt was caught in the window, and I could feel it hitching up. Great. Now my bare butt was on the outside of the window while the rest of me was still inside the bathroom. My feet swung around, feeling for the edges of the Dumpster, but all I felt was empty space. I tried to lower myself farther, but the combination of my skirt and blazer bunched up was keeping me from sliding down any more. This wasn’t going to work.
I tried to pull myself back up through the window. My arms were shaking from the effort,