Donuts and Other Proclamations of Love by Jared Reck

Author:Jared Reck [Reck, Jared]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2021-06-08T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

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I found Lou in the front row in the school board room, ten minutes before the start of the meeting, looking over her notebook. She had on the same jazz band T-shirt and jeans from school that day, but she looked, I don’t know, formidable, scanning through her notes.

“Nice Chucks,” I whispered, tapping her foot with mine and easing into the folding chair next to her.

She looked up and smiled nervously—maybe feeling less formidable than I anticipated—and kicked me back.

The inside of the Central Adams school board room was not what I was expecting. In my head, it would be a mix of the high courts and a swanky, plush executive boardroom, full of dark, polished wood and leather and cigar smoke, nine impressive-looking old people behind a huge semicircular bench.

But really, we were in the first of three half-filled rows of folding chairs in a big open room with beige walls and blue carpeting. And in front of us were a bunch of folding tables arranged in a big U. The most official-looking things were the name placards in front of each seat and the gavel in front of the woman at the center of the U, the school board president. Apart from Dr. Caraballo, the superintendent, and a few other school officials in suits and dress clothes from the day, everyone else just looked like parents or grandparents.

“Did you put all those apples up there?” I asked, leaning in closer to hear—the room was so weirdly quiet for so many people. A single apple sat in front of each person at the tables. Some picked them up, looking at the apple, then at the person next to them, eyebrows raised. Otherwise, the apples sat unnoticed.

“I did.”

“Wait,” I said, and I dug my elbow into Lou’s arm. “Is Kevin Huber’s dad on the freaking school board?”

Lou’s face broke into a wide smile, but she wouldn’t look up from her notebook.

“Unbelievable.”

I thought we’d have to sit through the whole thing, but they called our names—I had no idea Lou had put my name on the agenda, too—right after an awkward, all-adult rendition of the Pledge of Allegiance and a roll call.

My entire body went numb. It’s not like standing inside the truck, talking to customers. Customers come to you, and ultimately you make them happy with delicious food that they’ve asked for. This was a bunch of school-related people, smiling politely, bored even, waiting to hear why two kids were there to slow down their very important meeting. About school.

Come on, Lou mouthed to me over her shoulder, her eyes wide, when she realized I hadn’t stood up with her.

I followed her, finally, to the metal podium set up on the left side of the U, and I have never felt so exposed—like the Green Dream come to life, which was not an even remotely helpful thought in the moment.

“Ms. Messinger,” Mrs. Landis, the school board president, began. “I believe you’re here to tell us about your Girl Scout Gold Award, is that correct?”

“Yes, ma’am.

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