Graduation Day by Mel Gilden

Author:Mel Gilden [Gilden, Mel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

New horrors

BRANDON COULD FEEL THE SILENCE. HE COULD feel the kids around him wondering if they'd gone to far. How many of them were thinking, as Dylan had, that if Donna graduated at the end of summer instead of at the beginning, it was not such a big deal? Somebody needed to spur them on.

Brandon was about to say something when he was interrupted by Dylan.

"Tell Ephardt," Dylan said, "that summer-school enrollment is going to be a little higher than expected this year."

Steve shrugged. "Donna Martin graduates," he said quietly, as if it were a fact of life.

"Donna Martin graduates," Kelly said. Then Dylan said it, then Brenda, and Brandon. The rest of the crowd took up the chant. "Donna Martin graduates! Donna Martin graduates!" they shouted even louder than they had before.

Apparently, this was the reaction that Mrs. Teasley had expected, because she shook her head, waved at them, and went back into the building.

Brandon was surprised to see that the next person to emerge from the building was his father. "Maybe this has gone too far, Brandon," Mr. Walsh said. "Maybe you should just tell everyone to go home."

Brandon looked at his father with surprise and some amusement. "Dad, you sound just like Spiro Agnew. We're going inside." He lifted his arm. "Come on," he cried, and motioned his army forward.

He and Andrea and the rest led the demonstrators into the meeting room. It was never meant to house that kind of crowd, so many kids stood along the back wall and in the aisles.

Superintendent Ephardt stared out at the students with exasperation, but he was determined to regain control of his meeting, and he called it to order as if nothing unusual had happened. Some of the board members seemed as upset as Ephardt, while a few of item only smiled.

"Superintendent Ephardt—" Brandon said.

"You're out of order, young man," Ephardt said.

"We're a little beyond Roberts Rules, aren't we, George?" The speaker was one of the gently smiling board members, a woman named Melanie Silverman according to the plaque before her.

Superintendent Ephardt looked at Ms. Silverman with disgust. Apparently, he had not expected a traitor in his midst. "Very well," he said, and waved at Brandon with the back of his hand.

Brandon knew this was his big moment. And he was so jazzed by the crowd that he felt equal to it. "The students have taken your threats very seriously," he said. "However, Superintendent Ephardt, I think you can see for yourself that no one's going anywhere."

He heard a rumble of agreement behind him, and a few of the kids even applauded. Ephardt just looked pained.

Brandon ignored everything and went on. "So unless you're prepared to call the police down on us, I think you should take what we're saying a little more seriously."

Nobody said anything. Nobody moved. Brandon was aware that he could hear the air-conditioning.

"We're here because we believe in justice. You'd have been delighted if you'd caught some delinquent with a record, somebody you could make an example of.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.