The next person she saw was Principal Snyder, looking frustrated. “Now, Brian,” she said, “tell me again what happened.”
“I tripped,” said Brian cheerfully. “Bad luck.”
Ollie stared at him. Was Brian—coveringfor her?
“Ollie,” said Principal Snyder, turning gravely to her.
“Um, yes?” said Ollie. “That’s me. Ollie here.” She waved.
“Did you throw a rock?” said Principal Snyder. “Yesterday? Did you hit Brian with a rock outside the school building?”
Behind Principal Snyder, Brian shook his head at Ollie.
“Um, maybe?” said Ollie, not sure how Brian wantedher to play this. “I did a lot of things yesterday. I do most days, you know, with the school and the home and—”
“Anyone could have done it,” Brian put in. “No harm, no foul.”
“It cut you in the head!” cried Principal Snyder.
“Accidentally,” said Brian, and he added, with unexpected crispness, “You can’t pursue justice on my behalf if I don’t choose to have it pursued. I’m the star witness.”
Ollie gaped at Brian but hastily arranged her face to vigorous agreement when Principal Snyder looked her way.
The principal rubbed her temples, looking from Ollie to Bryan. “I can’t have students injuring other students,” she said.
“Just an accident,” said Brian. “Besides, it probably wasn’t her. If there was a rock, I definitely didn’t see her throw it.”
“Of course you didn’t see her!” said the principal. “She hit you on the back of the head, therefore she was standing behind you!”
Neither of them said anything. Principal Snyder looked again from Ollie to Brian. Ollie thought of Coco Zintner and tried to look angelic.
Maybe it worked. Abruptly Principal Snyder’s face softened. Sympathy face. Ollie almost let her innocent expression slip. Shehatedsympathy face.
“Well, it is chivalrous of you, Brian,” said the principal.
Ollie bristled. Implying that Brian was only sticking upfor her (Why was he sticking up for her?) because she was agirl:that was dumb. Or worse, it was because Ollie wasthat girl. But she bit her tongue. Whatever Brian was doing, it was working.
“Make sure it doesn’t happen again,” said the principal, misty-eyed now. “I’msoglad to see you making new friends, Ollie. Run along, you two.”
Ollie and Brian burst together out of Principal Snyder’s office, and the second the door banged shut behind them, Ollie turned to Brian and said, in a voice dripping scorn, “Chivalrous?”
Brian looked lofty. “I didn’t want to get a girl in trouble. You could say thanks, you know. I just got you out of detention until Christmas.”
“First of all, I gotmyselfin trouble,” Ollie said. “I don’t need you to get me in trouble, thank you very much. And don’t treat me special because I’m a girl. That’s sexist.”
“Being nice to you is sexist?”
“If you’re being nice just ’cause I’m a girl, it is!”
“I didn’t even saychivalrous; that was Principal Snyder! Besides, can we focus on the part where I just got you out of detention?” Brian had been looking proud of himself; now he looked a little deflated.
“You could have just stuck up for Coco. Then I wouldn’t have been in the principal’s office in the first place. Where was yourchivalrythen?”
“I couldn’t stick up for Coco,” said Brian in a reasonable tone. “Then people might think I liked her back.”
They were hustling down the hall; the bell was about to ring.
“Who cares what people think?” Ollie demanded. She was a little out of breath, trying to walk faster than him, but Brian just glided along beside her, hands in his pockets, acting as though he weren’t in a hurry to get to class at all.
