Page 99 of Antagonist

The woman backs off, so Stella grabs my arm and pulls me to the side. “I thought you said there was someone patrolling the grounds.”

“There was. Where’s Principal Lewis?”

“Don’t know. By the time I got here, these crazies were trying to block the entrance to the school. We’ve been trying to hold them back from going in.”

I put my hands on her shoulders. “I’ll go check with the principal. You keep doing what you’re doing. Show ‘em who Stella Davis is.”

“Oh, they haven’t seen anything. I’ve saved two people’s lives today. I can easily end a couple just to restore the balance in the universe.”

“Fletcher is inside,” Melodie says as I walk past the group and into the school.

I nod and keep going.

The raised voices coming from Principal Lewis’s office can be heard all the way down the hall. The only open door is the school nurse’s office.

Mike’s sister waves as I walk by. Her expression speaks of the tension I hear coming from the other office.

I knock on the door, and Fletcher waves for me to come in as soon as he sees me through the glass.

“Hi, I came as—” I stop when I see Karina sitting in one of the chairs facing Principal Lewis’s desk. “What’s going on?”

“In a nutshell, Karen is accusing us of setting fire to the school storage building,” Fletcher says.

“It’s Ka-ree-nah!” If Karina’s face gets any redder, it might explode.

Fletcher looks bored, but I can see the anger in his eyes.

“This is a serious accusation, so I called Officer Pete to come over since he’s familiar with…the disagreements regarding the school fair.” Principal Lewis says. “Mrs. Brunel refuses to expand on her accusation until Officer Pete is here.”

“What if Officer Pete doesn’t get here before the bell rings?” I ask.

“Better get Officer Pete here soon,” Karina replies, sitting back in the chair and crossing her arms.

“Karina,” I say, hoping to appeal to any good sense she may have. “Can we work together? This is an event for all the school kids. Teaching kids about diversity isn’t just about who they may grow to love. It’s also about where we come from and how we identify. It’s about learning that everyone has a place. How can you not agree with that?”

Karina gives me a sideways look full of disdain. I take two deep breaths so I don’t say something I’ll regret.

“I’ll just step outside for a moment,” I say. There’s only one person I know with the right people skills to not actually murder Karina. I send Stella a message with a new plan and go back inside the office. Moments later, she’s knocking on the office door.

“Oh great, more witnesses,” Karina says smugly.

Fletcher stands, and Stella takes his place.

“Hi, I don’t think we’ve met,” Stella says, crossing her legs and flipping her hair behind her shoulder.

I don’t miss the way Karina’s eyes narrow on the sparkly diamond ring Stella wears on her finger. Stella doesn’t miss it either. I’ve seen that smile before. She’s got a plan.

Good thing someone does.

“Karina Brunel.”

“How lovely to meet you, Karina. I’m Stella.” Stella looks at Principal Lewis apologetically. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything important.” Then she giggles.

No one says anything. Stella looks at her hands.

“Principal Lewis, there's the most dreadful protest outside. Is there a chance I can grab my princess and get out through a different exit? You see, I have an appointment for a manicure, and I must not be late.”

Principal Lewis shoots me a glance, and I just smile.