Page 32 of For Your Own Good

Which pissed Zach off. If he couldn’t get Crutcher to like him by working hard, he’d find another way.

Even if it meant a little snooping. Some might call it an invasion of privacy. His dad wouldn’t.

Know your enemy better than he knows himself.

Zach shuts the door to the classroom and sits down at Crutcher’s desk, pulling open the center drawer. First impression: It’s a lot messier than he’d expected. Pens, Post-its, and scraps of paper are all jumbled together. He has a collection of odd erasers, including a pink butterfly and a bumblebee, which were probably left behind by students. Zach rummages around, finding two calculators, three pencil sharpeners, and highlighters in every color. Nothing of interest.

He moves to the drawer on the right. This one is filled with books—Moby Dick,The Outsiders,The Scarlet Letter. Zach flips through them, looking for notes, and finds nothing. Underneath the books, copies of the syllabuses for all of Crutcher’s classes. Nothing good in those.

Zach isn’t looking for something specific. He’s looking for anything he can use to get on Crutcher’s good side.

He moves to the drawer on the left. A stack of takeout menus—mostly Chinese food and delis. Underneath those, he finds another book:

Local Flora & Fauna: A Field Guide

Gardening.

Zach wouldn’t have guessed Crutcher was the gardening type, but at least it’s something. The first thing he’s learned about Crutcher’s personal life.

A business card is stuck in the book, maybe as a bookmark. Zach reads the name on the front:

Dr.Leo Tobin

Fertility Specialist

And that’s the second thing he has learned about Crutcher: He and his wife are trying to have a baby.

21

THE STAFFORD ROOMlooks ridiculous.

Teddy hadn’t gone down there all day, on purpose, because he was already tired of hearing Sonia’s name. But he wouldn’t miss the lunchtime ceremony for anything.

He stands just inside the door, taking it all in.

The room has been decorated from corner to corner, from the hugecongratulationsbanner to the roses on the tables. Not to mention the toy bobcats. Those little creatures are everywhere.

Most of the teachers are already here, along with a number of parents from the Collaborative. Ingrid Ross is front and center, right where she should be.

A number of students are also in attendance, mostly those who work on the paper, including Courtney. She and her mother are on opposite sides of the room.

“This is quite a shindig,” Frank says, walking up next to Teddy. Themath teacher looks both wired and pumped, like he was just doing push-ups out in the hall.

“Yes, everything looks nice,” Teddy says.

“Try the sandwiches.” He holds one up. “Salmon, I think.”

“Salmon? Really?”

“Tastes like it.”

Salmon.Teddy wants to scoff, but he holds it in. He certainly didn’t get salmon at his party.

From where he stands, he can see the giant cake. Three tiers, almost like a wedding cake, and personalized just for Sonia. It’s as over-the-top as everything else in the room, and Teddy feels a strong urge to run his finger through the icing.

When Ms.Marsha enters the room, the room quiets down. She is the gatekeeper, the one who controls who sees—or doesn’t see—the headmaster. Her appearance means he is on his way.

Even Teddy straightens up when he walks in the door. A few others do the same. He’s not a tall man, but he is imposing. It’s the posture, no doubt. Ex-military.