Dad inclined his head I do need to be at work in a few hours They followed Mr. Belkin down the hall to the privacy of the back office Once they were seated at the round table which was supposed to make them all seem like equals Mr. Belkin shifted in his seat coughing behind a faded red handkerchief before finally filling Dad in And in addition to the fact that property defacement is a serious offense I'm concerned because Indigo's actions today are entirely out of character Dad sat listening with his hands folded in his lap They were the smooth hands of a man who wore medical gloves most hours of the day They were also deep brown which meant that when he wasn't in scrubs although he was triple board certified in emergency medicine pediatrics and immunology and was a senior attending physician at the Jamesville Jamesville hospital sometimes strangers thought he was a janitor And why is it you believe Indigo was the one with the paint can he asked Mr. Belkin's eyebrows hitched way up but the rest of his fish belly white face didn't move Because Mrs. Mackenzie caught her doing it
Dad turned a neutral face toward her What were you writing Winnie the Pooh The hum he sang when he walked through the forest Dad's lips twitched Why Winnie the Pooh Indigo shrugged He's funny Originally she'd planned to quote a song she'd always loved about a sixteenth century astronomer named Galileo who got thrown in jail for telling the truth about how the planets revolved around the sun instead of the other way around But Pooh's silly quote was less complicated to write with spray paint Mr. Belkin folded his arms Until recently Indigo has been a great role model for the other students here at Loon Lake her ah reporting notwithstanding Are you saying there was something wrong with my story on school uniforms She lifted her chin That video had gotten tons of likes and new subscribers for her page Abbie and Manning had stopped avoiding her in the hallways but they had yet to invite her to eat with them and the Tictacs and the jocks Mr. Belkin's face reddened I'm saying you've been an exemplary student your whole life I've seen your elementary school transcripts There's no
need to tarnish a spotless record I can help you get back on track Indigo widened her eyes like she saw her father do when someone was being less than straightforward straightforward You mean if I stop reporting stories you don't like you'll keep me out of detention Indigo Dad shot her a warning look You're the one who says disruption is the key to change Dad Her father cleared his throat I most certainly didn't tell you to vandalize school property Indigo swallowed She'd probably lose some of her screen time for talking back to the principal but this was worth it She turned back to Mr. Belkin I have a constitutional right to express myself even if it makes you uncomfortable Mr. Belkin stood abruptly And I have a right to enforce rules that protect school property Indigo report to detention after school today Doctor Fitzgerald Fitzgerald you may pick her up at 4:40 p.m. Score
CHAPTER 2 Detention Indigo walked to detention with her head held high eyes focused straight ahead ignoring the shouting herds of bus riders pushing and shoving toward the door and the clumps of stragglers chatting at lockers as they stuffed their backpacks Indigo Seriously you The breathless giggled question came from Trinity leader of the Tictacs Indigo threw a quick thumbs up Behind Trinity Camila and Lily shout whispered and held up their glitter pink phones snapping photos that were headed straight for social media Excellent Abbie laughed Rock on Anyone who didn't know Abbie would believe she couldn't care less But Indigo Abbie and Manning Manning used to be able to have a whole conversation with just eyes and hands The tic above Abbie's left
