Ann Martin - Kristy Power!

That walk down the aisle seemed to take forever. Finally, though, I reached the steps to the stage. I climbed them carefully, since I didn't especially want to trip and fall on my face in front of all those people. As I stepped onto the stage, I found myself in front of Ted. He met my eyes and gave me the tiniest smile. It was almost as if he were saying, "Don't sweat it, Kristy." Seeing Ted up close seemed to blast energy into my body. I felt ready to take on that whole auditorium of people. Shoot, I could have spoken in front of the U.S. Congress at that moment.

I strode to the podium and thanked Mr. Taylor. I pulled a folded piece of paper out of my back pocket and flattened it out on the podium. I'd finally written up a few notes for myself in study hall that afternoon. But when I glanced at them, I realized I didn't need them. It would be easier just to speak from the heart.

Breathe, I reminded myself. I looked out at the sea of faces staring at me and took a long, deep breath. Then I glanced at Ted again, smiled at him, and began to speak. "Did any of you ever have a really good teacher?" I asked the audience. "The kind who inspires you to do your best? The kind who helps you learn to think in new ways and helps you enjoy learning?" I paused. "Ted Morley is that kind of teacher. He is one of the best teachers I've ever had, and I know that many of my classmates feel the same way. He respects his students as people, and he makes us excited about using our minds." I stopped to take a breath. The auditorium was very quiet. People were listening to me.

"All I want to say is that I - and my classmates - think it would be a real shame to lose a teacher like Mr. Morley. And in our opinion, he hasn't done anything wrong. None of us felt pres-sured in any way to read a particular book on that list. He made it very clear that we had a choice. Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with any of those books, but if I did, or if my parents did, I could have chosen not to read them." Suddenly, a voice rang out from the audience. "This girl does not speak for all the children in Mr. Morley's classes!" a woman shouted.

It was Bertha Dow.

I swallowed hard. I glanced at Mr. Taylor, but before he could do anything, somebody else spoke up.

"Yes, she does." It was Merrie. She was standing, and she spoke clearly and firmly. She faced the stage, not her mother.

Awesome. Merrie was full of surprises.

Next to her, Jeremy began to clap. Then Claudia joined him, then Alan. Soon everybody in our row was applauding, and then the applause spread throughout the auditorium* I heard a few whistles and cheers as well.

Mrs. Dow sat in her seat, facing forward. She did not glance back at Merrie or even show that she had heard her daughter's statement. Stony-faced, she ignored the applause.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mr. Taylor begin to stand up. I nodded to him. It was time to wrap things up.

"I just want to say one more thing," I went on. "I would like to ask the administration to consider the feelings of Mr. Morley's students. We don't want to lose him as our teacher!" I stepped back from the podium. After a second, I heard Claudia shout, "Go, Kristy!" And someone began to clap. Soon the auditorium was again filled with cheers and applause. I heard a few boos in the mix, but what could I expect? It wasn't as if I were going to change the protesters' minds. (Not that I wouldn't have liked to.) I walked off the stage, smiling at Ted as I passed him. He grinned at me. "Thanks," he mouthed.

I was back in my seat in a flash. The walk that had seemed so long in one direction took just moments going back. The faces I passed - mostly smiling, a few frowning-were a blur. The applause tapered off as I worked my way down our row. Mary Anne stood up to give me a hug as I passed, and Claudia held up her hand for a high five. "Nice work!" whispered Jeremy.

I felt so relieved - and incredibly proud of Merrie. I leaned past Jeremy to smile at her. "You were great," I whispered.

She smiled. "Thanks," she murmured, shrugging. "I just said what I felt." "Me too," I answered.

Next I glanced down the row, hoping to catch Cary's eye. It would be nice to know he approved of what I'd said. But he was staring straight ahead, listening to the next speaker, a student from one of Ted's other classes* Every other kid in our row looked back at me and grinned or gave me the thumbs-up, but Cary ignored me completely.

I stopped listening to the kid at the podium. I wanted to patch things up with Cary, but how? Should I let him read my journal?

"No way." I don't write in my journal often, and when I do I'm usually really upset about something. So it's pretty personal.

What if I let Cary ask me anything - anything - and promised to answer him honestly? That might work. I'd have to think about that one.

The meeting went on. One person after another spoke, saying the same things over and over again. First one of the protesters would speak, then one of Ted's supporters. Finally, Mr. Taylor looked at his watch and announced that it was time to end the meeting. "Let's take a ten-minute break," he suggested. "The administration will need to consult about what our next step .will be." Most people stayed in their seats during the break, and the auditorium hummed with conversation. Mr. Taylor, Mr. Kingbridge, and the teachers who were sitting with them pulled their chairs into a tight circle and talked in low voices. A couple of teachers from the audience joined Ted and his lawyers on their side of the stage.

I talked with Jeremy, Merrie, and Claudia until Mr. Taylor stood up and walked toward the podium again. He motioned for quiet, and the audience fell silent.

"We feel that we need more time to make a final determination in this case. It is not a matter we want to take lightly. A decision will be announced within a few days. Meanwhile, Mr. Morley will be reinstated to his position, pending final evaluation of his case." For a second, I didn't understand what he meant. Then, a huge cheer went up, and I realized that Ted would be back in the classroom with us, at least temporarily.

Our side had won - for now.

Chapter 13.

"Okay, okay, that's enough!" Ted was blushing. "I mean it!" He held up his hands. "Thank you, re-All of us - the entire class - were on our feet, 'applauding. It was Tuesday, the day after the meeting. And we were giving Ted a standing ovation. It wasn't planned. It happened spontaneously, because we were so happy to see him back in our classroom. I looked around at all the smiling faces in the room: Alan, Jeremy, Claudia, Merrie - and Cary. I hadn't seen Cary smiling in quite a few days, ever since that awful moment when he figured out that I'd read his journal.

My stomach turned over again at the thought of it. More than anything, I wished I'd never read those words. I hated knowing Cary's terrible secret. I hated that Cary was mad at me. And I hated the fact that the biography project had turned into such a mess.

Ted finally convinced us to stop applauding and take our seats. "Thank you," he said again. "I mean it. You can't begin to imagine how much I appreciate your support." He stuck his hands in his pockets. "I guess this situation is providing my classes with a lesson I didn't plan, about personal freedom and about the First Amendment." Somebody in the back row gave a long whistle.

Ted grinned. "That's right," he said. "The First Amendment rules!" Then he grew serious again. "And I'm glad you're learning about it. But we have other things to learn, the things I was actually hired to teach. So I'd like to try to get back on track as quickly as possible. We have two big projects to work on - " "Awww," called out Alan. "I was hoping you'd forgotten about those assignments." "No such luck." Ted smiled and shook his head. "I fully expect to see both projects completed on time by every student in this class. I hope that you're making good progress. In fact, I'd like to meet with each biography pair sometime after school today." He held up a piece of paper. "Here's a schedule, with ten-minute time slots. Please consult with your partner and sign up as you leave class." I glanced at Cary, but he didn't return my look. Oh, well. He couldn't ignore me forever. We were going to have to cooperate, if only for those ten minutes with Ted.