Laurels Literary Magazine Fall 2014 | Page 56

(Exits, closing the library door behind him after one last look with his flashlight from the doorway.) PETER: (Runs to door, opens it a crack to spy out.) What a principal! Doesn’t that guy ever take a break? WENDY: Mr. James has always been a winner. PETER: I’m telling you. One of us has gotta go. It’s gonna be him or me. WENDY: Why is he so mad at you? PETER: Long story. You know, swordfights, narrow escapes, buried treasure. I won’t bore you with the details. WENDY: Let me guess. Playing hooky, skateboards in the hall, chewing gum under desks, doesn’t approve of your family situation? PETER: Guilty on all fronts. Although I got as much dirt on him as he’s got on me. WENDY: Yeah, well, not like it’s a big secret or anything. Everyone knows he’s totally hooked on something. PETER: Alcohol, actually. But it get’s worse than that. The guy’s a full-blown pirate. He’s got a website. You can get anything on there, test answers, essays . . . even takes bribes. WENDY: Seriously? That’s insane. Why haven’t you done anything about it? I mean, this is serious stuff. PETER: Simple. It’s not my problem. Besides, as long as he knows I know, I got one up on him. He’ll probably go ahead and keep me back a year. His way of intimidating me. I don’t care. Graduating means getting older, growing up, moving on. Not my thing. WENDY: Right, the whole staying-a-kid-forever thing. You’re so weird. PETER: I do my best. (Wendy sighs and shakes her head like a mother. Peter notices the Fairy Tales book, still on the ground with a torn out page.) Hey, wanna give Prince Charming another try? 54