Free Hickville Confessions: A Hickville High Novel by Mary Karlik Page A

for a couple of breaths. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.” He turned and headed down the hall.
    God. He went from protector to awkward guy in a heartbeat. Something about that shift totally endeared him to her. “Hey, Justin.”
    He turned and walked backward. “Yeah?”
    “I’m glad you were there.”
    He smiled as though she’d called him a hero. “Thanks.” He turned and jogged away.
     
    *
     
    “I’m going to the meeting.” Ryan heaved her backpack on her shoulders.
    Kelsey shook her head. “Why put yourself through that? I’ll go.”
    “We’ll tell you everything they say.” Mackenzie looked at her sister through bangs that almost covered her eyes. Mackenzie, the invisible girl. So quiet she tended to blend into the background. Ryan was touched that her little sister was willing to go to a meeting with a bunch of strangers on her behalf.
    “It’s really sweet of you, but I have to show them that they may have knocked me down, but I’m still here.”
    “I think coming to school today pretty much did that,” Kelsey said.
    “Did you see my locker? Somebody is pissed that I’m here.”
    Mackenzie stared at the ground. “I don’t understand how you became the bad guy in all of this.”
    Ryan nodded. “Me either, which is why I’m going to that meeting. If they say something about me, I want to be there to defend myself.”
    Kelsey said, “Okay, we’ll all go together.”
    Ryan was grateful for her sisters, but part of her wanted to go by herself. Having them with her made her look weaker. She slid into the classroom a few minutes later with her sisters trailing behind. Mrs. Bettis made eye contact, but didn’t acknowledge her to the group. The Purity Club had about thirty members. Today, only about half that attended. As she entered, every head in the room turned toward her. So much for the stealth entry she’d planned.
    But, instead of the hatred she’d expected, she saw compassion in their eyes. As she scooted past the desks, a girl with dark blonde hair touched her arm. “I’m sorry for what they did to you. That’s not who we are.”
    “Thanks.” Ryan continued to the back of the room.
    Mrs. Bettis began, “Thank you all for coming on short notice. As I’m sure you’ve all heard, some of our members were involved in a horrible incident after the Homecoming dance Saturday night. Those girls acted on their own, not as any part of the Purity Club. Their thoughts and actions were in no way supported by this group. However, what they did was a serious event.”
    Kelsey whispered, “
Event?
She called it an
event
.”
    “Shhh,” Ryan hissed.
    Mrs. Bettis continued, “We have decided, at least for the rest of this year, to disband the club.”
    The same girl that had reached out to Ryan said, “What about our community service credits?”
    “You’ll get partial credit. There are plenty of other opportunities to earn what you need.”
    Another girl raised her hand. “Why are we being punished for what they did? It’s not fair.”
    Pretty much everyone in the room agreed.
    Mrs. Bettis held up her hands. “I understand how you feel. But we want to send a clear message that this behavior is not tolerated. It doesn’t mean you can’t abide by the intent of the club.”
    A boy who had super curly hair and wore glasses stood. Ryan knew him from Calculus class—Braden McGuire. He wasn’t Mr. Football or Mr. Sports anything. But he was smart and kind and everybody liked him. “Mrs. Bettis, this club is more than just making a promise. It’s a place to socialize with people who have the same values. Those girls got carried away and went totally rogue, but that was them. Not us.” The group applauded. He looked back at Ryan. “I don’t know your story. I don’t know why they picked on you. What they did was awful, but we’re all being punished.”
    He made a good argument. It wasn’t the club. Somehow the message of the club had become twisted, but still, the disbanding