Free Dead Politician Society by Robin Spano

shakers of the incoming political generation. So the motivation is twofold: I can begin to make some changes that we’d like to see made in the world, plus he thinks the society is the right place to begin networking. For when I go into politics.”
    â€œAre you planning to run for office one day?”
    â€œThat’s the plan.” Brian was glum.
    â€œWell, cheer up. It’s not the worst job you could apply for.”
    â€œYou really can’t help me?”
    â€œI really can’t.”
    Matthew watched Brian fall back into step with Clare. They had probably been walking together before Brian had run ahead to bug Matthew. He must be getting paranoid as he aged — he could have sworn Clare had been hanging about to eavesdrop.
    Why didn’t he trust her? By all external signs, Clare was an unspectacular student who had probably chosen the wrong major — in other words, as normal as a person her age could be. But his real concern was Brian. He hadn’t mentioned a particular cause he wanted to champion, but there must be a reason Brian’s father wanted him to join the SPU . What terrible pressure to put on your son. What terrible overshoes to send him off to school in.

SEVENTEEN
CLARE

    Promise you won’t be insulted.” Jessica Dunne caught up with Clare after their U.S. Politics class. Her blond hair flopped messily around her shoulders.
    â€œInsulted?” Clare glanced down the long, immaculate corridor. Their classmates had all left for the day, and their words seemed to echo in the emptiness. “Why would I be?”
    â€œJust promise.” Jessica hooked a thumb into the belt loop of her expensive-looking ripped jeans.
    â€œFine,” Clare said. “I promise.”
    â€œSo every year my grandpa gets me these tickets for my birthday. Sometimes it’s an art opening, sometimes it’s the opera. This year it’s an environmental fundraiser at the St. Lawrence Hall.”
    â€œEnvironmental fundraiser?” Clare tried to picture such an event.
    â€œIt’s mainly corporations who sponsor it. You know, oil companies trying to appear green. Definitely not the save-a-tree-by- living-in-it crowd, but it should be interesting. The finance minister is opening the event, and the prime minister is the keynote speaker.”
    â€œThat’s cool.” Clare was waiting for the insult.
    â€œYeah, it’s cool. Except we have this family tradition. It’s so condescending, and I totally hate it, but in principle I don’t think it’s that horrible.”
    â€œOkay.” Clare took out her smokes. If she couldn’t light one indoors, at least she could feel the pack in her hand.
    â€œSo this tradition started when I was a kid, and my grandma always made us invite poor kids on family outings.”
    â€œPoor kids?” Was Clare’s humble origin so obvious?
    â€œYeah. Well, not exactly poor, I guess.” Jessica shifted her weight from one foot to the other, then back again. “We went to the neighborhood public school, but it was a pretty affluent part of town. Still, we had to make an effort to find someone whose parents couldn’t or wouldn’t expose them to things that Rory — my brother — and I had access to on a regular basis.”
    â€œThat sounds noble.” Clare was impatient for her cigarette. “Where does the mean part come in?”
    â€œIn the form of my brother. He started calling the tradition Educate a Fool, and despite my grandmother’s wildest protests, the name kind of stuck with the rest of us.”
    Clare started walking in the direction of the exit, and was pleased when Jessica followed suit.
    â€œAnyway, I wouldn’t call it by that name, except that my brother isn’t subtle, and he thinks it’s really funny to refer to invites as ‘fools’ in front of them. I figure it’s less insulting if I give you the context