Free Spying on Miss Muller by Eve Bunting Page B

Lizard, her blond hair straight after the failure of last night’s curls, the rest of her so pale and neat. And I wished another wish, that she could be in India with her parents and that they loved each other and loved her. “You’re wishing your life away, Jess,” my mother always said in a sad sort of way.
    â€œNo, Mummy, just wishing some lives could be better,” I’d answer.
    â€œHelen Payne’s gone already,” Lizard went on. “Old Boots took her trunk.”
    â€œWas that the sensation?” I asked.
    â€œNo. There was more. Things about Pearl Carson and Michael Moran. It’s awful. Wait till you hear....” She stopped. “What’s the matter, Jess? You look so... so jumpy. Was Nursie awful?”
    Before I could answer, someone touched my arm. “Come for me,” Greta said.
    I nodded.
    Lizzie Mag stared. “She’s talking to you? Come for her where?”
    â€œI’ll tell you later,” I whispered.
    Ada and Maureen had arrived on my other side.
    â€œHave you told her yet about Pearl Carson?” Maureen whispered. “It was too funny.”
    â€œWhat?” I said.
    â€œIt wasn’t funny at all,” Lizzie Mag said.
    â€œOld Rose gave us a lecture as long as Paddy’s leg about our disgraceful shenanigans last night.” Maureen giggled and tossed her hair. “And then she glared blazes right at Pearl Carson and said, ‘One girl in particular dishonored the school by her offensive behavior with a boy. Disciplinary action will be taken. We are seriously considering expulsion.’ ”
    Maureen could do a great takeoff on Old Rose’s haughty voice.
    â€œExpulsion!” We’d never had anybody expelled. Pearl’s behavior must have been
really
offensive. “Do you think she will be expelled?” I breathed. “And what about the boy she was with? What disciplinary action is going to be taken against him?”
    â€œOh, none probably. It was Michael Moran. Head boy, captain of the cricket team.” Ada waved her fingers airily. “Nothing disgraceful shall touch the head boy.”
    â€œSpeaking of boys, here they come.” Maureen wet her finger and stroked under her lashes, which gave them a shiny, glistening effect till the hairs dried.
    â€œMove along, move along, girls.” Miss Gaynor pressed on our shoulders to remove us quickly from the boys’ contaminating presence. I looked back and saw Ian with Curly Pritchard. Ian was wearing his navy-blue V-neck regulation sweater. I loved it when he wore that instead of his blazer. I could see him better, or at least more of him.
    Ian smiled at me and nodded, and a lock of his straight blond hair fell over his forehead. Oh, gee willikers! Had those nice masculine lips of his really pressed against mine last night? That seemed so far away. Too bad. The good things had gotten lost in all the horrible things that were happening. Tonight, though, I would write about him in my diary and... I stopped. No, not in my diary. What if the maids should read it?
    We were crowding forward, sheep being nuzzled by the sheepdog that was Miss Gaynor.
    â€œWe’re to go directly from our lockers to second-period class,” Lizzie Mag told me.
    â€œWait a second,” I said. She and Ada and Maureen slowed. There’d be no way to talk at our lockers, where Miss Hardcastle would be on sheepdog duty, nipping at us to hurry and get to class, and then at lunch we would be in our assigned seats with eavesdroppers all around. I spoke quickly. “Miss Müller’s father was a Nazi soldier, and I think she went up on the roof in March, the night the munitions blew up.” The three of them were staring at me as if I’d gone mad. “A Nazi soldier?” Ada mouthed. “Munitions?” “Come to my room for a meeting, right after school,” I said.
    â€œWe have tennis,” Lizard reminded me.
    â€œIt’ll