Chapter 39: Game Changer

"NOW?" I YELPED. "ARE you crazy? We are going to get caught!" I'd never skipped school before, much to Ruthie's chagrin. She would have loved a partner in crime.

Zander just clenched his jaw and propelled us both down the sidewalk behind the school.

"This is important," he said, looking around a corner before pulling me across the gap between buildings. We were still a good distance from the parking lot, where he seemed to be dragging me.

Just then, a door opened behind us, and a voice bellowed, "Hey!" It was Mr. Dean, the football coach and biology teacher. His voice was loud and booming. "What do you two think you are doing?"

Zander stopped with a large sigh and a muttered "Great!"

He turned toward me and our eyes connected. Suddenly, his went wide, as if he'd just had an idea to get us out of trouble. I hoped it was a good one. He leaned in and whispered, "Do you think you can convince him to forget about us?" His eyebrows lifted when he said "convince."

"What?" I whispered