Everyone jumped as Sawyer banged the gavel. “The council recognizes Mr. Matthews, senior from Mr. Frank’s class. Stand up, sir.”

We’d never had reps rise to speak before. I was pretty sure the rules of order didn’t say anything about this. But it was a good move on Sawyer’s part. At Will’s full height he had a few inches on Aidan, and when he crossed his muscular arms on his chest, his body practically shouted that nobody better try to budge him.

Before Aidan could protest, Will said in his strangely rounded accent, “I haven’t lived here long, but I get the impression that the homecoming dance is a huge deal at this school. Everyone in Mr. Frank’s class has been talking about it and looking forward to it. We can’t simply cancel at the first sign of trouble.”

“We just did,” Aidan snapped. “Now sit down while I’m talking.”

Sawyer banged the gavel. I should have gotten used to it by now, but I jumped in my seat again.

Aidan visibly flinched. He turned on Sawyer and snatched the gavel away. Holding it up, he seethed, “Don’t do that again, De Luca. You’re not in charge here. I’m the president.”

“Then act like it,” I said.

Aidan turned his angry gaze on me. I stared right back at him, determined not to chicken out. Will and Sawyer and I were right about this. Aidan was wrong.

As I watched, Aidan’s expression changed from fury to something different: disappointment. I’d betrayed him. We’d had a long talk last week about why we couldn’t get along lately. He understood I disagreed with him sometimes, but he wanted us to settle our differences in private, presenting a united front to the school as the president and his vice president.

Now I’d broken his rule. No matter what the council decided, he wouldn’t forgive me for defying him in public.

And I didn’t care. Keeping the peace wasn’t worth letting him act like a dictator.

“We don’t have time to debate this in a half-hour meeting,” he repeated. “There’s nothing to debate. The decision has been made. The school already canceled the dance because we don’t have a location for it.”

“We’ll move it,” I said.

“It’s only two weeks away,” he said.

I shrugged. “You put me in charge of the dance committee. It’s our job to give it a shot.”

Aidan’s voice rose. He’d forgotten we’d agreed not to argue in public. “You’re only pitching a fit about this because you’re still mad about—”

“Give me that,” Sawyer interrupted, holding out his hand for the gavel.

“No,” Aidan said, moving the gavel above his head.

“Mr. President,” Sawyer said in a lower, reasonable tone, like talking to a hysterical child, “you’re not allowed to debate the issue.”

“Of course I am. I’m the president!”

“Exactly. Robert’s Rules of Order states that your responsibilities are to run the meeting and give everyone the opportunity to speak. If you want to express your opinion, you need to vacate the chair.”

“I’m not in the chair,” Aidan snapped. “You’re in the chair.”

“I mean,” Sawyer said, rolling his eyes, “you need to step down as president while we discuss this matter, and let Kaye preside over the meeting.”

“I’m not stepping down.”

“Then you need to shut up.”

“Sawyer,” Ms. Yates said sharply. I couldn’t see her behind Will, who was still standing, but her thin voice cut like a knife through the grumbling and shushing in the classroom. “You’re being disruptive.”

“On the contrary, Ms. Yates,” Sawyer called back, “the president is being disruptive, trying to bend the entire council to his will. Ms. Patel’s study hall elected me to represent them. The student council approved me as parliamentarian. It’s my duty to make sure we follow the procedure set down in the council bylaws. Otherwise, a student could sue the school for a violation of rights and due process.”

The room fell silent, waiting for Ms. Yates’s response. Horrible visions flashed through my mind of what would happen next. Ms. Yates might complain to Ms. Chen that Sawyer was disrespectful. They could remove him from student council or, worse, from his position as school mascot. All because he’d helped me when I asked.

Underneath the desk, I put my hand on his knee.

“Sawyer,” Ms. Yates finally said, “you may continue, but don’t tell anybody else to shut up.”

“So noted.” Sawyer pretended to scribble this reminder to himself. Actually he drew a smiley face in Robert’s Rules of Order. “Aidan, if you’re really running the meeting, let Will bring up the idea of saving the dance, then put it to a vote.”

Aidan glared at Sawyer. Suddenly he whacked the gavel so hard on the block on Ms. Yates’s desk that even Sawyer jumped.

Sawyer didn’t take that kind of challenge sitting down. I gripped his knee harder, signaling him to stay in his seat. If he could swallow this last insult from Aidan, he and I had won.

2

THE REMAINING TWENTY MINUTES OF the meeting seemed to take forever. But Aidan followed procedure—at least I figured he did, because Sawyer didn’t speak up again. By the time the bell rang to send us to lunch, the council had agreed that as head of the dance committee, I would now be in charge of relocating the event instead of canceling it.