Read Even When You Lie to Me for Free Online

solution?”
    “Drummond’s taking over the newspaper,” she said. “So you’ve got your extracurricular.”
    I glanced at him. This time he really was ignoring us, scribbling something in a notebook. “That involves a substantial amount of interaction with people. You know how I feel about people. All that talking.”
    “You can be a columnist. Have strong opinions on things you know nothing about.” She pointed at me. “Don’t say it. I am not a writer.”
    “So I have to do it alone?”
    “Sorry. I actually would like to, but field hockey is every afternoon.”
    I considered it as the class started discussing
Catch-22.
I’d been too overwhelmed on the first day of school to think about spending a minute longer than I had to in the building, so I hadn’t come up with any alternative ideas. Our school paper came out maybe twice a year. I’d never joined because it was mostly a stoner occupation—it was called
Truth Bomb
and it mainly contained rants about how overpriced the vending machines in our school were—but it did sound like the most painless option. I’d always liked writing, and it probably wouldn’t be too much work.
    Mr. Drummond confirmed my suspicion at the end of class.
    “Before we wrap up, guys,” he said, clapping his hands together as he stood up, “I just want to let you know that I’m reviving the school paper this year.”
    “
Truth Bomb
?” Katie said.
    “Indeed,” Mr. Drummond said.
“Truth…Bomb.”
He said it slowly, waiting for the laugh that he must have known he would get. “I heard it was defunct, so I found an old issue, which contained an article on whether we should allow cigarette smoking in school bathrooms. It will probably not come as a surprise to any of you that the author of the article was pro.”
    “Was there a con article?” Frank asked.
    “No,” Mr. Drummond said. “I guess they assumed the smell coming out of the bathrooms was argument enough.”
    “So how do you feel about smoking in the toilets?” Dev asked.
    “As an educator, I am of course against. As a fellow human being, at least open a window.” He lowered his head almost shyly as we laughed. “So I’m looking for volunteers. Three days a week after school for an hour. This will count toward a college credit, but of course the main benefit will be the fantastic education you will get at the feet of this communications minor.” He pointed at himself. “Who graduated from a school that did not offer a journalism degree. I assure you, though, that I am very pro crossword puzzle. So if you’re interested, let me know, and please also tell your literate or semiliterate friends about it. And if you know anything about newspaper layout software, I will pay you cash money to join.”
    I lingered after the bell rang, and Lila nudged me as she left.
    “Just get it over with,” she said. “Like a Band-Aid.
Right off.
”
    Soon everyone was gone. I’d be late to lunch, but Lila would save me a seat.
    Mr. Drummond noticed me after a moment. He put down the papers he’d been looking through. “What can I do for you, Charlie?” he asked.
    “I thought I was Chuck now,” I said, and then felt my neck heat up.
    “Sorry,” he said, “I just started calling you that without asking you first, didn’t I? Would you rather I called you Charlie? Or Charlotte?”
    “No, no, Chuck is fine. Or Charlie. Or whatever.” I realized I did like it. It was the first nickname I’d had in a long time.
    “Okay.” He leaned back in his chair slightly, making it creak. “So are you interested in journalism?”
    “I’m interested in an extracurricular,” I said, and he smiled. “I mean, yes, I am interested in writing.”
    “Great,” he said. “I was hoping you’d sign up, actually. Even if it’s only because you need an extracurricular. We could use bright kids like you on the paper.”
    All I could hear was him saying I was bright. Any compliment from a teacher snagged in my head and