Read Game Changer for Free Online Page A

awkward conversation.
    In fact she was doing that right now.
    “Why?” KT asked. The word came out more forcefully than she meant it to. She wished Mr. Huck could tell her why Maria had called her a show-off, why Mrs. Whitbourne had been so mean, why they’d done stretches in homeroom, why Facebook and her cell phone and the Rysdale website were messed up, why Mom had acted so weird—and most of all why KT couldn’t remember anything after the start of the fifth inning of the championship game yesterday.
    And, of course, how the game had ended.
    “Let’s just say, I am very sympathetic to your viewpoint,” Mr. Huck said. “But you came on kind of strong in your accusations, and Mr. Arnold was a little offended—he was quite the chemistry standout, in his day.”
    Chemistry? KT thought. What’s that got to do with anything?
    “I told Mr. Arnold I remember feeling just like you do when I was in middle school,” Mr. Huck said. He gave a sad chuckle. “Not that I was ever brave enough to call anyone out, like you did. Certainly not the school administration and all the coaches!”
    Administration? Coaches? What was he talking about?
    KT couldn’t ask. Asking would be like admitting she’d suddenly forgotten how to find the library in the schoolshe’d been attending the past three years. Or like admitting that she’d forgotten an entire chunk of her life yesterday.
    Or—if he’s talking about some e-mail I supposedly sent Mr. Arnold, did I maybe forget more than the last half of yesterday? Did I forget something that happened last week, too?
    KT remembered last week. She’d had intense softball practice every day.
    “Mr. Huck,” KT said firmly. “I think you have me mixed up with somebody else.”
    Mr. Huck frowned and shook his head.
    “Don’t do that,” he said. “We can be honest here. This school does have its priorities mixed up sometimes, and it’s the talented students like you who get hurt. It’s a crying shame we eliminated the gifted program in those budget cuts a few years back. We do have to gear the education system to the most basic level, to try to make sure everyone passes the state tests at the end of the year. I know that makes everything boring for students like you, who want to soar above the crowd, and . . .”
    Now KT knew Mr. Huck had her confused with someone else. Nobody had ever accused her of being a talented student before, or of belonging in a gifted program. She was usually on the honor roll, but that was mostly just because they made it easy for anyone to be on the honor roll. If you did badly on a test, there was always a chance to retake it, or do extra credit, or find some other way to get your grades up.
    KT zoned out a little, because Mr. Huck was going on and on about how “the school really doesn’t mean to clip your wings” and “part of it’s just the nature of middle schooland middle school students” and “I promise you, it’ll get better in high school. Or at least by college. You’ll find your peer group eventually, people who care as much as you do about schoolwork . . .”
    He’s whacked, KT thought. A total nut job.
    She’d heard teachers complain, “You guys are going to send me into a nervous breakdown!” But she never thought she’d actually witness it.
    She started inching away from him.
    “Uh, Mr. Huck, don’t you think we should go to class?” she asked. “Everybody’s going to be wondering where you are.”
    “It’s okay—I told them to get started without me,” Mr. Huck said. He put his hand on KT’s arm. “Look, I know this is an uncomfortable conversation, but I promised Mr. Arnold I would talk to you. Because I do understand. And I’m on your side. But there are some things you could do to help yourself. To, well, not stand out so much. Like, for example . . . what’s your real name?”
    “KT,” KT said.
    “No, I mean your full name. What’s ‘KT’ stand for?”
    “Kaitlin,” KT said. “Kaitlin