I Hid My Perfect Score novel · Chapter 32 of 32

Chapter 32: Midnight Sun

The whole table turned to look at me.

I had a spoonful of chili halfway to my mouth.

"Me?" I said.

"You," the captain said. "You watch the boots. You also watch everybody else's. That's the job."

He picked his spoon back up.

That was the whole ceremony.

Dodie screamed anyway.

The juniors pounded the table until the bowls jumped.

Across from me, Emory leaned back in his chair with his arms folded and the slowest grin I'd ever seen on him.

"Say it back, Carmody."

"I'm crew lead."

"Louder. Your dad's taking notes."

Dad was. He'd written CREW LEAD in his little notebook and underlined it twice.

"I'm crew lead," I said, louder.

Gavin didn't cheer.

He was staring at his chili.

"What's wrong?" I said.

"Nothing." He set his spoon down. "My pack test's tomorrow. And now my little sister's going to be my boss."

He'd enrolled at the university in July.

Transfer student, fire science.

He'd applied for the student firefighter program the same day, before anyone could talk him out of it.

"Only if you pass," I said.

"Thanks, Joss. Very supportive."

"I'm crew lead. I'm not supposed to be supportive. I'm supposed to be scary."

Emory choked on his water.

The test was at seven the next morning on the gravel road behind the station.

It wasn't raining.

The sky was blue and the birches were starting to go yellow at the tips.

Gavin put on the forty-five-pound vest in the bay.

He'd gotten broad across the back from a summer on the road crew.

He didn't look like a knight anymore.

He looked like a guy who carried things.

"Nobody runs with me," he said.

Dodie's face fell.

"Not even me?"

"Especially not you. I'll watch you instead of the road." He tugged at the straps. "I want to know I carried it myself."

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