Smith - Mr. 60 Percent

Matt Nolan kept his head bent low as he walked toward the front doors of the high school. A sophomore stepped in front of him. Matt could see the tip of a fifty-dollar bill clutched in the sophomores fist.

Hey, the sophomore said. I, uh, I heard that you

Matt shook his head once. Not here.

The sophomore stopped. Matt didnt break stride. The sophomore stared for a moment at the money in his hand, then jogged to catch up.

But I heard that you

Not here. Matt jerked his head in the direction of the security camera mounted over the front doors. He pushed through. The sophomore followed, staying a few paces behind.

Matt wound his way between the tables in the student commons, settling into a chair in the corner behind a pillar. The sophomore moved to join him.

Dont sit down.

Okay. The sophomore shuffled his feet and looked around as the commons filled with students from the morning buses. He thrust the money at Matt. Here, I

Put that away.

Okay. He jammed the money into his pocket. Okay. He shuffled from side to side. Sohow do I?

Matt kept his gaze on the table. How much you got?

Fifty.

Matt shook his head once. Its a hundred.

But I heard

I dont know you. First times a hundred.

But I dont have

Then get the fuck away from me.

The sophomore rubbed his palms on his jeans. He glanced over at a table where a group of his friends sat, watching him. Okay. Okay, a hundred. Ive got it. I can get it.

You will never hand me money. Matt continued speaking to the table. The john on the third floor. Last stall. Thats your spot. Tuck the cash behind the metal casing that holds the toilet paper. Has to be there by noon. It was quiet for a minute. Were done now.

Okay. Yeah. But how do I

Youll have it by the end of the day.

Eventually the sophomore drifted away, toward the staircase, looking over at the administrative offices with deliberate casualness.

During first period the police officer assigned to the school pulled Matt out of class. Walked right into the middle of Hanorans Remedial English lecture and called Matts name. Matt was out of his last-row chair and through the door of the classroom before anyone had a chance to notice he had ever been there. He walked ahead of the police officer through the empty hallways, directing himself to the officers cubbyhole on the first floor. The officer had to increase the length of his strides to keep up.

Matt dropped his backpack on the table, spread his legs to shoulder width and raised his arms. The police officer patted him down, arms, then torso, then legs from ankle to crotch. Afterward he unzipped the backpack and rifled through the contents.

You ever get tired of this, Hershey?

The officer sighed. He zipped up the bag and handed it to Matt. See you soon.

During sixth period Matt took a bathroom break from Basic Algebra and walked to Mr. Fitzsimmonss classroom on the second floor, past the library storage rooms and the custodial services closet. The nearly retired Fitzsimmons could be counted on to use his prep period to sneak a cigarette break in the teachers parking lot. He never locked his classroom.

Matt entered the room and crossed to the projector stand in the corner. The projector was coated with a fine layer of dust. It wasnt even plugged into the computer. Matt flipped open a compartment in the back, reached in and withdrew a small ziplock bag. It contained a variety of pills plus a few buds of high-grade marijuana and was known around school as a party bag.

Matt slipped it up the sleeve of his faded sweatshirt.

After school, Matt approached the sophomore in the crowded hallway from behind, paused briefly, then walked on by.

Hey, the sophomore said. Ive been looking all over for you. Matt stopped and turned. The sophomore had two friends with him. They stared, wide-eyed, at Matt. So when do

Tell them to leave.

The sophomores friends needed no further invitation and scurried away. So when do I get

Its in your backpack.

The sophomores eyes went wide. Really?

Matt didnt answer stupid questions. For the first time, he looked at the sophomore, pinning him down with a stare right in the eyes. You know what happens if you mention my name to Gill? If you get caught with it?

The sophomore swallowed. He nodded. Everyone knew what happened if you ratted out Matt Nolan to the vice principal. Some people swore you could still make out the bloodstains in the back parking lot from last year.

Matt turned and walked through the commons and out the front door.

On the way home from school, Matt stopped by the FeelRite Pharmacy. He had to check each aisle to find what he was looking for.

He tucked the box under one arm and stood at the end of the aisle, peering at the cashiers station, blocked from sight by a revolving stand of used paperbacks. He waited for a Latina woman with four children to finish buying a carry-cart full of medicines and snacks.

When they left, he stepped toward the cashier. An elderly woman came through the front doors then, and Matt stepped back into his hiding place. She fumbled through her purse for a receipt and mumbled something to the cashier, who kept leaning forward to ask her What? Matt cursed under his breath. He scanned the parking lot through the front windows for any more arrivals. He didnt want witnesses.