Chapter 5 - The Fundraiser Queen
Luke Bennett had always been good at noticing contradictions.
His mother called it curiosity.
His teachers called it distraction.
The school newspaper adviser called it useful.
Luke worked on the Franklin Ridge student paper as a photographer, though he preferred finding stories to writing them.
The Falcon Relief Fund had appeared in his camera roll all year.
Kendall presenting donation boxes.
Kendall speaking at assemblies.
Kendall interviewing local business owners.
Victoria Ross handing Principal Harris a ceremonial check.
Luke opened the raw photo archive.
The check said $12,480.
The school’s published fundraiser total said $12,480.
But something bothered him.
The fundraiser had continued for three days after the gala.
He searched old student-council posts.
Day after gala:
Thanks to Miller Pharmacy for another $600!
Next day:
Franklin Diner donated $250!
Then a basketball-game collection reportedly raised $731.
Luke added the amounts.
The final total should have been at least $14,061.
Maybe the ceremonial check was outdated.
Maybe the later donations were included elsewhere.
But why did the school website still say $12,480?
He took the numbers to newspaper adviser Grace Chen.
She looked at him over her glasses.
“What exactly are you investigating?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“That is a dangerous answer.”
“Money went missing.”
“That is an allegation.”
“Envelopes were found in Kendall’s locker.”
“That is confirmed internally, not publicly.”
“How do you know?”
Chen stared at him.
Luke smiled.
“Teachers know everything.”
“No. Teachers hear everything and spend their lives pretending they don’t.”
She pushed the papers back.
“If you want to investigate fund accounting, request records. Do not accuse a student.”
“I wasn’t going to.”
“You recorded her and submitted it to administration.”
“She was stealing Caleb’s money.”
“You did the right thing.”
Luke nodded.
“But doing one right thing does not make every next impulse correct.”
He sighed.
Apparently adults had coordinated a campaign against dramatic journalism.
Ms. Chen continued.
“The Ross family finances are not your business.”
“I didn’t ask about them.”
“You will.”
Luke stopped.
“How do you know they’re having problems?”
Chen’s expression changed.
She had revealed too much.
“I know the local construction industry.”
Luke leaned forward.
“Kendall’s dad?”
“Luke.”
“Did his company fail?”
“I did not say that.”
“You basically did.”
Chen pointed toward the door.
“Request the fund records.”
Luke grinned.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Meanwhile, Kendall had been suspended for three school days while the locker theft investigation continued.
At home, she sat in a bedroom designed to look expensive.
White furniture.
Gold fixtures.
Designer handbags.
Most of them were real.
Almost all more than a year old.
Kendall opened her closet.
Three shopping bags contained items with tags still attached.
She had bought them before her father told her credit cards would stop working.
Her mother had insisted they could not return them.
“People notice.”
Kendall had not asked who.
That afternoon she heard voices downstairs.
Her parents.
Daniel Ross had finally returned.
“You signed distribution sheets?” he asked.
Victoria answered quietly.
“I corrected them.”
“That isn’t what I asked.”
“The fund was disorganized.”
“You signed student names.”
“I signed confirmations.”
“You forged signatures.”
Kendall stood in the hallway.
Her heart pounded.
Victoria lowered her voice.
“I moved money temporarily.”
Daniel laughed in disbelief.
“Temporarily?”
“We had payroll.”
“For the company?”
“For us.”
“You took school charity money.”
“I borrowed it.”
“From kids.”
“We were going to replace everything when the Jefferson payment cleared.”
“It never cleared.”
“I know that now.”
Kendall backed against the wall.
Her mother had taken money too.
The realization was almost relieving for half a second.
Then horrifying.
“How much?” Daniel asked.
Victoria did not answer.
“How much, Victoria?”
“Twenty-seven hundred.”
Kendall covered her mouth.
Daniel swore.
“I took three hundred.”
Her voice startled both of them.
They turned.
Kendall stood on the stairs.
Victoria went pale.
“Kendall.”
“So between us, three thousand?”
Daniel stared at his daughter.
“You took money?”
Kendall’s face burned.
“I thought we needed it.”
“We did not need you stealing.”
“You were losing the house.”
“We are selling the house.”
The words landed like a physical blow.
Kendall stared.
“What?”
Daniel’s face crumpled.
“We can’t keep it.”
Victoria whispered, “Not yet.”
“You said the bank gave us six months.”
“They did. Two months ago.”
Kendall laughed once.
It sounded broken.
“All this time…”
She looked around at the marble staircase.
The chandelier.
The house that had defined her family.
“You knew?”
Her mother said, “I was trying to protect you.”
Kendall’s eyes filled.
“By stealing money from the same kids I was standing beside in charity photos?”
Victoria moved toward her.
Kendall stepped back.
“No.”
“Kendall.”
“No.”
She ran upstairs and locked the door.
Her phone contained hundreds of messages.
Some called her disgusting.
Some defended her.
Some repeated the gym-lobby joke back at her.
Maybe people like you are good for making everyone else feel successful.
She deserved some of it.
Maybe all.
But one message stopped her.
From Caleb.
No text.
Only a photograph.
The Falcon Relief Fund poster.
Kendall’s own face beneath the words:
NO STUDENT SHOULD BE EMBARRASSED BECAUSE THEIR FAMILY NEEDS HELP.
She stared.
Then a second message appeared.
Did you know my name was on one of those envelopes before today?
Kendall’s fingers shook.
She typed:
No.
Then deleted it.
Typed again.
I saw it when I took the envelopes.
Deleted.
Finally:
Yes.
Caleb’s reply came thirty seconds later.
Then why me?
Kendall sat on the edge of her bed.
She could lie.
Say coincidence.
Say she did not remember.
But she did.
Caleb’s envelope had been on top.
She had seen the name.
Weeks later, she had noticed him counting lunch money.
And every fear Kendall had about becoming poor had transformed itself into contempt for the boy who already lived without the things she was terrified of losing.
Her answer took five minutes.
Because I was scared someone would look at me and see what I saw when I looked at you.
Caleb read it twice.
Then locked his phone.
For the first time he understood why Kendall had chosen him.
May you like
And somehow, knowing made the cruelty feel even uglier.
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