The Great Greene Heist Read online

  CONTENTS

  TITLE PAGE

  DEDICATION

  A NEW LEAF

  JACKSON’S EX-FRIEND

  THE OTHER CANDIDATE

  MEMORIES AND MEMORABILIA

  UNREQUESTED ADVICE

  AN INNOCENT BYSTANDER

  TIME WAITS FOR NO MAN

  A CHANGE OF HEART

  THE DEVIL AND JACKSON GREENE

  JACKSON AND THE MAN

  THE GREAT GREENE HEIST

  THE KOBAYASHI MARU

  TAG TEAM

  THE SETUP

  ONE-ON-ONE

  OFF THE RACK

  IT’S NOT A SPEED BUMP

  OKAY, SO MAYBE IT IS

  YOUR LUCKY DAY!

  THE FORGETTABLE VICTOR CHO

  BEN AND ULYSSES CALL IN A FAVOR

  X’S AND O’S

  THE INSIDE MAN (LITERALLY)

  GABY MAKES AN EXECUTIVE DECISION

  JACKSON AND THE COOKIE JAR

  THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE

  KEITH EVENS THE ODDS

  CODE BLUE

  A NEW PLAN

  A LEAP OF FAITH

  THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE

  CEASE-FIRE

  POLITICS

  REINFORCEMENTS

  PASSING THE TORCH

  SPECIAL DELIVERY

  JACKSON SENDS A MESSAGE

  LAST-SECOND STUFF

  A GROUP EFFORT

  THE KEYS TO THE CRIME

  ALL LOCKED UP

  A NOSE FOR THE TRUTH

  A BYSTANDER NO MORE

  JACKSON GETS A LIFT

  HOW JACKSON GREENE STOLE THE ELECTION

  THE GREENE CODE OF CONDUCT

  THE GREAT GREENE HEIST CONS

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  COPYRIGHT

  As Jackson Greene sped past the Maplewood Middle School cafeteria — his trademark red tie skewed slightly to the left, a yellow No. 2 pencil balanced behind his ear, and a small spiral-bound notebook tucked in his right jacket pocket — he found himself dangerously close to sliding back into the warm confines of scheming and pranking.

  Ignoring his empty stomach, he wove through the mob of students at the vending machines and continued toward the exit. Maybe he could convince Mrs. Kau to let him raid the machines during study hall next period. He could even offer to share his food with her — surely she had skipped the cafeteria’s chicken enchiladas too.

  Or maybe he could just forge a pass from the main office. Slip out of class. Pick the lock and sneak into the teachers’ lounge. He knew all about the Hershey’s bars Coach Rainey hid behind the stacks of dust-coated Styrofoam cups. The extra ham and swiss sandwich Mr. James, the security guard, always packed for a light afternoon snack. The box of mocha-caramel cupcakes Assistant Principal Nelson brought for the Junior National Honor Society’s “Welcome Back” social.

  It would have been easy. So easy.

  Jackson pushed these thoughts out of his head. It was only September. He refused to jeopardize four months of model behavior for a quick snack, no matter how hungry he was. No matter how simple it would be.

  No matter how much the idea tingled his spine.

  He paused at the door and glanced at the GABY DE LA CRUZ FOR PRESIDENT poster, her name in big, bold, loopy letters. His fingers tightened around the note in his pocket.

  When he reached the garden, he moved the note to his shirt pocket, then peeled off his blazer and folded it across the wooden fence. He was probably the only student at Maplewood — if not in all of Columbus, Ohio — who received notes the old-fashioned way. Most students used their cell phones to send messages, but he wasn’t allowed to carry one during the school day. Yet another consequence of the Kelsey Job.

  He pulled a pair of shears from the toolshed, then walked past red rose bushes and maroon marigolds to the far corner of the garden. He was almost finished pruning one of the peony bushes when he heard footsteps.

  His long brown fingers tightened around the shears. “You’re late,” he said.

  Charlie de la Cruz raised his hand to block the sun from his eyes. “Got stuck in the newsroom.”

  Of all the places they could meet, Charlie couldn’t believe that Jackson wanted to talk out here. Sure, he knew that Jackson liked the Botany Club — probably as much as Charlie enjoyed being editor of the Maplewood Herald — but it was noon, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Charlie had only been outside for a few minutes, but his eyes were already beginning to burn, and he could feel the perspiration spreading across his forehead.

  Of course, Jackson hadn’t broken a sweat.

  “Any day now,” Jackson said, snipping another leaf. “You’re the one who said Gaby needed help.”

  “She does.” Charlie sneezed. “Stewart Hogan dropped out of the election. Keith’s running for president.”

  Jackson missed the brown leaf he was aiming for and snipped a healthy green one instead. “Are you sure?”

  “I just interviewed Naomi. She told me.” Naomi Sinclair was running for Student Council secretary. She was also Keith Sinclair’s cousin. If anyone would know, she would.

  “Didn’t the deadline to turn in applications already pass?” Jackson asked.

  “According to my sources, there’s some loophole that allows the school to extend the deadline in special circumstances.”

  “That’s crazy. Mr. Pritchard would never —”

  “Wasn’t his call. From what I hear, Dr. Kelsey overruled him.”

  Jackson looked at Charlie. “Does Gaby know?”

  “I don’t think so. But word’s beginning to spread. She’ll find out soon enough.” He paused to stifle another sneeze. “So what’s the plan?” he asked, wiping his nose. “What should we do?”

  “Nothing.” Jackson cut another healthy leaf, barely missing his tie. “Gaby can still win.”

  “I don’t know, Jackson. I don’t trust Keith.” Charlie stepped around the peony into the narrow space between flowerbeds. As he knelt beside Jackson, his stomach grumbled.

  “There’s a whole cafeteria full of food back in the building, you know.”

  “Do I look like I have a death wish?” Charlie asked.

  Jackson finally smiled. “What did Naomi say? Did she give you any reason to believe that Keith was up to something?”

  “She didn’t tell me anything concrete. It’s just a hunch.” He elbowed Jackson. “You’re the idea guy. If you were Keith, how would you guarantee your win?”

  “I’d make signs and encourage students to vote.”

  “Come on. This is Keith Sinclair we’re talking about. The guy you beat in the Blitz at the Fitz. The guy who squealed about the Mid-Day PDA —”

  “Can’t you call it the Kelsey Job?”

  “You’re the only one who calls it that.” Charlie sneezed again. “And can we talk somewhere else? My allergies are killing me here.”

  “It’s probably the cedar trees surrounding the football field that are making you sneeze.” Jackson rose from his crouch, then helped Charlie to his feet. “And I don’t plan cons anymore. Period.” He squeezed past Charlie and walked to the toolshed.

  Charlie’s stomach grumbled again as he followed Jackson. “You can’t stand by and do nothing.”

  Jackson returned the shears to the shed. “That’s exactly what I plan to do.”

  “But —”

  “I’m done talking about this.” He turned around and waved a gray vinyl wallet at Charlie. “Look what I found.”

  “Hey!” Charlie felt his now-empty back pocket. “At least you can still make a decent pull.”

  “There’s only one person I know who can do it better.” Jackson opened the wallet, then turned it upside down. It was empty.

 
Charlie shrugged. “Information doesn’t come cheap, you know.”

  Jackson pulled a few bills from his pocket and stuffed them into the wallet. “Get yourself some lunch. I’m sure you can find something in the vending machines.” He tossed the wallet to Charlie, grabbed his jacket, then turned toward the building.

  “Wait! What about Gaby?”

  “You know your sister better than anyone.” Jackson loosened his tie, pulling it even more to the left. “The last thing she wants is help from me.”

  While Charlie stood in the garden and watched Jackson Greene walk away, his twin sister, Gabriela, sat in the cafeteria, jotting down some points she wanted to cover in her election campaign. However, her campaign committee, the Fighting Dolphins basketball team, was more interested in other matters.

  Like boys and clothes and the next volleyball game and, well … boys.

  “Guys, please,” Gaby said, slapping the notebook on the table. “You can’t force me to run for president and not help. I need a plan.”

  Lynne Thurber arched her eyebrow. “Hold on. We didn’t force you —”

  “You nominated me without telling me,” Gaby said, wagging her finger at Lynne. Then she swung toward Fiona, who was ripping open a packet of ketchup with her teeth. “And you collected signatures without telling me.”

  Fiona squeezed the ketchup onto her plate. “You could have said no.”

  “But you —”

  “Let me see that,” Lynne said, grabbing the notebook. “More computers in classrooms? A better selection of organic cafeteria food? More participation in Spirit Week?” She dropped the notebook. “See. This is exactly why you should run.”

  “But —”

  “Save it,” Lynne replied. Although she was six inches taller than Gaby and Fiona, she slouched just enough to mask the difference. “Anyway, I don’t see what the big deal is about the election. You don’t see Fiona worrying about a slogan.”

  Fiona dipped a kettle chip into the pool of ketchup. “Yeah, but nobody knows — or cares — what the Student Council historian does.” She popped the chip into her mouth. “And I’m running unopposed.”

  “Gaby might as well be unopposed. The only reason Stewart’s even running is because Mr. Siegel promised him extra credit.”

  Gaby shook her head, letting her ponytail sway across her shoulders. “That doesn’t matter. I still need to put a platform together,” she said. “‘Rule Number One: No matter how simple a job looks, always plan before you act. A poorly constructed plan usually yields undesirable results.’”

  Fiona frowned. “‘Rule Number One’? What’s that all about?”

  Gaby closed her eyes. Jackson Greene and his stupid Code of Conduct. “It’s nothing. Nada. Just something I picked up.” She broke off a piece of her pimento cheese sandwich. “Anyway, I see my platform as an opportunity to inform the student body about some of the projects we plan to —”

  “Gaby, I know I said I’d be your campaign manager, but I’m not spending my lunch period planning for an election that’s four weeks away.” Lynne nodded toward the far end of the room, where most of the boys’ basketball team sat. “Omar called you yesterday, right?”

  Gaby glanced at Omar Turner. “We texted for almost an hour. Unlike you guys, he was happy to talk about the election.”

  “He’s also looking for a date for the formal,” Lynne said.

  “You want her to go with Omar Turner?” Fiona wrinkled her nose. “He’s kind of boring. And he wears too much cologne.”

  “He’s cute.” Lynne brushed the bangs from her face. “Cute beats boring any day.”

  “He hasn’t asked me yet,” Gaby said. “And maybe I don’t want a date. Can’t we all go together, like last year?”

  “Last year we were children,” Lynne said. “We’re older now. More sophisticated. We’re practically women.”

  Gaby bit into her sandwich, hoping it would stifle her laugh.

  “I’m glad you talked to him,” Lynne continued. “Honestly, you don’t know a good thing when it’s sitting right in front of you. At least Omar’s not a liar and a cheat.”

  “It’s not like Gaby and Jackson were a couple,” Fiona said. “How was he supposed to know that she liked him?”

  “I can’t believe you’re taking up for Jackson Greene! It’s not Gaby’s job to tell a boy how she feels. According to my sister, boys are supposed to figure that stuff out on their own.” Lynne finally sat up, towering over the other girls. “And really, Katie Accord? I know she’s popular and all, and as gorgeous as a supermodel, and a really good dancer, and —”

  “You’re not helping,” Gaby said.

  “Sorry.” Lynne cleared her throat. “Katie’s … um … She’s not supermodel gorgeous. She’s … um … just plain old, regular model gorgeous.”

  Fiona finished her chips. “Gaby, all I’m saying is that maybe — technically — you shouldn’t be so mad at Jackson.”

  Gaby chewed on the inside of her cheek. She had tried to be like Fiona, had tried to look at this logically. She and Jackson had been friends. Just friends. She had never been brave enough to tell him how she really felt. So yes, technically he didn’t do anything wrong, and therefore she shouldn’t have been so upset.

  But they had been friends who flirted with each other when they were playing basketball and video games; friends who had held hands three times; friends who had even hinted at going to the formal together this year. Whether she technically had the right to be upset or not did not matter. Plain and simple, Gabriela de la Cruz was upset, because the way she saw it, if Jackson liked Katie, then he didn’t like her.

  Gaby reached for her notebook. “I should talk to Omar. Maybe he’ll have some ideas for my —”

  “Gaby!” Heather Ames said, running up to the table, her face bright red. Heather was the videographer for the basketball team. She usually ate lunch with the girls — except on enchilada day.

  Gaby stood up. “What’s wrong?”

  Heather fanned her face. “Talked to … Naomi. Big problem … with … election.” She gulped. “Keith … Sinclair … is running … for president!”

  Wilton Jones stood in the middle of the atrium, massaging his fingers. He checked the clock. The Gamer Club meeting started in less than five minutes. The guys were trying out a new first-person shooter, and he wanted to make sure his hands were limber. But the longer he waited, the more he worried he would miss out on playing the game entirely. They’d started the school year with an influx of new members — all thanks to Keith Sinclair.

  Naomi walked into the atrium and made a beeline toward Wilton. “I just passed Keith in the hallway,” she said. “He’s being swarmed by a bunch of sixth graders. He could probably win the election on their votes alone.”

  Wilton smiled at Naomi. Even though she and Keith shared the same brown skin and black, curly hair, Naomi’s eyes were much softer than Keith’s. Kinder, even. “I can’t believe Keith convinced you to run for secretary,” he said.

  “You know how Uncle Roderick is. He talked my dad into making me run. Something about resumes and transcripts and good schools. Plus, Dad promised to increase my allowance if I won.” She tugged on one of her hoop earrings. “Money in the bank, especially since I’m the only candidate.”

  “An allowance bump,” Wilton mumbled. “I should have thought of that.” He was running for treasurer. Although he wasn’t unopposed, he felt pretty good about his chances against Lonnie White.

  “Can you give Keith my share of the signatures?” she asked, pressing the papers into his hands. “My mom’s already outside.”

  He nodded. It looked like he wasn’t going to make it to Gamer Club meeting on time, anyway.

  After a few minutes, Keith finally appeared from the math wing, surrounded by a few sixth graders with basketballs. “Must be hard, being so popular,” Wilton said, after Keith dismissed the last of the boys.

  “What can I say? I took us to the District Championship last year, and people love a winner
.” Keith glanced at the papers in Wilton’s hands. “Are those the signatures?”

  “I got twenty, and Naomi got fifteen.” He handed Keith the papers, then checked the clock. “You’d better hurry. Your application packet is due to Mr. Pritchard like now.”

  Keith squinted as he studied the nomination forms. With the twenty signatures he had collected, he was well over the fifty-signature requirement. “I’m not worried about Mr. Pritchard’s stupid deadlines. It’s not like he can kick me out of the election.” He cut his eyes toward the main office on the other side of the atrium. “I should pop in and see Kelsey. I owe him some paperwork as well.”

  “I guess that means you’ll be missing Gamer Club meeting again,” Wilton said.

  “I already beat Alien Rebels. Dad brought home a copy a month ago.” Keith began to scroll through his phone. “I’ve been thinking — maybe we should quit the club. Once we get elected to Student Council, we won’t have time for it. And you can always come to my house to play. My TV is better than the one in the AV room anyway.”

  “I actually like Gamer Club,” Wilton said. “I also liked Tech Club….”

  “You should thank me for saving you from those losers. Megan is cool and all, but she has no business being president of the Tech Club. They only elected her because she’s pretty.”

  “She’s actually really smart.”

  “She’s a cheerleader.”

  Wilton crossed his arms. “Angie’s a cheerleader.”

  Most students would be intimidated if the football team’s starting center stared them down, but Keith was too busy with his phone to notice. “Well, your sister’s different. Obviously.” He finally slipped his phone into his pocket. “Anything else?”

  Wilton looked around, then stepped closer to Keith. “Have you thought this campaign through?” he asked. “Gaby’s going to be tough to beat. A lot of people like her, and ever since the Blitz at the Fitz —”

  “Jackson rigged that game!” Keith paused and took a deep breath. “I’ll win. It’s guaranteed.”

  “How?”

  “That’s what I’m about to find out.” He punched Wilton’s shoulder. “Tell the guys I’m sorry for not making the meeting. I’ll make it up to them.”