"Well then. Remember, all pieces need to be checked in before five."
Alexander wouldn't be able to drop the paintings off before sunset. And how was I going to lug all his artwork there on my bike? We'd have to find someone strong and not bound by the curfew of daylight.
I just hoped Jameson had developed some muscles from vacuuming.
"I'll drop you two off first. Then I'll take Raven home," Trevor told us when we raced out of the club parking lot. At this point I wished I had stayed with his mother and rode home with her.
"Oh, that's okay. I'm going to Raven's house," Becky said.
Trevor's expression turned from triumph to torment. He dropped Matt off in silence and didn't speak the rest of theway, He barely let us out before he sped away.
"I owe you big-time, Becky," I said when we were safely on the sidewalk.
Unlike Becky, I didn't have my own truck. "Want to ride on the handlebars or the seat?
"How about I wait for Matt to come back and pick me up?" she suggested. "Then you can avoid leg cramps."
We sat down on the front steps. "I can tell you whose paintings are going to be put up on the auction block," I began.
Becky's face sparkled. "Whose?"
"It's a total colossal secret."
"Are there any other kind?"
"Not even Matt can know."
She paused."Forever?"
"No, just until the auction is over."
"I can totally do that."
She leaned in close.
And I said in my softest voice, "The paintings I'm auctioning off are Alexander's."
"That's awesome!" she declared. "But why is it a secret?"
"Because we don't want anyone to know he's the artist. We're afraid that no one will buy them if they know they're from a teenager. And one that lives in the Mansion."
"I see your point. But what will you do with the money?"
"This is an even bigger secret. We plan to buy the Mansion."
It wasn't long before Matt pulled into the driveway.
"What's up?"
"Nothing," Becky said as she got into his car. "Nothing is up. And I don't have any more to say about it, either. And for that matter, I never will."
A confused Matt drove off as Becky looked out the window and smiled.
Chapter 28 Head of the Class
The following morning we sat through several painfully boring English presentations. Students had revelations of being Web designers, pharmacists, and restaurateurs. I prayed we wouldn't get to Trevor and me, but the clock had ten minutes remaining. My prayers weren't answered.
"So what did you learn about yourselves?" Mrs.Naper asked.