While Jordan felt vindicated, she also felt a sense of foreboding for what might come behind closed doors – outside the vantage point and protection of the faculty. But all and all, it really seemed like most of her fellow classmates had turned a new leaf and generally were treating she as well as each other with newfound respect.
In English class, Mr. Johns introduced one of the competitions he (at the beginning of the year) had told the students might come along. It was a pretty big deal according to the teacher: a short-story competition for students’ aged 12-16 and sponsored by NPR. The top 3 chosen would have theirs recorded for playback on a live national radio show! Although Jordan had sworn to herself at the beginning of the year never to share her work, the thought of winning this prize and getting the associated recognition excited her.