“Let him answer.”
Logan’s face reddened.
His uncle said his name sharply.
That was the moment Theo noticed something he had not seen before.
Logan was not looking at Theo.
He was afraid of Mr. Pritchard.
The teacher noticed too.
“Logan,” she said. “You are not in trouble for telling the truth now. But you do need to tell it.”
Logan rubbed one sleeve across his face.
“I told him I wanted to win.”
Mr. Pritchard’s expression hardened.
Logan kept speaking.
“Uncle Ray asked how much of the design was mine. I said a lot.”
Theo closed his eyes briefly.
Logan’s voice broke.
“I thought he was just asking. Then he said judges can’t reward kids who only help with testing. I said I did more than testing.”
“Did you?” the teacher asked.
Logan shook his head.
“I helped with the second support. And the weights. And the presentation board.”
Theo nodded despite himself. Those things were true.
Logan looked at the notebook.
“Then he asked where the plans were. I said I had the notebook.”
“You took it?”
Logan nodded.
“When?”
“Yesterday. From Theo’s project box.”
Theo’s father inhaled slowly through his nose.
Mr. Pritchard stepped forward. “This has gone far enough. He is a child. He made a poor decision because he was under pressure.”
The teacher looked at him.
“From whom?”
