The next day, as most kids were headed off to the cafeteria for lunch, we all had a plan.

As the man walked by, the janitor's closet's door was opened. I dove at him and tackled him inside.

Violet, Quigley, Klaus, Isadora and Sunny were inside.

Quigley shut the door. "All right, Mr. Principal, we want some answers."

"Hey, what's the big idea?" exclaimed. "What answers are you talking about? I'm no principal."

"Yes you are," I said. "You're all lunatics," said. "Let me go. I have a date with a fettuccini alfredo."

reached for the door, but I grabbed him by the collar and whirled him to face us. "Don't play games, we're not in the mood," I growled. "We know you're the principal; don't try to deny it."

's face grew pale, and then crumbled into a scowl. "Did Brownley Black and Andrew Winkle tell you?" "That matters not," Klaus said. "Now tell us."

started laughing hysterically. I don't know if he had lost his mind, or if he was trying to attract a bystander to pull him out.

I thumped him in the chest. He fell backwards and smacked into the wall. Isadora grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. "First of all, we want to know how you became the principal, why you sell DVDs, and third, we want permission to hold the voting to get Carmelita Spats out of conviction tomorrow."

"Ask VP Nero," said. "Now let me go."

"He said no," Violet said. "We want your permission, not his." "What's good for the goose is good for the gander," said. "In other words, what he says is good enough for me."

"You're the principal, man!" Quigley cried. "We want answers and we want them now!"

(I'll refer to them as the man) said, "Okay, okay. I sell DVDs because a guy who works for Blockbuster gets 'em for me cheap. I'm paying myself. I'm not paid as principal. Also, I pay my own tuition." (The man is not an adult, whom you may have figured out by now)

"Is that all you want to know?" the man asked. "More," I said. "We want your permission, and then talk to Nero. He's on medication, you know why?" I remembered the day he emptied the entire tube into his mouth and went crazy.

The man threw his head back and laughed. "Duncan, those aren't medicinal pills," he said. "They're sugar tablets. He never visited a doctor, not a real one anyway. He went to a candy shop disguised as a clinic."

"But can we have your permission?" Sunny asked. The man thought for a moment. "I can give you written permission," he said. "Under one condition."

"We can give you part of the reward money," Quigley offered.

"Anything. Name it," Violet said.

"How big again is the reward money?"

"Sixty billion dollars," Isadora said. The man let out a long, million-dollar whistle.

"You're serious?" he said. "I mean, I knew the Spats' were rich, but I never figured they'd want to give you that much reward money."

"So?" Klaus said. "Well, I know the Spats personally, so I may get a bit of money," the man said, "but I'm short a bit. My folks kicked me out of the house years ago, so I enrolled myself here. I get billed at the address of 938 Bonham Court and there're these guys."

He glanced around before finishing. "They're always demanding rent money, they're the landlords. And I've forgot to pay the last bill, they're going to bolt. Without a home address-I made up fake parents-I can't be enrolled back at Prufrock. Ever."

We didn't know what to say. Isadora said, "This is very confusing. You're the principal, and a student. How does all that work?"

"Huh?" the man said.

"I think she means, how did you become the principal, if you're already a student?" I said.

"Oh," the man said. "Well, here's how it worked. I met the Spats' one day, and I told them of my situation, and they agreed to hire me in secret; meaning that no one, even Nero, should know about it. That's why when you guys asked other people, they didn't know."

"So what about the landlords?" Violet asked.

"This past month, I heard plans about them going to boot me," the man said. "If you guys loan me money, I can pay the bill and they'll get off my back. Sheppard, a.k.a. Shep the Sheepdog, as I call him, is threatening me with incredibly high demands. He and his wife are only a married couple, no kids. No money, no permission."

He walked out of the closet.