Max: It seemed almost as if she was trying to convince herself as she said, "Right. Well the worst part should be past now."
Lt. Patterson: The lieutenant walked up to Professor Collins. "Hello, I'm Lieutenant David Patterson. May I please speak with you? It's about Maxine."
Professor Collins: Professor Collins looked at him for a moment. So this was Max's father. Well, the apple didn't fall far from the tree, and not just with looks she suspected. "All right," she finally said. Yes Margo, you can try to make fireworks but for goodness sakes the three of you be careful!
Lt. Patterson: "Listen, I'll be the first to admit that Maxine is not a model student in anyway. I've been trying to fix her and make her do what she's supposed to do for years. The last few schools I've sent her to have been correctional facilities in Britain. Anyway, I've signed up to go back into combat. I've been in training camp for the past two months. Tomorrow I leave to go back overseas. Please, no matter what Maxine does I need you to not expel her. There's no other family that can provide for her and I can't put her into another school if you do expel her. So please don't. I'll pay you extra to keep her, whatever it takes."
Professor Collins: Professor Collins regarded the man in front of her. He seemed brave, even if overly harsh and not sure as to what to do with his girl. She had no intention of expelling Max this year, so she had no problem agreeing to his request. "No, I won't expel Max. I'll keep her for the year."
Lt. Patterson: He sighed. "Thank you so much, you don't know how big of a favor this is, and I can't thank you enough."