Falsely Accused

Falsely Accused 

By: Haripriya 

“Students, please be seated right here. I am going to print all your test papers! Before taking the test, we are going to get a class picture! Please don’t go to my desk to take your worksheets from yesterday until I come back! ” Mrs. Jones, my teacher hollered from the other side of the class.  

All the students groaned a yes. The school day was long. I glanced at the clock. It read 2:40 pm.  

 “There was still 2 hours and 10 min until school ends.” I thought to myself.  

The extra one hour was because I have a science club today. That is the only part of my day which is good. I was not looking forward to taking the test or taking the class picture. But everyone had to stand next to each other, feeling squished and suffocating, just for the school to admire how all the students are very “happy” in their school. Honestly, I just wanted to go home and sleep. Every day we have a new dilemma in our class. Whether it is about someone being mean to another, or asking for help, every day there is a new problem. I don’t know why no one likes each other in our class, but that is the truth. I try to be friendly to everyone, and one day they “act” like friends, the next day they look at me and say, “I don’t even know you! Are you seriously in our class?”  Partner work is the worst. Everyone loves to work solitary. The teacher tries to put 2-3 kids in groups, but they start arguing with each other and soon the teacher has to separate them.  

Also, everyone in our class has nicknames. I am named, “The Seeker” Not the person who sees things, but who always seeks for approval and wants to be liked by everyone. I am not like that at all, it’s just I want at least one person to be my friend! Is that too much to ask? We do have to spend 4 more moths together anyways. Mrs. Jones came back into the room again.  

“Oh, sorry! I forgot my folder, but since it is almost time for our class picture, we will take that and then I will take my folder and print the tests. So, everyone come on and huddle up!” Mrs. Jones called out and signaled for everyone to come. 

At first, all 20 of us stayed 1 foot apart, so only 8 people fit in the phone screen. It was also looking like we were all strangers, afraid of coming together, like real classmates. 

“Oh, what is this! Everyone comes on huddle closer! All 20 of you need to fit! Let me count, 1...2...18...19...” suddenly Mrs. Jones paused and frantically started pacing herself around the classroom, like she was trying to find something. 

“Class! Do you know where Maya is? She is missing, did she go to the bathroom, or somewhere else?” she asked.  

“You mean The Snob? I saw her going to her backpack to get something, but after that I....” Iris had started talking, but then Maya came in, or from under in this scenario.  

“Sorry! I was here, under your chair because...I wanted to pick your pen...for you. Yeah! It fell under your desk, so I thought I could pick it up.” Maya/” The Snob” replied.   

“You are so kind Maya. Also, everyone, I don’t want anyone here to utter a single word about her being anything! I would like if everyone called each other by their real name! I cannot tolerate this rudeness.” our teacher scolded.  

“May I ask, what do you have in your hand Maya?” Mrs. Jones asked her. 

I saw sweat trickle down on her forehead. “Oh, it was a... study guide.... I had created! Yes, a study guide. I just had it because I forgot to put it back in my folder, and when I saw your pen, I just had to pick it up! I didn’t realize the study guide in my hand! I will put it back inside my desk.” replied Maya. 

Something told me that Maya was looking under the desk for something else. Actually, this was the only time I had agreed with everyone else in my class.  She was the meanest girl in my class yet looked naive in front of all the adults and teachers. I have a few code names for her myself. It’s just that I have never called her by anything except her name, her real name. One is, “The-Two-Faced-Queen", “Drama Queen”, “The Sadist Girl”, and those are just a couple of options. She always has her reasons for doing anything, and I am pretty sure that she wasn’t there to just pick up her pen, but for an evil scheme that she was plotting. Apparently, her number one enemy is me. I haven’t done anything to her, which is exactly why she hates me the most. She has no reason to tattletale on me. So, she always tries to create problems. All I had to do was be prepared. 

We somehow huddled around as a group and not like strangers and the teacher had took the photo. Everyone screamed happily and yelled, “Finally! It’s done!”  

Then, our teacher headed out again and specifically warned us to not get out of our seats for any reason, until she comes back. I did what I was told and got all my supplies ready. Paper, pencil, folder, and eraser. Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I tilted my head, to see Maya.  

“What do you want Maya?” I asked, rather sharply. 

“Could you please pick up that pencil, Jessica?”  

I had just froze.  She called me by my real name for once in my life! I... wait a second. If she is secretly acting so nice to me, there must be something planned behind, right? Or, maybe I was being too harsh on her. Maybe, she was trying to change. Feeling so surprised I slowly stood up and tried to look for the pencil. I saw it, but it came under my teacher’s chair. As I bent down to pick it up, something unexpected happened. 

“AH! Jessica, I had strictly told everyone in the class to not get up! Why do you think you are so special! When I say something, I mean it for the entire class!” there I saw helplessly, Mrs. Jones looking at me in the eye. 

“Oh...I didn’t do anything! I just wanted to pick this pencil for Maya...” just as I was about to continue, Maya interrupted. 

“Jessica! I know why you are there! You don’t have to lie about it! I am sorry Mrs. Jones; she was just there for the cheat sheet for today’s test! The poor girl didn’t know what to study and decided to use the cheat sheet. I really didn’t want to ruin her secret, and I had told her to not do this.  But I couldn’t stop myself. I must tell the truth. Please don’t do anything to Jessica!”  

I felt anger everywhere in my body, slowly rising. “No! I swear Mrs. Jones I didn’t even know there was a cheat sheet in there! I am not lying! Please try to understand!” I shrieked.  

Suddenly, I felt tears coming down from my eyes. I knew Maya, sorry “The Snob” was plotting something. I was her perfect prey, and now I was caught inside her web, with no easy way to escape.  

“Maya! Is that so? I am so proud of you for telling the truth. I can’t believe you are lying Jessica! If you need help, you should have asked me yesterday! Jessica, immediately go into the principal’s office. I can’t believe you have started lying to me.” Mrs. Jones replied coldly. 

“Please! I didn’t do it! If you want more proof, then check inside my desk.” I told to Mrs. Jones. 

“Very well then.” Mrs. Jones replied.  

I knew I wasn’t the one. Finally, Justice was served! But then I realized I shouldn’t have spoken this soon. 

“Unit 1 Lesson 6....question 1, question 2...” Mrs. Jones muttered something under her breath.  

“Jessica! You know you stole it! Why are you building more and more lies around it! The evidence is getting stronger! See this... this is the cheat sheet for me. It is used by all the math teachers to easily grade the students’ answers! Now that I have found it, everyone but Jessica can take the test. Jessica will not be receiving any credit, therefore will get a zero on the unit test.” Mrs. Jones spoke.  

I WAS OFFICIALLY DOOMED...  

... 

The trip to the principal’s office was terrible. They called my parents and now even my parents believed that rotten, fat lie. I knew I was alone. Maya’s face and Mrs. Jones words were like needles, pricking me every time I thought about them. I knew I hadn’t done it. I needed to prove wrong. I wasn’t going to just sit there and sob. I knew I needed evidence. I knew it was not me. Suddenly, I remembered something, a big clue...  

I thought to myself, “Wait a second, how come she knew that there was a cheat sheet inside the drawer when no one else knew about it? The reason why she bent down when we were about to take the class picture was to steal the cheat sheet without anyone noticing! That blank piece of paper which she was holding... it wasn’t a study guide at all! Then when she tapped me and asked for picking up her pencil, when I stood up, during that time she must have put that cheat sheet inside my desk!”  

I clipped and pieced together everything to conclude that the real stealer this entire time was Maya. I knew it! This was her evil plot to shun me and embarrass me in front of everyone. She also made the teacher think wrong about me! Well...this was an extravagant scheme after all. Point 1 goes to Maya. Now, I have a new code name for Maya, “The BIG FAT LIAR”. Well, I don’t care if my parents don’t believe me, my classmates don’t believe me, or if Mrs. Jones doesn’t believe me. All I am happy about is that I finally solved the case of the Missing Cheat Sheet. Justice is finally served!!! 

~The End~