It Was All Of Us

“It was me!” Margo stood from her seat in the auditorium.

Heads turned on a swivel and suddenly she felt over two hundred pairs of eyes on her. Including the vice principal who stood on the stand, sheltered behind a podium. She narrowed her eyes at Margo, watching her carefully. Next to her, Elle stared up in disbelief. Margo glanced at her for a moment.

There was a look of terror and pride. Pure awe in Elle’s eyes. It was almost enough to drown out the murmurs of the students around them.

Swallowing her embarrassment, Margo lifted her chin and met the Vice Principal’s gaze. “I did it."

Let’s take a step back from this situation to the day before. Maybe then you’ll understand what is going on.

It started during the lunch hour of Malken High. The students took this hour very seriously because of the large assortment of food and the best quality ingredients and dishes that are made. Everyone could thank the boujee PTO for that. At least one of the parents were able to put their money where their mouth is.

It was Taco Tuesday. The best days of the week. The cafeteria was set up with a taco buffet, toppings bar, and even freshly made tortillas. Interrupting Taco Tuesday would be heresy.

Margo sat at her usual table, back towards the corner next to the exit. She never really wanted to interact too much with people. Not that she was unpopular, she merely didn’t like the snobby attitudes of the people at her school. She knew who everyone was and everyone vaguely knew her. Then there was Elle, Margo’s best friend since diapers. Elle looked like the usual teenager that went to the school; dyed blonde hair, name-brand clothes, a nice car her parents bought her. Even with the looks, she never really acted like the rest of them. Sure, she was friends with the popular girls because she was on the cheer squad, but it never made her unlikable.

She was nice to everyone. Even the AV kids.

“Margooo!” Elle sat her tray down in front of her as she sat with Elle. “How’s my little hermit doing this morning.”

“Fine.” Margo nodded, fixing the fajita meat that fell from her tortilla. “Just another day in paradise.”

Elle squinted at Margo, looking her over for a moment. “Are you being sarcastic to me right now?”

“Noo why would I do that?” Margo quirked an eyebrow as she took a bite. With her mouth full, she still spoke, “It’s nothing, okay? Just another day here at upper-class hell with the worst people in the world.”

“Why don’t you ask your parents to transfer you?” Elle drank from a smoothie the color of algae. “I mean, I understand staying because you have an amazing best friend, but we live right next to each other so you wouldn’t miss me too much.”

Margo raised an eyebrow and blinked at Elle, “You think I should transfer. My senior year. In the  middle of February?”

It took a second for Elle to understand. She laughed and then nodded, “Well, never mind then. Looks like you’re stuck here with me.”

“I’m just going to tough it out.” Margo nodded, “Just mind my own business and not let idiots get to me.”

Elle stopped slurping her smoothie and narrowed her eyes, “Who.”

It wasn’t a question, it was a demand to tell her. Elle had always been protective over Margo. She was the quiet and reclusive one. People used to bully her hard about her father’s affair and her parents divorce. They stopped when Elle stepped in the way, using her popular cheerleader  powers to get everyone to step off. Usually it worked. People knew not to mess with Elle’s best friend. Some people, however, really didn’t care.

One of those people being Ron Parker. He was the captain of the water polo team. The most pretentious someone could be. And he hated Margo for some reason. She believed that maybe it was because Margo rejected his advances in middle school and announced she was gay in junior high. If that, then he’s probably homophobic even though most of the guys on his team are gay.

That morning, she was getting out of her car in the school parking lot. As she was bent over inside her car to grab her backpack, something hard hit her from behind and liquid seeped into her jeans. There was Ron, sitting in his girlfriend’s convertible. What was once a protein shake was now running down her legs.

“Oh, my bad!” Ron called to her with a wicked grin on his face. His girlfriend, Alyssa, was next to him, laughing. He tossed a rag that had oil stains at her feet, “I didn’t see you there! That’s my bad.”

The two laughed as his girlfriend drove away towards their part of the parking lot.

And so Margo had to wear a skirt that was stashed in her car and tied a sweatshirt around her waist because it was definitely too short.

Margo gave in and told Elle what happened. She immediately regretted it, however, because of the fiery pits of anger that opened up in Elle’s eyes as she stood.

“I’m gonna kill him.” Elle said, about to make her way over to the water polo table.

Margo quickly caught her wrist. “Elle, you know we can’t really do anything. His dad is the one who puts the most money into this school. If anything, we would get in trouble. You know how this works out.”

After a seething moment of silence from Elle, she sighed and sat down next to Margo. “I don’t understand what his problem is. He used to be such a nice guy.”

“It’s probably because he was in love with a lesbian for years.”

Elle let out a snort, “Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Geez, do you think he’s still not over it?”

“Only thing that makes sense.” Margo shrugged.

“You’re right. God, what a loser.” Elle shook her head.

The bell rang for us to finish up lunch. Thankfully, Elle calmed down and agreed to not go on a war-path after Ron. Or, at least, said that to Margo’s face. But she kept that promise to Margo for the rest of the day. No retaliation or fighting. Margo knew Elle was wild enough to start swinging on Ron if she had the chance.

It was the next morning that Margo realized just how crazy her best friend could be. Margo pulled up to the school and slowed down as she saw a group of students staring at the school’s sign on the front lawn. She couldn’t exactly see what was happening, so she pulled up to her regular spot, looked around to see if Ron was going to do another protein shake drive by.

She walked up to the front lawn, still seeing the group of students as their murmuring grew louder. Margo pushed through the crowd a little bit to see the school’s sign more clearly.

Printed on a large sheet was a picture of Ron kissing some other woman that was not his girlfriend. From the setting of the picture, it looked like the Halloween party that Elle threw at her parents when they were away on business. Almost everyone in our class went to that.

At the other side of the lawn, everyone could hear Ron and Alyssa yelling at each other. Mostly Alyssa yelling at him. Across the lawn were more pictures of Ron’s kiss. There were flyers and more pieces of paper stapled to trees.

“Insane, right?” A voice came from beside Margo. She looked over to see Elle standing next to her wearing sunglasses, a latte, and a smirk.

Margo grabbed her hand and tugged her out of the crowd and away from earshot. “Elle, I told you not to do anything!”

Elle gasped in fake shock, “I am appalled that you could believe I did this! Why would I do this?”

She winked as she took a sip of her coffee, staring in pride at the chaos she's created. Margo looked around before back to Elle, dropping her voice.

“How did you even get that picture?” She asked.

“I took it.” Elle stated simply, “I saw him walking off with that girl, who I still have no idea who she is anyway, and so I followed. Because Alyssa is my ‘friend’ and on cheer with me. I saw them kiss, I took the picture, and was planning on telling her that night, but then I saw her be rude to you. I figured it would be the perfect opportunity to let her know now.”

“Elle, this is serious! His dad is going to lose his mind and the Vice Principal is going to charge you with littering!”

Elle shushed her and looked around, “Not if Jones doesn’t figure out it was me. Trust me, Mar.”

Vice Principal Jones had no clue who it was. Of course, the cameras caught a person wearing all black putting up the papers and flyers, but there was no evidence of who it was. Not even a car pulled into the school. Elle was good. Scary good at getting away with this.

But Jones called the senior class to the auditorium for a little talk. Of course someone must have mentioned that the senior class was at that party. Even Ron’s dad came down to the school and he stood on stage right next to her

Elle and Margo sat next to each other. Margo looked nervous while Elle kept her cool. Margo could never understand how she did that.

“Good morning, students.” Vice Principal Jones said into the podium mic. “However, it could be better. This morning, a student took it upon themselves to litter the front lawn with defaming photos of Ron Parker. Instead of handling it quietly, they decided to tell the entire school, thus bullying Ron Parker and his girlfriend in front of the entire student body. I understand when something like this happens, you may think that ‘exposing’ someone who ‘cheats’ is the best thing to do in this case. However, those matters can be handled privately. And are encouraged to be handled in such a way. Now, I will let Mr. Parker, Ron’s father, speak on this issue.”

Mr. Parker stepped to the podium. He was a district attorney and dressed in that fashion with the perfect three piece suit. His hair was dark with spots of gray, but combed and gelled back. He was clean shaven and Margo could swear that she could smell his aftershave from the audience seats.

“Thank you Mrs.Jones.” Mr.Parker nodded before looking out to the crowd. “Public shame and humiliation had not been acceptable for centuries. So, why are we doing this now? Why shame my son in front of the entire student body, when all problems could be fixed outside of school and between friends. My son does not deserve this public defamation and whoever did this will have consequences.”

Mrs. Jones stepped back to the podium, “Thank sir. Yes, there will be consequences for this person. It will be discussed with myself, Ron and Mr.Parker once the perpetrator steps up. And, I do advise that someone steps up before the bell rings for the third period. If someone does not admit to fault, then the senior trip to Yellowstone will be canceled.”

Students began buzzing with shouts of disapproval and some people agreeing for someone to step up and take the blame.

“If the perpetrator steps up, then they will only be suspended for a week.” Jones announced, “If you wait and cause us to cancel the trip, then consequences will be much worse. Choose wisely.”

Mrs.Jones took a step away from the podium to speak with other staff members. Mr.Parker scanned the crowd with critical eyes. Margo looked to Elle, who actually looked nervous. Elle was supposed to go to law school. She already had a scholarship lined up, but being suspended from school could mess all of that up. 

Not too far from the two, was Ron sitting with his water polo buddies. He sent a look over to Margo and then whispered to his friends, making them glance at her. It made sense for him to point to Margo. After what happened yesterday, of course it wouldn’t be below her to post those pictures. And she was taking a year off before college anyways. It would be so easy.

Suddenly, Margo stood up and loudly announced, “It was me!”

Heads turned on a swivel and suddenly she felt over two hundred pairs of eyes on her. Elle put a hand on her arm to pull her down, but Margo shrugged it away, staring at Mrs.Jones and Mr.Parker. 

“I’m the one who did it.” Margo said, looking at her fellow students. “I don’t want anyone to lose their trip. The only one who deserves to be punished is me.”

There was silence for only a moment. 

Mrs.Jones went back to the microphone and tried to speak, “Miss Todd could you step up-”

“No!” Elle suddenly yelled and stood next to Margo. She grabbed her hand as Margo wanted to interject. “It was me, Mrs.Jones. Ron threw a protein shake at Margo in the parking lot and I retaliated even though Margo told me not to.”

Mrs.Jones opened her mouth, but then more voices chimed in. Students stood up and announced that it was their fault too.

“He’s been my bully since seventh grade!”

“He cheated off of me in history, got caught, and blamed me for it!”

“He cheated off of me in English Lit!”

“He’s been homophobic to me since I came out to the Water Polo team!”

“He told me he and Alyssa broke up just so he could sleep with me and threatened to call me a slut if I said anything!”

Students stood and shouted the wrongdoings of Ron. Mrs.Jones tried to capture the attention of students, but she was drowned out by the students claiming the blame. Mr.Parker watched in horror at all of these students finally stepping up to him and his son. Ron just sat in his seat, staring at his dad to get him out of yet another predicament.

But the students kept talking. Almost everyone shouted something he did to him and even blamed his dad for letting him get away with it. 

Margo looked at Elle in disbelief while her best friend simply grinned as the whole student body retaliated. Elle looked over to Margo and gave her a wink as she stood tall with everyone else, ready to face the school board head on.