Caught in a crossfire
1327 Words
I had just delivered a long, impassioned speech, pleading with them to see reason and understand that I wasn’t the one behind the theft. But despite all my efforts, the principal and the dean remained unconvinced. I fell silent, anxiously awaiting Molly's arrival with my laptop. That was my only hope now—to prove my innocence.
"Miss Wilson, you said you had your laptop with you," the principal remarked coldly.
"No," I corrected her, my frustration building. "I said my best friend went to my house to bring it."
The dean, always eager to belittle me, sneered. "Don’t you think you’re wasting a little bit of our time here?"
I shot him a glare. How could he be so dismissive? If he wanted his daughter to take my place in the spelling bee, he should’ve just said so. Instead, I was here, accused of something I didn’t do. The thought of him possibly framing me made my blood boil. I hated him. And right now, I couldn’t stand how calm he was.
Just then, Molly walked in, holding my laptop. Relief flooded through me. This would clear my name, I was sure of it. Chloe, the dean's daughter, grabbed the laptop and handed it to the principal.
"This laptop clearly has a disk inside," the principal said, inspecting it carefully.
I exchanged a confused look with Molly. "This isn’t my laptop," I whispered, a knot forming in my stomach.
Molly’s expression shifted uneasily. "I couldn’t find yours, so I brought mine."
A sharp pang of frustration hit me. "Why did you bring your laptop?" I almost shouted, not caring who heard.
"I was just trying to buy time, think of a way out of this mess," Molly whispered back, clearly anxious.
I bit my lower lip, the tension building. But just as I was about to respond, a voice cut through the silence, making my heart skip a beat.
"I have it."
I turned, pulse racing. Stefan stood at the door, his presence sending both fear and excitement through me. A cold chill ran down my spine, and yet a strange sense of euphoria washed over me. I realized, as I looked at him, that my feelings for him were growing stronger every hour that passed.
Stefan stepped into the room, holding my laptop. I took it from him with trembling hands, murmuring a quick thank you before passing it to Chloe.
The principal inspected it carefully. "We’re trying to believe you, Miss Wilson, but it’s possible you took the disk from this laptop."
The dean leaned forward, dark eyes narrowing. "Do you know anyone who might have tried to frame you?"
I shook my head, frustration bubbling up. "No, I don’t know anyone."
Chloe’s voice broke the silence. "What about Julia? You two have had problems before, haven’t you?"
I glared at her, my patience snapping. "She asked you a question, Miss Wilson," the dean barked.
I clenched my fists. "You really expect me to f*****g answer that?" My voice was tight with anger.
The principal cleared his throat. "Language, Ellie," my mom warned gently.
I shot back at them, unable to hold my tongue. "Well, if the dean thinks he’s so sure about this, why don’t we ask if he and Chloe set me up?"
Chloe’s face twisted in anger. "You’re not making sense, Elena. Don’t drag my dad into this," she snapped.
I smiled, enjoying the feeling of throwing the accusation back at her. "Am I? Well, maybe we should keep my sister out of this too." I turned to my mom, who had been silent throughout most of the interrogation. I wondered what she was thinking, but I was too upset to ask.
The room fell silent as the principal turned to my mom. "Mrs. Wilson, do you have anything to say?"
Mom nodded, her voice calm but firm. "Yes. I want to thank you for calling me up to this meeting, and… I want to say that I’ll pay every dime that was stolen, even though I know my daughter is innocent."
I felt a surge of pride. At least my mom believed me. As long as she was on my side, I felt like I could take on the world. But then the principal’s next words struck me like a slap in the face.
"Miss Wilson, though your mother has volunteered to pay back the stolen funds, we’ve decided to strip you of your position and send you to detention until we find the real culprit."
I stared at him, unable to process his words. "Why am I being punished for something I didn’t do?" I demanded, my voice trembling with frustration.
The dean met my gaze with cold eyes. "Because you’re guilty. You have no valid evidence to prove your innocence, and we go by the rules."
A wave of anger rose within me, but I bit my tongue. My mom’s decision to pay was out of my control, but I wasn’t going to let these people get away with treating me like this.
---
As we walked out of the building, I turned to my mom, guilt twisting in my stomach. Stefan and Molly had given us some space, which I appreciated.
"Mom, I’m sorry," I said quietly, my voice thick with emotion. I didn’t want her upset with me.
She didn’t look at me as she climbed into the car. "Meet me at home," she said, her tone flat.
"I didn’t do anything wrong," I muttered, starting to feel abandoned as she started the engine and drove off, leaving me standing there.
"Damn!" I muttered under my breath, frustration building again. I turned to Molly, who was standing a little way off, arms crossed.
"Where’s Stefan?" I asked, noticing his absence.
Molly shrugged. "I don’t know. He just left..." she said, a puzzled look crossing her face.
Something about Stefan’s sudden departure didn’t sit right with me. I had to find out how he knew about the laptop.
"Okay, spill it," I demanded, narrowing my eyes.
Molly hesitated. "I don’t know how Stefan knew about the laptop or how he managed to find it. I swear I didn’t tell him anything."
I nodded slowly, my mind racing. "Well, that’s something we need to figure out."
---
Later, I found Stefan sitting with his brother in the lunchroom. My heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. I wanted to go up to him, but my nerves kicked in, making my stomach twist. This was the first time I’d felt this way about a guy. Every time I got close to him, I felt stupid and awkward. I didn’t know how to act around him anymore.
I turned to Molly, my voice barely above a whisper. "Stay here."
She gave me a skeptical look but nodded. "All the best."
I walked toward their table, each step feeling heavier than the last. I could hear my heart pounding in my chest. When I reached them, I awkwardly cleared my throat. "Hey, Stefan."
He looked up at me, his gaze warm with concern. "Hi, Miss Wilson. Any problem?"
I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. My mind went blank, and I felt like an i***t. "I just... I need to ask you something," I finally managed, my voice barely above a whisper.
Stefan frowned. "Are you okay? Why aren’t you looking at us?"
I bit my lip, unsure of what to say. I couldn’t do this. I just couldn’t. "I have to go now. Bye," I blurted, turning and running before he could say anything.
I found Molly near the door, arms crossed, looking at me with a mix of sympathy and disbelief.
"I couldn’t do it. I’m sorry," I said, my voice shaky.
Molly sighed. "This is bad."
I nodded, feeling like I was drowning in this mess. Nothing was going the way I hoped, and now I was just waiting for everything to collapse.
- Writer
