Bracelet of Beauty

Chapter 10: Investigation

The principal looked at them and said, "I was extremely shocked at what I witnessed earlier. Three ladies were involved in a fight and pulling each other's hair. You are not kids anymore. You are all teenagers and currently in high school. Your parents did not put you into a good school to see you fighting against one another. This institution will not tolerate your wrongdoings and will exert an effort to correct them." Ms. Therese said and then took off her eyeglasses.

"First, I want to know who started the fight." Ms. Therese said.

"It was Denise." The classmate courageously said while pointing her finger toward Denise.

"What are you talking about? You are a liar!" Denise replied and stood up.

"Please sit down, young lady. We need to talk calmly here and I do not want another fight, especially in my office." Ms. Therese told Denise.

Denise sat but glared at her classmate. Her fists are strongly closed because of her anger.

"I would like to know your reasons. Why did you pull your classmate's hair earlier?" Ms. Therese asked Denise.

"Because she is accusing me of something terrible. She wants me to be embarrassed in front of our classmates." Denise explained.

"What are you accusing your classmate? Is it true that you want to embarrass her?" Ms. Therese asked the classmate this time.

"When our teacher, Ms. Belle, left the class and told us to answer the exercise in the book, I saw Denise cheating. She was asking our fellow classmates for the answer. I could not take it anymore because this subject is Values Education. It should be answered using our values but she could not even answer it right because she does not have values." The classmate stated.

"How dare you say that?!" Denise was mad about what she heard.

"Silence." Ms. Therese said. She looked at the teacher and asked, "Where were you during this incident, Ms. Belle?"

"I went to the faculty room for a while, Ms. Therese." Ms. Belle was nervous because the attention is now on her.

"What were you doing in the faculty room when it is time for your class? Shouldn't you be teaching during that time? I guess if you were there and if you did not leave your class then maybe this incident would not happen." Ms. Therese was curious.

"Yes, Ms. Therese. I did teach my lesson before I left the class. I just coordinated with a fellow teacher about a confidential matter." Ms. Belle explained her side.

"May I know this confidential matter?" Ms. Therese asked.

Ms. Belle gathered her thoughts for a moment. She is thinking if she would disclose the information now, Denise will be able to hear it. She realized that it might be better to tell the principal when it is just the two of them. The concern about Denise's bullying of Elizabeth Feliz and other students in the school is highly confidential and cannot be heard by Denise, Patricia, and their classmate beforehand.

"If it is fine with you, Ms. Therese, I would like to discuss the confidential matter at another time when it is just the two of us." Ms. Belle politely asked.

"Well, I agree. We must discuss it in a separate meeting. Let us go back to the original topic here." The principal, Ms. Therese, agreed.

"How about you? What is your involvement in this situation?" Ms. Therese asked Patricia because she is the only one not yet sharing her thoughts.

Patricia got nervous because everyone is looking at her. "I am not really involved in the fight, Ms. Therese. As a matter of fact, I was just a concerned classmate trying to stop them from fighting. However, they accidentally pulled my hair and I got included in their quarrel." Patricia explained her side.

"If you are really not involved in the fight then would you like to tell us what really happened? We might consider you as a witness." Ms. Therese replied.

Patricia looked at Denise and then looked at their classmate. She was really confused about what to do because if she tells the principal the truth, Denise might bully her and break their friendship. On the other hand, their classmate could be wrongly punished if she twists the story. Denise might not get reprimanded if Patricia decides to lie about the incident. She remained silent while thinking.

"What really happened? Enlighten us of the scenario earlier." The principal asked again.

"Could I speak with my attorney, please? I prefer to have an attorney." Patricia said. They have a family lawyer that handles both business and personal matters. She remembered that she could seek advice from their attorney regarding critical moments.

"What is your name again?" The principal asked.

"It is Patricia, Ms. Therese," Patricia replied.

"Patricia, this is not a legal case and my office is not a courtroom. I am simply asking you a few questions to enlighten me about the incident. If you are not comfortable talking with many people here, we could talk, just the two of us." Ms. Therese said.

"Everyone, could you please stay outside for a moment?" Ms. Therese asked Ms. Belle, Denise, and the classmate.

"Of course. Sure, Ms. Therese. We will give both of you some privacy." Ms. Belle replied to the principal. "Let us go outside." She whispered to the students.

The three of them went outside and sat on the chairs near the assistant of the principal. Ms. Belle was sitting between the two students to avoid the increase in tension.

"The two of you should consider reconciling. This should never happen again. I am disappointed with both of you. My credibility as a Values Education teacher is being tarnished because my students cannot even have the proper values. Be prepared for the possible punishment because this school does not tolerate wrongdoings." Ms. Belle sighed while sharing her frustrations with the two students.

"If you were a responsible teacher, you will not leave your class during Values Education," Denise murmured.

"Are you saying something, Denise?" Ms. Belle asked.

"Nothing, Ms. Belle," Denise replied.

The principal and Patricia are now alone in the room. There is privacy and freedom now for Patricia to tell the truth.

"Patricia, it is only the two of us now. Are you ready to tell me the truth? I will not tell your classmates anything that you tell me. However, if you lie and makeup stories, you might be punished as well. Think about it carefully." Ms. Therese said.

Patricia was anxious but she realized that she might be in trouble also if she covers the truth. She conquered her fear and started explaining to the principal what really happened. Her friendship with Denise was at risk but also her education so she made a tough decision.

"Okay, I am ready to tell you the truth, Ms. Therese. Earlier, we had a seatwork during our Values Education class. Denise does not know the answer to the number 8 question so she tried asking for the answer. Our classmate noticed this scenario and told Denise that what she was doing is considered cheating. Denise became furious because she does not like being embarrassed especially in front of many people. Denise and our classmate had an intense conversation and then they started pulling each other's hair. I tried to stop them but my hair was inadvertently pulled as well. I am really sorry for what happened. My friendship with Denise will be ruined because of this but I value my education more." Patricia said and started crying because of the mixed emotions she was feeling.

"I know it must be hard for you to tell the truth but you know that the truth will always set you free. You will be able to sleep at night knowing you did what is right. Your conscience will help you choose the right thing, especially during these difficult moments in your life. Thank you, Patricia, for having the courage to tell me this. I appreciate your cooperation." Ms. Therese replied.