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“It doesn’t,” said Officer Watson. “When you tell a lie, your body gets nervous. Your muscles tense. You sweat a little bit more, and there are changes in your heartbeat and breathing. The machine registers those changes in your body.”
She asked Casey some more questions.
“Did you do all your homework yesterday?”
“Yes.”
“Did anyone help you?”
“No.”
Officer Watson cleared her throat. “Are you sure?”
Casey frowned. “My mom helped me.”
“That’s better,” said Officer Watson.
“There’s nothing wrong with that,” said Mrs. North.
“Do you like Mrs. North?” asked Officer Watson.
“Hey!” Casey exclaimed. “That’s not a fair question.”
“Okay, I’ll ask a different question.”
“Ask her if she likes Marvin Redpost!” called Melanie.
Officer Watson smiled. “Who’s Marvin Redpost?”
Everyone pointed at Marvin.
Officer Watson turned back to Casey. “Do you like Marvin Redpost?”
Marvin buried his head under his arms. But he didn’t cover his ears. For a long time Casey didn’t answer. Then she said, “I like Mrs. North.”
Officer Watson unhooked her and let her return to her seat.
“Okay, we’ve had some fun,” Officer Watson told the class. “But now I want everyone to settle down. I want to talk to you about something important. It may save your life.”
Marvin paid close attention.
“I’m talking about illegal drugs,” said Officer Watson.
She told the class that drugs were bad for them. Drugs could kill you. Drugs could destroy your brain and make you stupid. If you started doing drugs, even just once, you might not be able to stop.
Everybody promised Officer Watson they would never take illegal drugs.
She walked around the room and in between the desks. She stopped next to Kenny. “What if all your friends took drugs?” she asked him. “Then would you?”
“No way!” said Kenny.
She turned to Nick. “What if they said they wouldn’t be friends unless you took drugs?”
“Then they’re not really my friends,” said Nick.
“If my friend jumped off the Empire State Building, that doesn’t mean I should jump off, too,” said Judy.
“If they were my friends,” said Casey Happleton, “I would do everything I could to get them to stop using drugs.”
