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Once everyone is settled, Principal Nakamura clasps her hands and leans forward. “Okay, let’s start with Chloe. Can you tell me what happened?”
I swallow and nod, keeping my gaze away from Topher. “Um, I was about to get something from my locker when Topher confronted me. He said some stuff to me, then grabbed my arm. Then he pushed me to the floor.”
Dad explodes out of his seat. “If you touch my daughter again—”
Nakamura holds up her hand. “Please relax, Coach Barrington. We need to get to the bottom of this in a civil manner.”
Dad glares at Topher’s dad. “You’re just sitting there with no care in the world. Your son pushed my daughter. Haven’t you taught him anything?”
“And what about you?” Mom says to Topher’s mom. “Are you seriously checking your messages right now?”
“I have an important meeting in fifteen minutes,” she says. “Can we wrap this up?”
“Shows what kind of son you raised,” Ally mutters.
Topher’s mom glances at her. “Did you say something?”
Ally purses her lips, looking away from her.
“Chloe, please continue,” Mom says.
“Um…he threw me to the floor and then Liam told him to leave me alone.”
“He attacked me!” Topher says. “He grabbed me by the front of my shirt.”
“But Liam let him go. He didn’t hurt him,” I tell them. “And when he turned his back on him, Topher grabbed him and started punching him. I yelled at him to stop, but he wouldn’t listen. He just kept going at him.”
Nakamura turns to Topher. “Is what Chloe said true? Did you punch Liam?”
Topher shrugs. “She had to pay for what she did.”
“And what exactly did she do?” Dad throws at him.
“She trashed me in her article. Made me look like a monster.”
Nakamura opens her drawer and pulls out the latest issue of the newspaper, turning the pages until she finds my article. “All I see here is an article stating the benefits of reading books.”
“There’s another article with my name on it,” I tell her. “But I didn’t write it.”
Nakamura flips through the pages until she finds the second article. Her eyes skim over it and then she says, “Hmm. I see.” She lifts her gaze to me. “You’re saying you didn’t write it?”
I shake my head. “I don’t even know Topher. Whoever wrote that knows him personally.”
“Can I see it?” Mom asks.
Nakamura passes it to her. Dad leans over and reads it with Mom. “This is not my daughter’s writing style,” Mom says. “The amount of adverbs in this piece is horrendous.”
“Do you know who wrote it?” Dad asks me.
I shake my head.
“Maybe I can recognize the writer,” Ally offers. “I can usually tell which student wrote what.” After Mom passes it to her, Ally studies the words. She purses her lips. “I think whoever wrote this is a good writer who is pretending to be a bad writer so no one could figure out who he or she is.”
“She’s lying!” Topher points at me. “She did write it.”
“Why would I if I don’t even know you?” I ask, incredulously.
“Idiot,” Liam mutters.
