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“It was you, wasn’t it?”
She gapes at me. “What?”
“It’s so obvious. You’re the last one to see the paper before it goes to print. You’re the only one who could have snuck in an article last minute. I don’t know why I hadn’t considered it before. Oh, I know. Because I never imagined my editor-in-chief would mess me up like this.”
For a second, something flashes in her eyes. Then she straightens her shoulders. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She focuses on her computer. “Get back to work, Chloe.”
“I already voiced my concerns to Nakamura. She wants to see us both in her office.”
She stares at me. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am.”
With a glare, she plucks herself off her seat and heads for the principal’s office. I follow her, feeling every single person on the newspaper team staring at us. Principal Nakamura is waiting for us, a frown on her face.
“Please sit down.” She gestures to the chairs before her desk.
“Chloe’s claims are false, Principal Nakamura,” Kendell insists as she drops down on one of the chairs. “I told you, I have no idea how that article got in the paper.”
“I want to believe you, Kendell, but there has to be an explanation. Did you look over the paper one last time before you sent it to the printer?”
“Yes,” she stresses. “But, um…” She plays with her hair. “I didn’t send it to them right away. It was on my computer for a few hours. I had to run an errand, and then I returned to the newsroom and sent it to print. Someone could have accessed my computer during that time.”
Her gaze flits around the room and her shoe taps on the floor. She’s lying.
“I spoke to the printer,” Nakamura says. “He told me exactly when you sent him the paper. It doesn’t fit with the timeline you just presented me.”
Kendell blanches. “What?”
“You claim you left for a few hours? He told me you sent him the paper as soon as your meeting ended.”
Kendell starts stammering unintelligibly.
“Kendell.” Nakamura’s tone is stricter. “Tell me the truth. Now.”
Kendell glances at me before bursting into tears. “I didn’t mean to do it! I don’t know what I was thinking. I was just upset.”
Nakamura reaches for a tissue box and hands it to her. “It’s okay, Kendell. Just tell me what happened.”
“I had a crush on him for months.Months! And when I finally told him how I felt…” Tears choke up her words. “He played with my emotions. He promised he’d take me out, but he kept making excuses. And then I found him making out with another girl…” The tears rain down her cheeks like there’s a fountain behind her eyes. Seems like she’s been holding this in for a long time, and the dam just burst. “I’ve been so stressed with getting into my dream school and the paper, and then my heart was broken…” She reaches for a tissue and wipes her eyes and nose. “I just wanted to hurt him as badly as he hurt me.”
“You wanted to ruin Topher’s reputation and you used your colleague as a scapegoat.”
Kendall looks at me with a guilty expression. “I’m sorry, Chloe. I wasn’t in the right headspace. I didn’t know he would hurt you like that. And Liam.”
I shift in my seat. “Why me? Do you think that low of me?”
“No! Of course not. You’re one of the best writers on the team. But…” She sighs with her shoulders bent. “You were getting a lot of heat because of some of your previous articles and I figured…” She hangs her head. “I figured you could take it.”
I try not to scoff. “I couldtakeit? My friend was beaten up because of you.”
“I know! I feel horrible. I’m sorry, Chloe. I never imagined it would get so out of hand like this.”
Principal Nakamura is silent for a bit as she regards her. “I’m very disappointed in you, Kendell. I expect so much more from you.”
“I know,” she whispers, sniffing.
“I have no choice but to ask you to leave the paper, and with it, your position as editor-in-chief.”
