Crushes Over Papercuts- A Mid 90s Tale

Chapter 46

"Alex definitely has talent." Lily folded the newspaper and dropped it into the center of the lunch table. "And the boy's got your back."

I already knew what he'd written before Alex's article was plastered across the school for everyone else to see. I read the copy he gave me twice last night and spent the rest of the night trying to find a way to thank him. No idea I had was good enough.

"I don't know how I could ever repay him," I admitted. "I thanked him profusely during first period but he told me he was happy to do it...said it was good for his journalism portfolio." I bit my lip. "You think I can submit his article for scholarships or something? I'm trying to think of anything other than a pathetic Thank you, Alex for trying to repair my reputation."

Lauren put her hand on her heart. "He's such a sweet guy."

"You think Tiff will go on a date with him?" Lily teased.

Nicole laughed. "I'm not pimping out my sister...even for Alex." She leaned over her tray. "Think anyone will turn Courtney in? You know...write a letter exposing her?"

"If there's any justice in the world then yes," Lily said. "But Courtney's too shrewd to tell anyone what she did, even if only to gloat about it." She turned to me. "I know time is running out but we're not going to let her win. We'll think of something."

Lauren pulled out a sheet of paper from her backpack. "I wrote the first draft of my letter last period which I'll slip into Alex's locker after school. Maybe enough of these will change things."

I wanted to believe them but my faith was disappearing. The outcome was inevitable at this point. A knot tightened in my stomach. "Do you think anyone else will write a letter in my defense?"

"I don't think you're going to have to worry about that." Nicole elbowed me. "Look at Ben's table."

I slowly turned my head to his table. I didn't want to make it obvious I was watching them.

"She's already watching you so there's no point in trying to hide," Lily encouraged. "Hold your head up high."

I swiveled in my chair and saw something I'd never seen before. Gone was the usual joking and loudness that echoed from Ben's table. Instead, it was quiet with most of them slumped over paper with pens in their hands.

Nicole smiled. "They're not studying."

Cody looked up from his paper and gave me a big thumbs up. My eyes moved to Courtney who had seen our exchange. She snapped her tray up then left the table.

There was still some hope.

#

Alex's locker door swung open and folded sheets of papers slipped off of his stacked books. "It's been like this since Tuesday," he said trying to catch the papers as they floated to the ground.

I crouched down to pick them up. "What are they?"

"Letters for you."

I unfolded one of the letters in my hand and read the name signed at the bottom Wendy Thompson. "How many are there?"

"Last I counted there were twenty-eight." He pulled out his cardboard pencil case stuffed with creased papers. "With those three in your hand that makes thirty-one."

"I...I can't believe it," I stuttered. "It's more than I imagined possible. When you asked me to meet you here at the end of the day, I was hoping for four or five letters." I blinked back my tears but for the first time in a long time, the tears didn't materialize out of frustration.

"I've read them all but unless there's a confession in those new ones, there's nothing in any of them that incriminate Courtney. They're all signed at least so Principal Morris can't accuse you of falsifying information." He skimmed one of the letters I picked up off the floor then shook his head. "If only I'd written the article last week maybe someone would have gotten the nerve to go against her."

I gave him a hug. "You've already done so much, Alex."

I had known Alex since we were kids and I didn't think there was anything that could surprise me about him. He proved me wrong.

He handed me the case. "It's too full to close but you're welcome to use it."

"I need to get these to Ms. Deskin but I don't have time to read them all." I opened my backpack and dumped the notes from my yellow History binder and began to unfold each letter. "But I can at least read all of the signatures. I want to personally thank each person."

#

I tapped on her opened door. "Do you have a minute to talk, Ms. Deskin?"

"Come in." She motioned for me to close the door. "I'm glad you came by. I didn't like how we ended things last time."

"Me neither."

I wanted to ask her if Kimberly's letter had made any impression on Principal Morris but I was sure she would have already informed me if it had.

"I know you tried to help me and I truly appreciate it, Ms. Deskin."

"You will get through this, Jenny." Her voice was soft, reassuring, and I almost believed her. What choice did I have otherwise?

"Did you come to ask questions about the meeting scheduled for tomorrow with your mom?"

My throat went dry. "I didn't know about any meeting."

She shifted in her chair. "I'm sorry...I assumed your mother had already told you."

No matter how close I thought I had come to accept the guilty verdict that loomed over me, a part of me still wanted to scream out. Instead, I unzipped my bag and pulled out the yellow binder filled with the letters Alex had given me.

"These are going to run in the school paper but I wanted you to see them now." The binder shook in my hand as I reached over and placed it on her desk. "This is last time I bring my problems to you to try and fix and my last chance for proving my innocence. I will wave the white flag and surrender to the school's decision if that's what must be done."

"I assume these are because of Alex Maroney's article." She opened the binder and the tops of the letters popped out.

"Many were folded so I tried to straighten to make them quicker and easier to read."

Her eyebrow raised. "There's quite a few letters here to be written in such a short turnaround."

"They're all genuine...and signed," I told her. "You can confirm with each and every writer."

"That won't be necessary. I trust you, Jenny." She tucked the binder into her messenger bag. "I will give these letters to Principal Morris as well, but-," she paused, "be prepared for Friday's meeting."

#

Lily paced around the table. "You can't let her win!"

"I don't know how to defeat her," I answered. The words stung to admit but they were true. "We all know the truth but it's not enough."

Nicole stared out her sliding glass door and Lauren kept her head down. Tiff slammed the cabinet door in the kitchen.

"We tried our best but the drugs in my locker trumped everything. I've accepted that I may have to lessen my dream of an Ivy League education because of my suspension, but I've got two years to ace my AP classes, study for the SATs, and expand my extracurricular projects. I'll be okay."

"But it's not fair!" Lily's jaw tightened. "All is not right in the world if someone as awful as Courtney gets her way. And not just once, but twice she's done this. She sucks!"

"You're right. It's completely unfair but I've got a bright future, great friends, and a boyfriend I'm in love with. Life is still good."

I spoke those words and a part of me did believe them. My life was good, blessed more than most in this world, but I couldn't shake the anger buried deep inside. The unfairness of it hadn't gone away but all that was left for me to do was hope that Courtney messed up in some way or karma got her in the end. One thought made things a little better and a smile bubbled up to the surface.

"Courtney didn't truly win," I said.

Lily stopped pacing. "How so?"

"She did all this for Ben and it didn't work. He loves me."

She thought for a moment then said, "That's true...at least I know she has to walk around with that fact whirling around her brain."