Chapter 4: The Assembly Plan

The homeroom teacher glared at me, then her foot hit something—three wallets. One pink, one brown, one with a cartoon sticker. She scooped them up, face stormy. “Did you steal these? Your desk partner said you took his stuff. Looks like you’re a real thief.” She didn’t wait for an answer, already building her case. I clenched my fists, saving my anger for the big show later. “Those all fell out of Brittany’s stuff. She’s always stealing from underclassmen. You know that, right?”

“Nonsense!” She jabbed her finger in my face, spitting as she spoke: “Brittany’s no angel, but you? You’re the one with a record. Who do you think they’ll believe?” I laughed, bitter. “Sure, I stole them all. Let the owners come and see for themselves.” She got the confession she wanted and stormed off. “I’ll have the owners identify you in person. Let the whole school see what a thief looks like.”

I looked unfazed—actually, I was counting down the minutes until I’d get my shot on stage. The place I’d feared most was now where I’d take control. Every word that stabbed at my lungs, every look of contempt—I remembered them all. Today, I’d pay them back a hundredfold. This time, I wasn’t going to stand there and take it. I had a plan. And the whole school was about to watch.