“We’re leaving now,” Misty said, glancing at her mom, who smiled and nodded.
“I gather Katie has a plan,” her mom said.
Misty grinned. “Katie always has a plan. I think she was born to fight for the underdog. She’ll be a mini-Helen if she decides to go into law. Or maybe even president. She’s smart enough.”
“So are you,” her mom said loyally.
“I haven’t felt smart for a while now, but today?” She shrugged. “I almost feel like my old self again.”
There were half a dozen kids already waiting at Katie’s by the time they got there. As the group walked toward the high school, more kids fell into step with them. By the time they reached the high school, there were maybe twenty kids surrounding Misty, clearly eager to face down Greg or anyone else who dared to taunt her.
Just inside the building, Misty spotted Greg with a couple of the teammates who’d been suspended from the team along with him. He looked as if he were going to get in her face, but her friends moved en masse to block him.
Misty worked her way between them until she was facing him. “No more,” she said quietly. “This is over.”
“Not even close,” he said with what seemed more like sheer bravado than real conviction.
“Don’t you get it yet?” she asked. “You’ve lost way more than I have. Sure, you tried to ruin my reputation and I almost let you get away with it, but you’ve lost your scholarship and your whole future.” She held his gaze. “Tell me the truth, Greg. Was it worth it?”
Then, holding her head high, she walked right past him and down the hallway to her first class, her friends right there with her.
She was shaking by the time she reached her classroom, but Katie reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I am so proud of you. You looked him right in the eyes, Misty. That took real guts.”
“I was shaking,” Misty admitted.
“Doesn’t matter. In fact, I think that’s what courage is, being scared and doing what needs to be done, anyway.”
Misty gave her a hug, then smiled at the others who were still standing guard around her. “Thank you, all of you.”
“Hey, it could have been any one of us,” Susie said quietly. “In fact, at one time or another, it probably has been.”
To Misty’s surprise, Hailey, a friend of Annabelle’s who’d never even given her the time of day before, separated herself from the crowd. Looking nervous, she met Misty’s gaze.
“I just wanted to say I’m sorry,” she said in a whisper. “For everything.”
Before Misty could absorb the wonder of that admission, Hailey was gone.
The warning bell rang then and they all scattered. Misty walked into her classroom and for the first time in months felt the knot in her stomach finally ease.
Laura was still a little flushed and giddy from an incredible, passion-filled night when she was called into Betty’s office the next morning.
After a precious few moments of pleasantries, Betty inquired, “Do I need to remind you that we have a very strict morals clause in our contract with our teachers?”
Laura stared at her. “Excuse me?” But even as the words left her mouth, she put two and two together. “Let me guess. Mariah Litchfield was on the phone to you first thing this morning because she spotted J.C.’s car at my house.”
“Correct,” Betty said.
“And after everything that’s gone on, you can’t see that for the attempt at retaliation it is?”
“Of course I can,” Betty said impatiently. “I told her I’d bring it to your attention and I have.”
Then to Laura’s surprise, she grinned. “Under the circumstances, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. The school board is very impressed with how well you and J.C. handled the whole thing with Annabelle and Misty. That much was evident at the emergency board meeting. You could probably get away with just about anything right now, and I’m in a pretty generous and forgiving mood myself these days.”
Laura thought of what they’d discovered on Friday. They were still awaiting confirmation from Chief Rollins’s sources before tackling the latest situation.
“Well, you might want to prepare them for the possibility that it’s not over just yet,” she said, then filled Betty in on their suspicions about Greg Bennett, not only stirring things up at the rally, but taking over where Annabelle had left off online.
“Oh, sweet heaven!” Betty murmured.
Laura held up her hand. “I think Misty wants to tackle this one on her own. She’s back in school today, and she fully intends to deal with Greg in her own way. Let’s give her that chance. She needs to feel in control of her life again.”