I bit my lip and flushed as I opened the door. Principal Morris was seated behind his desk, thumbing through a copy of The New York Times. He didn’t even look up when I shut the door. Suddenly, my heart started to thud in my chest. Something was obviously very, very wrong here…and I had a feeling it wasn’t going to end well.
“So,” I said nervously as I lowered myself into a chair facing the principal’s desk. “What’s up?”
Principal Morris sighed. He was an older man, with longish sideburns and a white beard that made him look a little like a walrus. Among the faculty and staff, he was generally well-liked. But he didn’t have a warm demeanor, and I’d never felt it more than I did right now.
“What’s the problem?” I asked nervously.
Principal Morris meticulously folded his paper and set it down on his desk. I cringed – it seemed like he was being deliberately slow.
“Well, June, I’m not going to lie. There is a problem.”
I exhaled a shaky, nervous breath. “Okay,” I said. “Can you tell me what it is?”
Principal Morris narrowed his bushy eyebrows at me. “June, Andrew Lipinski was fired this morning.”
My jaw dropped. “He’s the one who made those drawings,” I said quickly. “And he stalked me, outside of school. He tried to pull me into an alley and—“
Principal Morris held up his hand. “Please, June – don’t say anything else.”
“What’s going on?” I asked nervously. “What does any of this have to do with me?”
“We’re not sure yet,” Principal Morris said. “But I know that until we get to the bottom of this, I’m going to have you placed on leave without pay.”
My jaw dropped. “Me?” I squeaked. “Me?! But I haven’t even done anything,” I shrieked loudly. “This is all about Andy, it’s all his fault!”
“I’m sorry, June, this is our policy,” Principal Morris said. “Please, gather your things and you’ll be escorted from the building.”
My heart sank. “You can’t do that in front of my students,” I protested. My eyes filled with tears as I realized this was really happening – it wasn’t some horrible dream, and I wasn’t going to wake up any time soon.
“I’m sorry, it’s out of my hands,” Principal Morris said.
He didn’t sound sorry.
“Okay.” I stood up, my chin wobbling with the force of my emotions. “Fine. I’ll leave. In fact, I’ll leave right now. I don’t need anything from my classroom,” I added with a sniffle.
“Oh, and June?”
“Yes?” Please, please tell me this was all some kind of sick joke, I thought. Please, help me!
“Don’t forget to shut my door on the way out,” Principal Morris said. His head was already buried back in the paper. “Damn secretaries like to leave it open.”
My heart sank. “Yeah,” I said. “I won’t forget.”
Chapter Thirteen
Thomas
Just as I was leaving the office on Monday, my phone buzzed in my pocket. When I saw it was June, I grinned.
“Hey, you,” I said. “I was just thinking about you. What’s up? This is the first time you’ve ever called me,” I teased. “Start of something new?”
June didn’t reply.
“Hello?” I pulled the phone away from my ear and frowned, wondering if she’d accidentally pocket-dialed me. But when I held it back to my ear, I could hear her.
She was sobbing.
“Thomas,” June managed to squeak. “I’m in trouble.” She broke down again and my ear was filled with the hysterical cry of her sobs.