The BSC Legacy - Book 1: Brave New World of High School

By: CNJ

PG-13

9: Missing Composition

Stacey:

Monday, Tuesday, then...Thanksgiving break is here! Monday was a little odd in several ways. I walked to school with Claudia and Mary Anne. SHS is a bit closer than SMS to McLelland Court, so Kristy, Anna, and Abby don't have to take the bus the way they did in middle school. Kristy had gotten there early and since the bell wouldn't ring for another fifteen minutes, we hung around by a tall skinny tree and talked. All around us, small groups of kids did the same thing. It was chilly, but not freezing. Near the dumpsters, I could see Randy Greenhold and two other guys passing around a cigarette. I think the smell from the garbage there camouflages the cigarette smell in case a teacher happens to come by. Alan Gray hung around, hoping to get a puff, but I think Randy told him to get lost, because Alan slunk off, pouting. Just then, someone came running up and I could hear her gasping. It was Abby and she hugged Kristy. We were surprised to see that she was in tears.
"Abby!" I said, alarmed. "What's wrong?!"
"What's..." Kristy looked bewildered and hugged her back. "Heyy, hey, Ab, what is it?"
"I'm j-just..." Abby sniffled and pulled away, wiping her eyes. "Glad you're all right, Kristy."
"Why wouldn't I be?" Kristy asked. Mary Anne handed her a tissue and stroked her.
"It's...on the way here...I saw the car...it was so totaled...smashed in this horrible accident and it looked like the Junk Bucket...I was so scared it was your brother and you...I know he gives you a ride sometimes...I was afraid it was you until I saw the tag number."
"Wow...that's scary," Mary Anne said softly. Abby became calmer as we talked more. Abby and Anna's dad died in a car accident when they were nine, so I knew it was especially frightening for Abby to see a wrecked car.
"I'm just thankful it wasn't your brother's car, Kristy," Abby blew her nose.
"Me too," I put in as the first bell rang and we headed to our lockers.

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Mary Anne, Abby, and I have the same sixth-period English class, so after lunch the three of us go to our lockers, change books, then head to MS. Fedders' room together. I was glad I'd finished that big composition on Friday night. Over the weekend, I'd shown it to Mary Anne to check and she said it was perfect. I dropped my other books in my locker, pulled out my English and Russian books, closed my locker, then turned to listen to Abby talk about the soccer game the SHS Barracudas played against Burkeview High the second Saturday in November. We'd almost won, but had lost by one point. I was glad that Abby seemed herself again, her scare of this morning fading. "...was a good move on Kathy Maski's part, that play, but I guess Joyce Warren anticipated that move and topped it. Oh, well, she's sharp, so we gotta look out for her the next game we play with Burkeview!" Abby finished with a laugh and closed her locker. Just as Mary Anne closed her locker, her eyes widened a little and I turned instinctively, wondering if there was someone sneaking up on us. There wasn't...but only Cokie Mason squirming past us toward her next class, bumping into me a little. She brushed my English folder, gave me a smirk and Mary Anne a dirty look and darted on, pushing against a cluster of juniors, who gave her dirty looks. Just then the bell rang and the three of us rushed to English. I know Cokie's not crazy about the BSC and Mary Anne's a little nervous around her.
"I thought she was eavesdropping on us," Mary Anne whispered.
"Don't mind her," Abby added. "We weren't discussing our deep, dark secrets." But Cokie had been after something else...

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Mary Anne:

When Ms. Fedders was collecting our essays, I noticed Stacey looking nervous as she emptied her folders onto her desk.
"I know it was here, " she whispered. She was close to tears by the time Ms Fedders noticed. "I had it here before class...and it's gone."
"It's okay..." Ms Fedders soothed. "Since you've always had your homework on time, I won't hold this one against you."
Poor Stacey! She worked so hard on that composition and I think it was stolen! After class, Abby and I tried to comfort her. By then, she was crying hard. I told Ms. Fedders that I'd checked her essay and Ms. Fedders promised not to mark her down for it. As we parted and headed toward our last classes, I met Kristy on the way to gym and told her what had happened. "Oh...God," she gasped. We sat at our gym lockers to change. We were quiet as the other girls talked.
"....I asked Cokie what she was writing..."Toni Marks' voice sailed across the floor. "She had another paper, I think, somebody else's and was copying it. I pitched a note at her and she wrote back, An essay for English. They're Grace Blume's notes. Cokie has English last period. I almost laughed and Ms Quebec almost caught us. Cokie got all defensive and hid the paper under her folder."
"Cheating as usual," another girl added. "Probably Grace loaned her the essay so she could copy it. Cokie's too lazy and irresponsible to do her own homework, so she's always bumming off Grace."
Kristy and I heard this and stared at each other. Stacey's comp! I mouthed. We didn't want to let on what we'd overheard. Cokie was right by us before English, I mouthed. Kristy nodded, a determined look on her face. We have to catch up with Cokie and get the paper back, Kristy mimed.
"What are those two doing, pantomiming signals?" Toni pointed at us and laughed.
"Who knows?" another Sara Trentwood added. "They're from that baby-sitters' group and are all weird." Kristy and I ignored them as they laughed and ran out to the gym.

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Claudia:

Kristy and Mary Anne told us what had happened in Monday's BSC meeting.
"Don't worry, we'll get it back," Mary Anne put an arm around Stacey, who was gloomy and quiet. Several times during the meeting, Stacey looked close to tears. Kristy glanced at Stacey as she took a call from a Ms. Lark, and I got the feeling she'd just come up with one of her famous ideas.
"I think you have one of your famous ideas..." I told her.
"Hey...just a minute...Kristy paused dramatically. "And I do." We all chuckled a little and even Stacey managed a weak smile.
"Yup...you guessed." Kristy looked around at us. "Mary Anne...Abby...Grace is in your English class, right?" Mary Anne and Abby looked at each other, then nodded.
"So...tomorrow, we huddle near them, looking natural, then act as if we heard Cokie was cheating off Grace again."
"How is that going to..." Abby asked.
"Grace will hear us," Kristy grinned. "Then she'll demand to know what's going on with Cokie. Then Mary Anne and Abby can have a nice talk with Ms. Fedders, who will ask to see Grace...and Grace, who doesn't want to get in trouble will spill it on Cokie."
"Swell idea..." I nodded.
"Just remember...Kristy told us. "Act normal...natural! This meeting is..."
"Adjourned!" we all finished, then got up to head home.

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Stacey:

Tuesday we still weren't hopeful I'd get my stolen essay back. I could barely eat breakfast and several times Mom felt my cheek to see if I was sick.
The BSC met at the fence with a plan. We found Grace Blume and Cokie by the door.
"So..." Kristy said pointedly, looking at the rest of us. "Toni was telling us that Cokie's cheating off Grace again." Sure enough, Cokie heard and looked over at us. Grace looked at her, than at us.
"Oh, God!" Mary Anne gasped in fake shock. "You know...Grace could get into trouble too..."
"Just what are you talking about?" Grace came over to us.
"Ignore them..." Cokie whispered. "It's...English...something I borrowed."
"Oh...right!" Grace nodded. "My study guide...my notes...you know how hard Ms. Fedders is..." Laughing, they walked off. I felt my heart sink as my friends and I looked at each other in defeat. "Shit..." Kristy muttered. "I'll have to come up with a better idea."
Kristy did have a much better idea by lunch. Mary Anne remembered much of what I had written in that comp. Not word for word, but phrases here and there and the basic gist of most of it. Grace was in my English class too. So Grace couldn't know what was in that essay unless Cokie had hooked class to show it to her in two minutes!
"Cool," Abby nodded. She, Mary Anne and I ate quickly, then headed to Ms. Fedders' room early. We told her what Mary Anne and Kristy had overheard in the gym locker room and could maybe she ask Grace and Toni, who were also in our class what was going on. Ms. Fedders listened soberly, then nodded.

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The bell rang and we scurried out of our last classes to our lockers. The halls were absolute pandemonium for a few minutes as kids made mad dashes for their lockers eager to start their Thanksgiving vacations. Mary Anne, Abby, and I talked about our T-day plans as we edged toward our lockers, trying not to bump into anyone and avoiding being crashed into. I was feeling a bit better, knowing what a help my friends were, even if that composition was never found.
"BYYYYE, have a happy Thanksgiving! Caitlin Giotti called to us as she raced out of SHS along with a chunk of other students.
"Happy Thanksgiving!" we called back. We stood still and let the rushing crowd thin out until just a few kids lingered in the hallways. Then we opened our lockers to put away our books and get our jackets.
"You know..." I told my friends as the rest of the BSC caught up with us. "I'm lucky to have you all as my friends."
"Oh, Stacey!" Mary Anne's eyes filled with tears and her face reddened. "That's sweet..." She fumbled for a tissue, dropping her notebook. I grinned and gave her a hug.
"Stacey?" Ms. Fedders was coming toward us with her jacket and her purse. I turned, dropping my honors trig book on Mary Anne's notebook. Ms. Fedders was smiling. "Good news. I've found your composition...and the culprit."
"Oh, thank you, Ms. Fedders," I sighed in relief.
"It worked," Kristy whispered.
"Are you all right, Mary Anne?" Ms Fedders asked. "Goodness, you're crying..."
"Oh, yes, I'm all right," Mary Anne wiped her eyes.
"Well, have a happy and safe holiday, girls," Ms Fedders smiled at us and walked on out. The hall was almost empty by now, so we gathered up our things and headed out to...T-day vacation!