"I am sorry to say that only one person in this class made a hundred and she chose to take the exam by her own voilition," Mr. Harmon said walking into the classroom and turning to stare at the group of students. "Every one else made at or above an eight-five."

"But that's good," Andrew Parks said from the front row. "Why do you look so glum?"

"Because someone broke into the trunk of my car the night before last, opened my briefcase and copied the answers to the exam," Harmon explained. "There was a carbon sheet beneath the test. The marks where the answers were copied showed clearly." He paused and looked around the room, his eyes lighting on three of his students who generally had the most problems. "I had hoped that one student would stand out on his...or her...grade and I could recognize the culprit. But since the only perfect score was by the new student, that didn't pan out. So, I am throwing away all the scores for this exam and unless the guilty party comes forward, there will be a new exam on Monday morning."

There was a lot of grumbling but Harmon demanded the students quieten down and then class began. Joe caught Callie glance back at him, a thoughtful look on her face. "Ms. Shaw," Harmon said, catching her not paying attention. "Perhaps you could share with the class what is so interesting in the back of the room?"

"Er, nothing, Mr. Harmon," Callie replied, blushing as she turned to face forward once again.

By lunch time, news of the pilfered answers had leaked over the entire school. When Joe entered the cafeteria and took his seat beside Frank, everyone went silent. "What?" he demanded, looking around.

Tony, Phil, and Chet kept quiet and seemed to be paying apt attention to their plates. Biff looked at Joe. "Isn't Jeanine coming?" he asked.

"I don't think so," Joe replied. "She said she had to do something during lunch."

"Joe," Chet spoke up. "Did you, er..." he stopped, unsure how to continue.

"Did I what?" Joe demanded, his eyes narrowing on Chet.

"Did you get the answers to the history exam?" Phil asked flat out, looking Joe straight in the eyes.

"What?" Joe whispered, shocked his friends would think him capable of doing such a thing.

"That's crazy!" Frank exclaimed in Joe's defense. "Joe would never do something like that."

"He said he did," Tony reminded him. "Yestrerday."

"He was mad," Callie defended Joe. "He would never cheat."

"Nor would he break into someone's car!" Vanessa declared hotly.

Joe felt some better that Frank, Vanessa and Callie were sticking up for him but the fact that his other friends thought him capable of breaking and entering and cheating wounded him. He sat quietly trying to deal with what he was perceiving as his friends betrayal.

"Joe?" Chet asked, ignoring the others' eruptions. "Did you?"

Joe straightened his shoulders. "What do you think?" he demanded, staring his oldest and dearest friend in the eyes. Chet lowered his eyes first. "I see," he said, his voice low. He stood up and picked up his tray.

"Joe," Vanessa said, looking up at him questioningly.

"I've lost my appetite," Joe stated, then left the table. After dropping off his tray, he left the cafeteria.

"How could you guys?" Callie demanded. "You know Joe would never do that."

"We heard him..." Tony began.

"You know how Joe is when he is mad," Callie insisted. "He said that to get back at me yesterday. He would never do anything like that."

"I thought you and Joe weren't getting along so well," Phil observed. Frank's eyes narrowed thoughtfully on Callie, silently agreeing with him. "So why are you sticking up for him so much? Looks like that would be Frank's job."

"You're right," Callie agreed, looking over at Frank. "Why aren't you sticking up for Joe?" she demanded.

"I don't need too," he admitted. "You're doing just fine."

"If you'll excuse me," Vanessa said, standing up and picking up her own tray. "I don't seem to be hungry either." She left and went in search of Joe.

Vanessa found Joe outside on the front steps. She sat down beside him. "Are you okay?" she asked, putting a hand on his arm.

"Yeah," Joe replied, a frown on his face. "I just can't believe they thought I would do that," he added, shaking his head. "I think maybe there is only one way to prove to them I didn't do it."

"You don't have to prove anything," Vanessa told him.

"Apparently, I do," Joe corrected her. "If it were just anyone, it wouldn't matter. But these guys are my best friends."

"Which is why they shouldn't doubt you," Vanessa insisted.

"But they do," Joe responded dejectedly. He stood up. "I'm going to find out who broke into Harmon's car and copied the answers."

"I'll help," she offered, standing up too.

"Thanks, babe," Joe said, leaning over and giving her a quick kiss. "But this is something I have to do."

"I understand," she said. "Good luck."

Joe smiled at her as he climbed the steps and went back into the building.

Joe knocked on Mr. Harmon's door a few minutes later. "Come in," he shouted.

Joe entered the office and went to stand in front of his desk. "Mr. Harmon, I would like to try and find out who broke into your trunk and copied the answers," Joe said.

Harmon looked up at Joe and smiled. "I was wondering when you would get around to that," he said. "An unsolved mystery around a Hardy is unheard of." Joe smiled. "However, I'm afraid that it won't be possible."

"Why not?" Joe demanded, his blue eyes narrowed on his teacher.

"I called the police when I discovered the break-in. They found no prints anywhere. As for the carbon, I didn't discover it until after the police had finished their inspection and departed. Thinking they could find nothing but words from the carbon, I disposed of it. So you see," Harmon replied, shrugging his shoulders. "There is no longer any evidence."

"Great," Joe mumbled.

"Do you mind if I ask why it seems so important to you to find the person responsible?" Harmon quiered. "You appear to be taking this personally."

Joe explained about his quarrel with Callie the previous evening resulting in his silly remark about cheating. "And now my friends think I am the one who did the deed, so to speak," he ended.

"Joe, your friends may be suspicious now, but they know you, as do I. It just isn't morally possible for you to do something like that. They will realize it and be sorry," Harmon comforted him.

"What makes you so sure I wasn't the one who did it?" Joe demanded.

Harmon smiled. "The door is near the back of the room. I heard Jeanine telling you about the battle before I entered. You are a good student and I think you could do better but with your, er, extra-curricular activities, shall we say, I understand why you don't devote as much of your time to your studies as I would prefer you did."

"Thank you, Mr. Harmon," Joe replied, smiling appreciatively at the man. "That means a lot."

"Don't mention it," Harmon replied. "Now, I think perhaps you had better go get ready for your next class. The bell is about to ring."

After school, all the teens gathered at Mr. Pizza's, as usual. "Did you find out anything?" Vanessa whispered as Joe took the seat beside her.

"No," Joe replied with a scowl and told her about his conversation with Mr. Harmon.

"See, people do believe in you," she told him smartly, leaning over and kissing him on the cheek.

"Yeah, but why can't these people believe in me?" he asked, indicating his friends as they took their seats.

"Hello," said a young woman in a white shirt and blue skirt. "My name is Kelly and I'm taking pictures for Pauline Simpson," she introduced herself. "She has cancer and I and some of her other friends are trying to get enough donations to help pay for her medical costs. One instant snapshot is a five dollar donation?"

"Sure," the teens agreed at once. The girl used an entire roll snapping pictures of the teens. After handing out the pictures and accepting the donations, she thanked the teens and left.

"Can I take your order?" Tony asked, coming over to the group.

"I thought Tuesdays and Sundays were your days off," Frank commented.

"I traded with Jim," Tony informed him. "He had to go see his lawyer about something this afternoon."

After placing their order, Callie and Vanessa excused themselves to go to the ladies' room and Biff and Joe departed for the men's room. Frank noticed Jeanine looking at him curiously. "Is something the matter?" he asked.

"I was wondering why you had your picture made twice with Callie? Isn't she Joe's girlfriend?" Jeanine asked, shocking Chet, Phil, Sandy and Helen into silence.

"No," Frank said with a little laugh. "I thought we told you yesterday that Callie and I were dating?"

"Well, yeah," Jeanine said a bit uncomfortably. "But I thought I hadn't heard right. I mean, why else would Callie and Joe be hugging at school this morning and she telling him she loved him?"

"What are you talking about?" Frank demanded, his eyes narrowing in dislike.

"Biff and I were looking for somewhere private to talk this morning and we interrpted Joe and Callie in Sykes' detention room."

Jeanine looked up and saw Biff returning to the table. She stood up. "I need to visit the ladies' room," she said. "I apologize if I offended you," she added, moving away. She gave Biff a quick kiss on the cheek as she passed by him.

When Biff sat down, Chet looked over at him. "I hear you caught Joe and Callie necking in detention," he teased.

"Something like that," Biff agreed teasingly, sneaking a glace at Frank that was observed by all.