Baby-Sitters Club 040

by Ann M. Martin

  "I decided it was time to do something about this awful situation," she said. "I always had a good relationship with the principal when I was at Stoneybrook Middle School. He might remember me." Remember her! Teachers and principals never forget Janine. They'll hold her up as an example of a model student for the next fifty years.

  "I know you didn't cheat, Claudia. And I'm going to talk to the principal about that test," she went on.

  I couldn't believe it. All I wanted was for everybody to forget about the whole thing.

  "I thought I told you to stay out of this!" I said to Janine angrily.

  "No," said Janine solemnly, "you told Mom and Dad to stay out of it. You never said I couldn't help." "But what are you going to tell him?" I asked. I didn't want the principal to know everything that had happened since the day of the test. If he did, I could be in even deeper trouble.

  "Don't worry," said Janine. "I'm only going to tell him about how hard you studied, and how well you were prepared for the test. I won't say a word about the conversation you overheard in the girls' room." "And you won't tell him about Shawna's locker, will you?" I asked.

  "Claudia," said Janine, "of course I won't." We'd been walking as we talked, and by then we'd reached the door of the principal's office. Suddenly, I felt hopeful. Janine seemed so determined. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea anymore. I smiled at Janine and whispered into her ear. "Thanks!" I said.

  She opened the door and disappeared inside. The door closed behind her.

  I stood in the hallway and waited, feeling incredibly nervous. The school was pretty quiet by then, and I could hear the clock above the door ticking off the minutes. Once in a while I smiled as someone I knew walked by on his way to team practice.

  The halls became completely silent. How long had Janine been in the office? I looked at the clock, but the minute hand had hardly moved. Then I heard footsteps. I looked up to see Mr. Zorzi coming down the hall.

  He nodded to me when he saw me. I couldn't meet his eyes. I watched as he walked into the principal's office. What was going on in there? I was dying to know.

  Just then, the door to the office opened wide. I saw the principal standing there, smiling at me. "Won't you come in, Claudia?" he asked.

  I looked down at my shoes. Oh, my lord! Suddenly I felt kind of silly in my wild outfit. I'd never have worn it if I'd known I'd end up in the principal's office.

  I took a deep breath and smiled back at him. Then I walked into his office. Mr. Zorzi and Janine were sitting there chatting as if they were the best of friends.

  "Please sit down, Claudia," said the principal. I looked around and saw a chair next to Janine. I slipped into it. I sat up straight and folded my hands in my lap, trying to look more like a nice, normal eighth-grader and less like someone ready for a trip to the ocean floor.

  Janine smiled at me, as if to say that everything was going to be all right. I gave her a weak smile in return.

  "Claudia," said the principal. "Janine tells me that you studied very hard for your math test last week." I nodded. I didn't trust my voice.

  "And she says that she's sure you knew the material," he continued.

  I nodded again. Janine had always been more sure of that than I was myself! "How did you feel when you took the test that day?" he asked.

  I cleared my throat. "I - I felt good," I answered. "I felt like I had done well on the test. I felt like all that studying had been worthwhile." Janine nodded encouragingly.

  "And you are willing to sit here and tell all of us that you absolutely did not take even one little peek at anyone else's paper?" The principal looked closely at me.

  "That's right," I answered in a steady voice. "I did not cheat." "Well," said the principal, "I always think everybody deserves a chance to prove his or her innocence. Innocent until proven guilty - that's the basis of our criminal justice system, isn't it, Mr. Zorzi?" Mr. Zorzi nodded, smiling at me.

  The principal went on. "I'd like you and Janine to leave Mr. Zorzi and me alone now," he said. "We'll work out a way for you to get a fair trial. He'll let you know tomorrow what it will be." He looked at Janine, and then at me. "Is that satisfactory?" Janine nodded and smiled. "Oh, yes. That's wonderful!" She stood up. "Thank you so much," she said.

  I just sat there, stunned. Janine's plan had worked. I was going to get a chance to prove I hadn't cheated! Chapter 14.

  I would probably still be sitting in the principal's office, in a state of total shock, if Janine hadn't grabbed my hand and dragged me home. I just couldn't believe that Janine had convinced the principal and Mr. Zorzi to give me another chance.

  "Why not?" asked Janine, when I said this to her later that night. "You deserve a second chance." Was this the same Janine that I'd fought with all those years? She was acting like the best big sister I could ever hope for. "So what do you think they'll decide?" I asked her. "I mean, what will I have to do to prove I didn't cheat?" "I can't be sure," answered Janine. "But I would bet that you're going to have to convince Mr. Zorzi that you really do know that material." "I'm nervous," I confessed.

  "There's no logical reason for you to feel that way," said Janine. "But we can go over a few problems if you'd like." I got out my math book, and we studied for about five minutes. Right away I could see that I did remember the material. In fact, it was so familiar that it was almost boring. I was ready to quit before long, and I figured that Janine was missing valuable time on her computer.

  "Janine, I think I'm all set," I said. "Thanks so much for what you did today." "That's all right, Claudia," she said. "Nobody gets away with calling my little sister a cheater." Janine is A-OK.

  I finished off my homework and then worked on my collage. It was almost done. I'd decided to give it to Janine as a thank-you present. Then I called Stacey.

  "You'll never believe where I was at three-fifteen this afternoon," I said when she answered the phone. I could picture her, standing in the kitchen. If we talked for awhile she'd probably stretch the phone cord down the hall and into the coat closet. That's the only way she can get any privacy during her phone calls. I know I'm incredibly lucky to have a phone in my own room.

  "Where were you?" she asked. "Not looking through Shawna's locker again, I hope!" "No way!" I had to laugh. How could we have done that? We were lucky that we didn't get caught. I told Stacey all about the scene in the principal's office.

  "Weren't you scared?" she asked.

  "Are you kidding?" I answered. "I was shaking like a leaf. But it was worth it." "What do you think they'll make you do?" she asked. I told her that it didn't matter. As long as they gave me a second chance, there was no way I was going to blow it.

  We talked for awhile longer. When it was time to get off the phone, she said something that reminded me of what she'd said on that fateful night before I got my grade. "Just think, Claud. By the time we have our next meeting, this will all be over." She was right. We had a Baby-sitters Club meeting the next afternoon. I hoped I'd have good news for everyone by then.

  I wore my lucky earrings to school the next day. Even though I felt pretty confident, I figured it couldn't hurt to have a little extra good luck.

  I made a point of arriving in math class a little early, so I could find out what Mr. Zorzi and the principal had decided. When I walked into his room, Mr. Zorzi was grading papers at his desk.

  "Claudia," he said. "I'm glad you're here early. This is what we've decided. During class today, you're going to take the test over again." I took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay," I said. "I'm ready." "The test isn't exactly the same," Mr. Zorzi went on. "It covers similar material, but the questions are different." He led me to a desk at the back of the room. "The rest of the class will be studying in small groups today, so if you work with your sister tonight you won't fall behind." I sat down at the desk and looked around me. No other desks were close by. Good! I didn't want there to be any doubt in anybody's mind that I could have, cheated on this test.

  The rest of the kids in my class were
drifting in by now. I got a couple of curious looks, but I ignored them. (I couldn't help noticing that Shawna looked like she was dying to know what I was up to.) I started to work on the test.

  This time, I wasn't nearly as tense. Once again there were questions that looked harder and questions that looked easier; I just started with the easier ones and worked my way through the test. When I had finished, I checked my work. Then I walked up to Mr. Zorzi's desk and handed the paper to him. There was still time left in the period, so he said he'd check it right away.

  I sat down at my regular desk and started to study. I wasn't exactly nervous, but I'll admit that the numbers and symbols on the page weren't making much sense to me. Once in awhile I looked up to see whether Mr. Zorzi had finished grading my test.

  Just before the bell rang, Mr. Zorzi called me to his desk. I crossed my fingers as I went to the front of the room.

  "You know, Claudia," said Mr. Zorzi, looking up at me as I stood in front of his desk. "I'm not just a teacher - I also help coach the boys' basketball team. And I believe that tak- ing a test is like playing a game. You can either win the game, or you can lose it." He looked at me to see if I was following his little speech. "If you lose," he continued, "it just .means you need more practice." What was he trying to tell me? I was dying for him to get to the point.

  "Good news, Claudia!" he said smiling. "You've won the game this time. You did even better on this test than on the first one. You only missed two questions." Wow! I had aced it! All right! "I owe you an apology, Claudia," said Mr. Zorzi. "I'm sorry that I accused you of cheating. I've learned a lesson from this." "That's okay, Mr. Zorzi," I said. "As long as you believe me now." I was impressed that he had apologized so directly.

  Then the bell rang and everybody got up to leave. "Just a minute," said Mr. Zorzi. "Shawna Riverson, please stop at my desk." Uh-oh. I stood to one side. I figured I had a right to hear what happened next.

  "Shawna," said Mr. Zorzi. "Claudia has just retaken the test she was accused of cheating on, and she has passed it with flying colors." Shawna looked at me for a second, and then back at him. "Yeah?" she asked. "So what?" "I believe she's demonstrated that she did not, in fact, cheat on the test," said Mr. Zorzi. "I'm going to have to ask you to prove the same thing." Shawna turned white.

  "You don't have to stay late today," he said. "You may take the test tomorrow morning during homeroom." Wait a minute, I thought. That didn't seem fair. That would mean that Shawna would have time to study for the test. But it turned out that it didn't matter.

  "I - I can't!" said Shawna. Now her face was red.

  "What do you mean?" asked Mr. Zorzi. "Aren't you going to be in school tomorrow?" "No!" said Shawna. "I mean, yes - I'm going to be in school. But I can't take the test." She rubbed her hands together anxiously.

  "Shawna, what are you saying?" asked Mr. Zorzi.

  "I can't take it because I don't know the material. I don't know it, and even if I studied all night I wouldn't pass the test." Shawna looked like she was about to cry. "I did it! I copied off of Claudia's paper!" My mouth dropped open. I never expected her to actually confess.

  Mr. Zorzi's mouth was open, too. Just for a moment. "Why, Shawna?" he asked. "Why did you cheat?" She told him the story - how she'd stretched herself too thin with her activities and clubs and all. "So I just didn't think there was any other way," she finished.

  "And you let me believe that Claudia was the one who had cheated?" Mr. Zorzi asked, frowning. "I think you owe her an apology." Shawna looked at me and mumbled something I barely heard. I didn't care. I'd done it! I'd stuck this thing out and I'd proved my innocence. With Janine's help, the mystery had been solved. Now everybody would know who the real villain was. I felt like a tremendous weight had fallen from my shoulders.

  Shawna, the cheater, was in tears. I almost felt sorry for her. Almost.

  Mr. Zorzi sent her straight to the principal's office, and I found out later that she got suspended for two days. Plus, she got an F on that test. Poor, poor Shawna.

  That's what Kristy said when I finished telling the story in the cafeteria. "Poor, poor Shawna." "I knew everything would work out," said Mary Anne.

  Stacey just smiled and gave me the thumbs-up sign.

  I felt terrific.

  Chapter 15.

  It was later that same day. I'd been in my room all afternoon, putting the finishing touches on my collage. I hummed along to the radio as I worked, and occasionally I burst into song. (I'm tone deaf, but as long as I'm sure nobody's around to hear me, I love to sing at the top of my lungs.) I was in a great mood.

  I hadn't looked at the clock for awhile, so I was totally amazed when I checked the time. It was 5:29 - and Kristy hadn't shown up for our meeting yet. Kristy's always so punctual. I couldn't believe she wasn't already sitting in the director's chair.

  I shrugged, turned up the radio, and went back to my collage. I knew everybody would start to straggle in within a few minutes.

  Just as I was in the middle of belting out a really romantic love song, the door to my room flew open.

  "SURPRISE!!" I almost jumped out of my skin. What a shock! There were all my friends, plus Janine, crowded around my door. They were loaded down with bags of chips and huge bottles of Coke. Jessi was holding a platter of chocolate chip cookies. All of them were grinning at me.

  I grinned back. "What's going on?" I asked.

  "We wanted to do something special for you," said Mallory.

  "We're proud of you," added Stacey. "You really hung in there!" "And Kristy had the idea to make this meeting kind of a party," said Dawn. "What do you think?" What did I think? I was overwhelmed. It's not too often that Kristy bends the rules and changes the form of a club meeting.

  "I think it's terrific!" I said. "And I think you are the best friends in the world." Then I saw Janine. She was hanging back shyly, trying to blend into the woodwork. She must have felt out of place. "And Janine is the best sister in the universe," I said, gesturing to her. "C'mon in, Janine. I've got something for you." I grabbed the collage and held it behind my back for a minute. "I wanted to give you some-ISO thing to show you how grateful I am for all your help," I said.

  "Oh, Claud," she said. "You don't have to do that! I enjoy helping you study." "Well, even if you do, I know you have lots of other things you could use that time for," I said. "And anyway, it's not just the study help. If you hadn't talked to the principal for me, I might never have gotten a second chance on that test." I showed her the collage. "I'd like you to have this," I said.

  Janine looked at it and smiled. "It's beautiful," she said. She held it up for everyone else to see. "Thank you, Claudia," she said. "I'll hang it in my room with pride." Just then, the phone rang. I'd totally forgotten that this was our regular meeting time! Kristy took the call.

  "Baby-sitters Club," she said. "Oh, hi, Mrs. Pike." She listened for a moment. "Oh, of course," she said. "I'll call you right back." "Mrs. Pike needs a sitter for the younger kids on Saturday afternoon," said Kristy. "She said she and Mr. Pike are taking the triplets to a movie matinee, to celebrate their un-grounding." "They're going to take them out for ice cream, afterwards," said Mallory. "I think she feels kind of bad about how long they were stuck inside. I'd watch Nicky and my sisters myself," she went on, "but Jessi and I are going to the mall on Saturday." Mary Anne checked the record book to see who was free, and Stacey got the job. After Kristy had called Mrs. Pike back, Mal filled us in on the rest of the story about the triplets.

  "You wouldn't believe how happy they are to be free again," she said. "They're acting human - it's a pleasure to be around them." "Are they going to get their allowances back?" asked Stacey.

  "Well," answered Mallory, "my parents realized that if the boys had to give up their allowances until the window was paid off, they'd be broke until they went to college!" The Pike kids get pretty tiny allowances - I guess because there are so many of them.

  "So Dad made a deal with the boys," continued Mal. "They're going
to work off their debt by doing chores around the house. You know, raking leaves, cleaning out the basement - that kind of stuff." "That's great!" said Dawn.

  "Yeah, they're pretty thrilled about it," said Mal. "Now they can get back into some serious baseball-card collecting." (The triplets don't collect baseball cards like some boys do - as investments. They just collect the cards of players they really like. That way, it doesn't cost as much - and they're just as happy.) "That's good news, Mal," I said. "I'm glad everything's settled, for them and for me." "That's right," said Mary Anne. "We've got a lot to celebrate. By the way, did Mr. Zorzi tell you what your grade would officially be?" I smiled. "Yes, it's true, sports fans," I said, pretending to speak into a microphone. "Claudia Kishi will go down in the record books for this one. She really earned that A-!" "All right, Claud!" said Dawn.

  "I'd like to propose a toast," said Kristy. Everybody scrambled to make sure they had some soda. (Dawn and Stacey were drinking plain old club soda.) Kristy held up her cup. "To Claudia," she said. "Congratulations! Nancy Drew would be proud of you. You solved the mystery, and you aced the test!" "Yea!" yelled Jessi and Mallory together.

  "Congratulations, Claud!" said Stacey.

  Everybody clinked their cups together (or pretended to clink them; plastic doesn't clink very well) and grinned at me.

  I was blushing. "Okay, you guys," I said.

  "Let's get down to some serious pigging out!" I opened up the chips and passed around the cookies.

  "Claudia," said Janine. "There's just one thing I want to ask you." "Yes?" I said.

  "Aren't you glad that Jessi made these cookies - instead of Gertrude?" I laughed. Then I explained the joke to my friends, and we all broke up. That day's meeting was one of the best we've ever had.

  At dinner that night, Janine told my parents what had been going on. They'd already heard that I'd gotten my A- back, but they didn't know the details. (Janine didn't tell them everything, for which I'm grateful.) "Claudia, honey," said my mother. "I'm so proud of you! You really stood your ground." "Well," I said. "I didn't want you to be disappointed in me. I knew I had to make sure my record was clear." "Your record is always clear with us," said my father.