Theodore Boone: The Scandal

Chapter 19

At eight Thursday morning, Theo walked into the school office and said hello to Miss Gloria, the school secretary. She missed nothing and quickly said, “I see you were absent yesterday. Everything okay?”

She was nosy and often pried into private matters. “All is well,” Theo said, “but I need to see Mrs. Gladwell.”

“About what?”

Maybe it’s none of your business, Theo thought, but he managed to smile and be polite. “My parents,” he said.

“Oh dear. I hope nothing is wrong.”

“They’re fine.”

He took a seat in the reception area and tried to ignore her. The phone rang and she answered it. Mrs. Gladwell arrived, in her usual early morning frenzy, and said hello. “Gotta minute?” Theo asked.

“Sure, Theo. What’s going on?”

They went into her office and closed the door. Theo took a seat and announced, “I skipped school yesterday, all day. I have no excuse.”

“Yes, I saw your name on the absentee list. Mr. Mount said you sent a text but never showed up. That’s not like you, Theo.”

“I’m sorry.”

“And you’ve told your parents?”

“Yes. Last night. They are not happy. I can’t play golf for a month, and here I am in your office, waiting for my punishment.”

“Very well. Let’s do an extra hour of study hall after classes for the next five days. Fair enough?”

“Whatever you say,” Theo said.

“Okay. Now scoot along. I have a busy morning.”

Not bad, Theo thought, as he sprinted by Miss Gloria’s desk and out the door.

During morning recess, he found April on the playground. He was relieved she was at school. Her punishment for skipping was nothing because her mother had sent a note saying she’d been ill. That wasn’t fair, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it. She informed him that she had written a letter to Dr. Carmen Stoop, the school superintendent, and in the letter she admitted being the anonymous informant. She admitted everything and apologized for getting involved.

“Don’t send that letter,” Theo said as firmly as possible.

“I’m going to. This is all my fault, and I feel terrible.”

“Don’t send that letter. It doesn’t help anyone, especially you. It will just make your life more complicated, and it could also cause trouble for Janelle and her sister Binky.”

“I’m sorry, Theo. I disagree.”

“Look, April, the first letter was a mistake, right? You sent it without talking to me first. This other letter will just make things worse.”

“I disagree.”

“Come on, April, you always say you trust me when it comes to the law, right?”

“I suppose.”

“What do you mean, ‘You suppose’? Do you trust me or not?”

“Yes.”

“Then don’t send that letter until I read it, okay?”

“I’ll think about it.”

During third-period Government class, Mr. Mount began, as he often did, with a current topic by saying, “Let’s talk about the arrests yesterday of the five teachers from East Middle School. Who thinks they should be prosecuted and put on trial?”

Theo wanted to crawl under his desk. No one in the room had a clue that he was so thoroughly involved in the mess. He vowed to keep his mouth shut.

Woody, he with the quick trigger, said, “Sure. They caught ’em cheating, and now they have to pay the price.”

Justin disagreed. “What law did they break? If they did it, then they were wrong, no question about it. They should be fired, but they’re not criminals.”

Brandon asked, “Is cheating always against the law? I mean, if we cheat on a test, are we breaking the law? I don’t think so.”

Edward said, “My mom says they’re going to throw out all the tests and make us do it again. Now, that’s a crime. If that happens, then I think they should go to jail for a long time.”

Darren said, “My dad says the whole idea of testing is bogus to begin with. Why allow some kids in high school to get smaller classes and better teachers? Why shouldn’t we all be treated the same?”

Mr. Mount was smiling because he’d hit a hot button. He said, “Okay, good points, but let’s stay away from the tests for a minute and talk about the arrests, prosecution, and possible jail time for teachers. It strikes me as a bad idea.”

Brandon said, “Okay, do you think cheating is always a crime?”

“Of course not. It’s always wrong and some forms of cheating are clearly against the law. For example, if you cheat on your income taxes, the IRS can charge you with a crime. If you cheat on an application for a home loan, you could probably be prosecuted. But cheating on a test in school is not a crime.”

“Now you tell us,” Woody said, and got a few laughs.

“Oh, it’s wrong,” Mr. Mount said. “You would be punished, maybe suspended or expelled.”

Chase asked, “So, Mr. Mount, what do you think should happen to the teachers?”

“I’m a teacher, so I guess I’m sympathetic to them. But I want to know what you think.”

Mr. Mount looked at Theo, who quickly looked away. He let it pass, said nothing, and tried to lie low. The debate raged for half an hour, and Theo managed to keep his mouth shut.