The Secret of the Stone
Chapter 1

“Violet, Violet!” I heard my mother coming up the stairs. “Are you coming down to eat breakfast before school?” She was standing in the doorway of my room. She could tell by the look on my face that something was wrong? I was sitting on my bed with my elbows on my knees. “Do you want to talk about it?” She asked as she sat down beside me. She put her arm around my shoulders.

“I don’t think I am feeling well?” I cleared my throat as if it were scratchy. She felt my forehead but it was cool.

“Letti, is something going on at school that you are not telling me about? You have been moping around here all weekend long.”

I sighed a long sigh. My mom and I had just moved to Crawford because she had got a new job. What she didn’t know was that every morning some girls at my new school would try to start a fight with me, Madison and her two cronies Dee Dee and Mimi. Last week I was in the school library finishing up my homework and when I stepped away from the table to check out a book, Dee Dee stole my homework and tore it into pieces. And if that wasn’t all, they would throw paper clips and food at me when the teachers weren’t looking. And worst of all, the teachers think that Madison can do no wrong. They think that I am the one who is bullying ‘poor Madison’.”

“Nothing,” I answered my mom. I grabbed my backpack, kissed my mom on the cheek and rushed out the door before she could question me further. I don’t know why I didn’t tell my mom the truth. I guess I didn’t want her to worry, besides Madison was the most popular girl at school and if the parents got involved it may have only made things worse. I already didn’t have any friends because the other kids were afraid of Madison. “Yes,” I thought it would be better if I handled things myself.

I walked through the gate that led to the front doors of the school, and entered the building. Sure enough, as I turned the corner to go down the hallway where my class was located, I could hear Madison, Dee Dee and Mimi heading in my direction talking loudly and giggling. I tried to turn around before they could see me but Dee Dee spotted me.

“Look Madison!” I heard her say. “Hey Veronica!” she called out to me but before I could get away, they had me surrounded. I didn’t answer but only glared at her. “Are you deaf, didn’t you hear me talking to you?” she taunted.

“Yeah, Victoria, don’t you hear us talking to you?” Madison added.

“That’s not my name.” I snapped.

“What did you say?” Mimi asked. I tried to go around them but at each turn they blocked my path. I turned to see what Mimi was doing behind my back when I felt Dee Dee grab the back of my book bag. I turned back to her.

“Hey! What is your problem?” I yelled.

“You,” said Dee Dee. I tried to get through them when Dee Dee shoved me backward. I was so annoyed with them, that before I knew it I had pushed her hard as I could. She stumbled back and fell to the ground. All of the background noise of the students ceased and two teachers rushed towards us.

“What is going on here?” said one on the teachers.

“Violet, pushed Dee Dee!” cried Madison.

“She started it!” I yelled to my own defense.

“Alright, that’s enough,” the other teacher said as he helped dazed Dee Dee from the ground. “Come on, all of you. You can explain to the principal what happened.”

We walked into the principal’s office and were instructed to sit down on two perpendicular benches against the wall. Mimi and Dee Dee sat on one bench and Madison and I sat on the other. One of the teachers watched us as the other one went in to tell the principal what she had seen.

“You did it now,” laughed Madison. I rolled my eyes at her. The teacher who watched us gave Madison a stern look.

“You just wait until after school and then we can finish this up.” Dee Dee warned me.

“That’s enough!” said the teacher. Madison went over to sit with her friends and the teacher sat on the bench beside me.

“Sometimes it’s difficult fitting in at a new school, but just give it some time.” he said as the principal stepped out the door of his office. “You’ll find your place. He reassured me. The principle stared at us with a disappointed look on his face and then asked Dee Dee to come into his office.

After several minutes Dee Dee emerged from the office looking quite satisfied that she had won. She grinned at me before grabbing her back pack off the bench and heading out the door. The principal then asked Madison and Mimi to come in. I sat on the bench awaiting my turn and wandering what lies Dee Dee and her friends had told the principal and how much trouble I would be in when my mother found out I had gotten into a fight. Finally the principal called me in as Madison and Mimi walked out the door. Madison purposely bumped into me on her way out.

“Violet, I will talk with you now,” said the principal.

I walked into his office and sat down. The principal peered at me through his glasses that hung too far down on his nose. He neither smiled nor showed any emotion.

“Violet, I know that it is difficult coming to a new school but we do not tolerate bullying and fighting here.” I had expected that he would ask me for my side of the story before deciding who was at fault when I suddenly realized that I was the one being accused of starting the fight.

“Mr. Thomas, Dee Dee pushed me first,” I declared.

“Violet, I have two witnesses that say that you have been harassing Dee Dee for no reason and Mrs. Smith saw you push her.” I squirmed uncomfortably in my chair. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

“This is ridiculous!” I could no longer contain myself. “Mr. Thomas! That is not true. Dee Dee pushed me first!”

“The witnesses said that she did not push you, Violet.” said Mr. Thomas. “It’s their word against yours.”

“The witnesses are her friends and they are not telling the truth. This is not fair!” I leaned back in the chair with my arms crossed.

“Violet, I am going to have to call your mother and tell her what happened today.” He said as he straightened some papers that were stacked on his desk. “We do not tolerate bullying and fighting at this school. If you want to continue to be here you are going to have to make better decisions in the way you conduct yourself. You can wait for your mother outside.” I grabbed my backpack and stomped out the door and dropped down on the bench outside of his office. The secretary paused and gave me and odd look before continuing her work on the computer.

About thirty minutes later my mom arrived. She saw me sitting on the bench outside of the principal’s office and came and sat down beside me. I was about to explain to her what happened.

“Violet, are you alright?” She asked. “I know that you would never do anything like this. What really happened?” I told my mom the entire story about how Madison had been harassing me since I started going to the school here and how Dee Dee pushed me, and that the principal didn’t believe me.

“Mrs. Verbena,” the principal said as he came out of his office. “I am glad you could come.” My mother and I went into his office. I listened to my mother and the principal discuss the situation, my mother explained to the principal that I was not usually in trouble at school. At the end of the meeting it was decided that my mother would take me home for the rest of the day but I could return to school tomorrow.

“Violet, because you have never been in trouble before and your mother has assured me that this type of behavior is out of character for you, you can come back to school tomorrow. But if I see you in my office again for fighting the consequences will be much more severe,” he threatened then his tone softened, “If you are having a problem with another student you should tell one of your teachers or stop by my office.”

“Yes sir.” I replied quietly.

“Violet, why didn’t you tell me, that you were having problems at school?” My mother asked as we drove home.

“I don’t know. I didn’t want you to worry. I hope this doesn’t cause you a problem at work for having to come and get me.”

“Violet, you are never a problem to me. You just let me worry about work. I am always here for you,” she replied as we pulled into the driveway of our house.

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