Cheating

The next few days went by uneventfully. Until it was time for the results of our exam. We were all wondering why the teacher was looking so serious.

"Your exam results are in. I suspect there was cheating." Sir Gomez said

We all looked at each other in surprise.

"There were two people whose exam answers were 90% the same. Even the words on the sentences. Exact same words were used. I think it was pretty obvious.", he said, looking very grim. "Harriet and Alyssa. Stay after class. I need to talk to you." He added

I gasped in surprise and looked at Harriet. Her eyes were wide with shock, her face red with shame. Disbelief was written all over her face. I knew she was trying hard to hold back her tears. I mean, I know how much pressure her mom puts on her to get good grades, but I am also 100% sure she wouldn't resort to cheating. Harriet was the most honest person I know and there was no way she would cheat on anything, no matter how bad she wants to get good grades.

One time she even returned an excess change from a store. It was only a penny and she walked all the way back to the store just to return it. That's how honest she is.

I waited for her outside our classroom. As soon as she got out she ranted about how unfair Sir Gomez was. She said he asked them both what happened but seeing as they both said they didn't cheat, he said he will call their parents and talk to them. Also, their grades for the exam will not be recorded.

I listened to her quietly, thinking of a way to help her. And then I got it. The mood ring! I will use the ring to touch the pen Alyssa used for the exam and see what happened then. My struggle was once again how to do this without Harriet finding out about the ring. I thought about all the times Harriet helped me out when I was the one who needed her. And I thought to myself, if her finding out about the ring is the cost of helping her, then I would just have to let her know about it. After all, she's kept many secrets for me already. I'm pretty sure this one will be no different.

First, I needed to talk to Alyssa. As she walked out of the classroom, I ran after her. Leaving a surprised Harriet in mid-sentence.

"Alyssa! Can I borrow your pen, please? My pen ran out of ink." I said out of breath.

She looked at me suspiciously. "Why didn't you just borrow from Harriet? She was right there with you.", she said.

Right. She's got a point. Think fast, Ela! I thought to myself. "Uhm, she's so upset I don't think she can find a pen at this point.", I said lamely.

"And you think I'm not?", she asked, glaring at me. Still, she handed me the pen.

I held it. Thankful I was still holding my notebook. I wrote something random down in my notebook. Trying to hold onto the pen as long as possible.

"Done yet?", she asked crossly.

"Yup. Got it, thanks." I said.

She grabbed the pen from me and walked away without a word.

I saw her peeking at Harriet's paper! I felt her nervousness as she did it. I even got a glimpse of what she was thinking at that time. She was thinking that if she got a good grade on this one she can ask her dad for the guitar she's been wanting for so long.

I walked back to Harriet. She was still steaming, her arms folded in front of her chest. Looking livid.

"What was that all about?", she asked.

"Come, let's sit down.", I said pulling her to the nearest bench. Making sure we're alone. "Alyssa cheated. She was peeking at your papers to copy your answers. She wanted to get a guitar so she was desperate for good grades because History is her worst subject." I told her.

"How in the world did you know that? She told you?!?" she asked incredulously.

So I related how the ring came to me and what it does for the second time. She was blown away, to say the least. Once the story of the mood ring has sunk in, I told Harriet about how Alyssa cheated. How she peeked on her papers the whole time they were taking the exam. How she was so nervous while doing it the whole time. And then we planned. We brainstormed ideas on how we can make Alyssa admit to what she did and how to collect that evidence to prove that she was the cheater, not Harriet. Finally, I think we've got it planned out. I just hope it will work. Well, we'll just have to find out the next day...