FAKING SMILES [DANIEL VEDA]

CHAPTER TEN

Ten.

     I hopped in the passenger seat of the car and all eye were on me. I reached under my shirt grabbing the tape recorder that was taped to my chest.

     "What happened?" Lina asked as I did so.

     "She confessed." I simply said.

     "Well, what're you doing? Go back in there and tell her to get her shoes on and let's go. We have to get to the principal." Kevin exclaimed.

     I rolled my eyes and pressed play on the tape recorder I had pulled out from under my shirt. I watched as their eyes lit up from upon hearing Arabella confess.

     "Alright," Uriah smiled in victory. "Let's get this to the principal."

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          "Nicole," Arabella started. "It's was Jasmine. She knew that my mom was arrested because her dad is a police officer. Her dad arrested my mom for something about a credit card fraud. So she bribed me into spray painting you name on schools property."

     "But why?"I asked.

     "She was jealous of you and your brothers friend. She liked him but he never noticed her because of you. That's until she started hanging out with him while you were hanging out with that boy from the coffee shop." Arabella explained.

     I turned the tape recorder off from there. All of us stared at Mr. Buffington's puzzled expression. He sighed.

     "So it was Jasmine? Jasmine Perez?" Mr. Buffington asked. We nodded.

     "Turns out, Jasmine's dad was the one to put Arabella's mom in jail. Jasmine bribed Arabella with money to get her mom out of jail so that her and her siblings wouldn't have to go to a foster home." I explained.

     "Alright, thank you ladies and gentlemen. I will show this to the district police and they will decide from there." Mr. Buffington nodded at us in appreciation.

     I nodded. "And what about Arabella?"

     "What about her?"

     "What's going to happened to her?" I questioned.

     "She will remain on suspension for another week. Then, when she returns, she will spend this last month of the school year doing lunch detention, after school detention, and Saturday school." Mr. Buffington said.

     "And will she still be able to graduate early like she is supposed to?" I inquired.

     "If she attends the detentions and Saturday schools like she is required too... then, yes." He informed. I nodded. We all said goodbye before leaving.

     "Nice job, team!" Lina cheered, high fiving everyone.

     "I've gotta say, I feel very powerful." Uriah smirked and dusted off fake lint from his shoulders.