The Untimely Journey of Veronica T. Boone - Part 1, Laurentide

Chapter 5 - The Troublemaker

Molly didn't know what to expect when she went to school on Monday. Laurentide Academy was abuzz with rumors. Every student had questions. Molly kept quiet and told everyone who asked to talk to Kate instead.

So when she was called to the Headmaster's office after lunch she assumed it was because Ms. Bamcroft had questions, too. But she was wrong.

"Aunt Marcy, what are you doing here?"

Aunt Marcy stood in the Headmaster's office holding Michael in her arms. Before she could answer, another voice spoke for her.

"She's here because I told her to be here," the voice said.

The voice belonged to Ursula Bamcroft.

"You are in deep trouble, missy," Ms. Bamcroft continued. She sat behind a desk and squinted through eyes that were heavy with mascara.

"I'm not Missy, I'm Molly," Molly replied.

"Don't be cute with me!" Ms. Bamcroft snapped. "What in the world were you doing yesterday, galloping around the Academy, breaking windows, tearing up the grass, and putting the very school in danger? The police have been here all morning."

Molly didn't know how to answer. She looked up at Aunt Marcy who as usual tried to calm things down.

"I believe there has been a misunderstanding..." Aunt Marcy started to say but Ursula Bamcroft cut her off.

"Were you there?" she demanded. "I didn't think so. So you don't know what happened any more than anyone else."

"No, but Molly told me everything," Aunt Marcy said. "She said that..."

"'Molly said?' 'Molly said?'" Ms. Bamcroft mocked. "It seems to me Molly has created quite a tale of events. Well, I've had the police in here and what they tell me they found when they arrived yesterday was a bunch of students – led by Little Missy here – running loose on the grounds. Broken windows, broken doors, and horses tearing up the grounds. Oh, and did I mention a sack full of silver cups, stolen right from Students Hall?"

"That's right," Molly interrupted. "That's why we called the police. Those gypsies broke in and stole the cups."

"Gypsies?" Ms. Bamcroft sneered. "Oh, yes. I forgot the little story she made up about gypsies."

"I didn't make it up," Molly insisted. "There were these men in funny clothing and..."

"Do you know the first thing about gypsies?" Ms. Bamcroft demanded.

"What?"

"Why are you blaming gypsies, a poor group of oppressed people who only want to sing and dance?"

"Uh, well I don't know that they were actual gypsies," Molly stuttered. "I just said gypsies because they were dressed in all kinds of clothing and looked kind of wild..."

"What a horrible thing to say! So you're a hater as well as a thief?"

"What? I'm not either. Someone broke into our school and I tried to stop them."

"She did a brave thing," Aunt Marcy added. "Foolish but brave. She should have reported it immediately to Mrs. Newtown and let her handle it."

"We did report it," Molly explained. "But when I saw the broken window I got upset. I wanted to see who was in our school."

"'Our school,' 'our school,'" Ms Bamcroft mimicked. "You talk as though you own this place. Laurentide Academy doesn't belong to you, missy. It belongs to the people."