A Lesson for Lester . . . and Me

Chapter 2: gotcha, you little . . .

Watching, watching, watching for a couple of months, Then a breakthrough. Oh, it was perfect.

It was during the lunch period and I spotted Lester spying on Miss Foott, our geography teacher. She was in the copy room, and I guessed, as no doubt Lester did, that she was running off copies of our term test. We would be sitting for the test later in the week.

Miss Foott came out carrying the briefcase she used for her lesson notes, books, etc and headed for her classroom. She was only in there half a minute before she re-emerged without the briefcase and went off towards the staff common room.

Lester moved in, and I tore off around the back of the building. A steel staircase had been erected there to provide a fire escape for the upstairs classrooms. It ran across the windows of Miss Foott's room. The window panes were all frosted except for one small pane that had been broken sometime in the past and replaced with clear glass.

I had a good view into the room. I had my phone out and was taking video as Lester snuck in through the door.

He was quick. He found the test sheets in the briefcase and simply took one - reasoning that teachers always ran off extra copies 'just in case'; one missing was unlikely to be noticed.

When I checked the video later, I was delighted. It couldn't have been better, you could even make out the heading on the sheet: Term Test - Geography.

"Now, don't rush," I told myself. "Let the act of cheating be consummated. Allow Lester to finish digging the hole for himself. Then move in."

That little prick was going to forever rue the day that he crossed Kara Homik.

The following Monday. We'd just been given the results of our geography test. Lester had received a very good grade.

"Lester, have you got a minute? I want to show you something."

He tried to grab my phone.

"Don't be silly, Lester. I've got other copies."

"Anyway, that's not me."

"Of course it isn't. It's your long-lost twin brother, that's who it is."

"Look, I didn't . . ."

"Where's my pencil case?"

"How the hell should I know," (a show of indignation).

"Let me see now, who should I give a copy of the video to first up? The Deputy Principal, Miss Foott, or maybe your father . . ."

"Kara, please. Look, I'm sorry. It was just supposed to be a joke."

"Where is it?"

"I . . . I threw it away . . . but I'll buy you a new one . . . two, three . . ."

"Come to my place straight after school today."

"Why?"

"You'll find out. Just be there."