Little did any of the girls know that Ms Lee had just happened to be getting some art supplies for the next day's teaching from a pokey third-floor store room that was above that very courtyard when she'd looked out the window and seen Molly being pushed face down on the grass. She had witnessed the whole thing from start to finish through the window; at one point she'd opened the window a little to get a better look. She thought the whole thing was creative and clever: from spanking Molly with her own shoe to pouring the water on her, the whole thing was well thought out and she really approved of it. She looked forward to Molly being quieter in class as a result of this mistreatment she was getting.
It was only when she saw Molly remove her jacket from over her head, discover all the mean things written on it and start sobbing that Ms Lee started to feel a bit bad. Molly was all alone with no one to help her, and she was a teacher who should care, right? Ms Lee headed down towards the courtyard, but still didn't really know what she was going to do down there. She just knew that she was drawn to going in that direction.
As she reached the ground floor and neared the door leading outside, the teacher realised this was the courtyard with only one door in and out: once that door was locked, Molly would be locked out there all weekend. Now that would be cruel, she thought to herself. She felt so torn and couldn't decide what to do now. That door was meant to be locked by 4pm anyway, and it was well after 4 now, so she'd only be doing her duty as a member of staff if she locked it.
As she peeked out the window the young teacher saw Molly was now on her feet, looking superbly pathetic with her hair soaked and walking around in her bare feet, skinny jeans and t-shirt, holding her ruined jacket in one hand while looking for her shoes.
Molly seemed to have stopped crying while she focused fully on trying to retrieve her shoes, but kept exclaiming 'Oh. My. God' in such a high voice as she walked around the place, which irritated Ms Lee.
She wanted to tell Molly to shut up. Or make her. This girl was never going to get a boyfriend, definitely not while she was in high school, she thought to herself.
But should she help the poor girl out? Help her gather up her stuff, call her parents and get her home safely? Or whatever good teachers are meant to do? Ms Lee was a good tteacher, most of the time! But girls like Molly really set off the mean streak in her that she usually hid. It was something about that sense of entitlement that kids from rich homes tend to exude. Spotting some eighth-grade music club kids from the adjoining middle school heading down the corridor towards her, being a bit rowdy, it was decision time for Ms Lee.
After doing a quick scan for cameras (there wasn't one on that end of the corridor), she took out her school master key for all doors, pulled the door to the courtyard shut and locked it. It was the perfect moment to do so as Molly was stooped down behind a wall over the other side of the courtyard, not noticing for a second that she was being locked in for the night - perhaps the whole weekend - or who was doing it. Ms Lee found it surprisingly easy to do; although she'd struggled a little with the situation, this felt to her like the way that things should be for Molly.
Ms Lee looks sweet but hides a sadistic streak borne out of her own childhood suffering at the hands of bullies
"Quiet please in the corridor and walk in orderly fashion!", Ms Lee officiously told the over-excited music kids. But they were good kids, she thought to herself. Not annoying ones. As she walked back up to her classroom to get her stuff and head for home, the teacher vaguely wondered when Molly would be found. The caretaker might find her out there on his final 6.45pm rounds... but if she was unlucky, she'd be there all weekend until Monday morning.
On the one hand, Ms Lee would feel relieved if Molly was found that night and made it home to her parents. But really she hoped the victim would be left there for the weekend. Maybe Molly would spend the time thinking about why she's so annoying to many people and how she can correct herself. Maybe it was what she needed, Ms Lee reasoned.
Of course, Ms Lee knew the way she had acted was indefensible and entirely against her duty of care as a teacher. But somehow, Molly provoked her. Repeatedly. When she came to think of it, there was always something with that girl.
There was one class when Ms Lee had mentioned climate change, one of Molly's favourite topics, and when she'd used the term "man-made climate change", Molly had imperiously given her a speech about avoiding "sexist" language in the classroom, informing her that the term "human-made" should be used instead of "man-made" to avoid offending women.
Or the time when Molly had taken issue with her driving a car to and from school due to the "environmental implications". And asked her, in front of the whole class, to state what kind of petrol she put in her Ford Fusion. These kind of incidents had really made Ms Lee seethe with anger that she was forced to keep inside while pretending to welcome Molly's "interesting points of view".
However, best of all was the time when Molly objected to being called a girl because that in her own opinion (and no one else's) was a "demeaning" term to use for any female in high school or older. That one really made Ms Lee laugh, and she'd called Molly "young lady" in a sarcastic tone ever since.
Nick (left) and Molly
As Ms Lee mulled over it all on her drive home in her very modest second-hand, 2012-registered Ford Fusion (what she could afford on her teacher's salary) - and drove past Molly's house where her parents' swish brand-new Maserati saloon was parked - she felt that Molly was probably getting just what she deserved right about now. She hoped Molly would have to sleep on the grass in that courtyard three nights running and then limp into class on Monday morning bare foot. She'd survive. It probably wouldn't go like that anyway: maybe she'd be found tonight or maybe the janitor would realise something was up by Saturday morning?
DESOLATE: The courtyard in the centre of Duniway High School, with only one exit, in which Molly would be trapped for the weekend after her art teacher locked her in
But like, whatever, Ms Lee thought to herself. She'd just done her job by helping ensure the school was secure and now she wanted to focus on enjoying her weekend and not think about those kids anymore. And whatever happened, if she was questioned on it later, Ms Lee would just say she didn't notice anyone out there when she locked that door. She was just addressing a security issue because that door was meant to be locked by 4pm anyway. And she'd say that of course, she'd have gone to Molly's rescue if she'd realised the poor girl was out there all alone and helpless! Molly was of her favourite students, she would say!
Meanwhile back in the courtyard, Molly realised she was locked in and was probably not going to get out of there that night, or perhaps until Monday morning when school was back...