Swept Away (13 page)

The next three chapters tell the story of what happened to Amber when she decided not to admit to cheating and clear Brittany’s name
.

No way
. As much as her insides screamed at her to put a stop to the whole thing, Amber sat still, frozen to her seat. What could she do? Walk right into the principal’s office and hand over her car keys, turn in her college scholarship, and disappoint everyone? People wouldn’t really expect that of her, would they?

Amber looked around the room. Lucy and Kara sat in the corner applying makeup. Pete had his nose in a book, as usual. Chet stuck a gooey wad of gum to the bottom of his desk.
Eww
. She’d gone to school with most of the students since kindergarten. She knew them well. Not a chance any one of them would turn themselves in—not if they stood to lose what she did.
Never
.

Her stomach churned as she watched through the window. Mr. Kim turned toward the backseat where Brittany sat.

Brittany nodded, wiped her face with her sleeve, put her head back, and closed her eyes.

Mr. Kim gave a slight smile and one small nod to his grief-stricken wife, then started the car. It roared to life, the lights blinked on for a brief moment, and then he eased the car into reverse.

Why did he drive so slowly? Almost as though he were waiting for something. Someone? Amber’s thoughts swirled and bounced out of control. She exhaled the breath she’d been holding and unclenched her stiff fists.

The second hand on the clock over the chalkboard ticked by, each minute feeling like an hour. The teacher’s voice droned on and on, but Amber barely heard a word she said. Twenty seconds until the bell, then escape. Only two more days until graduation. Would Brittany even be there? What would happen to her? Amber made a snap decision to go to Britt’s house right after school. After all, it wouldn’t be natural not to reach out to her best friend at such a troubled time—someone might suspect something if she went home and hid.

Finally, the bell clanged, signaling the end of the school day. Amber scooped up her belongings and hurried from the classroom. She wanted to get out of there and over to Brittany’s house to find out if she had any idea of the truth. She couldn’t. Could she?

Amber rushed down the long hall, avoiding eye contact with everyone, and stepped out into the fresh, springtime air.
Ah
. She took a deep breath, filled her lungs, and then released it in a cleansing flood. When she stood a few yards away from her car, she pressed the little button on her key chain to release the door locks.
Beep-beep
. The lights flickered as the alarm shut off. She opened the car door and got inside just in time to hear someone call her name.

Kyle
. She forced herself not to glance in his direction, closed the door, and started the engine, pretending not to hear him. He approached the car just as she finished backing up and got the car pointed around toward the exit. She looked in the other direction.

Glancing up to the rearview mirror, Amber saw Kyle standing alone in the parking lot, looking rather upset and pale.
Hmm
. Not like him at all. Maybe he’d wanted a ride. Oh well, he could take the bus like any other day. She had other, much more important business to attend to. With Brittany on her mind, Amber turned left and headed away from the school.

During the short drive to Britt’s house, the new-car smell brought on waves of nausea—too sweet, too clean—something. She put the window down to get some fresh air before she vomited. When that didn’t help, she opened the moon roof to let in even more air. She gulped deep breaths and exhaled, trying to calm her churning stomach—her nerves.

The drive took forever—everything dragged on in slow motion. She wanted to make it past the next few days, get to the other side of all the drama and confusion, with her friendships and her future intact so she could sit back and enjoy it all. But one day at a time. One hour at a time. One minute at a time. That’s how it had to be—whether she liked it or not.

Standing on the Kims’ front porch, waiting for someone to open the door, Amber wiped her sweaty palms on her pants. She’d know in an instant if Brittany suspected her. A few seconds later, the door flew open and a blubbering heap threw herself onto Amber’s shoulder. Britt clung to Amber and sobbed … and sobbed.

“I … didn’t … do it …” Brittany gulped and took a ragged breath. “I … promise … I didn’t cheat.”

Amber brushed the hair off Brittany’s forehead and helped her into the house, away from the prying eyes of the neighbors. “I know. I never thought for a second you did.” She deposited Brittany into a kitchen chair and filled a glass of water from the kitchen sink. Not too cold—just the way her friend liked it.

Brittany blew her nose and then added to the mounds of tissues already piled high on the kitchen table.

Walking across the room to give Brittany her water, Amber noticed the trash can overflowed with wads of used tissues. She could remember two times—maybe three—that Brittany had cried over something. This reached far beyond that. Amber had never seen Britt so upset. Of course, she couldn’t exactly blame her.

“Britt, tell me what happened.” She settled into the chair across the dinette and held one of Brittany’s hands between both of hers.

“They said I … I … cheated on my tests. They aren’t going to … to let me … gr–graduate.” Her words started a fresh round of sobbing. “I l–l–lost everything today. College. The scholarship. Everything.” Brittany pounded her fist on the table. “But I didn’t do it!”

Oh God
“You’re just going to have to tell them that, Britt. They’ll have to believe you. If you didn’t do it, they can’t have hard proof that you did. Right?”
She has to get out of this. She has to
.

Brittany snorted. “You’d think. But no. They have proof that I had signed into one of the computers in the computer room with my library password—who else would know my password? And while still supposedly signed in, I hacked into the teacher’s files and printed out three final exams. What’s worse, I printed ten copies of each … supposedly.”

“Why does it matter how many they think you printed?” It took all of Amber’s strength not to run away, but instead, she pulled her chair closer to Brittany and leaned forward, resting her forearms on the table.

“It matters because they’re pressuring me to tell them who else I gave those copies to—or they’ll expel me, and I won’t even be able to make up the courses in summer school. I have to come up with ten names. Problem is, I didn’t do it, so I’d be lying if I gave them names.” Brittany’s watery eyes looked deeply into Amber’s. “Basically, it comes down to this: They said if I tell them, I’ll have the chance to make up my classes in the summer. If I don’t, I’m expelled.”

Expelled
. Things grew more serious as the moments drew on. Amber could never come clean, now.
No way
. “You know I love you no matter what. So, you can tell me if you had anything to do with this.” That kind of talk should convince Brittany that Amber had nothing to do with it.

“I’m only going to say this to you one more time. I didn’t do it. Period. I had nothing to do with it.” She buried her head in her arms. “You of all people should know that.”

“You’re right. I’m as confused by this as you are.” Amber stood up, the legs of her chair screeching as she pushed it back across the tile. “Okay then, who could have done it?” Amber tapped on her chin as she paced the floor. “Have you ever shared your password with anyone?”

“I’ve been racking my brain trying to think of who it could be. But I’ve never even given my password to you, why would I tell it to anyone else?” She shook her head and released a fresh stream of tears.

“Yeah, that’s true. You’ve never told it to me.”
Phew
. “Hey. Where are your mom and dad?” Amber realized she hadn’t seen either of them since she’d arrived.

“They’re pretty stressed over this. They’re hiding out in their room. Probably praying.” Brittany’s eyes glazed as she watched the rotating blades of the ceiling fan. “You know, I think I’m going to try to sleep. I can’t think about this anymore, and I’m all prayed out.”

“Okay. One more question, and then I’ll go so you can rest.” Amber maneuvered her head into Brittany’s line of sight, forcing eye contact. “Do your parents believe you?”

Brittany didn’t hesitate for a second—didn’t even blink. “One hundred percent.”

“Okay then, with them by your side and with me in your corner, we’ll get you through this. It’s totally not fair, but it will pass. I promise.” She walked to the front door.

“I hope you’re right, Amber.” Brittany fell into Amber’s outstretched arms for a final hug.

When the door clicked shut behind her, Amber leaned against it for a moment, her heart racing.
What have I done?
She’d destroyed her best friend’s life. Now, she alone had the power to stop it from going any further. Amber weighed her options and then the cost. No. There was simply no way she could say anything now.
It’s too late
.

She looked toward heaven, then squeezed her eyes shut.
Lord, please don’t let anyone find out the truth
.

Wait a minute. What did she say? Did she actually pray that God would help her get away with cheating?
What nerve
. Shaking her head, she hurried to her car, the solitude of her bedroom her only goal.

Parking her car in the garage where they used to park the old one, which now sat on the street in front of the house, didn’t have the same excitement it had the day before. Amber hurried into the house, hoping to make it up to her bedroom without having to talk to her parents.

“Amber, honey? Is that you?” Mom’s cheerful voice called from the family room.

Amber’s stomach flipped. She had to pass through the family room to get to the stairs leading up to her bedroom. There’d be no way to avoid a little chat. “Just getting a Coke.”

“Okay. I need to talk to you for just a sec.”

“I’ll be right there, Mom.” Amber reached into the fridge. Oh, right, cola. Oh well, the caffeine would still do its thing. She popped the tab and took a long swig. When she’d stalled long enough, she squared her shoulders and went to face her mom.

“Hey, Mom. What’s up?” Amber asked as she casually walked into the family room.

“What’s up? Are you serious? Did you see today’s paper?”

Amber’s heart sank. The newspapers had already reported about Brittany? But Mom looked excited, so that couldn’t be it. “What’s it about?”

“Let’s see …” Mom ran her finger down the page as she scanned the paper, probably for the best spot to start reading. “Oh, here it is. ‘Local student, Amber Stevens, wowed the school and the community with a record-breaking high-school career. She maintained straight A’s throughout all four years of her schooling as well as a perfect attendance record. In a crazy twist …’ And then it goes on to tell about the contest between you and Brittany and the car you won.” Mom beamed. “You’re a celebrity, sweetie.”

“I don’t feel much like a celebrity.” While Mom had been reading, Amber realized she should fill her mom in on the details about Brittany, or Mom would wonder why she hadn’t. Under normal circumstances, she sure wouldn’t be excited about a newspaper with what Brittany was going through. “Did you hear what happened today?”

Concern immediately lined her face. “No … What happened?”

“It’s Brittany. They caught her cheating. Well, I should say they’re accusing her of cheating. She promises that she didn’t do it.”

“Well, then, I believe her. She’s not the type to cheat.” Mom stood up and paced across the room. “They’re going to have to clear her name.” She went the window and then turned to face Amber again. “You aren’t suggesting that you think she did it, are you?”

“No, of course not. But … well … they do have strong evidence.” Amber tried to sound logical. “But that doesn’t always mean anything.”

“Oh, the poor girl. How is she?”

“She’s in agony. I mean, think about it. She lost everything today.” Amber went to the window and looked out. “Her record, her scholarship, her admission to college, and probably even graduation.”

“Oh Lord, help her. Give her peace. Let the truth come out.”

Her mom’s spontaneous prayer took Amber by surprise. Would she have prayed that if she knew the truth? “I’m not sure even He can help her now, Mom.”

“You’d be surprised at what He can do.” Mom stepped over and put her arm around Amber’s shoulder and joined her looking out the window. “Maybe this situation will be the faith builder you need, sweetie.”

“Maybe.” Maybe not
.

“Before I forget, Kyle called for you. He said to call him right away.”