Trapped (22 page)

“I mean because you came forward.”

“Right.”

“But that's not all. There's one more disciplinary measure, and I strongly urge you to consider it.” He clears his throat. “I know it will ruin your image — and we can't force you to cooperate — but we plan to have an assembly later this week. We want to address this whole cheating business up front and openly. And we'd like you to speak to the student body. If you could reiterate what you wrote in your letter, tell your fellow students what you've learned and how you know personally that cheating hurts everyone and how you will never do it again, we'd be most appreciative. Would you be willing to do that?”

I think hard about how it will feel to stand in front of the entire school and confess what a fool I've been — how I disliked cheaters so much and how I became one myself. Talk about a blow to my pride. Still, I know it's something I must do. “Yes. I want to do that.”

He smiles. “Great.”

“In your letter you mentioned that you've ruined your chances of going to Stanford now — and that you'd written them a letter. Is that correct?”

I pull the letter that's already stamped and addressed from my bag, holding it up. “I planned to send it today.”

“Are you sure you want to do that, GraceAnn?”

“I think I should.”

“Do you realize that not everything on your school record gets passed on with college applications?”

I just shrug. “I guess I never really thought about it.”

He stands and reaches for the letter. “Anyway, why don't you let me send it for you?”

“Okay.” I hand him the letter.

Then, to my surprise, he inserts my letter into the shredder attached to the trash can next to his desk. There's a growling noise and the letter is gone. He turns to me and grins. “That takes care of that.”

I can hardly believe it. But I simply nod, thanking him as I stand.

“Suffice it to say, we think you've learned your lesson, GraceAnn.” He opens the door for me. “The hard way.”

“That's for sure.”

He reaches out and shakes my hand. “And now you will share your hard-learned lesson with others, and perhaps we'll get a handle on this dilemma.”

“I'll do whatever I can.”

I feel slightly dazed as I head for the cafeteria. For the first time in weeks, I actually feel hungry. And almost completely happy, although there's still the assembly thing to grapple with and the humiliation that will come with that. But I can't wait to tell my friends — and my parents, too. How is it possible that everything changed so dramatically? That something so horrible could turn out okay … maybe even good? Who knew?

That's when I realize that
God knew
and that it's because of God that I survived this ordeal — an ordeal of my own making. Not only have I survived, but because of God, good things might actually come out of it. And I realize that there's no hole so dark or so deep that God can't reach down and pull someone out of it. And right then and there, I pause to give God thanks for rescuing me. I thank him for saving me from my stupid pride — and giving me a second chance!

. . . [DISCUSSION QUESTIONS]. . .

  1. First impressions are important because they are lasting, but sometimes they are wrong. What was your first impression of GraceAnn? Was it right or wrong? Explain.

  2. Did GraceAnn seem like the kind of person who would resort to academic cheating? Why or why not?

  3. Why do you think academic cheating is so prevalent in schools these days?

  4. What was your first impression of Bryant? Was it right or wrong? Explain.

  5. GraceAnn put a lot of pressure on herself to be perfect. Why do you think that was so important to her? Can you relate to that? Why or why not?

  6. What do you think GraceAnn's parents might have done differently to help her in this situation?

  7. Were you surprised when GraceAnn stole the OxyContin from the pharmacy? Describe what you think would have happened if she'd given it to Dirk.

  8. Miss Julia plays an unexpected but much-needed role as friend to GraceAnn. Do you have someone like that in your life? If not, how could you go about finding that kind of friend?

  9. GraceAnn eventually realizes that her pride is a problem. Describe the role that pride plays in your life. Is it helpful or hurtful? Why?

10. If GraceAnn's school really had a zero-tolerance policy for cheating, do you think it was fair that she escaped suspension? Why or why not?

11. How did you feel when GraceAnn's dean shredded her letter to Stanford? Do you think that was the right thing to do?

12. Did this story change any of your opinions about cheating or people who cheat? Explain.

S
pecial thanks to Susan Brooks for submitting her character description of GraceAnn to the Melody Carlson Create a Character Contest. Participants of the competition were asked to provide a description of the main character, including her name, family life, friends, job, hobbies, and more. I loved reading the submissions and was impressed with how creative they were. It was really hard to choose a winner, but Susan's stood out to me.

One of the elements of Susan's character description that caught my attention was the main character's job working Saturdays in the pharmacy. This lent some interesting developments in the plot that I hadn't considered before. I also liked that GraceAnn had a friend like Miss Julia. I enjoy writing about older people and thought it would be an interesting relationship to develop.

So many ingredients go into a book — it's fun when someone else tosses a few unexpected ones in.

. . . . . . ABOUT THE AUTHOR . . . . . .

MELODY CARLSON has written more than two hundred books for all age groups, but she particularly enjoys writing for teens. Perhaps this is because her own teen years remain so vivid in her memory. After claiming to be an atheist at the ripe old age of twelve, she later surrendered her heart to Jesus and has been following him ever since. Her hope and prayer for all her readers is that each one would be touched by God in a special way through her stories. For more information, please visit Melody's website at www.melodycarlson.com.