'It can't be true. Why won't she be coming back? Why?' I demanded.
He sat up. 'I don't know the details, Mademoiselle . . .'
'Dumas. What details?'
'As I said, I do not know, but . . .'
I didn't wait for him to finish. I spun around and ran out of the room. I ran down the corridor, confused, the tears streaming down my cheeks. No Miss Stevens? She was gone? How could she do this without telling me? Why wouldn't she tell me? My hysteria grew. I didn't even know where I was running; I was just running from one end of the building to the other. I turned a corner and headed back toward the front. When I was nearly there, I heard Gisselle's shrill ripple of laughter. More girls had gathered around her to hear the story of her miraculous recovery. I stopped running and walked slowly toward them. The group parted so that Gisselle and I faced each other.
'I just heard,' she said.
I shook my head. 'What did you hear?'
'Everyone's talking about it this morning. Your Miss Stevens was fired.'
'That can't be. She's a wonderful teacher. It can't be.'
'I guess it wasn't her teaching that got her fired,' Gisselle said, and she looked knowingly at the others, who also wore smug smiles.
'What was it? What? Was she fired for helping me at the hearing?' I demanded. I turned on them. 'Someone tell me. Who knows?'
There was a moment of silence. Then Deborah Peck stepped forward. 'I don't know the exact details,' she said, gazing back at the others, 'but the charge against her had to do with her immorality.'
'What? What immorality?' They only smiled widely in response. I spun on Gisselle.
'Don't blame me,' she cried. 'The Iron Lady found out about her on her own.'
'Found out what? There was nothing to find out.'
'Found out why she never goes out with men,' Deborah said. 'And why she wanted to teach in an all girls' school,' she replied. There was a titter of laughter. My heart stopped and then started again, this time pounding angrily.
'Those are lies, all lies.'
'She left, didn't she?' Deborah said. The warning bell rang. 'We'd better get to homeroom. No one wants to get a demerit the first day back.'
The group started to break up.
'Lies!' I screamed at them.
'Stop making a fool of yourself,' Gisselle said. 'Just go to class. Aren't you happy? You're back at your precious Greenwood!'
'You did this!' I accused. 'Somehow, some way, you did this, didn't you?'
'How could I do this?' She raised her arms and turned to Vicki, Samantha, Jacki, and Kate. 'I wasn't even here when it all happened. See? See how she's always blaming me for everything?'
They all turned and gazed at me. I shook my head and stepped back, and then I turned and ran down the corridor to Mrs. Ironwood's office. Mrs. Randle looked up with surprise as I burst through the doorway.
'I want to see Mrs. Ironwood,' I said.
'You have to make an appointment, dear,' Mrs. Randle replied.
'I want to see her now!' I ordered.
She sat back, shocked at my insistence. 'Mrs. Ironwood is very busy with her work reopening the school at this moment, and—'
'NOW!' I screamed.
Mrs. Ironwood's door opened and she stood there glaring at me.
'What is the meaning of this?'
'Why was Miss Stevens fired?' I demanded. 'Was it because she came to my assistance at the hearing? Was it?'
Mrs. Ironwood looked at Mrs. Randle, then straightened her shoulders.
'First,' she began, 'this is not the time nor the place to discuss such matters, even if it were proper to do so with a student, which it is not. Second, who do you think you are storming in here and making demands on me?'
'It's not fair,' I said. 'Why take it out on her? It's not fair. She was a wonderful teacher. Don't you want good teachers? Don't you care?'
'Of course I care, and I care about your insolence too,' she said. I wiped the tears from my cheeks and stood there. She seemed to soften. 'The conduct of faculty affairs is none of your business, but I will tell you that Miss Stevens was not fired. She resigned.'
'Resigned?' I shook my head. 'She would never . . .'
'I assure you, she resigned.' The homeroom bell rang. 'That was the final bell. You're late for homeroom, two demerits,' she snapped, then spun around and went back into her office, closing the door behind her and leaving me confused and lost in her wake.
