Ann Martin - Baby-Sitters Club 040

And what was I doing while Stacey was sitting at the Pikes'? Well, I was sitting, too. In my room, with the door closed. I wasn't doing homework. I wasn't listening to the radio. I wasn't working on my collage. I wasn't even reading Nancy Drew. And I wasn't eating the Cheetos that I'd hidden the day before in my sock drawer. I was just sitting.

I was thinking, too - or at least trying to think. I still couldn't get a handle on what had happened in math class that day, and I hadn't figured out what to do about it. I knew I was innocent, but what I didn't know was how to get everybody else to believe me.

I heard Janine come home, but I didn't call out to her. I wasn't ready to talk to anyone about my problem. Luckily, she didn't come upstairs to work on her computer, like she usually does. Instead, she started getting dinner ready in the kitchen. Good! That meant I could just keep on sitting.

A little while later I heard my mom come home. She and Janine were talking when the phone rang. Was this the call? Was the principal on the other end, telling my mother what a horrible person I was? I didn't even want to know. I stayed in my room.

Soon I heard my mom and Janine talking again. I couldn't make out what they were saying, but their voices sounded serious. Then my dad came home. I heard his footsteps go into the kitchen. More talking.

What would happen if I just stayed in my room for the rest of my life? I wouldn't go hungry for quite awhile, with all the junk food I had hidden all over the place. And I could entertain myself by reading mysteries and working on art projects. The more I thought about it, the better the idea sounded. I nodded to myself. Yup, staying in my room was definitely the best plan.

"Claudia!" my mom called up the stairs. "Dinner!" I didn't answer. I folded my arms and stayed where I was.

Five minutes later she called again. "Claudia, honey!" she said. "We're having tacos!" Sure enough, I could smell the popcorn-y smell of tacos warming in the oven. Tacos are one of my favorite foods. I guess it's because they're about as close to junk food as you can get when you're sitting around the table with your family. Mmm, a big crunchy taco filled with all that delicious spicy beef and then stuffed to the brim with toppings . . .

Once I'd started thinking about tacos, I couldn't stop. Suddenly I decided that staying in my room for the rest of my life might not be such a hot idea after all. "Coming!" I yelled.

I slid into my seat at the table just as Janine brought in a big platter of tacos. On the table were a whole lot of little bowls filled with grated cheese, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and sour cream. Yum! I took a taco and started to pile on the extras. Everybody else was busy doing the same.

Just as I was about to bite into the very stuffed, juicy, dripping mess I had created, my mom spoke up.

"Claudia, honey," she said. "I got a call from your principal this afternoon." I gulped. Suddenly the taco I was holding didn't look so tempting anymore.

"Do you want to tell us what happened today?" she asked.

I looked down at my hands, which were now folded in my lap. The taco lay forgotten on my plate. I didn't know what to say.

"I - I don't know what to say," I said. "I didn't do it." I swallowed hard. All of a sudden I felt like I was going to start bawling any minute.

"We'd like to believe you, Claud," said my father.

They'd like to believe me? Oh, no! Even my parents thought I was a cheater. I bit my lip to keep from crying. Then Janine spoke up.

"I do believe her. There's no question about it. Claudia knew that material cold." She was speaking very quickly. "I helped her study, remember?" She glanced at each of my parents in turn. "Besides, Claudia is not a cheater." My parents exchanged a look. Then my mother got up and came around to where I was sitting. "I'm so sorry, honey. Janine's right. I don't know how I could have ever thought - " she said, as she hugged me tight. And I hugged her, working hard to hold in my tears.

"You know," she said, as she walked back to her seat. "The principal didn't sound all that sure about it, either. He said he was just 'informing' us about the situation. I guess it's all part of the procedure." "I think we should go to your school and speak to the principal in person. Straighten this whole thing out," said my dad.

That was the last thing I wanted. I just knew that if they got involved, things might become even worse. I had to figure out how to handle this on my own. "No, Dad," I said. "Please. I can take care of it." "But Claudia," said my mother, "the principal said that Mr. Zorzi is going to have to give you an F on this test. What will that mean for your final grade?" An F. I couldn't believe it. The one time I'd actually studied hard enough to earn an A-, fair and square - and I was going to end up with an F. "Don't worry, Mom," I said, sounding more sure of myself than I felt. "I'll work it out." Inside, though, I was worried. I'd have to get practically straight A's on every other math test from here on, or I really might fail the class.

And I knew that if I failed math, I might be forced to give up one of the most important things in my life - the Baby-sitters Club.

There was no way my parents would continue to let me spend all that time on an "outside" activity if I was failing classes at school.

I picked up my taco and tried to finish it, but it tasted pretty much like sawdust. (Not that I've ever actually eaten sawdust, but you know what I mean.) My parents said they believed me, but I was getting a strange feeling from them. Were they a little suspicious? Did they have just the tiniest doubt about my honesty? Were they feeling . . . disappointed in me? I could hardly stand it.

Finally, dinner was over. I helped Janine clear the table, and then we cleaned up the kitchen together. We weren't talking much, but I was giving her a lot of grateful looks. It's funny, Janine and I have definitely been through some rough times, but no matter what, she's my big sister. And there are times when that means everything.

When I'd finished wiping the last pot, I headed for my room. I was still feeling very upset, and I needed some time to figure out what to do. Janine followed me upstairs and into my room. I threw myself on the bed.

"Claudia," said Janine, "it'll be all right." She sat down at my desk. "Look, I'll be glad to help you with your math for the rest of the year. If we work really hard, you won't fail the class, even if Mr. Zorzi does give you that F." "But Janine," I said. "It's so unfair. I got an A- on that test!" Janine looked shocked. I guess the principal hadn't told anybody what my actual grade had been. Then she gave me a big smile. "Congratulations, Claudia!" she said. "That's fantastic! I knew you could do it." "I did it, all right," I muttered. "But Shawna ruined the whole thing." "What?" asked Janine. "Who's Shawna?" I explained everything to Janine, telling her all the details of what had happened at the end of math class that day.

"But Claudia," Janine said, "why didn't you stick up for yourself?" "I tried to," I wailed. "Mr. Zorzi just didn't give me a chance. He's not a mean teacher - but I guess he's making certain assumptions. He doesn't know me or Shawna that well." Janine shook her head slowly. "What a mess," she said.

"I know," I answered. "And the worst thing is that I'm sure that Shawna must have cheated. But I can't figure out why she did - and I have no way to prove it!" "Think back," said Janine. "Try to remember the day of the test. Can you picture her looking at your paper?" I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate. But no matter how hard I tried/ I couldn't remember a thing about that day. (Except for what I wore. I can always remember what I was wearing on a given day. I had decided on the ballet flats, in case you were wondering.) "It's no use, Janine," I said. I felt so trapped. There just wasn't anything I could do about the horrible situation I was in.