Raven by V. C. Andrews Read Free Book Online

obligation to do that, but the rest of the world doesn't have to see our dirty laundry."
"What do you want from me?" I demanded.
His eyebrows hoisted with surprise at my courage. "I know you've had a poor background and upbringing, and that goes to explain poor behavior, but you're at an age now when you will be held accountable for your actions, young lady. I can assure you of that."
I looked away, my eyes fixed on one of his plaques, and waited.
"If there is something illegal in your lunch bag, I want you to take it out now, leave it on my desk, and go to class. Later, we'll discuss it, and believe me, that is a major favor be doing for you."
My heart thumped, and then I smiled. I leaned down and opened my lunch bag, slowly taking out the sandwich and the cookie. Then I turned the bag inside out and placed it next to the food. I waited.
"What about that bag?" he asked, nodding at the other.
"That's my cousin's, even though my name is somehow on it. I was doing her a favor. Her arms were full of books and her social studies project."
"How do I know that's hers if your name is on it?" he asked.
"You don't, but we have the same lunch, so it doesn't matter," I said, and took out the sandwich and the cookie. I did the same thing with her bag, turning it inside out, and waited.
His eyes went from the harmless contents to my books and then to me.
"Can I at least know what you're looking for?" I asked.
"Never mind," he said. "Put all that back."
I did so slowly. "I don't think it's fair for me to be singled out for no reason," I said. "It's
embarrassing to be called out of class like this."
His shoulders shot up as if I had snapped a rubber band in his face. "I have a very big
responsibility here," he said. "Many young lives are in my hands, and"--he lifted a thick folder--"I have read your records from your previous school. Frankly, if you did all this here, I would consider having you taken to family court. I'm not surprised-your mother's in prison."
"I haven't done anything wrong," I shot back at him.
"We'll see," he said.
"Who told you I did?" I asked.
"That's none of your concern. Very well, return to your classes," he ordered. "And just remember," he said, tapping my previous school record folder, "I'll be keeping my eye on you."
I got up quickly and left his office. The bell had rung, so the secretary had to give me a late pass. When I got to my next class, Terri looked up expectantly. I nodded and smiled to let her know everything was fine. After class, I told her what I had done and what had happened.
"She tried to set me up and get me into trouble."
"It doesn't surprise me. Jennifer and her friends are always getting other people in trouble," Terri said. "You better watch your back."
"I will, but she'll find out she should watch hers, too," I said.
At lunch, Jennifer and her friends walked over to my table.
"I'll take my lunch," she said.
"I don't know which one is yours," I said. "Somehow, my name is on both bags. Luckily, we both have the same thing." I handed it to her. She looked at the girls and then at me.
"I heard you were called to the principal's office," she said. "Why did he want to see you?" She smiled at the girls. "I hope you didn't embarrass my parents."
"No, it was fine," I said, taking a sip from the straw in my milk container. "He just wanted to know what we were having for lunch. He said he heard we had the best homemade lunches," I added, and bit into my sandwich.
Even her friends had to laugh. She fumed, her face so crimson I thought the blood would shoot out of the top of her head like a geyser, and then she pivoted on her heels and marched away. Terri and the girls at my table laughed so hard that others in the cafeteria stopped talking to look our way.
"I guess there's a little snake in you, too," Terri said. "What else? She and I are cousins, aren't we?" I said, and that made everyone laugh again.
But I wasn't finished, not yet, not quite.
On Saturday, Jennifer went off with her friends right after