Chapter Twenty-Six

The next day in school Deborah was told that she had to go to the principle's office. She was surprised but went there just the same. When there she met her cooking teacher Helen with him. There was also three more people there, one man and two women, none of whom she was sure what they were about.

ـِـ Sit down, the principle said, indicating a chair in the middle of the room and in front of him.

One of the women that were new to her said.

ـِـ We've found out that you've been a liar and a cheat!

Debbie was startled.

ـِـ What do you mean by that?

ـِـ Well, she answered. We've found out that you're talking bad about your family because they don't appreciate the way you view them.

ـِـ Yes, the principle said, and with us we have one of the people you've been manipulating.

He pointed at Helen.

ـِـ Yes, I feel manipulated, Helen said.

Debbie looked at her in astonishment.

ـِـ But I just told you the truth! I said to you what there was to be saying about them!

Helen said gravely to her:

ـِـ No way that was the truth! It was total attempt for manipulation, especially the first time, but even that second manipulation was a little bit severe.

ـِـ But I just said that my brother was a someone who did not confess to his womanizing! How could there be something wrong in that?!

The principle cleared his throat.

ـِـ You have been into pretending he is the manipulator that you are, he declared.

Debbie didn't know what to say.

ـِـ You see, the new woman who had spoken before said. Now that she is as thoroughly observed as she aught to be, it's much harder for her to tell her lies.

Debbie looked up in amazement, but still she couldn't find the words to say.

Now the man among the new people spoke gravely about her:

ـِـ So she's trying to pretend that her very charming brother is actually a woman's man. It seems ridiculous to say it based on how he behaved when here with us. That is, he was very much a man who stood up for caring about the nature of things, and not some manipulator who sees the softer sex as his issue to be dealing with!

ـِـ No, that's right, the other woman who was new to Debbie said. He didn't have any weird attitudes about what we are, nor delusions about himself as far as I could see.

But now she looked a little doubtfully at the others.

Helen spoke up:

ـِـ No, I don't think he had any! As a matter of fact I think he saw his father as exactly your type of man. ...

ـِـ No he wasn't, Debbie retorted weakly.

The principle laughed scornfully at this.

ـِـ We all know how you were harassed by that bitch Sylvia. But what you did say about her didn't match the stories of the two other girls involved, and what I've noticed is that you were having an attitude about her that wasn't easy to pinpoint, but there seemed an obvious thing back then that you two were alike! I mean I noticed you looking up to her at the same time you were scorning her.

Debbie looked again in amazement at them. She felt that this was unfair, although she knew he had observed something and that therefore he tried to suspend her that first time. But she felt afraid to say that she didn't admire her a lot, because then the other girls would tend to look down on her, or at least that's the way she felt it must be.

The principle cleared his throat and continued:

ـِـ We therefore decided finally to suspend you, and also to advice your father and at least potentially your mother to place you where she is, which is a home for delinquent brats like for example you and her. For now we will actually have you here, but only until the day is over. If you come back tomorrow we will call the police.

Deborah said nothing.