Advertisement
Rhonda looked terrified.
“This is fake,” she snapped. “He’s manipulating data — this is exactly what I warned about. That boy fabricated this.”
Rhonda lunged for the laptop. Mr. Bennett caught her wrist before she reached it.
Mr. Bennett stared at her. “I’m calling 911 immediately.”
And then, from the side aisle, a boy called out, “It was my fault!”
Rhonda looked terrified.
Everyone turned.
Mason shoved through the crowd and stumbled onto the stage. His eyes were wild.
“I took the money,” he blurted out. “I used Mom’s login—”
Rhonda rushed toward him. “Not another word.”
He jerked away from her. “No! I won’t let you get arrested for this!”
Advertisement
Mr. Bennet stepped between them. “I think we all need to hear what Mason has to say.”
“Not another word.”
Mason faced the crowd again. “I didn’t really steal the money, okay? I just moved it. I’ll give it all back. I just wanted to mess with Leo. Everyone acts like he’s some genius just because he’s poor and smart. And Mom… all she did was try to protect me.”
“What do you mean by that?” Mr. Bennet asked.
“When she found out, she said we should blame Leo. That people would believe it. That he’d lose his scholarship opportunities, and then I might have a chance.”
Advertisement
People who had avoided us at the store, at school, in parking lots, now hung their heads in shame.
ADVERTISEMENT
