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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, Jackie, 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."