It was now Monday, January 11, 1988. Meaning that three whole days had passed since Josie, Seth, and Moira met while ditching their classes. (Of course, this was against the rules.) The kids were hiding in an abandoned room in the back of the library. The room hadn’t been used since the 1960s, and no one knew the room existed.

The room had clean white walls and multicolored rugs, but years of neglect made the room almost unusable. Josie discovered that room during another missed art class and swiped enough cleaning materials from the janitor’s closet to make the room into a decent place for her to stay. The furniture consisted of discarded tables and chairs that no one bothered to take to the junkyard. Josie made sure that the furniture was presentable before her new friends could stay in the room.

Josie, Moira, and Seth were now sitting in that room attempting to do their homework and ignore the gossip their fellow students were involved in. Now, if there was one thing in Montagne Beach Middle School that Josie hated, it was gossip. She often intimidated any student that engaged in gossip, whether the rumor was true or not. There was not a single student in Montagne Beach Middle School who wasn’t scolded by Josie Stebbins for gossiping; even the teachers weren’t safe from Josie’s ability to detect gossip. She often called out the offending person in the middle of class, which earned them ridicule from their classmates and a stern lecture from the teacher.

Had she known she was the subject of today’s gossip happening in the library, Josie Stebbins could have found a way to not only put an end to the gossip, but probably prevented the troubles she and her new friends endured because of said rumors…

*-*-*-*

Before we go any further, we must now introduce you to Sheila Baines.

Sheila was the type of person you would avoid if it were possible. She was described as a poisonous snake with dark brown skin, short wavy red hair, and dark brown eyes. She was of average height, quite heavy, and often wore old-fashioned clothes.

Sheila (the oldest person attending Montagne Beach Middle School at age 16) ruled over the entire student body with an iron fist. She did not approve of anyone who dared to be different, nor did she like those who weren’t Black. She made sure no racial group was allowed to mix and kept those whom she deemed “weird” away from the rest of the school by isolating and intimidating said weird person. (Due to her cruelty, many kids who attended Montagne Beach Middle School either quit school altogether or convinced their parents to let them switch to another school. Those who stayed, however, did whatever they could to stay out of Sheila’s way.)

Besides being a nightmare to the student population, Sheila also disrupted classes and angered many teachers with her awful behavior. No student, teacher, or school staff member was safe from her cruelty. Yet, for all their efforts to get her under control, no teacher could get Sheila reprimanded or expelled from the school. Sheila’s mother, Wanda, was on the PTA and no one was brave enough to approach her to discuss the problems her daughter was causing for everyone. Because of that, everyone was forced to put up with Sheila’s antics. Josie made sure to stay out of Sheila’s way as much as she could.

Anyway, we should continue with the story about Josie, Moira, and Seth, but we must remember that they will eventually have to deal with Sheila about their strange friendship. However, the way that they would deal with Sheila and her cruel ways would have the entire school talking for many years to come.

“It’s impossible to think that Mrs. Higgs expects us to do three pages worth of math problems in one night,” Shane Giambetti said to Tom Quinn as they sat together at a table in the library trying to complete their math homework. “How am I supposed to do all of this work when I have to help work in my family’s bakery in the afternoons? That’s not fair.”

“Telling her about your family’s problems is out of the question, Shane,” said Tom. “You know how she is; she would say, “Your education is more important than your family.” I’ll be dead before I have to choose between going to school and my family business.”

“Besides, what does she know about working in the family business?” said Shane. “She’s an American citizen while my family moved here from Italy two years ago. Some people don’t stop to consider that what their families want is far more important than anything they want. I mean, having a family is what really matters in this life, not having the most money, the biggest house, or the flashiest car. Let’s be realistic.”

“Indeed,” said Tom, but then the two boys were interrupted from doing their homework when Vanessa Bass and Kelly Adams walked by their table. The girls were talking about Josie Stebbins, Seth Burke, and Moira Downing. In other words, Dinah Munoz had claimed to see Josie and the other two students in question walking into the library and told someone. Within 15 minutes, rumors about Josie and her new friends began spreading quickly in the halls of Montagne Beach Middle School. The rumors were bound to reach the ears of Sheila Baines soon.

“I can’t believe that girl would do something stupid like that,” Vanessa said to Kelly. “Who does Josie Stebbins think she is, anyway?”

“She has no self-respect, she always wears trashy clothes, and she has the personality of a goldfish,” said Kelly. “She doesn’t need friends; she needs to get some help.”

“Either that, or a good beating,” said Vanessa. “If my mom ever caught me wearing anything remotely trashy, she’d tan my hide.”

“I know,” said Kelly. “And what is up with those two losers she’s hanging out with?”

“Seth Burke?” said Vanessa. “Now I know that guy is an anarchist who hates the United States, even if he was born and raised as an American citizen. What does he have against this country, anyway?”

“Who knows,” said Kelly “I bet his parents must be brainwashing him or something like that, as no child would come up with such horrible things about America on their own.”

“I suddenly get why Josie would hang out with him,” said Vanessa. “We apparently forgot that Josie is from Iran, and right now, the Iranians hold an unfavorable view of the United States and the feeling is mutual. I bet her family came here to get away from that toxic environment in the Middle East.”

“And what about that Moira Downing?” said Kelly.

“Who, her?” said Vanessa.

“Yeah, her,” Kelly said with an ugly snarl on her face. “That girl is such a pathetic loser. She doesn’t like anyone, she wears that hideous blue scarf all the time, and she insists that we call her Moira even though her name is Mary. Isn’t she messed up?”

“Yeah,” said Vanessa. “What’s up with that?”

Shane and Tom returned to their work, not believing what they had just heard. “Josie Stebbins is hanging out with Seth Burke and Moira Downing?” Tom cried out. “You’ve gotta be kidding me! Josie Stebbins NEVER hangs out with the weird kids!”

“Yes, she does,” said Shane.

“How do you know that?” said Tom.

“Because I know her very well,” said Shane. “It’s like she hates the normal kids and likes to be with those who other people consider weird.”

“Not unless you’re talking about Lauryn Passano, Cooper Verdansky, Connor Finnegan, Mike Campbell, and Nikolas Huntington,” said Tom. “Those are the people she hangs around with.”

“Not really,” said Shane. “I’ve seen her with Caleb McGrath and Leyla Littleton on several occasions. They usually hang out on Cannery Row or Dennis the Menace Park in Monterey.”

“And let’s not forget about Jacey Mayford,” said Tom. “Those two were buddies even before they came here and we all know it. In fact, everyone knows that they were friends since the second grade. There’s nothing Josie wouldn’t do if Jacey’s not around. That’s just the way it is.”

“But Seth Burke and Moira Downing?” cried Shane. “Blegh! Those two are no good for her. When last I checked, Seth is a fool who hates this country and claims to be from some foreign country even though we know he’s an American citizen. Moira is a messed-up girl who isn’t worth anyone’s time. If you ask me, I say that Josie’s making a serious mistake by befriending those two. I hope she comes to her senses and gets rid of them before something bad happens to her.”

As she listened to the gossip spreading around the library, Sheila sat in her seat in the back of the library and frowned as she took in the scene before her: two girls, both disregarding her rules for them and their friendship, were discussing the unexpected friendship of Josie Stebbins, Seth Burke, and Moira Downing. That rumor made her blood boil to the point where an artery would burst and kill a 50-year-old man. She resolved to teach Josie, Seth, and Moira a harsh lesson about who they should or shouldn't be friends with. Nobody defied her rules and lived!