Fabulous Five 004 - Her Honor, Katie Shannon Read online

  "Clarence isn't someone I'd love to spend a lot of time thinking about," agreed Melanie. "On the other hand," she added slyly, "look at all the time you'll get to spend with Shane Arrington and Garrett Boldt. That I could handle."

  "And just think how much fun it would be if Laura McCall or Taffy Sinclair got sent to Teen Court," said Beth. She was rubbing her hands together in anticipation. "You could pay them back for all the nasty things they've done to us."

  Katie couldn't help smiling at that. Laura McCall was the leader of The Fantastic Foursome, a clique made up of Laura, Tammy Lucero, Funny Hawthorne, and Melissa McConnell. They had been as popular at Riverfleld Elementary as The Fabulous Five had been at Mark Twain Elementary. What was worse, they had set themselves up as The Fabulous Five's biggest rivals on the first day of school and had been causing trouble ever since. And, Taffy was their old enemy from Mark Twain Elementary. They had had a club against Taffy, and she had had one against them.

  "What will you do if one of us gets into trouble?" asked Christie.

  Katie blinked. "What do you mean?"

  "You know. We're your best friends," Christie insisted. "After all, you got a detention, didn't you? What would you do if one of us had to go to Teen Court?"

  "Good question," said Melanie, putting down her sandwich and facing Katie squarely. "What if it was unfair, like your detention?"

  "That's easy," said Katie. "The court would listen to both sides. If the teacher had been unfair, you wouldn't be punished. That's all."

  "Do you mean to say that you'd actually overrule a teacher?" asked Jana. "That sounds risky to me."

  "Don't be silly," scoffed Katie. "This whole thing was the principal's idea. You don't think the teachers would have gone along with it in the first place if they weren't willing to accept the court's decisions, do you?"

  "I don't know," said Christie, shaking her head. "I'd have to agree with Jana. It sounds risky. I'm glad you're going to have to figure it out and not me."

  "I'll tell you more about it tomorrow," said Katie. "Mr. Bell has called the first meeting of the court for today after school in the media center. We'll get our instructions then."

  When the bell rang, dismissing school for the day, Katie raced to her locker and grabbed her jacket and the books she needed for homework and fought her way through the crowded halls toward the media center.

  She pushed open the glass doors and headed for the front of the room where Mrs. Brenner, the school guidance counselor, was directing the rearrangement of furniture for the court. Kaci Davis, who was in the ninth grade, was there already, as were Shane Arrington and Whitney Larkin from the seventh grade, Garrett Boldt from the eighth grade, and another boy Katie didn't know.

  "Let's place these two long tables end-to-end and put the court's chairs behind them," said Mrs. Brenner. "I'll sit on one end, and the other faculty adviser will sit on the other." Katie put her books down and hurried to help.

  "How do you want the other chairs, Mrs. Brenner?" asked Kaci.

  "Put another table in front facing the court with two chairs behind it for the plaintiff and the defendant. Anyone who is waiting to be heard will sit in the room next to this one." Daphne Alexandrou, Shelly Bramlett, and another student came in and started helping. Katie was surprised when Miss Dickinson entered the room and started chatting with Mrs. Brenner.

  "What's she doing here?" Katie whispered to Whitney Larkin, nodding toward Miss Dickinson.

  Whitney looked at her over her glasses. "She's the other Teen Court adviser," Whitney answered.

  Katie nearly fell out of the chair she had just sat down in. Not Miss Dickinson! She didn't know the meaning of the word "fair." Why, she hadn't even given Katie a chance to tell her side of the story about who had really been talking in English Lit. Well, maybe Miss Dickinson would learn a thing or two from the Teen Court herself. Katie would show her what being fair really meant.

  "Okay, let's get started." Mrs. Brenner checked the roll to see if everyone had arrived. As she called the names, Katie had a chance to look at the other judges. There was Shane, of course. Melanie thought he looked like River Phoenix, and Katie had to agree with her about that. Melanie would go out of her mind if she were ever in the same room with both Shane and Garrett Boldt at the same time. It hadn't been long ago when Melanie had gotten in trouble flirting with both of them and Scott Daly, all at the same time. Garrett was in the eighth grade and was sports photographer for the Wakeman yearbook, The Wigwam.

  Kaci Davis was captain of the varsity cheerleaders and positively the most gorgeous girl at Wakeman as well as the most popular. The only thing about her that Katie didn't like was that she acted bored all the time. At that moment she had her little mirror out and was touching up her eyebrows as if they were on crooked.

  Then there was Whitney Larkin. With her tiny frame and eyeglasses, Katie couldn't help but think that Whitney looked like someone who had skipped sixth grade and gone straight into junior high school, which was exactly what she had done. Whitney and Curtis Trowbridge, who was editor of the school paper, The Smoke Signal, and newly elected seventh-grade class president, were always holding hands in the hallways.

  Daphne Alexandrou and Shelly Bramlett were both eighth-graders. Daphne, whose father owned a Greek deli near the school, was almost as pretty as Kaci, and Shelly was the star of the girls' basketball team.

  The other two boys introduced themselves as Kyle Zimmerman and D. J. Doyle. They were both ninth-graders. Katie had seen them in the halls but didn't know them.

  "All right, everyone. In about fifteen minutes we should have our first case, but let's talk about how we're going to run our court," Mrs. Brenner said, handing out pads of paper and pencils.

  "Mr. Bell has asked Miss Dickinson and me to be your advisers. This is how it's going to work. Anyone who has had a complaint filed against him or her by a teacher or administrator that would normally result in a detention will come in with the person who filed the complaint. More serious offenses will be dealt with at a higher level. The person whom the complaint is against will be the defendant, and the person who filed the complaint is called the plaintiff. Both will sit at the table in front of us and tell their story. You should take notes and ask any questions you feel you need to in order to understand the problem thoroughly."

  "Do we base our decisions on the rules that are in our student handbook?" asked Kaci, looking at her nails.

  "Precisely," answered Mrs. Brenner. "There will be times, however, when the rule may not apply and the decision won't be clear. After we've heard the case, the plaintiff and the defendant will be asked to leave while we consider the evidence. We will discuss the rule that has been broken and how justice can be fairly applied when we are by ourselves. And of course, please remember that our discussions at that time and the way each member votes must remain strictly confidential."

  Katie looked at Miss Dickinson, who had remained silent while Mrs. Brenner was talking. "Do we take it for granted that the student is guilty?" Katie asked in her most innocent voice.

  Everyone, including Miss Dickinson, looked at her with interest.

  "No, we don't assume guilt is automatic. Although, in most cases I think it will be more a question of degree rather than yes or no. You'll have some interesting questions to resolve in your own minds. Being a judge is not easy," answered Mrs. Brenner. "I'm sure it will all become much clearer as we hear cases. Miss Dickinson and I will be here to help you in any way we can.

  "Now, we need to appoint a senior judge to control the proceedings, a bailiff who will lead the people in and out of the courtroom and advise them when we have reached a decision, and a clerk to keep track of the cases. Kaci, why don't you start off as senior judge; Kyle, you act as bailiff; and D. J., you may be the clerk. We'll trade off each meeting so everyone gets a chance to do all the jobs.

  "If there are no more questions, we can hear the first case. Lots of luck, everyone."

  Then, turning to Kyle, Mrs. Brenner added, "Kyle,
here's a list of the cases for this afternoon. Will you bring in the plaintiff and defendant for the first one, please."

  As Kyle left the room, Katie straightened up in her seat and took out her pencil. On the pad in front of her she wrote:

  Case: ____________

  Defendant: ____________

  Plaintiff: ____________

  This was going to be fun. She would show Miss Dickinson how to be fair. If you listened to both sides, the answer would be obvious. She wondered why Miss Dickinson couldn't see that.

  The door opened and Kyle led the French teacher, Mrs. Lemane, into the room. Behind her were two of Katie's good friends, Randy Kirwan and Keith Masterson.

  CHAPTER 4

  Katie couldn't believe her eyes as Kyle pulled a third chair up to the table, and Randy and Keith sat down. It was incredible. The very first case the Teen Court was going to hear involved the boyfriends of two of her best friends. Randy was Jana's boyfriend and Keith was Beth's, and they were never in trouble. She hadn't expected Randy or Keith ever to come before the court, let alone on the very first day. What in the world could they have done? It must have been the same as her detention, a mistake. Well, she thought, I'll just have to hear both sides and make the right decision. That's the only fair way. She cast a sideways glance at Miss Dickinson.

  Kaci looked at D. J., who had the list of cases laid out in front of him. "Would the clerk please read the complaint?" Kaci asked.

  D. J. cleared his throat importantly. "Mrs. Lemane brings, against Randy Kirwan and Keith Masterson, the complaint of . . ." In midsentence D. J. threw his hand up over his mouth and covered up a laugh. He tried again. "Mrs. Lemane brings . . ." He turned away this time to hide his laughter. Randy and Keith shuffled nervously in their chairs and tried not to smile.

  Both Mrs. Brenner and Miss Dickinson frowned at D.J.

  Kaci reached out and took the paper. She glanced at it and raised her eyebrows before reading.

  "Mrs. Lemane brings, against Randy Kirwan and Keith Masterson, the complaint of putting Alpo dog food in a casserole that was served to the seventh-grade French class." She shook her head and put the paper down as Shane turned his chair away. A smile was threatening to break out on his face, too.

  Katie started counting by tens and gripped her hands tightly together to keep from laughing. The other students shuffled around in their chairs and stared up in the air, at the rows of bookshelves, or anyplace else, to avoid looking at each other.

  Kaci took her time before speaking again, and this time her voice was an octave higher. "Well, hmmm. I guess we had better start with you, Mrs. Lemane. Could you tell us more about the, uh . . . incident?"

  "Yes," said Mrs. Lemane with a stern look. "It may seem funny on the surface, but the charges are quite serious. The class project was for everyone to prepare a French dish and bring it to class for the others to sample. Today Keith and Randy brought a dish they called casserole au pois. In reality it was Alpo dog food and peas with cheese melted on the top." She said it with a look of disgust on her face. "It sounded legitimate so I didn't question them, but one of the students suspected something was wrong and then others guessed its contents."

  The judges on the Teen Court kept their heads down and stared at their pads.

  "Randy and Keith," said Kaci finally. "Do you have anything that you want to say?"

  Katie clenched her pencil tightly, prepared to write down that someone else had actually done it and that they were innocent victims. That had to be it. Randy and Keith were too nice ever to do something like that. What was it Jana always said about Randy? That he was kind and sensitive? Someone so kind and sensitive would never serve dog food to his French class. Besides, if the two of them had really done it, how could she sentence two kids she had known and liked from the third grade?

  "We don't have any excuses," said Randy. "It just seemed funny at the time, and we did it. It was dumb, and we know it." Keith nodded his head in agreement, and the two of them sat quietly awaiting the court's decision.

  "Well, uh. Hmm," stammered Kaci. She looked pleadingly at Mrs. Brenner.

  "Are there any questions from anyone on the court?" the counselor asked.

  Katie raised her hand slowly. "Did someone slip the Alpo in without your knowing it?" she asked hopefully.

  Both boys shook their heads.

  "Oh," was the only sound she could manage. Whitney, sitting next to her, made a couple of brief notes, and on her other side Shane was tapping the eraser of his pencil on the table absentmindedly.

  Miss Dickinson broke the silence. "Perhaps the court should take time to deliberate now, Kaci."

  Kaci jumped as if she had just been awakened. "Oh, yes. Would the bailiff please take the defendants and plaintiff into the other room while the court deliberates this, uh, complaint?"

  When they were gone, Garrett spoke. "I'm in complete sympathy with Randy and Keith. It was funny, but do we have any alternatives except to punish them?"

  "None," responded Miss Dickinson. Katie cringed as she continued. "They admit they did it. It could have been harmful to someone. Dog food is not meant for human consumption, you know. If you excuse them, someone else might do something worse, and how would you punish them if you let Randy and Keith off?"

  "It seems a shame to punish them for something we all think was funny and that couldn't hurt anyone," said Shane.

  "Especially when you think of all the gross things people eat anyway," added Whitney.

  Katie thought as hard as she could. She didn't want to punish the boyfriends of two of her best friends, either. But they were guilty. They even said so. She would just have to do the fair thing. Straightening her back she pushed out her chin and said, "We all think it was funny, but it wasn't a good thing to do. What if someone had gotten sick?" She saw Miss Dickinson was watching her closely. "Therefore, the only fair thing we can do is give them a punishment that fits the crime."

  "What do you suggest, Katie?" asked Mrs. Brenner.

  "Uh . . . well. Why don't we have them help out in the cafeteria? You know, clean tables or something."

  "That's not a bad idea," said D. J., looking at Katie approvingly.

  The others nodded in agreement.

  "For how long?" asked Kaci. Mrs. Brenner smiled as the students continued their conversation.

  "How about for a week?" asked Whitney. Everyone agreed with her suggestion, and Kyle went to get Mrs. Lemane, Randy, and Keith.

  Katie kept her eyes down while Kaci read the court's decision to her two friends. She felt bad about it, but it was a fair punishment. Wasn't that what the Teen Court was all about? She watched Randy and Keith as they left the room. They didn't seem angry or anything. She sank against her chair and breathed a sigh of relief. The first case was over, and how tough could the next one be? Every single one of her friends couldn't be in trouble. She giggled to herself as she imagined Jana, Melanie, Christie, and Beth all seated in front of the court with handcuffs and black-and-white-striped prisoner outfits on. Then she changed the mental image to Laura McCall, Tammy Lucero, Funny Hawthorne, and Melissa McConnell. Now that's a case I'd like to have, she thought.

  Katie felt much calmer as Kyle went out to get the people for the next case. But when the door opened, and she saw who was there, she sat bolt upright. Walking toward her, with a broad grin on his face, was Tony Calcaterra.

  CHAPTER 5

  Katie strained to pull her eyes from Tony Calcaterra's. But they had locked with his, as if they were connected by stiff taffy candy that refused to be pulled apart. Finally she broke the contact and looked down at the pad in front of her.

  She frowned at the white, ruled paper. This is ridiculous, she thought, shaking her head. It was embarrassing to be so confused by someone just because he was cute. She had never imagined herself thinking twice about a guy who acted as macho as Tony did. But she had to admit that there was something interesting about the way Tony refused to be pushed around.

  "Would the clerk read the complai
nt?" asked Kaci.

  D. J. gripped the paper with both hands and began, "The complaint of creating a disturbance in class has been brought against Tony Calcaterra by Mr. Naset."

  "Mr. Naset, would you please tell us about it?" Kaci asked.

  Katie peeked at Tony and quickly looked away. He was staring at her. And he still had that stupid earring in his ear. She had thought boys wearing earrings was against school rules.

  "Tony was disrupting history class. It's as simple as that," said Mr. Naset angrily, sticking out his chin.

  "What do you mean 'disrupting history class'?" asked Shane.

  "You know. Talking. Trying to get the other students to laugh at him."

  The judges made notes on their pads. "Did you ask Tony to quiet down?" continued Shane.

  "I shouldn't have to. He knew he was in class. No one else had to be told to be quiet."

  Suddenly Katie felt uneasy about the way Mr. Naset said it. "Did this happen at the beginning, middle, or end of the class, Mr. Naset?" she asked.

  "What difference does that make? The beginning, I guess."

  "Had the bell rung for the class to start?"

  "I don't recall."

  Something was nagging at Katie. She asked another question. "Was everyone else sitting down?"

  "I think so."

  Katie looked at him curiously. "Has Tony been in trouble in your class before?"

  "Ha! Tony's in trouble all the time." Mr. Naset looked knowingly at Miss Dickinson and Mrs. Brenner, as if he was sure they would confirm what he said.

  Out of the corner of her eye Katie could see a small smile creeping across Tony's face. He's so arrogant, she thought, why does he want to get himself in even more trouble? She leaned back in her chair, trying to decide whether or not to ask any more questions.

  "But is he in trouble in your class, Mr. Naset?" asked Whitney.

  "Yes. All the time."

  "Tony"—Katie had to ask one more question—"why were you talking if the class had started?"