Chapter 5 - Madison’s Secret
Madison sat across from Naomi Grant with both hands wrapped around a bottle of water.
Her mother was not present.
Because Mrs. Callahan was the subject of the investigation, district officials had arranged for Madison’s father, Thomas Callahan, to attend remotely from Chicago, where he had moved after the divorce.
Madison hated that.
She hated the speakerphone.
She hated the adults looking at her.
Most of all, she hated knowing that the truth might destroy her mother.
Grant spoke gently.
“Madison, we need you to tell us who used your mother’s computer on March ninth.”
Madison’s lips pressed together.
Her father’s voice came through the speaker.
“Tell the truth, Mads.”
She looked at the phone.
“You don’t get to tell me what to do.”
Thomas went silent.
Grant did not react.
“Did you change any grades?”
“No.”
“Did you ever log into your mother’s account?”
“Yes.”
Derek was not in the room.
Neither was Hailey.
This interview belonged to Madison.
Grant asked, “Why?”
“Mom made me.”
“For what?”
“Small things. Uploading rubrics. Entering participation points she wrote down. Sometimes she’d tell me to fix attendance.”
“Did you know that was against policy?”
Madison looked embarrassed.
“I knew students weren’t supposed to do it.”
“Did you ever change your own grades?”
“No.”
Grant watched her carefully.
“Did your mother?”
Madison’s eyes filled.
That was the question.
She had spent the entire night deciding whether she could answer it.
Finally she whispered, “Yes.”
Her father inhaled sharply through the speaker.
Grant’s pen stopped.
“Tell me what you saw.”
Madison looked at the floor.
“The night after the scholarship results, Mom opened my grade page.”
“What did she say?”
“She said there had been mistakes.”
“What mistakes?”
“She said teachers didn’t understand how much pressure I was under.”
Grant waited.
Madison swallowed.
“She changed two scores.”
“Her own class?”
“One was hers.”
“And the other?”
Madison shook her head.
“I don’t know how she changed the other one. She said she was fixing an entry.”
Grant made a note.
“Did she discuss Hailey?”
Madison’s face tightened.
“All the time.”
“What did she say?”
“That Hailey got lucky.”
Grant looked up.
“Hailey’s grades indicate consistent performance.”
“I know.”
The answer came too quickly.
Madison wiped her cheek.
“I told her that.”
For the first time, her voice broke.
“I told Mom Hailey beat me.”
Grant let the silence sit.
Madison continued.
“I was angry when I lost. Of course I was. I worked for it too. But I didn’t want Hailey’s scholarship taken away.”
“What did your mother say?”
“That I didn’t understand how the world worked.”
A tear slid down Madison’s face.
“She said girls like Hailey get praised for overcoming things, while girls like me are expected to be perfect and get nothing for it.”
Grant’s expression remained steady.
“What did you think?”
“I thought it sounded crazy.”
Her father said softly, “Madison…”
“Don’t.”
Madison clenched her jaw.
Grant asked about the forged cheating referral.
Madison went pale.
“I never saw that.”
“Would your mother have access to Chloe Martin’s signature?”
Madison hesitated.
“Probably.”
“Why?”
“Permission slips. Class forms. Student contracts.”
When Grant ended the interview, Madison walked into the hallway.
Hailey was sitting there with Derek.
Their eyes met.
Hailey’s expression was unreadable.
Madison stopped.
“I didn’t know about the ruler.”
Derek stood slightly, but Hailey touched his sleeve.
Madison continued.
“And I didn’t change your grades.”
Hailey looked at her for a long moment.
“Did you know your mom changed yours?”
Madison’s eyes dropped.
“Yes.”
Derek exhaled through his nose.
Hailey asked, “Did you tell anyone?”
“No.”
“Why?”
Madison whispered, “Because she’s my mom.”
Hailey’s face changed.
Not forgiveness.
Understanding.
There was a difference.
Madison turned to leave, then stopped.
“One more thing.”
Grant looked up.
Madison reached into her backpack.
She pulled out a small black notebook.
“My mom keeps this in the drawer beside our printer.”
She placed it on the table.
“I took it last night.”
Grant opened it.
Inside were student names.
Dates.
Numbers.
Short comments.
Beside Hailey’s name, three lines were underlined.
TOO HIGH.
WATCH CONDUCT.
FIND DISQUALIFIER BEFORE FOUNDATION REVIEW.
Grant stared at the page.
Then she turned backward.
Hailey’s name was not the only one there.
May you like
There were dozens.
And some went back years.
