The school day continued after lunch. Zara returned to her classroom and picked up her backpack from the back of her chair without noticing anything different about it. She had no idea what Emily had done. She went through her afternoon classes normally, thinking about her campaign, thinking about a student forum she was planning to organize, thinking about the things students had told her they cared about.
Emily sat through her afternoon classes knowing exactly what she had done. She was waiting. She was patient. She knew that when school ended, everything would fall into place.
The final bell rang at 3:15 p.m. Students began gathering their things and heading toward the exits. Teachers dismissed their classes. The hallways filled with students moving toward the parking lot and the bus stops. It was during this moment of chaos and movement, when everyone was distracted and thinking about getting home, that Emily made her move.
Emily started screaming in the middle of the hallway. She screamed loud enough that students near her stopped and turned to look. She screamed that her phone was missing. She screamed that someone had stolen her phone. She was looking through her backpack frantically, pulling things out, acting confused and upset. Other students gathered around her, asking what was wrong.
Teachers came over to see what the commotion was about. Emily told them that her phone was gone, and that she couldn't remember exactly when she last had it with her, but she was certain it had to be somewhere in the school. She was certain someone had taken it from her.
A teacher suggested that they call Emily's phone to locate it using the ringtone. Emily agreed immediately. The school office called her number. The phone rang out loud and clear—and the ringing was coming from inside Zara's backpack.
Zara was standing in the hallway with her backpack on her shoulder when the phone started ringing from inside it. She heard it at the same time everyone else did. Her face went confused for a moment; she didn't understand what was happening.
Emily pointed at her. Emily started screaming that Zara had stolen her phone. Emily added racist comments about her character, about whether people like her could be trusted, about whether she was really the kind of person the school should have as student body president.
Zara tried to defend herself. She said she didn't know how Emily's phone got into her backpack. She said she definitely didn't take it. She said there had to be some mistake.
But then Emily screamed again. She screamed that her expensive wireless earbuds were missing, too. Emily pointed at Zara again and said that she must have taken those as well. Emily demanded to know where the earbuds were.
Zara defended herself again. She said she didn't take the earbuds. She said she didn't know anything about any of this.
Emily demanded to search Zara's backpack. She reached for it. Zara pulled back. She refused to let Emily touch her backpack; she didn't want Emily searching through her things.
That refusal was exactly what Emily needed. That moment of resistance made Zara look guilty to everyone watching. Teachers were looking uncertain now. Students were starting to believe that maybe Zara had done something wrong.
Emily pulled out her phone and dialed a number. She was calling her father.
Officer Marcus Patterson answered on the second ring. Emily told him that a girl at school had stolen her phone and her expensive earbuds. She told him that the girl's name was Zara Mitchell. She told him that Zara was refusing to let anyone search her backpack. She told him that he needed to come to the school right away because this girl was being difficult and refusing to cooperate.
Officer Patterson said he was on his way. Emily hung up the phone and looked at Zara with a smile that showed she believed she had won.
Officer Marcus Patterson pulled into the Lincoln High School parking lot in his patrol car within eight minutes of Emily's call. He was still wearing his full police uniform from his shift. He had his badge on his belt and his authority in his posture. He walked into the school building, and a teacher immediately directed him to where Zara was standing in the hallway, surrounded by other students and teachers.
Officer Patterson looked at Zara, and he saw a thief. He didn't see a 17-year-old girl. He didn't see a student running for office. He saw his daughter's accusation made into reality, and that was all he needed to see.
He approached Zara with the confidence of a police officer who had already made his decision before arriving at the school. He said to Zara, "I understand you have my daughter's phone and earbuds in your possession."
Zara tried to explain. She said she didn't know how the items got into her backpack. She said Emily must have put them there. She said she was being framed.
Officer Patterson didn't listen to her explanation. He held out his hand and demanded her backpack. He said the phone had already been found in her bag, so she was a prime suspect. He said if she was innocent, she should have nothing to hide.
Zara, seeing how the situation was moving against her, seeing how Officer Patterson had already decided her guilt, handed over her backpack.
Officer Patterson took it and began searching through it methodically. He checked the main pockets. He found the iPhone exactly where Emily had placed it. He pulled it out and looked at it. Then he checked the side pockets; he found nothing there.
Then he felt the inside pocket—the smaller pocket, the one where Emily had hidden the earbuds deep inside where they wouldn't be easily found during a quick search. Officer Patterson reached in and pulled out the wireless earbuds. They were exactly where Emily had positioned them.