Free #4 Truth and Nothing But by Stephanie Perry Moore

this way.
    â€œSloan, I, I, I, I just can’t believe what I’m seeing here,” Dr. Garner said, stuttering “But you know we can’t have this, and as much as it pains me, I called your parents. You’re going to be suspended.”
    â€œYou haven’t even asked my side of the story, sir,” I uttered, needing to speak out now.
    â€œWhen I have evidence like this, young lady, that’s sent from your phone, unfortunately this unflattering selfie, as you young people call it, is all the proof I need. This has got to die down around here. I’ve got to set some ground rules so that everyone understands forwarding this type of material is criminal. I’m sure you saw Reese out front. As a young man who’s a leader in this school, working with my parent group and my teachers to make sure that this school has everything it needs, I’m disappointed in him too. You wait here for your mom. I’m going to talk to him separately. While I don’t condone you taking this kind of picture and sending it to him, I certainly have an issue with him sending it to others as well. I’ll be back in just a second.”
    Dr. Garner got up and went out the door. I started hitting my head. This was a nightmare, and I wanted to wake up.
    When the door opened, I just knew it was my folks. I turned and got a knot in my stomach, seeing the assistant principal, Mr. Hobby. The smirk plastered on his face creeped me out.
    Mr. Hobby said, “Well, well, well, what do we have here? Somebody trying to accuse me of doing wrong and the very next week, you’re the laughingstock of the school.”
    â€œSir, are you supposed to be saying all this to me right now?” I said.
    â€œSeeing the picture I saw, saying something to you isn’t what I’m thinking about. I just got to be honest.” He licked his crusty lips.
    â€œSir!” I yelled. I never imagined wanting to pose for Playboy . I didn’t have any desire to. I thought it was absolutely disgusting, but sometimes you find yourself in places you never thought you’d end up. I could see what it felt like being someone who had a great job, lost it, and the next thing he knows… he’s homeless. Or a teenager falling in love, getting too close to a guy, and the next thing you know… she’s pregnant. Or one of the brightest girls at school minding her own business, and the next thing you know… she’s the laughingstock of the school because everybody’s seen places she hasn’t even examined on her own body.
    Mr. Hobby left me to wallow in my pity. The next voices I heard were that of my mom and Dr. Garner coming into the office. She didn’t give me a chance to explain. She didn’t look at me either. They were talking all around me.
    Dr. Garner told her, “Yes, kids make mistakes. Yes, even the brightest children do things that their parents aren’t expecting sometimes. I hate to give her these three days.”
    â€œWell, with everything she just did, trust me, she can use three days,” my mother told him.
    I could tell steam was piping out of my mom’s ears, but she was playing her role with Dr. Garner. She was being all nice and chummy, talking about how excited she was for my father and all his great plans for the city. Yet there her daughter sat embarrassing the heck out of the family. She wasn’t cool with that. I knew it. Finally, when we were in the car, I was ready for her to let me have it, but she drove in silence with an angry look on her face.
    â€œSay something, Mom. Tell me. What is it that you want to say? Or you want to let me have it even though you haven’t even heard me out,” I demanded.
    Finally, she broke. “Hear you out? Sloan, are you serious? I have to look at my daughter’s bare body on a phone! First of all, why you would even think this is okay? To take a picture of yourself and send it to some boy is just crazy. I