Chapter 158
“Claire p>
Claire turned around just in time to see a little whirlwind barreling toward her. She dropped down and scooped her up without thinking.
“Vida, you remember me p>
“Uh-huh!” Vida nodded earnestly. She remembered Claire carrying her to the hospital, and she remembered the candy Claire had given her that made the pain go away. She hadn’t been able to say much back then, but kids never forget things like that.
“Mom and Dad said we have to thank you, Claire p>
Their classmates were all staring, curious about the police officers and the family standing at the door. Especially since Vida’s dad was holding a big red banner.
The teacher quickly gathered everyone, got them back to their seats, and invited the police officer to the front to talk about what happened the day of the accident.
“We’re here to thank Claire,” the officer said. “She was at the scene that day, stayed calm, and, together with her uncle, got out to help people p>
“They used their own first aid supplies and helped a lot of victims p>
“We have two thank-you banners here. One is from everyone Claire helped at the scene p>
“The other is from Vida and her parents p>
“Vida’s face was hurt pretty badly, with glass stuck in her skin. If Claire hadn’t rushed her to the hospital, things could have been much worse p>
“Our department encourages everyone to help others when it’s safe, and we hope Claire can be a role model for all of you p>
“We’ve also heard there have been some nasty rumors at school. Let’s be clear, those slander Claire, and spreading false rumors is illegal p>
“You are the future of this country. You have to respect the law p>
The officer’s voice was strong and steady, echoing through the whole building thanks to the microphone. It wasn’t just Claire’s class listening-kids in other classrooms and even on different floors could hear every word. They’d planned to just announce it over the PA, but Claire didn’t want that.
Sophia started clapping first, and soon the whole room joined in.
Vida’s parents thanked Claire again, right in front of everyone, and handed her the banners.
That was the end of the rumors.
After the police and Vida’s family left, the teacher came back looking serious.
“These past few days, the rumors have gotten out of hand. Don’t think that just because you’re kids, there aren’t consequences for making things up p>
“If Claire decided to take things further, none of you would get away with it p>
“Claire is your classmate, not your enemy. She’s smart and hardworking, and she deserves your respect—not your jealousy or lies p>
“I hope you’ll all think about your actions. If you’ve done something wrong, fix it. If you haven’t, keep doing your best p>
After that, the gossip finally died
down, at least for a while. Everyone
knew that if the police had come out
for her the whole rescue story had to be true content
For a moment, Claire was the talk of the school.
Cindy, on the other hand, just couldn’t catch a break. She wasn’t as pretty as Claire and even after
going back to the James family, she
barely got noticed at school.
Bothered by it all, Cindy called out as Claire was rushing to leave on Friday.
“Claire p>
Claire really didn’t want to deal with her, but she was curious what Cindy wanted this time.
“Just say what you need to say p>
Cindy looked like she was about to cry. “Claire, I didn’t mean to hold you up p>
“Then get to the point. You’re
wasting my time.” Claire was
swamped these days. The ointment
she was working on took forever to
make and she still had to go to the hospital sometimes. She didn’t have time for Cindy’s drama.