An authorized story, based on the characters and environment of A New Style of Education by Karen Page.

"It's a secret," I blurted out, rather stupidly.

Uncle Mickey looked at me with mild disapproval. "Juliette, the first rule in keeping secrets is: never admit there's a secret. There is no secret. There never is any secret."

She rushed over with a gleam in her eye and what my uncle later described as a "murderous smile."

Uncle Mickey muttered, "Lord help us, we're in for it now!"

“Mfanwy, Mfanwy Morgan, could I have a word please?”

Why was Miss B calling me Mfanwy?

“Sure Miss Bell, what’s up?”

“Could you follow me please?”

Oh-oh, am I in trouble? What’s wrong now?

I followed Miss B into a conference room. As soon as I entered, on the opposite side of the room, I saw the three boys that assaulted me last week in the boy’s loo, standing by the blackboard, looking uncomfortable. I froze in place with a terrified look on my face. I was just about to turn and run when Miss B gently grabbed me and led me the rest of the way into the room. I noticed six other adults I didn’t recognize, sitting around the table in the center of the room. I assumed them to be the parents of the three boys. Miss Cowlishaw and Mr. Pilling were there also.

Our two visitors started shifting anxiously in their seats. I couldn't imagine what was on their minds.

"Uh, one reason we came over—"

"...if you don't mind..."

In the late Christmas afternoon I was in my room, sitting in a chair, hugging my knees and feeling glad to be clean and warm, when I heard two women talking outside. It sounded like friendly banter, but it never stopped or let up. I figured that the two were walking slowly, but they never seemed to move on. And they didn't quit jabbering for an instant. Finally, out of curiosity, I looked out the window.

PART 7: THE THIRD DATE

Rorie was released from the hospital seven days after she was admitted. She thanked Dr. Goldberg for everything he had done and her mother, Tara and Keri escorted her home. She stayed in bed at home for another two weeks while her body finished repairing itself. Keri visited Rorie more at her home than she was allowed to at the hospital and helped out with everything from bringing her meals to changing the sheets on the bed once or twice and helping her with her makeup. When Keri began doing Rorie's makeup at the hospital, she decided that she should teach Rorie how to use makeup, and it became a regular part of time together. During Rorie's home convalescence, she and Keri began to discuss making their third date happen.

During the next two weeks, Rorie could get up out of bed, but she would tire very quickly, and their third date would have to wait a while longer.

Six weeks after the accident, Rorie and Keri finally got a chance to have their third date — alone. They arranged to have their third date at Rorie’s home at a time when Rorie’s mother would not be there. She was attending the retirement party of a coworker one Friday night and Rorie chose exactly that Friday for her date with Keri. She coaxed Tara to make plans elsewhere with her friends and Tara, with a wry smile on her face, agreed to be out of the house.

I sat down on a tree stump, away from the action. My cell phone battery was dead, and I still hadn't called my parents. And I was cold. Really cold. So cold that I wasn't trembling anymore. My energy was utterly depleted.

A police detective approached me, a woman, and she asked, "Is anybody helping you? Are you okay?"

WRONG NUMBER
Part 5: Turn for the Worst

“Sharon, nobody’s home! Shit, I have to talk to her! Let me try to call her one more time.”
“Okay.”

Keri sat down in the car, pulled out her cellphone and dialed my number. This time somebody answered -- somebody who had clearly been crying.

“H-hello, um, this is Kelly’s phone.”
“Hi, this is Keri calling. I really need to talk to her. Is she there?”

The voice began to cry again.

“Keri, this is Tara, Kelly’s sister. Kelly had a terrible accident.”

WRONG NUMBER
PART 3: Second Date

On the night of our first date, my sister Tara was playfully teasing me about my newfound romance while I dialed Keri's number on my cellphone. She giggled at me while I began talking with Keri. Keri and I had a really nice talk reminiscing on our first date and revealing everything about what we had feared going into it. At the end of the chat, we agreed to meet again at the same mall.

Our second date was a double-date with Chloe and her boyfriend. Keri and I were not worried about each other anymore by that point, but sometimes you had to do one more little thing to make your inner worry-wart shut the hell up. I was more than happy to make it a double-date. I would have done anything to see Keri again!

I showed up at the mall again dressed as a girl. This time, as a twist of irony, I wore an outfit nearly identical to the one Keri had described herself wearing during our first, fateful phone call. I had on a dark lavender top, denim skirt with frayed hem, and black tights. I wanted it to be my way of saying that the magic was still alive and well —- or that I wanted it to be, anyway.

WRONG NUMBER
PART 2: The Mall

The big day had finally arrived. I checked my outfit in the mirror. I looked very nice in the floral shirt and denim skirt. I had managed to run my hair through my straightening iron to make it look extra-special. I had done my makeup beautifully. I had decided I wanted to look as good as possible so that I could blend in with the crowd if need be. I felt good enough about my appearance but I stood before my mirror, looking myself in the eyes and trying to figure out what in the hell I was thinking.

Keri dressed herself in a lavender corduroy skirt and a matching, long-sleeve cotton top. She had debated herself over whether to wear hose. Pantyhose would be too alluring if I did turn out to be a psycho. Ironically, going bare-legged posed the same problem: there would be too much skin exposed and this would only draw a pervert all the more. She decided she’d better wear a pair of opaque tights. She picked out a pair of white ones and slipped them on. She stood before her mirror and tried to think of what she would say when she met this stranger named Kelly.

Chapter 9
By Samantha Jenkins

Mom and Dr. Franklin both walked into the room where I was. I glanced up from my puzzle when they entered. Dr. Franklin was the first to speak.

Her brow wrinkled. She looked hurt and offended, and she started to fade away.

Alarmed, I said, "No, no! Misty, don't go anywhere!"