In an empty hallway after class, Emily had gotten close to Zara and said quietly, "Drop out of the election. If you're smart, you'll drop out right now." When Zara asked why, Emily's response was clear. "Because I'm going to make your life miserable if you don't. I'm going to make this school hell for you."
Zara had felt the threat in those words. She understood that Emily wasn't joking, but she had also understood something else. She wasn't going to be intimidated into silence. She wasn't going to let fear dictate her choices. Emily had escalated the threats.
In another private conversation she had told Zara, "Leave this school. You don't belong here. People like you don't belong in leadership positions." The words had been delivered with a quiet intensity that made them even more chilling than if Emily had been screaming. But again, Zara had refused to back down.
She continued her campaign. She attended student forums. She listened to what other students cared about. She developed actual ideas about student concerns and her support continued to grow. This infuriated Emily.
About 2 weeks before this particular Tuesday in September, Emily had made a decision. Bullying wasn't working. Threats weren't working. Zara wasn't breaking. She wasn't withdrawing from the race.
She wasn't leaving the school. She was standing firm and the more Zara refused to be intimidated, the more support she gained from other students. Emily realized that she needed to do something more dramatic. She needed to remove Zara from the equation entirely and she came up with a plan. Emily had obtained Zara's class schedule.
She had identified the times when Zara's backpack would be unattended. She had noted that during lunch period, Zara ate in the cafeteria while her backpack remained in the classroom. Emily had expensive possessions, an iPhone that her father had given her, wireless earbuds that cost over $200. She knew that if she could plant these items in Zara's backpack and then report them as stolen, if she could get people to discover them in Zara's possession, the situation would escalate in a way that would force Zara out of school. On this particular Tuesday morning, Emily had brought her iPhone and her expensive wireless earbuds to school with her.
She had carried them in her bag waiting for lunch period. When lunch came, Zara headed to the cafeteria like she always did. She sat down with friends and talked about the upcoming election. She ate her lunch. She was normal, unaware of what Emily was about to do.
Emily waited until she was certain Zara was settled in the cafeteria. Then she got up from her table and walked toward the classroom where Zara's backpack hung on the back of her chair. The classroom was empty. All the students were either in the cafeteria or in other classes. Emily pushed open the door and looked around to make sure no one was there.
She approached Zara's desk. She opened the backpack. With careful movements, she placed her iPhone in the main pocket where it would be found easily. Then she found a smaller inner pocket. She took the wireless earbuds and pushed them down deep inside this pocket and making sure they were positioned where they wouldn't be immediately visible to someone doing a quick search.