In his office, our principal, Stan, sat at a large, cluttered wooden desk on a cushioned leather desk chair, going through his emails on his desktop computer, which sat on one side of the curved desk. When I knocked on the door, he minimized the email screen and swiveled around, gesturing for me to take a seat on one of the two blue fabric chairs.

No sooner had I sat when Mom walked through the open door behind me without knocking and stood behind the spare seat, resting her hands on its back. “What’s going on?” she asked Stan.

Stan was one of those people who had no business being called Stan. When I pictured a Stan, my mental image was of someone kind of weedy, nonconfrontational, maybe with a handlebar mustache and a nervous sense of humor. But our Stan was a tank who wouldn’t look out of place in the marines, a stocky, Terry Crews lookalike. His eyes were usually kind when he saw me in the halls or the staff room, though.

Today they weren’t looking awfully kind. They looked pissed.

“Please, take a seat,” he said to Mom. She shot me a concerned glance and sat as Stan went on. “It has come to my attention Darcy has been running some sort of agony aunt advice business on school grounds, and charging students for it.”

In my peripheral, I could see Mom turn to me. I kept my eyes fixed on the desk.

“I’m of the understanding that she’s been doing so for several years now. This morning there was an incident in which multiple students had their private information stolen after Darcy allowed others to access the locker.”

“That wasn’t my fault—” I started, but Mom shushed me.

“I’ve already received several complaints from the students involved, along with a formal complaint from a parent. On top of this, some damage was sustained to school property.”

“That was an accident,” I said, ignoring Mom’s warning look. “And it wasn’t even me.”

“What property was damaged?” Mom asked.

“A locker door.”

“We’ll pay for it,” Mom said. I let out a cry of protest. That was totally unfair. Why should we have to pay for damage I didn’t do? Especially when we were one of the families least able to afford something like that.

“The damage is the least concerning part, at this stage,” Stan said. “Darcy, running a business, a paid business, on school grounds is completely unacceptable for a myriad of reasons. When you are on campus you are representing the school, and the school is responsible for all activity taking place within its walls. Had something gone wrong as a result of your advice, advice you charged for, the school would be liable. Our reputation would be on the line.”