Elizabeth was brooding in her room. She had sought asylum there since spurious gossip began circulating about her at Seagrove Academy last week.

Not that Elizabeth had ever been considered a social butterfly. She preferred to live vicariously through the brazen stories of her friends: late night partying, fraternizing with boys, childish pranks. Still, she has taken to being more by herself than usual since the allegations surfaced.

Up for consideration for the highly coveted Blauvelt Award, a scholarship recognizing “academic integrity and promise,” an anonymous student had given headmaster Billings the “tip” that Elizabeth had cheated on several tests this year.

The accusations were laughable. Elizabeth had long been a stellar student at Seagrove. She lacked a natural intelligence - this was true. However, she more than made up for this deficit through diligence and perseverance.

Still, the accusations had given the recommendation committee pause. Elizabeth had been called to Mr. Billings’ grand office on Friday and asked copious questions about her recent exams. The experience was quite traumatic.

Seagrove is an elite school. Most of its students come from privileged backgrounds. This was not the case for Elizabeth. Her family had little money. She attended Seagrove on a full scholarship. The Blauvelt Award would help her family pay for college.

So, it was with the same diligence with which she applied herself to her studies that Elizabeth planned to unmask her accuser. She opened the school directory on her bed and began combing through the names.

Seagrove was such a small and insular community. Twenty-one kids would be in her graduating class. Elizabeth knew it was inevitable that the person spreading rumors about her would come to light. It was just a matter of time.