I’ll admit, I wasn’t an angel in 5th grade. In fact a was a pretty bad kid. I had lied, harassment, got in fights, bullied, talked back and just about everything under murder. But it was the end of the year, and if I got in trouble now my punishments from my parents would interfere with the beginning of my summer break, my act was pretty straight.
 

It was the day before graduation from 5th, the last grade of elementary school. After tomorrow I’d be off to middle school, with real lockers and multiple classes. I was so excited. I wanted to look great for my graduation ceremony. So I went to my mom’s friend Mrs. Donaldson's nail salon to get my nails done.
       

I had picked out a sparkling metallic color for my nails. Mrs. Donaldson had gotten through about half of my left hand when I heard the door open. I didn’t look to see who it was but the footsteps sound just like my mom’s. The next thing I know I'm being pulled out of my chair and dragged out the door into my moms car. “What's going on?” I asked my mom. “We’ll talk about it when we get home” she snarled at me. I could hear it in her voice that I was in trouble. But what did I do? I spent the whole car ride home contemplating everything bad thing that I had done this month that my parents didn't know about. “Nope,” I thought to myself “There is literally nothing I have done wrong.” I couldn't think of one thing. But my mom was mad, so I didn't know what to expect.
     

We get home and it’s the usually routine, for when I had done something bad. My dad was sitting at the kitchen table waiting, with a chair next to him for Mom and a chair across for me. I knew the drill. I sat in the chair, still thinking about what I could have possibly could have done wrong.

“We got a call from the school today.” my dad said. I rolled my eyes, that was usually how these conversations started. “Do you know why they called?” my mom asked. “I don’t know.” I mumbled. That is what I usually say, even if I knew exactly what I had done. But this time I really didn’t know!

“Mrs. Parkus called and told us that you, and two other classmates had water balloons in your desks and y’all threw them at the school buses while they were leaving.” My Dad informed me. “Oh my goodness, that was Li Li.” I thought in my head.

That day at school, Li Li, Susan and India were taking turns all day filling up water balloons at the water fountain. They told me they were going to throw them at the buses at the end of the day and asked if I wanted to participate. I said no, because it was the end of the year, I wasn’t trying to get into much trouble.

“What in the hell were you thinking, Lee Diamond?!”  my Mom started to raise her voice. What was I supposed to do? I most definitely not a snitch. But I really didn’t do anything. So I sat in front of my parents silently. “Well!?” my mom voice rose even louder. While my dad just stared at my in disappointment. “I didn’t do that Mom.” I said quietly. “Oh really?” my mom said, raising her eyebrows, “Then who did?”. “ I don’t know?” I said refusing to snitch. She gave me an unbelieving glare. “Mom!! I really don’t know.”   “Lee, don’t you dare lie to me!” my mom started to yell. I could tell she was getting angrier. “Mom...” I started to raise my voice a little too. “Okay” my dad interrupted. He was always the calm one in these situations. “Since you say you didn’t do it, let’s call up Mrs. Parkus to clarify.”

If I was lying and I had done something wrong, I would have confessed right then, if they get another teacher involved then I would be in even bigger trouble. But I wasn’t lying, so I said “Go ahead.” This took both my parent by surprise. But the they called her anyway.

My mom demanded that Mrs. Parkus left her meeting to join our conversation. She didn’t sound to happy. As soon as she got on the phone, and had heard that I wasn’t confessing, she almost immediately went into a rant about my behavior in class and how it was unacceptable for my to do things like this, and this water balloon incident was the last straw.   But again, really didn’t do it. “Mrs. Parkus?” I said through the speakerphone. “Oh, Lee. Yes?” she sounded surprised to hear my voice, I don’t think she knew I was there. “I promise you, I didn’t have anything to do with this.” I continued. “Lee, I don’t know what to tell you. The water balloons were in your desk, along with Susan and India’s.”  Mrs. Parkus informed my parents and I. I was still not going to snitch on Li Li. But this was my chance. “Mrs. Parkus my desk isn’t even by Susan and India’s. Li Li sits at their table.” I hinted

“No, I specifically remember Susan, India and…” there was silence over the phone, but after a few seconds I could hear Mrs. Parkus gasp. “Oh my god.” she said quietly “I am so sorry.”

Both my parents were speechless. My dad took the phone into his office, to discuss the rest of this situation privately.  I just looked down at my feet under the kitchen table. What was I supposed to say. I was right along. But this wasn’t a “haha, I told you so” feeling. I know I should have been relieved, but all I could feel was anger. No one had believed me. Literally no one. My parents wouldn’t even believe me. I was completely helpless and innocent. What if Mrs. Parkus didn’t answer her phone. I wanted to yell at my parents, yell at Susan, India and Li Li and most of all yell at Mrs. Parkus. But all I could do is sit at my kitchen table and cry.