#chsau

If she chose the Dudley Chapel, she wouldn't have a whole lot of primary sources to work with, but it would definitely fulfill the parameters of the assignment, because while a sentient library catalogue was very interesting, it wasn't historical, like the homecoming goat sacri-- Laura's stream of thought was interrupted by a sudden buzz from her phone.

Betty (7:53pm): heyyyyy!!!!

Betty (7:53pm): u busy tonight? :D

Laura sighed as she closed her laptop and set it aside. She may have been working, but Laura couldn't just ignore the girl who was probably the closest friend she had made all school year.

Laura (7:54pm):nope

Betty (7:55pm): u should totally come to the zeta party tonight!!

Laura (7:56pm): I really need to study for that english test tomorrow tho

Laura (7:56pm): and didn't you get like a 62 on the last test lol? u should be studying!!! you are so much better than a 62!

Betty (7:58pm): oh boo :P don't be a party pooper!!!

Laura didn't immediately answer, and a couple of moments later her phone rang. Betty had a tendency to prefer to persuade people in person, and a phone call was the closest she could get at the moment.

"Now is the time to live, Hollis. Like now, what are you doing right now?"

Laura smiled as she answered, "Not even a hello?"

"I'm still waiting for the answer to my question." Laura could hear the dull thump of music in the background, and the general chatter of people. Betty must have been at the party already.

"My journalism project," Laura cheerfully replied. She heard a heavy sigh from across the line.

"No, no, no, no, no, no no! We need to get you out of that hamster ball your dad has you living in!" Laura bit her lip. He just had- safety concerns- and she was about to say so when Betty continued. "Tell you what, put something cute on and come have fun!"

"But my project-" Laura whined in an attempt to protest, but Betty interrupted her again.

"No buts! Your project will be there tomorrow." Laura paused, almost convinced. A party did kind of sound like fun. It was almost as if Betty could sense Laura's hesitance, and she added, "Danny's here... You know that aide in our English class?"

Laura groaned, knowing that now she just had to go. She tried to delay the inevitable by asking her friend, "I thought that you were the one interested in Danny."

"I mean, kind of, but trust me, Laura, I can tell she likes you. Will you come? Please come." Betty was practically begging, and Laura couldn't pass up an opportunity to both strengthen her friendship with Betty and go to the same party as Danny Lawrence. Damn, was that girl awesome. Laura had had a crush ever since the first day of school three weeks ago when she had walked into AP English 3 and had seen the cross country runner chatting with the teacher.

"Fine, fine, I'll go."

Laura could hear Betty smile when she replied, "Great! I'll text you the address!"

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Eurgh. Laura had been up so late last night at that party, and she had had a cup of what had looked like punch but she now suspected had been spiked with vodka, or something that was almost certainly alcoholic. If her dad found out he would kill her. If this raging hangover didn't kill her first.

Wait, wasn't her alarm supposed to be...shit. She had overslept. Shit, shit, shit. She was going to be late for school, and she had an English test second period. She could not afford to be any later than she already was.

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Despite her throbbing head, Laura felt fairly confident about the test. She had studied extensively the night before the party, and could have probably written several essays on George Orwell's 1984 in addition to the extremely long multiple choice test she had just taken and the several short answer questions she had answered.

So a couple of days later, when the teacher handed back the tests, Laura was surprised when Betty didn't lean over and say "I told you so." Laura glanced over to Betty's desk, but she wasn't there. Betty never missed class, not even after that one time she pulled an all nighter at the party that the Zeta Club hosted when school started. Laura wondered where she was.

"Excuse me, Mr. Jackson? Do you know where Betty is?" she asked.

"Hmm?" He glanced at her. "Oh, Betty, she was, ah, suspended from school. Yesterday." He pushed his horn rimmed glasses farther up his nose. "She won't be coming back for a while."

Laura didn't understand at first. Surely he was joking. But Mr. Jackson had never joked in the three weeks she had known him. But there was a first time for everything, right?

"What?" She finally got out. "What do you mean suspended?

Mr. Jackson looked guilty. "Oops, I don't think I was supposed to say that. Student privacy laws and all that. I'm so bad at remembering those. Just forget it. It's nothing."

Nothing? Her best friend had been suspended and it was nothing? Laura didn't think so. Betty hadn't done anything wrong. She was going to find out why Betty had been suspended, and fix it.