The Pearl Necklace(Marla) “Of course, if someone were to give me a pearl necklace to go with my outfit, I would look just right,” said Lauren as she looked directly at Haley.

Haley bit her lower lip but didn’t say anything. How did Lauren know about her necklace? Had she snooped through her jewelry box?

“C’mon, Haley. Let me borrow your necklace. I know you have one. It’s perfect. Besides, it’s not as if you’re going anywhere. I have a date. You have, what, an art project?”

The words stung, because they were true. The two other girls that were with Lauren didn’t say anything, but the smirks on their faces were enough. Haley didn’t want to let anyone borrow the necklace. It was a cherished birthday gift from her grandma, who had died two years ago. Perhaps she shouldn’t have brought it with her to boarding school, but she knew that she was expected to dress up for the mandatory formal events.

Haley’s heart was pounding, and her throat felt dry. Lauren had a reputation for pushing the other girls around. She was good at frightening them, and she used that fear to her advantage.

Haley’s voice shook slightly as she managed to answer. “Lauren, I can’t. That’s a special necklace from my grandma.”

“Lauren, I can’t. That’s a special necklace from my grandma,” Lauren mocked in a high-pitched voice. The two other girls laughed. “Good grief, Haley. Get over yourself. You can let me use it, nicely, since we all know how nice you are, OR, you can find an empty spot in your box. And if that happens, the necklace might, I don’t know, disappear or break or something. So, do the nice thing, and I’ll give the necklace back when I get back from the dinner theater tomorrow night.”

Reluctantly, Haley went to her jewelry box and took out the pouch that held the necklace. She handed it to Lauren.

“Oh, wow! This is so, SO nice of you! Thanks a bunch, Haley!” Lauren exclaimed with false sweetness before she and her friends left the room.

The next evening, Haley was sketching a vase of flowers when a knock at the door interrupted her concentration. She answered it and was surprised to see a tiny older woman with short gray hair. Haley knew she was a visitor for Polly, a girl who was in the room next to hers. “Yes?” asked Haley.

“My name is Mrs. Adams. May I speak to you for a moment?”

“Um, sure. Is Polly all right?” asked Haley.

“Oh, Polly’s fine. I’m here to talk to you about you.”

“Me? What do you mean?”

Mrs. Adams looked at Haley kindly. “Well, it seems that you had a bit of trouble with a rather unfriendly girl.”

Haley didn’t answer.

“I heard everything yesterday,” said Mrs. Adams. “These walls are remarkably thin, and I was bored. So, I listened.” She said it so simply, as if it were completely normal to listen to the conversations of others, and Haley didn’t know how to respond to that. “Anyway,” Mrs. Adams continued, “I like to help when I can, and I hope you don’t mind, but I helped you.”

“What do you mean?” asked Haley.

“When I travel, I don’t take my best belongings with me. One thing I have that looks authentic but is not, is a necklace. It just so happens that I had it along on this trip. Late last night I sneaked into that girl’s room. Yes! Yes, I did that! Me! At my age!” Mrs. Adams giggled, and Haley stared. “And I used my flashlight to look at our necklaces, yours and mine, my dear, and I compared them and found that they looked quite similar.” Her words came out in a rush. Then she smiled hugely, and her eyes sparkled as if she’d just revealed something that was extremely exciting. “So, what I am telling you is that she is not wearing your very special necklace!” Mrs. Adams was absolutely beaming with the delight of her own words. “She’s strutting around in my not-so-special necklace, and I have yours right here!” She reached into her purse and took out an old-fashioned handkerchief. She placed it in Haley’s hand and carefully unfolded it. There was Haley’s necklace.

Tears came instantly to Haley’s eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you for doing that.” She wanted to hug Mrs. Adams, but she remained very still.

“Well, you are very welcome, but truth be told, I had a lot of fun doing it. I guess we both win!” exclaimed Mrs. Adams. She stood to go. Haley walked with her to the door. She was about to open it when she realized an important detail. “But Mrs. Adams! What about your necklace? When Lauren returns it?”

“Oh, I doubt that she will. Girls like that tend to not care too much. But if she does return it, just keep it until the end of the term. I’ll be back then. Maybe I’ll be lucky enough to have a conversation with that young lady’s grandmother. We went to school together in this same place. I think that she and her granddaughter have a few things in common.” She winked at Haley and gave her hand a gentle squeeze before she left the room.

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