It is an average day in Ms. Whitney’s second grade class, lots of spelling, learning math by using dominos, and playing with the class’s two chinchillas in the corner. Jake Mercer, the cute boy with dirty brown hair and brown eyes to match opens a note. It must have been left in his desk from the day before. The front has a teddy bear on a red background, which is quite innocent and childish-looking, even for a second grader. Jake and the boys around him read the note and start laughing, saying “ooohhh” in unison, and whispering in my direction. Why is everyone looking at me?

The note was dirty, well, second grade dirty. “Dear Jake, I really like you, more than a friend. You are so cute and hot. I want to be your girlfriend. I want to marry you. I want to have kids with you. I love you. Love…Olivia”. My stomach sank, who could have done this? Does Jake think that I actually wrote this letter? I’ve been framed!
It is time to defend myself and prove I did not do this. I quickly bring a sample of my writing over to show to the growing group around the small rectangular piece of paper. I frantically explain that my handwriting was so different from that of the letter that the author could not possibly be me. To my surprise, no one doubts me.
It is great to know that everyone believes that I would never write such a risqué love note, but now a new mission is set in place, to find the imposter who framed me!

My friends and I turn from average school children to detectives straight out of a novel or black and white movie. Forgery is not a crime to be taken lightly and we get to work right away. We go around from second grader to second grader comparing his or her writing samples to the one on the red card. No one seems to have a match, but forensics are not our only tactic. Next come the interrogations.

It is finally lunch, which means we have lots of time to figure out if anybody saw anything suspicious or is hiding something. We divide up and question kids from every class. Did you see anyone leave a note on Jake’s desk after school? Do you recognize this letter? Who’s writing is this? Sadly, no one is talking and if they do they have no useful information. Almost everyone is ruled out as a suspect. With no witnesses or persons of interest, it appears the investigation is a bust and the case is going cold.

We go back inside after lunch to find the second Jake in the class (I guess it was a popular baby name in 1998) receives a note too. It is more innocent and is a note of friendship instead of love. On the front of the note is the notorious teddy bear. We take the card into evidence and compare it to the original note, which we dig out of the trashcan. After smoothing the front side we see the two letters are the identical and are probably written by the same person.

Thankfully, the note is not signed by me, but my good friend and fellow detective, Jamie. Poor Jamie, she has been impersonated like me. How many more fake letters will there be?

The answer is none. By looking at Jamie’s real handwriting we can see that she did in fact write the letter that was signed by her. I quickly put two and two together and realized that the criminal had made a crucial mistake by writing her personal note on the same stationary that was used to mimic me. 

I was betrayed by my friend this whole time, stabbed in the back by a con artist. She acted like she cared for me when my feelings were hurt and she pretended to try to solve the mystery with me when really she was behind it all.

She is sent to the principal’s office. The crime is treated like a misdemeanor and she does not even get suspended, just a stern talking to. The friendship came to an end that day.  I never understood why she did this to me, someone who had been a good friend to her. Jamie ended up leaving the school two years later because she felt excluded from everyone else. I guess you can call it karma.