Gareth almost made it to the infirmary - but not quite. Just as she went to reach for the door handle it opened and there was the vice Principal, Mrs Brown looking at her. "Ruby? If your looking for Mrs Hastie she is not here. But what on earth are you wearing? The dress you had on earlier was pushing the limits but what you have on now is totally unacceptable. What is it? A boys sports uniform many sizes to big for you?"
Gareth didn't know what to say. She couldn't find the courage to admit who she really was. Perhaps it was a combination of extreme stress levels and the unfamiliar hormones coursing through her bloodstream. But for whatever reason she burst into tears and began to wail.
Mrs Brown didn't immediately know what to do as the teenager apparently had a breakdown in front of her. Where was that nurse when she was needed? She ushered the girl into the infirmary and had her sit down. Between her tears the girl gave out a story. She wasn't making sense. Something about kissing in a storage cupboard and the name Gareth Jones. All Mrs Brown could think was that the girl had been sexually assaulted.
She gave the girl a glass of water and used the phone on the nurses desk to ring the principal. He needed to be informed immediately. There was no answer and the call reverted to the front office. She asked the receptionist to locate Mr Jacobs and Mrs Hastie and have them come to the infirmary. After a small hesitation she also asked the receptionist to ring Ruby's Mother and ask her to come and pick up her daughter. She thought about informing the police as well but decided to defer that decision to Mr Jacobs. She had not really understood Ruby clearly. Perhaps she was mistaken in her assumptions. She hoped so.