A small amount of time goes by before Brookfield is attacked (spray painted and the like). During this time Charlie and Emily get into a fight about a prank that had been pulled off earlier in the year that had disastrous consequences for Charlie and was caused by Emily; Seb and Lydia also argue, this time about a Secret Assignment that involved discovering each other first at a cafe without knowing what the other looked like (an Assignment which Seb cheated on). There are cruel sayings (e.g. "Brooker Bites") spray-painted on the walls of Brookfield High, each phrase followed by the Ashbury crest. Reasonably, the Brookfielders retaliate. For a time, acts of vandalism are perpetrated between the schools, until a Brookfield student — whom the staff keep anonymous — incorrectly pinpoints Cassie, Emily, and Lydia as the instigators of the first attack. When told by their form mistress, Mrs. Lilydale, that diaries, letters, etc. are going to be read for clues, the girls are angered. In coordination with Cassie's mother (who is a lawyer), Mrs. Lilydale arranges a trial so that the girls can prove that this would be an unjust invasion of their privacy. Emily, fascinated by law, is appointed to represent the students in a Brookfield-Ashbury co-trial. Principals and school officials from the respective schools are all present at the trial.