My parents sent me to a private academy my junior and senior years of High School. I had no desire to be there and was pretty much in constant trouble from the first day I arrived. Knowing that my parents spent a lot of money and pulled quite a few strings to get me in I tried not to go to far lest I be sent packing but I was definitely an outsider there and never really fit in with most of the rest of the students.
I succeeded in just being a pain in the ass but not a troublemaker until about mid way through my senior year. I was friends with another 'outsider' who was only there as a favor to his parents as well. One of the other student's mom saw my friend smoking in his car at night, off campus after school hours and reported it to the administrators. My friend was promptly expelled (they had a strict no tolerance tobacco and alcohol policy).
A couple of months later, two freshman girls were caught smoking in a bathroom by one of the administrators. Turns out these two girls were daughters of two of the more prominate alum and biggest donors to the school and they were both given only 1 week of detention.
This did not sit to well with me and being the editor of the school's newspaper at the time I decided to write and editorial about how it appeared that the handing out of punishment was based less on seeing the guilty pay for there actions but rather on how much money and influence they or their families had. Of course the editorial was rejected and I wrote some fluff piece to be used.
Just as the issue was sent off for printing, I switched copies and my original editorial was printed instead. I was initially expelled once the paper was delivered but due to a unexpected outcry of support from the rest of the student body and many of the parents and alum my expulsion was overturned and I ended up receiving a only 1 week suspension and was barred from attending graduation
.