Student fears being dragged down by friend’s dishonesty

DEAR HARRIETTE: I’m in a difficult situation with one of my friends, and I don’t know how to handle it. Recently, they cheated on a school exam and got caught. To my surprise, my friend is now accusing me of being involved even though I worked hard and studied diligently for the test. I’ve always prided myself on putting in the effort, staying up late and doing everything I can to achieve good results honestly. But now, because of my friend’s actions, I’m being dragged into a situation I had no part in.