Nina nibbled on a middle fingernail. The action reminded Marianne of a very smart and cute gerbil.

Vi scurried over to where Mr. Garcia had been sitting and picked up a book.

As she hurriedly flipped through it, Dan reported, “Rules are in the beginning. It’s right there.”

Scanning the front section of the book with a finger, Vi stopped in the middle of a page. And she swore.

So Dan was right. Marianne would have to participate. She’d need to know Geraldine Ferraro and Greenland and whatever else made up 10 percent.

“What do we do?” Vi asked the ceiling.

“We help her,” Nina answered. “Simple as that. We study, study, study. No breaks. Nothing.”

“Is that all necessary?” Marianne tried to ask in a casual, relaxed way, as if the idea didn’t horrify her. “What are we talking here, like drills at lunchtime, or…?”

“She’s here for the credit,” Vi cut in, her gaze set on Dan and Nina, seemingly unable to even look at Marianne. “That means she’s behind in her classes, she’s probably failing—”

“God, can you have a little bit of positivity?” Dan asked.

“And can you not talk about me like I’m not here…” Marianne added faintly.

“Oh, positive like you?” Vi stalked toward him. “Who thinks we’re going to lose no matter what?” A vein or two popped out the side of Vi’s neck, Marianne saw.

“Um, Addison listened to everyone?” Nina squeaked. “That’s why she was such a great captain?”

“Well, Addison isn’t here!” Vi spat. “And trust me. Marianne Blume—and she knows this as well as I do—is the epitome of a dumb blonde, and from the sound of things, she doesn’t want to put in the work to be anything but that!”

It was one thing to be honest, but she didn’t have to be so mean.

And yet, Vi was right. Marianne could not answer 10 percent of the questions, no matter what they did.

“Can we please not use ableist language like ‘dumb’?” Nina spoke up with a touch of real anger. “It means ‘doesn’t speak,’ and it’s not an insult. Please and thank you.”

“Also, ‘dumb blonde’ is very sexist,” Dan added, waving his pointer finger in a “tsk-tsk-tsk.”

“Sorry,” Vi said, her pacing finally coming to a halt. “I’m really sorry.”

“They’re right,” Marianne said, even though to be honest she had never heard any of that before. But they definitely sounded right. “And I don’t know what ‘epitome’ means, but I know you guys are having some issues, and I’m making it worse. I should go.”

No way could she handle answering 10 percent of the questions. No way. Plus, these kids were a mess.

She picked up her backpack and headed for the door.

“Bye, Dan. Bye, Nina,” she added as she walked out, her ponytail bobbing behind her, which somehow made her feel even stupider, like the stupider a girl was, the more her ponytail bobbed. That didn’t make sense, but it was how she felt. Like it made her girlier, and the girlier she was, the stupider she was.