“Emma!” she says, throwing her bag down and squeezing me in a tight hug. “You’re here. I’ve been so, so worried about you. I was going to come to your house today if you didn’t show.”

“I got here a few minutes ago,” I say. “I went to Ms. Singh’s room.”

Fina stiffens just a little as she sits down across from me.

“I heard what she was saying. About my vitiligo.”

“It’s a good thing, Emma,” Fina says quickly. “Now that people know the truth, everything will go back to normal.”

“But how did she know what happened?”

Fina bites her lip. “I, um, might have told her.”

“Why?” I ask. “Edie’s going to think I told her. She’s probably going to do something else to me now.”

Fina shakes her head and pulls nervously at her ponytail. “I thought of that. So I didn’t tell Ms. Singh who sent the text,” she says. “I’m sorry if it wasn’t the right thing to do, but, well, you weren’t here, Emma.” Her voice goes mouse quiet. “I couldn’t just let people say— I had to do something. You’re my best friend.”

I feel a whole swirl of emotions, like a pile of leaves caught up in a sudden gust of wind. I’m a little upset that Fina didn’t ask me before telling Ms. Singh, but also grateful that she was trying so hard to protect me. And embarrassed that a teacher had to come to my defense.

Mostly, though, I still just feel sad.

“You’re my best friend, too,” I say. “Thanks for trying.”

“I’ll stick my gum in Edie’s hair when she’s not looking,” she offers. “Ruby’s, too. I’ll call their parents and pretend to be the principal and say they’re failing all their classes.”

“You’re going to pretend to be Mr. Keeler?” I say.

“Sure I am,” she says in her deepest baritone. “I’ll do anything you want.”

When I don’t laugh, she loses the fake voice. “What do you want to do, Emma? Right now, I mean. Stay here? Go to lunch?”

“You go. I have makeup work I have to do.”

Her face falls in confusion. “Really? You want to be alone?”

“Yeah,” I say, not exactly sure why I’m saying it or if it’s even true. “For now.”

“Okay,” she says uncertainly. “If that’s what you really want.”

She picks up her bag and walks slowly to the door, glancing back at me one last time as if she’s hoping I’ll have changed my mind.