“I don’t think he’s as happy about this as you thought he’d be,” Ava says, looking at me. “But, I mean, I think it’s pretty sick,” she says, smiling.

“What’s his problem?” I ask, worried.

He sees us looking and says something to the other kids, then stands up and comes over to us.

“Hey, Antar,” I say. “Did you—”

“I do not need you fighting my battles for me,” he says. “I mean, I’m all in for fucking shit up, you know I am, but let us do it ourselves, you know?”

“What?” I say, looking for support around the table. “This is not just for you, Antar, this is—”

“Seriously,” he cuts in, “I will pay back who I want to pay back. Trust me.” He walks back and sits down again, his friends looking over curiously.

“Whoa,” I say, shaking my head. I look at Ava, who shrugs, biting on a fry and rooting around for another. “I mean, I kinda see what he’s saying,” she says, her mouth full.

Dee raises her eyebrows, and I follow her gaze. Breanne, with her arm around Paige, walking toward the exit.

She passes our table and leans in. “You are such a loser, Stevie. Just because you have no friends doesn’t mean you have to take it out on everyone else.”

Dee laughs loudly and puts her hands in the air in mock surrender. “Okay, sheriff, take it easy. Don’t you guys have some books to burn or something?” I laugh, and so do a few other kids around us. Someone yells at the girls to get out, and a French fry comes flying at them from somewhere. Paige bursts into a sob. I almost go after her but swallow it down.

Dee stands up. She opens her arms. “Justice!”

I look across the room and see Lottie. She shakes her head.

*   *   *

The next day in homeroom, Pete addresses what he calls “the recent stream of immature and potentially dangerous acts of mischief.”

Dee scoffs and rolls her eyes, smiling at me. Urging me.

I raise my hand. “But couldn’t you argue that they are just responding to the school administration’s failure to act on the real issues of bullying that take place in our school community?”

Everyone is silent, watching me. It feels great.

Pete raises his eyebrows and sighs. “Okay. I get it. Sure, stuff happens in a high school that goes under the radar of the teachers and administrators. And I’m all for activism. But vandalizing, causing real harm, and bullying in retaliation is not the solution. The solution is to talk to someone. Come to us. Tell us your concerns. Let us handle it.”