I make a beeline for the office, and shut myself in the first vacant room. It belongs to the head of the English department, Mr. Promton. Hopefully he doesn’t return anytime soon. Steadying myself on the bookcase, I gasp for air and double over, my vision swimming. Then I shut my eyes, shove my fist in my mouth as a muffler, and scream until the air leaves my lungs.

I am a wildfire. And I intend to burn it all down.

FIFTY ROSE

Danni, Eleanor, and Molly are sitting on consecutive chairs in the waiting room. As soon as I enter, Danni scrambles to her feet and throws her arms around me. In her excitement, she doesn’t notice that I’ve been shaken to my core.

“Rose, Rose, Rose,” she whispers ecstatically. “I did it! I got them to un-expel me! We don’t even need William anymore!”

I pull back from her and try to parse her words with my foggy mind. “You’re … not expelled?”

“Yup. I got a huge newspaper involved, and threatened to run a feature story about the school being homophobic assholes, and the headmaster is speaking to the alumni association now, but he’s pretty much confirmed it. Mom’s in there with him. Oh my god, I was freaking out. I thought I was done for.”

I shake my head as I process this. She saved herself. My beautiful girl, the one who was terrified of being seen, and judged, and making a bad impression, used the media to save us both?

Just like Alfie. But at the same time, the furthest thing from him.

“That’s amazing,” I say, and though I mean it, something feels off. Unfinished.

It doesn’t matter what I do now. I could call William and send him home, and we could go to class, and Danni would be completely safe. For now, at least.

But not forever. Even if I never speak to Alfie or William again, there will always be more of them. People looking to force my hand for their own gain. And as long as I have such an exploitable secret, involving someone I love so fiercely, my hand will be awfully easy to force.

So, while this changes everything, it also changes nothing. I know exactly what I must do.

But first, I approach Molly. “I am so sorry,” I say, shame cracking my voice. “It was appalling of me to suspect you. I know you better than that.”

Molly crosses one leg over the other. “Yeah. It sucked.” She meets my eyes, and then rolls hers. “But I understand where it came from, so I’m giving you a Get Out of Jail Free card. Once. And I appreciate the apology.”

We nod at each other, neither of us quite ready to smile yet.

“There’s a crowd of reporters at the gate,” I tell the group.