Her story in print for everyone to see. To judge. Things that should make Lucy Katz go into overdrive trying to compensate. But when Maddie and Danny arrived at the table with every seat filled but two, she found Lucy commanding it, impersonating Tim Corrio. She raised her hand in the air and fist-pumped “the Mad-woman!” when she saw Maddie.

She grinned. Maddie grinned. Delia grinned. Danny cocked his head and gave his crooked grin, and Maddie rested a finger on her four-leaf clover. Faith, hope, love, and luck. One for each of them.

Maddie believed it.

Claire and Jeffrey told stories of Delia, like how she’d hacked into the local newspaper to retrieve the rash email her dad had sent in response to a particularly harsh review. Then Cassie told them all how she’d learned that skill: retrieving an email Cassie had sent to her crush when her cold feet had set in. Sadie stood and imitated her tap-dancing porcupine, inciting Danny to race to her side and imitate her, the two of them having a dance-off in a bid for Maddie’s attention that made her both embarrassed and a bit proud at the same time. She’d rarely been anyone’s center of attention. Lucy’s mom talked of her days at Mountain View U with several not-at-all subtle hints as to why Lucy may find it the perfect home for the next four years. And where would Maddie’s home be? Her answer had always been wherever Danny was. But was that the right answer? Would her mom be more of a mom if Maddie wasn’t?

Nishi arrived just before dessert from the Demo Day party they’d decided to skip. She asked to meet privately with Lucy, Maddie, and Delia.

As they stood outside the restrooms, Lucy asked, “Is this an official ValleyStart visit?”

“No, personally sanctioned,” Nishi said.

“What about showing favoritism?” Delia said.

“Pfft. You three have been my favorites since the moment I decided how to assemble the teams. Couldn’t resist the chance to have the first all-girls team win ValleyStart.”

Maddie’s heart skipped a beat. “Do you mean—?”

“No,” Nishi said. “You didn’t win. Your presentation was excellent, the idea for your app even more so. But the bottom line is you did violate the morality clause. Even if it was ultimately for the greater—and personal—good, we can’t give you the win.”

Lucy glanced in her mom’s direction. “I get it. I don’t like it, but I get it.”

“Yeah,” Delia said.

Maddie nodded, more than a little disappointed at not getting to spend the rest of the summer at an internship with Lucy and Delia. Though the internships . . .

“Did someone win?” she asked.