“Of course you didn’t.” Ahmad couldn’t keep some of that familiar sass off his tongue. Winnie didn’t have to do that long, eyes-down shuffle through the hall every afternoon with a teacher’s hand pressed on her shoulder. Winnie’s conversations with teachers were all smiles, and “Yes, Mrs. Evans” and “Of course, Mr. Willis.” How would she ever begin to imagine how different their experiences were?

Winnie scuffed her sneakers against the ground. In a soft mumble Ahmad wasn’t sure he was meant to hear, she added, “It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time.”

Before he could respond, though, Winnie seemed to realize where they were. “Hey. This isn’t your way home either.”

Ahmad rolled his eyes, stopping in front of an empty park bench. Around this time of day, people were still trickling out of work and school. There was hardly anyone around, except a few old ladies gossiping and one or two joggers. He slid off his backpack and sat down beside it.

“I needed some fresh air.”

Winnie leaned forward, pushing an errant curl behind her ear. Ahmad instinctively pressed his back to the bench.

“What?”

“You’re going to open that package, aren’t you?” Her eyes sparkled with anticipation.

“Why do you care so much?” Ahmad hugged his arms around his waist, hiding the fact that, yes, his Nintendo Switch was already in his hands. The cartridge was plugged in, and the game loading. But he wasn’t ready to share. He didn’t know why, but he felt like he needed time to examine it on his own, before his parents (or anyone else!) got involved. He was sure school had already made that traitorous call home. Or maybe Farah had returned to dutiful daughter mode and told on herself. Being able to check it out before it was confiscated felt important.

But it wasn’t only that. It was the way it felt when he held it. There was an electric spark when he had his hands on the case, like putting a finger on a frayed wire or touching a doorknob after shuffling over a fluffy carpet. It didn’t just feel like a regular old game.

It felt like there was something alive in there.

Winnie put her hands on her hips. “I helped you get that, if you remember.”

“It’s not like I asked you to!” Ahmad blurted out. He could feel his ears turning red. Keep going, Ahmad. Just dig the hole. Remind her who you are and why no one sticks around you too long. “And besides, even if I did, why would you go ahead and do that? It’s not like we’re f-friends or anything.”

Winnie paused. And then, there was that radiant, dimpled smile she seemed to reserve only for teachers. “Who says we aren’t?”