HUH? Sarah’s sister—I mean HALF sister—is only three years old! But then I realized she meant Sarah’s MUM. Mrs. Collier is kind of young-looking, especially from a distance.

By then other kids had come up to us. They were all talking about Sarah, saying they’d heard she was suspended. Everyone expected me to know the truth since we’re best friends. But all I could do was shrug and shrug.

I went down to the pay phones and called Sarah’s house. But Mrs. Collier answered and said she was on the other line and to call back later (click).

I held the phone in my hand and my mind flashed back to when I used to sneak down here to call home. For a while I hoarded coins so I could call whenever I needed to. Some days I called before every class. That’s six times a day.

My mum would be at work and our answering machine would be on. It always rang three times, and then my dad’s voice would answer, as clear as life. “Please leave a message after the beep,” he’d say.

I drank it in like some lost-in-the-desert person dying of thirst.

We never talked about it, but when that machine broke, Mum tried to get another one that used the same kind of tape. She called all the stores, but she couldn’t find one. Answering machines are all digital now.

*   *   *

Ms. Divan’s office isn’t all that far from the phones. I cruised by, but her door was closed. I got a drink of water, then walked past again. After going to the bathroom, I passed by her office a third time. Then I went to my locker and got my sweater before I went back and knocked.

Ms. Divan opened her door and seemed happy to see me. She ALWAYS seems happy to see me. She started making small talk, but I cut her off by saying, “Sarah Collier is my best friend.”

She nodded.

“I think she’s been suspended,” I said.

“Yes, she has,” Ms. Divan said. So I guess she’d already heard.

“Well, that’s not right, suspending her like that,” I said.

“She can come back any time she likes, Katie, dear,” Ms. Divan said.

I asked if she meant Sarah could come back in exchange for tattling, and Ms. Divan nodded.

“Well, I really think that’s mean,” I said. “Don’t you?”

Ms. Divan shrugged, then shook her head as if to say that was just the way it was.

So I took a deep breath and said, “Then I’m leaving school, too. And I’m going to stay out however long Sarah does. Until she’s brought back WITHOUT having to tattle.”

“Katie!” Ms. Divan gasped. “You’re threatening to walk out?”

“No, ma’am,” I said. “I’m not THREATENING anything. I’m just telling you what I’m going to do.”