‘Maybe you’re not in the mood for this, but I got you a spinach-and-cheese from the tuckshop.’ She hands me a paper bag. I don’t mind that Lisbeth sees my puffy eyes and red nose, but I don’t want Ms Nouri or Mrs Christie or any of the teachers or anyone else to see how much I care about this.

I peek at the pastry, but I can’t stomach it. ‘How did you know where I was?’

‘Sunita saw you walking this way.’

It’s impossible to keep a secret around here, apparently.

Lisbeth smoothes her school skirt over her knees. She wears her uniform extra long. ‘What happened?’

‘Petra complained about my photo and Mrs Christie banned it. Ms Nouri told me in second period.’

I think of our creative writing task in English class, and how Petra was right there next to me. She had every opportunity to say something, to talk about it with me, and she didn’t. I don’t understand why she would go against me, straight to a teacher.

‘What have you been doing since then? I didn’t see you at recess.’

‘Trying not to cry, mostly.’ I scrunch the napkin. ‘And getting into fights.’

Lisbeth’s eyebrows shoot up.

‘Natalia made me come with her to the common room to confront Petra, and then it got pretty heated. Natalia was practically yelling, saying that Petra’s dad gives all this money to the school and that’s why Mrs Christie took her side.’

Natalia’s twisted face sticks in my mind, making me uneasy. I would almost have sympathy for Petra, but then I think about how messed up it is that she could ruin everything for us so easily, with no regrets. I’m right in the middle of a giant pile of steaming Balmoral drama, which is exactly where I didn’t want to be.

‘It is actually true that Petra’s dad donates a lot of money to Balmoral’s building fund,’ Lisbeth says. ‘You know the Galbraith wing? Where the new science labs are?’

It never occurred to me to connect the name of the Galbraith wing with Petra. I’m beginning to wonder if I understand anything about this school.

I sigh. Part of me did want to slap Petra when we saw her in the common room, but the other part of me wanted to run away and hide.

Lisbeth picks the daisies around her feet, pulling them into a little bunch. ‘Has anyone told you yet about Natalia and Yin?’

‘What about them?’

‘They used to be best friends. The bestest friends you could imagine. In Junior School, like maybe in grades four, five and six, they did everything together.’

‘I didn’t know that.’