To Crosby that meant that wherever they were going had to be better than where he’d just been. Because where he’d just been was a place he never wanted to go again. Nothing he’d ever experienced came close to that much violence. That much hatred. That much terror. He would have been happy if whoever was carrying him continued all the way back to Ironville.

But the person stopped. Crosby heard a car door open. Through his tearing eyes, he saw black lettering on a white background. The next thing he knew, he was in the backseat. The door slammed. The world became a little quieter, although he could still hear snatches of the mayhem outside. New smells entered his nose. The scent of vinyl car seats and stale coffee. Crosby blinked hard and tried to peer ahead. He saw a black metal grate between the back and front seats. A thought shook him. He quickly reached for the door handle.

But there was no door handle. He was locked in.

Emma headed toward her locker. She’d left Caleb and Zach because she had a feeling they needed to talk in private. And because there’d been something about the way Caleb looked at her that made her uncomfortable. She also needed to think about the conversation she’d had with Gavin. She’d always thought of herself as an open-minded person. But she realized now that he was right. She’d been biased and judgmental. After being childhood playmates, she’d pulled away and shunned him because he was big and rough. Because he was a football player. Because he wasn’t in a lot of smart-kid classes like she was. And because she’d assumed that someone like him would want nothing to do with her. So it came as a shock today when he told her how hurt he’d felt when he realized that she didn’t want to be his friend anymore.

Emma turned a corner. The long hallway was almost empty except for one person: Mackenzie. Something felt strange, and Emma stepped back around the corner and then peeked. Down the hall, Mackenzie looked around. Then she tried a locker and then another and another. Finally, she found one that opened. She looked around again and then reached in. A moment later she quietly closed the locker and started over, trying one locker after another until she found the next one that had been left open.

So that’s how she could afford those clothes and jewelry, Emma thought as she took out her phone. And I bet she’s the one who paid for those custom tees and gray shirts as well.

A moment later, Emma had what she needed, and headed up the hall. Mackenzie must have heard her footsteps because she instantly looked in her direction and then walked toward Emma. As the two girls approached each other, Emma felt the old familiar nervousness. Could she really do what she imagined doing? She knew how simple it would be to turn around. How easy it would be to pretend she hadn’t just seen what Mackenzie was up to. After all, why should Emma care? She always locked her locker.