FLÁVIA APPROACHES MY LOCKER TENTATIVELY DURING lunchtime. I’m still grappling with my decision to believe her. To forgive her. Because I’m still convinced that Chyna had something to do with the text, and Chyna is still Flávia’s cousin and business partner.

But of course my heart starts to beat faster just at the sight of her and her hesitant smile.

“Hey.” She leans back against the locker next to mine, warm brown eyes boring into mine. I look away.

“Hi.”

“So … I was thinking. I could help you out with your henna business.”

“I’m your competition.”

“I know.”

“You don’t have to help because you pity me,” I say.

When I look up, she’s tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, her eyes trained on the wall opposite her instead of on me.

“That’s not why I’m offering,” she says. “Just … I’m pretty good at the whole art thing, or so I’ve been told. And … I want to help. Like with the decorations and stuff for your stall.” Her eyes finally return to mine, and a small smile spreads across her lips. Her cheeks dimple, and my heart starts beating a little too fast once more.

“Sure. That would be …” I trail off, unsure exactly what it would be. It would be weird and strange, but nice maybe. She’s offering—extending—an olive branch. Should I take it? “That would be nice.”

There’s a slight hesitation before she nods her head and says, “Great. How about you come around after school today?”

“Today?”

“Is that … a problem? Do you have plans?” She seems to be asking genuinely, obviously unaware that my plans on most days consist of homework, Netflix, and hanging out with my sister. I’m not exactly a social butterfly.

“No, no plans. I can do that.”

“Oh.” Flávia stands up straight now, her eyes blinking a little too rapidly like she wasn’t expecting me to actually take her up on her invitation. “Great! So … we can walk there together? It’s not too far from the school.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.” She looks at me for a moment too long, like she’s trying to figure something out. Then she smiles brightly. “I’ll meet you by the entrance, yeah?”

Before I know it, I’m meeting Flávia by the gates of the school like we’ve been friends for a long time.

When I told Priti about my after-school plans earlier, she looked at me like I had suddenly grown two heads. Surprisingly, though, she didn’t protest.

“This is some … keep your enemies close kind of thing, right?” she said.