“I think I get it. I probably wouldn’t have told me either, if I were you. Especially … after everything.” I expect her to say more, to ask more questions. But she doesn’t. She just looks at me expectantly with her hand thrust out in front of her.

Once I bend over to work on the henna design, it’s like I’ve left the loud, stuffy hallway of St. Catherine’s and entered a world of my own. A world where it’s only me and the henna and Jess’s hand. Not even Jess, just her hand—as if it’s dismembered and floating. I barely feel her presence as I work away, so when she leans forward and a strand of her brown hair brushes over my shoulder, I jump in surprise. A thin, dark line of henna makes it way down her forearm.

“Sorry!” Jess exclaims at the same time I do. I grab a tissue from my table and dab her arm.

“I was just trying to get a good look.” Her voice is higher than usual.

“It’s okay. Look.” There’s a pale, fading line where I smudged the henna, but it’s more or less invisible and should be gone in a few minutes.

“You’re so concentrated when you’re working,” Jess comments. I blush, because I’m not sure if this is a compliment or an insult.

“It takes concentration.”

“I know, I know. Just …” She takes a deep breath and sits back in her chair, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “I should have listened to you before. When you wanted the three of us to do this. I was … I didn’t really understand. And you’re … wow, you’re talented.” She’s looking at her own henna-clad arm now. I try not to smile because that would make me seem condescending, but I also kind of want to say, “Ha! Told you so!”

Instead, I say, “Thanks.”

Nobody else shows up to my booth until we break for lunch. It’s been mostly lower classes let out to venture into the hallway for the morning; I’m hoping that after lunch, when more adults show up, I’ll get a little more business. I try not to let the fact that there’s been a constant stream of people outside Flávia and Chyna’s booth bother me as I weave past them to join Chaewon and Jess for lunch.

“You have to look at some of the other booths when you’re free,” Jess says excitedly, taking a bite of her sandwich and speaking with her mouth half open and half full. “There’s some really cool stuff. Did you see the stall full of handmade plushies? So cool!”