“Emma,” says a voice, commanding my attention. I lift my gaze from Tessa over to where my father stands, buttoned up as usual in a suit, his rolling suitcase at his side. I tense up but try not to show it. We exchange a cursory hug before walking down with the rest of the school to the chapel, where assembly will start in a few minutes.

“Did you open your Christmas gift?” my father asks as we stroll down the path, the wind whipping us and snow flurries starting to fall. I catch a few on my mitten, doing whatever I can to hold it together.

“Yes,” I answer. “I opened it.”

“Good,” he says. “I meant what I wrote. This trip will be for us. No work, no distractions. I want the chance to get to know you again, sweetie. To make up for lost time.”

Is this my father’s half-hearted attempt at an apology? Though a part of me welcomes it like fresh oxygen, another part of me wants to shut down this conversation entirely.

“Can we not do this now?” I plead with him. He can’t know how much I have on my mind right now. If he did, he’d understand why this isn’t the time to pick up our curtailed discussion from Christmas break. I might crack from the intensity of it all.

We reach the chapel and follow the growing crowd through the double doors. Sliding into a pew, my father at my side, I spot Bianca Huxley across the way. She and Maude aren’t sitting together, but she’s here. Fresh off the campaign trail, she’s dressed in a smart Chanel suit and pearls. I recoil thinking of her latest stump speeches and her stance on cloning.

I catch sight of Levi across the aisle, noting with a pang that he’s sitting alone. Booker and Jane aren’t here to support him for the weekend. And even if Jane were here, she wouldn’t be here for Levi. Only Ollie. Levi and Jane never were given a second chance to reconcile, and I don’t know that they ever will. That thought makes me infinitely sad.

I’m drawn out of my thoughts when Principal Fleischer steps up to the podium. She welcomes everyone to Dark Weekend and begins a bland speech about excellence that captures none of my attention. Ollie slides in next to me, and for my father’s sake, I have to act like everything’s normal. Like this isn’t a copy of my best friend.