The school receptionist raised her head and looked at Karina now, peering over small wire-rimmed glasses that hung from a chain around her neck. “Your mother will be here in about twenty minutes, so just sit tight,” she said with a stiff smile. Karina reflexively stopped swinging her feet for the few moments the woman addressed her, then started up again.

Karina had learned to be cautious of people, especially those who treated her with curiosity. Fortunately, she didn’t need many friends; she had Izzy. Isabelle Demetri, a dark-haired, large-eyed girl, had found her in first grade, marching up to Karina at the swings and declaring they would be friends because of their identical purple lunch bags. Izzy was fearless, fun and didn’t have much use for the boys who were always hanging around. Her passion was horses. She went to the stables to ride twice a week after school, sharing access to a pony named Mr. Chuckles, because her parents said buying one was too expensive. Karina loved going to the barn with Izzy and watching how her friend managed the large creature, the two of them engaged in a silent, gentle interaction of meeting each other’s needs. But Karina had a special fondness for Dominick, the Demetris’ charcoal cockapoo, who slept curled up at the foot of Izzy’s bed, and who followed them patiently from room to room for no apparent reason other than to be close to them. Dominick seemed good and reliable in a way that was uncomplicated compared to many people she knew. Karina could trust Prem, her parents, Izzy and her animals, and that was enough.

Jake Potash had not been sent to the office, and Karina knew how the incident had looked to the playground teacher, so when she was called into the principal’s office, she knew what to say. “Jake was picking on my brother. Prem’s only six and I was sticking up for him.”

The principal removed his reading glasses. “Fighting is not a way to solve disputes, Karina. Mrs. Kramer was right there; she could have helped you.”

Karina nodded, looking down at her hands. She didn’t mention Jake’s comments or that he was only more brazen with his insults than other kids, whose questions could hurt just as much. At that moment, the door opened and her mother entered the office. When Karina saw her, with her blouse partially untucked from her pants and her forehead creased with lines, she felt her first pangs of regret about the situation. The principal asked Karina to explain the incident, while her mother sat, hands clasped in her lap, muscle pulsing in her jaw.

“This is her first infraction,” the principal said, “so it will go on her school record, and she’ll have to apologize to the other student, but we can leave it at that. And of course, she’ll need to leave school for the rest of the day.”

Her mother politely apologized and thanked the principal without ever looking at Karina. In the car, she drove with her hands tightly gripped on the steering wheel for several blocks before she spoke. “Karina, I don’t know what is going on with you. Getting in fights at school?”