Chapters (97)
- Cover
- Back Cover Text
- Praise
- Booklist
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Sixty-Six
- Sixty-Seven
- Sixty-Eight
- Sixty-Nine
- Seventy
- Seventy-One
- Seventy-Two
- Seventy-Three
- Seventy-Four
- Seventy-Five
- Seventy-Six
- Seventy-Seven
- Seventy-Eight
- Seventy-Nine
- Eighty
- Eighty-One
- Eighty-Two
- Eighty-Three
- Eighty-Four
- Eighty-Five
- Eighty-Six
- Eighty-Seven
- Eighty-Eight
- Eighty-Nine
- Acknowledgments & A Personal Note
- Excerpt
“Factions on the board will align behind issues, classroom size, sports and the arts. It’ll get political and nasty,” Glenda said. “Board members supportive of protecting school counselors need all the help they can get to make a case for what is looming,” Glenda said. “They’re well aware of your recent action saving a student. A couple of board members saw you on TV with your family at the book sale and urged us to get media attention ASAP on our school counselors, starting with a story about you. So they tipped Maggie Shen at KTKT.”
Emma sat in a visitor’s chair, digesting the circumstances. At least it was not about Marisa or her past. Still, she was uneasy. “I don’t know about this.”
“You have to realize the big picture,” Glenda said. “This is more than a fight to save your job and those of other counselors. Think of the students who need you—think of their families. Think if you hadn’t been there to save that troubled boy.”
Emma weighed it all. What Glenda said was true. Above all, she cared about the students.
“So,” Glenda said. “Now that you know what’s at stake, will you do it?”
Blinking several times, Emma finally conceded.
“We’re good?” Maggie Shen said, nodding to the guy with surfer hair behind the KTKT camera.
They’d crowded into Emma’s office and set up there. The camera’s light was intense but there was no hiding behind sunglasses this time. This was up close.
“Just like at the book sale, focus on me instead of the camera,” Maggie said, her face blossoming with a bright smile. Attempting to return it, Emma nodded, feeling her stomach knot.
“Let’s start with you telling us about a typical day in the life of a school counselor,” Maggie said.
Emma ran down her daily routine of meetings and reports. Then she gave examples of issues students faced, stressing how counselors strive to make a difference.
“We understand that not too long ago you made more than a difference with one student,” Maggie said. “Our sources helped us get in touch with his parents. We’re not using his name but they’ve agreed to talk to us for this story.”
After Maggie asked Emma questions about the incident, they set up a reenactment by having Emma walk the halls when classes changed then go outside and retrace her steps from that day she pulled her student from the path of a bus, waiting until a bus approached the same stop.
After the interview ended, Maggie struggled to make her day a normal one, scrambling to re-schedule appointments and catch up with her work.
For the rest of the afternoon Emma was ill at ease over everything that had transpired.
What about Marisa? How will I find any answers now that she’s dead?
Her thoughts then shifted to her TV interview.