“No, you’re trying to make yourself important.”
I felt heat rise into my face. My hands were still holding Ava’s page. The words at the top were visible between my fingers.
I wish people could see what happens when they look away.
Madison looked at the page and understood that I had read it.
“You’re still playing hero?” she asked.
I said nothing.
She leaned closer. “Careful, Jordan. People who get involved usually end up in the story.”
That was the first time she used my name like a warning.
Ava slowly gathered the loose papers. Her hands were shaking so badly that she dropped one twice. I crouched beside her and helped collect them.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
She did not look at me. “You always are.”
The sentence landed harder than Madison’s threat.
Madison walked toward the teacher’s desk and picked up the notebook again. She held it by the spine, letting the remaining pages hang loose.
“What should we do with this?” she asked Tessa.
Tessa shrugged. “Throw it away.”
Ava stood up too quickly and swayed. I reached for her arm, but she pulled away before I could touch her.
“I’m fine,” she said.
She was not fine.
There was a faint tear in her sleeve. Her cheek was wet, though she kept blinking as if she could force the tears back inside. The classroom clock clicked above us, each second making the silence feel more deliberate.
Madison turned to Ava.
“You’re going to apologize,” she said.
Ava stared at her. “For what?”
“For making everyone uncomfortable.”
Ava looked around the room. Twenty students were watching. Some looked embarrassed. Some looked afraid. One girl had her phone held low beneath the desk.
Madison noticed the phone.
“Put that away,” she snapped.
The girl obeyed.
I realized then that Madison did not only want to hurt Ava. She wanted to control the story afterward. If Ava cried, Ava was dramatic. If Ava spoke, Ava was causing trouble. If anyone recorded it, Madison could claim the video showed only one moment.
And if everyone stayed silent, Madison could call the silence proof that nothing serious had happened.
Ava lowered her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
Madison smiled. “Louder.”
“I’m sorry.”