Chapter 4

Her words, wild enough to sound like she'd lost her mind, made everyone suck in a breath.

Watching Ms. Joyner's and Mr. Dickerson's faces flush red, Lauren finally realized she'd said too much.

She scrambled to walk it back.

"Ms. Joyner, I didn't mean it like that. I just, I don't want you getting fooled by Ruth Sullivan. Her acting is really that good. What if for a second she got you to—"

"Nobody's been fooled!"

Ms. Joyner's face was dark as she cut her off.

She pulled the file out of my backpack.

So it turned out that back when Aria was vouching for me, Ms. Joyner had already seen the evidence I'd prepared.

"Ruth's evidence is very thorough. Every word she said is true."

"And low-income students have their pride too. They deserve to be protected. Since she never faked anything, there's no reason for her to keep explaining herself over and over. She is not a criminal!"

That last line came out sharp, and her eyes cut to Lauren in warning.

Lauren felt it.

But she still wouldn't let it go.

"Then let us see it. We have a right to know too."

Ms. Joyner's face had gone black as coal.

She was about to say something, but I stopped her.

"It's fine, Ms. Joyner. I'm not ashamed of my family being poor. Getting into college at all makes me lucky. Let them see it."

Ms. Joyner sighed.

She was just handing the file over when Lauren snatched at it.

She went through it like she was hunting for proof I'd cheated the system.

But her eyes went wide when she hit the purchase records.

"Two-dollar shoes!"

"You can actually wear these?"

The other students crowded in.

And once they read what was in there, one by one they lowered their heads in shame.

"God, what kind of world is this, someone actually using dollar-store pads?"

"Right? A single drink costs me three bucks, and she won't even spend three dollars!"

"I'm the worst. I actually thought she faked it all to steal the need-based grant."

"Same. Two-thousand-dollar shoes, my foot. Those are five-dollar secondhand shoes!"

"And that coffee, she'd never spend money on it. The shop manager gave it to her!"

"He just thought she had it hard and bought her something to cheer her up, and somehow in Lauren's mouth it became proof she was scamming the grant!"

More and more of them turned accusing eyes on Lauren.

"Lauren, you wronged a good person without checking a single thing. Don't you owe her an apology?"

"Yeah, apologize, now!"

"Apologize, apologize!"

As the shouting grew louder, the color drained from Lauren's face, inch by inch.

Ms. Joyner and Mr. Dickerson stepped forward.

"All right, everyone, quiet down."

Lauren thought they were about to speak up for her. Instead she heard them say,

"Lauren, the others are right. You do owe Ruth Sullivan an apology."

"Apologize."

Lauren kept her head down, playing dead, thinking that if she just stood there frozen and silent, the whole thing would blow over.

I let out a soft laugh.

"You don't need to apologize."

Lauren's head snapped up and she spun to bolt back into the crowd, terrified I'd change my mind.

I watched her back and raised my voice, one word at a time.

"Ms. Joyner, I want to call the police!"