What would I tell her? My best friend was going to be so upset

“Where’s my camera? Has anyone seen my camera?”

My BFF, Shani, bursts into the classroom. I look up with a start.

“You lost your camera?” Idy asks. “Where’d you have it last?”

“It was on my seat in the auditorium. But then we played that game, and after that they pushed the chairs to the side for dancing, and now I’ve looked everywhere and I can’t find it!” She sounds close to tears.

I bite my lip. What should I do?

“Should I help you look for it?” Nechama offers, jumping down from the windowsill. “We could go ask all the other classes if someone took it by mistake…”

“I guess,” Shani says, her voice a little choked. “It has all my pictures of my family’s trip to Eretz Yisrael… and so many other things. I just need to get it back!”

She follows Nechama out of the classroom, and I just want to curl myself into a ball and disappear.

Because I know exactly where Shani’s camera is.

I’m the one who took it.