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We share a snickerdoodle in silence; Libby makes no comment about fats and sugars, she just chews thoughtfully

Libby’s voice, so calm and methodical moments ago, was now high and tinged with something he refused to call anxiety

Akiva blinked. Was that the end of his pitch? He had cards in his pocket; he’d been practicing the whole flight here

I turn around slowly. This is not happening. Teachers are not using lunchtime to have PTA with my mother, are they?

I’m 16, not six. I can control myself, right? Pretend to be a nice person even if inside I know I’m a snob

My new goal for Ma’s class is to cover an entire loose-leaf page with tiny rosebuds. I begin in the left-hand corner. By the time the bell rings, I’ve done two whole lines