Maisie and Zinnia got to their classroom. Zinnia glanced over at her usual spot. Someone was already sitting there quietly.
Lydia was actually in class today. Ethan had his head turned, excitedly telling Lydia all about their crazy adventure from yesterday. Lydia just listened, quiet as ever.
A faint smile finally softened Lydia’s usually calm face as she saw Zinnia walk in through the door. “Zinnia,” she called out.
“Morning, Zinnia. Morning, Maisie.” Ethan turned around with a bright grin, looking at them.
“Morning.” Both girls replied.
“Zinnia, I’ll catch you during the break, okay?” Maisie said. Her desk was two rows behind theirs, so they weren’t sitting together.
“Hey, Lydia,” Zinnia greeted softly as she sat down. Something felt off about Lydia today. It was summer, but Lydia was wearing a long–sleeved, high–necked black shirt. Her long hair was draped over her shoulders, hiding her whole neck.
“Hey, have you finished your homework? I can help if you want.” Lydia’s voice was barely there, even softer than usual.
Zinnia frowned with concern. “Are you feeling okay?”
Lydia froze for a moment, taken aback by the question. Instinctively, she hunched her shoulders and pulled her neck in slightly.
“I’m fine.” Lydia shook her head lightly.
“What the heck? Someone on Facebook is already back to defending Betty,” Ethan grumbled, clicking his tongue in annoyance.
After two classes, the extended break finally arrived. As seniors, they had hardly any downtime and even fewer chances for entertainment. Hanging out wasn’t really an option.
Ethan was brain–dead from sitting through classes, so he mindlessly scrolled through the Facebook school discussion group, hoping to clear his foggy mind.
It definitely worked. Somehow, people were defending Betty again online. Half the class pulled out their phones to check Facebook when they heard him.
There was a post going viral in the school’s Facebook group. The title read: [Zinnia Shaw: Using her “real daughter” card to bully Betty Shaw. Here’s the dirt.)
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