“I’m so sorry,” Jane sobbed. She was an absolute mess. She’d cried her face into a blotchy watercolor of smeared eyeliner and washed-out foundation.

They sat in uncomfortable chairs facing each other, Radomir was at Freya’s left, Jane was at her right, and Mr. Evers sat across from all of them. Radomir was silent and pitiless. He glowered at Jane like an idol carved from stone. Freya shrugged at the apology. Jane had been so sorry last night, too.

“This is not how I wanted to start this week,” Mr. Evers cut in. He looked tired, and it wasn’t even first period yet. He inhaled deeply in preparation. The principal had lifted this load many times before.

“Let’s start with you, Mr. Stich. No matter what was said, physical violence is completely unacceptable.”

“What she said is also unacceptable,” Radomir said, staring back. He crossed his arms.

“Your actions are indefensible. Two wrongs do not make a right, and both of you will be disciplined.”

“I will accept the punishment,” Radomir reiterated.

“As it stands right now, the punishment is expulsion,” Mr. Evers said. Radomir’s eyes shot open. The stony mask was gone.

“What?” Radomir said, and Freya found herself mouthing the same thing.

“That’s right. I won’t let anyone who poses a danger to other students remain at Grayson. Make sure expulsion is a punishment you’re willing to accept.”

Radomir uncrossed his arms.

“She cannot!” Radomir began too loud. “She cannot say these things.”

“Let’s get to that.” Mr. Evers said, nodding in agreement with Radomir’s point.

“I didn’t mean it!” Jane pleaded.

“I don’t care.” Mr. Evers turned on Jane with unexpected anger. “It doesn’t matter what you meant, it matters what you said, which is despicable. You can never unsay it. Freya will never unhear it. You two are supposed to be friends. I’m ashamed of you.”

Jane wept anew, and there was no artifice this time. Mr. Evers let her cry it out, and there was no kindly look at the end, no give whatsoever. He meant it. Freya was taken aback by his response.

“What will you do?” Radomir asked the principal.

“That depends on what you two will do. If you two can shake hands and apologize, I’ll put both of you in in-school suspension for the rest of the week. At the end, the three of you will meet here for a mediation session, and if you convince me this is over and won’t be a problem again, that will be the end of it. If I’m not convinced, further disciplinary action is on the table.” Mr. Evers turned his attention fully to Radomir. “Participating in after-school activities is a privilege, and I expect more from people involved in student leadership.”

When she’d walked into the office, Freya had been certain Radomir would never apologize. She hadn’t expected Mr. Evers to wield the fear of punishment so effectively. She watched Radomir and Jane shake hands and apologize to each other, and then to her. They really did seem sorry.

Mr. Evers filled out the paperwork sending them both to ISS for the week. He asked Freya to wait in his office while he walked Radomir and Jane over. It seemed like forever until he returned. The weight on her grew heavier and heavier as she stared out the window. The rain was through, the sky pale and cloudless.

“I was hoping not to see you again for a while,” Mr. Evers said when he returned. The words struck her, and she had to force herself to lift her head up and respond. If she didn’t, things would get worse.

“I tried to walk away,” Freya said, and he nodded.

“Again, you’re not in trouble, we’re just concerned about you.”

“You weren’t really planning to expel Radomir, were you?” she asked.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“I might have if he had been stubborn. I’m glad I didn’t have to. Let’s focus on you, please. How’s the therapy going?”

“Good. It’s helping,” Freya said but, of course, that was a lie. The therapy had done nothing. It was all the Starball.

Her mind had boiled with thoughts of her locker and how she would get the Starball out of it. She’d been imagining a suit of armor made of aluminum foil, using barbecue tongs to retrieve the Starball, then sealing it back inside the meteorite with duct tape. Just in case everyone didn’t already think she was insane. But she knew she wouldn’t go through with that. It was far more likely she would just never open the locker again.

Considering it, she worried about the Starball heating up until it went China Syndrome. Freya pictured it melting through the thin metal door and rolling down the hallway after her, white hot for revenge.

Mr. Evers caught her drifting. He sat and watched until she returned, his face weighed down with worry.

“So, do you want to tell me what’s actually going on here? With you, I mean. I think I have a good handle on what happened in the hallway this morning.”

“It’s even dumber than it seems. Dan Gregulus gave me a ride home from a party last night. We’re not into each other. Jane went crazy over nothing.”

“Sounds familiar,” Mr. Evers said.

Freya frowned at him, wondering if Mr. Evers meant he was tired of dealing with her.

“I mean this is typical high school relationship stuff,” he added, seeing her look. “How is Jane doing otherwise?”

“She’s been off the rails since her parents got divorced. Her mom’s been in China since June, and her dad works all the time.”

“I’m going to talk with Mr. Yang. Jane’s been having a tough year academically. I get the feeling she could use some help from her friends to get her back on track.”

“I can’t help her there. Obviously, we aren’t friends anymore.”

“You might be again,” Mr. Evers offered.

“She just told me to kill myself in front of a crowd of people because a guy she likes gave me a ride home. I think I’ll pass.”

“That’s totally reasonable. Just keep an open mind. Jane really does regret what she said. She’s going to feel terrible about this for a long time.”

“She should,” Freya said.

She didn’t want to explain the rest. She wasn’t about to tell the principal Jane was getting high and probably hooking up with Malcolm Lewis. Freya considered telling him about Malcolm crashing the party, calling her names, and almost getting into a fight, but then she really would be a snitch on top of everything else.

“Dan Gregulus is a good kid. He’s going places,” Mr. Evers began, changing the topic when he saw she would not budge. “I know it may not seem like it, but you are, too. You have tremendous potential, Freya. It’s not my business what either of you do, just remember you both have your whole lives ahead of you. You’ll never regret waiting.”

Now, Freya felt the first clear emotion she’d had since sealing the Starball in her locker. Anger.

“I said nothing happened, and I meant it. I don’t have anything to hide. Dan goes to the same therapist as me, that’s what we talked about. He’s a good guy.” Freya’s words came out much more severe than she intended, and Mr. Evers paused, nodding with his bottom lip tight.

“Okay, I apologize. That’s something I need to say, just in case. I was aware of the therapist connection, I just needed to respect Dan’s privacy, the same as I would yours. On that topic, I’m going to speak with Dr. Garbuglio about the situation here at school. We’ve tried to contact your mother, but she’s not answering her phone.”

“She’s hiking. There’s probably no reception.”

“When will she return?”

“Saturday,” Freya replied, though she had no clue. She’d just locked herself into a problem. If Lassa didn’t return by Saturday, she might need to report the whole thing to someone. She probably needed to do that anyway.

“You’re on your own for an entire week?” Mr. Evers asked, looking a little incredulous.

“Why not? I’m sixteen. I have something to do almost every night anyway. Guitar practice tonight, Krav Maga Wednesday, therapy Thursday. Even if Lassa were home, I’d barely see her. It’s not a big deal.”

Mr. Evers had a clouded expression. Freya didn’t need Selig’s telepathy to realize he didn’t approve. The same way he didn’t approve of her not going to church. For all his shrugging “It’s not my business what either of you do,” he was judging her.

There was a scoreboard in his mind running all the time, keeping track of who was a good little catholic and who wasn’t. She could tell him right now she’d been thinking about going to church, and he would swell up with joy and say something safe and equivocal while his expression shouted approval. But Freya couldn’t summon the effort to pretend. Mr. Evers drew a deep breath and settled behind his desk, filling out a form.

His head was down, and Freya stared at his bald spot. Ever since she’d finished Dying Inside, she kept trying to picture what other people thought, wishing she could read their minds. What would it be like thinking as Mr. Evers?

With that whole orthodox apparatus sitting on top of her, coloring every thought. He never had to wonder what was right. All the people he’d lost were waiting for him as long as he did what he was supposed to. All he had to do was surrender and obey.

She blinked, thinking about the violet sphere sitting in her locker. “You can’t just surrender!” Lassa had told her, but she wanted to. Anywhere was better than here. Anyone was better than her.

“Are you okay to go back to class?” Mr. Evers asked when he finished with the form.

“Yes,” Freya lied.