I fold my arms across my chest and glare at the floor. The principal’s office smells like old paper and black coffee, and the leather chair beneath me makes an awful squeaking sound every time I shift. Across from me, Mrs. Talbot, the school’s counselor, leans forward with her hands clasped like she’s about to offer me some great wisdom that will change my life.

“You know why you’re here, don’t you, Claire?” she says, her voice smooth, rehearsed.

I do.

I also don’t care.

Next to me, Jason fidgets, running a hand through his perfectly gelled hair. He hasn’t looked at me since we walked in. Probably because he knows he’s full of it.

“Claire,” Mrs. Talbot continues, like she’s dealing with a child half my age, “I think we both know what needs to happen here.”

I exhale through my nose, slow and sharp. “You want me to apologize.”

“Yes.”

“For what?”

Mrs. Talbot sighs, like I’m exhausting her, like she didn’t just pull me out of class and drag me in here because Jason ran crying to a teacher. “For hurting Jason’s feelings.”

I turn to him then, forcing him to meet my eyes. He shifts in his seat, uncomfortable, but I hold my ground.

“I told the truth,” I say evenly. “I said what everyone else is too scared to say.”

His jaw tightens. Good.

Mrs. Talbot makes a noise in the back of her throat. “Claire, calling someone a liar and a coward in front of the whole cafeteria isn’t exactly—”

“He is a liar and a coward,” I snap, my voice rising before I can stop it. “He spread rumors about Ava for weeks. He laughed when people whispered behind her back. He called her crazy and desperate when she finally broke down, and then when she stopped showing up to school, he acted like he had nothing to do with it.”

Jason’s face reddens. “That’s not—”

“You know it’s true.” My hands curl into fists. “You think just because you didn’t say it to her face, it doesn’t count? You think you can wreck someone’s life and walk away clean?”

Mrs. Talbot lifts a hand, trying to calm me. “Claire—”

“No.” I shake my head. “I won’t apologize for calling him out. I won’t pretend like what he did doesn’t matter.”

Jason looks away. His throat bobs.

Mrs. Talbot sighs again, rubbing her temples. “Claire, sometimes—”

“Sometimes people don’t get what they deserve,” I interrupt. “Yeah. I know.”

For a moment, the room is silent. Jason shifts again, but he doesn’t say a word.

Mrs. Talbot studies me. Her eyes are tired, searching. But I’m done explaining myself.

I grab the handle and swooped down in a dramatic bow. “Sorry for wasting your time, loser”

Jason scowls, but he still doesn’t meet my eyes. Mrs. Talbot exhales, pinching the bridge of her nose like she’s fighting off a headache.

“Claire,” she warns.

But I’m already pulling the door open.

As I step into the hallway, Jason mutters something under his breath. Probably thinks I won’t hear.

I do.

I glance back, flashing him the kind of smile that isn’t friendly at all. “See you around, Jason.”

Then I walk away, leaving him to sit there, stewing in the truth.