Marie walked with Albert after Biology. Marie didn't know if Mr. Edison was watching her during class. She kept her head down while she took notes. It was hard to pay attention. Mr. Edison seemed at ease, like this was any other day. Marie, on the other hand, expected the S.E.A. to storm in and arrest Mr. Edison at any moment.

Albert talked to her about the water cycle, the topic they learned about in class. Marie was nodding, but still shaken by this morning's incident. She couldn't talk to Albert about it, or with Billy and Abe. Her dad was completely out of the question. She didn't even feel comfortable telling Sophie, which was new to her.

She still wondered how Mr. Edison could get away with this when a student grabbed Albert's blazer.

"Hey!" Albert said.

It was all he got out before the student rammed him against the lockers. Marie gasped in shock.

"How's the wimpy violin lessons, Einstein?" the student asked.

Albert tried to struggle out of his grip, glaring at the student. "Mind your own business, Adolf."

Marie tried to push the guy named Adolf, to get him to break his grip on Albert, but nothing seemed to work. "Leave him alone!"

"Oh-ho! Einstein has a girlfriend now!" Adolf said.

Albert purposefully did not look at Marie. "Shut up."

"Does she know you play a wimpy instrument. She might not go out with you if you tell her."

Albert struggled again in Adolf's grip. "The violin is not wimpy."

Marie had never seen Adolf before. He must be an upper classman. And he was strong. Marie tried again to get Adolf to let him go, but he pushed her easily out of the way.

"Whatever you say, Einstein. You probably don't care, now that you've got a girlfriend. Do you have to split your time evenly between her and the violin? Can't be neglectful, now."

Adolf turned his head and noticed Marie for the first time. His face lit up with fresh mockery as he eyed her up and down.

"Then again, I don't know who to feel sorrier for. Her, or you."

Marie felt herself blush a deep crimson. The words crushed her more than she wanted to admit. She was even wearing make-up today. She brushed her nose in her embarrassment and felt the zit sting.

Albert snapped. He pushed Adolf with renewed strength. Adolf lost his grip and Albert was ready to punch him when Marie grabbed his sleeve.

"Don't, Albert. Just walk away. He's not worth our time."

A wave of seething rage spread through Albert, but he managed to give a small nod. They kept their normal walk toward their next classes.

"She'll have you domesticated yet, Einstein."

Albert almost turned back but Marie stopped him.

"Just walk away." Marie grabbed his arm and lead him away from Adolf.

Albert muttered curses under his breath. After they'd gone a short distance, Marie started up the conversation. "Who was he?"

"Adolf Hitler. He's a junior."

"What did you do to attract him?"

Albert grumbled again. "Nothing."

Marie gave him a skeptical look. Albert sighed.

"I'm sure you know of the rivalry between orchestra and band, right?" he asked.

Marie nodded. She understood better now because Billy and Abe were in band, and Albert was in orchestra. They passed a fair share of trash talk between them.

"Is Adolf in band?" Marie asked.

Albert nodded. "He plays piano for jazz band. Even though he isn't in Marching Band, he's the ring leader of the brass section. Stupid jocks who can't think for themselves because they're too busy lifting weights. Their coach acts like instruments weigh a ton."

Albert kicked a stray ball of paper into the hall. Marie glanced behind her and saw Adolf push an innocent kid before heading to his own class.

"That's the extent of his hatred? He picks on you because you're in orchestra?"

Albert nodded. "It's enough for someone like him. It probably doesn't help I fight back. I hate bullies."

"And he doesn't like violins apparently?" Marie asked.

Albert rolled his eyes. "I was in orchestra and we were playing one of my favorite pieces, so my chip had me singing along with the music. I sang quietly because I don't feel like my singing is as good as my violin, and rumors circulated about me singing a love ballad to my violin for my freshman test."

Marie felt a momentary jolt of panic. Freshman tests were still happening, and she hadn't sung yet. She tried to ignore it and focused on Albert instead.

"Forget about Adolf. He's a jerk who will spend the rest of his life chasing the high of success he had when he was a teenager," Marie said, quoting Sophie.

A huge smile covered Albert's face. "Thanks, Marie."

Marie shared a smile, and she felt in the deepest region of her stomach the tiniest spark which made her shyly turn away from his gaze.

***

Marie again stood in front of the mirror the next morning, checking out the zit in her nose. It seemed worse today. It didn't help when she heard her dad chuckle as he passed the bathroom. He was never a teenage girl in one of the most prestigious high schools in Musical Land.

Her heart sank. Required try-outs for the freshman one act were next week in theater. Her zit had to be gone by then. She'd make a fool of herself enough without extra help from her face.

Marie got to school and peeked into Mr. Edison's room on her way to her locker. He was still there, which meant he wasn't arrested. How was it possible?

The day went on slowly. Marie attended her classes. She tried to dress super-fast in dance to use one of the mirrors to check her make-up.

She sat with her friends at lunch. Billy discussed his play and how his teacher seemed intrigued by the idea and the first few pages. Which of course meant Billy was on track to skip a grade. She watched, quiet, wondering what it felt like to be so intelligent that mornings wouldn't fill her with panic at the thought of going to school.

Abe and Albert started passive aggressively insulting each other and Marie struggled to keep herself from groaning. She didn't know what the feeling she had with Albert was about, but it didn't mean she was ready to leap into his arms. Or Abe's, either. What if she didn't want either one of them? What if they stopped being her friend because she didn't want to go out with them? Or what if she felt obligated to be with one of them, even though she didn't want to, and end up ruining their friendship anyway? Why were relationships complicated?

The thought of being friendless sent a small spike in the limbic system of her brain, and music started to fill the cafeteria. She felt her chip come alive and begin to translate her feelings of frustration with boys into lyrics.

Terror gripped her. The announcement said they'd sensitize her chip. It must have been quite sensitive for it to activate with her train of thought and little peaks of emotion. Though with the music filling the cafeteria, her panic was growing exponentially.

"Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth!" Marie cursed. "Not now! Not here!"

Her three friends heard her cursing, then heard the music growing louder.

"Marie, I think it's your freshman test," Billy said.

She closed her eyes and shook her head. No, she didn't want to sing this. She refused. She didn't care if it would clear things up and give her the courage to talk to her friends, she was not ready to admit her feelings about the guys, or lack thereof.

The music started to play a ballad. The chip again forced the lyrics on her. Marie kept her eyes shut, muttering her no's until it gave her lyrics she wanted to sing. She discovered this little hack in the sixth grade when she didn't want to sing about her mother's death in front of her class. She would always have to sing when the chip activated, but if pressed, the chip could give her different lyrics.

Panic filled her soul. Her forehead began to glisten with sweat as she tried to erase the lyrics. She would not sing about her friends. This is where she put her foot down.

The music held, waiting for her to start singing. The chip relented and gave her a new set of lyrics. Marie was relieved until she realized what the chip asked her to sing about. It would be humiliating, but better than singing about her friends.

The music swelled again. The cafeteria quieted down. This could only end in disaster. Marie forced herself to open her mouth.

"I have a zit inside of my nose,

"And it hurts. It hurts so bad!

"When I go to pop it,

"It looks as though I am

"picking my nose."

Marie felt the tears of embarrassment flow down her face as she opened her eyes. She knew the lyrics were ridiculous, and her voice sounded like a dog who needed to be put out of its misery. Her friend's faces would be forever burned in her memory. Albert held his fork stuck in his food and seemed to have forgotten about it. Abe's mouth was slightly open, and Billy's eyebrows almost disappeared under his hair.

The next verse came to her, and the chip urged her to stand.

"It is so hard to have a zit

"When I go to a school like this.

"Let alone a zit inside my nose!"

There were more lines to the song. She knew she needed to sing them, but she couldn't. The laughter from other students were starting and her voice failed. She tried again, but her voice faulted before fizzing out again. She took another breath as tears continued to fall. She was going to get in deep trouble for not finishing this song.

"She has a zit inside her nose!" Billy started singing in the most gorgeous tenor voice Marie had ever heard. Billy flashed a huge smile in her direction as though to let her know it was okay. He extended a hand toward her and the chip urged her to take it as they began a dance. She forced herself to follow Billy's lead in the dance. He was incredible.

"But Marie, how she is like a rose!

"And therefore I shall propose

"We don't care about the zit inside her nose!"

Billy and Marie danced around the table, Marie trying not to get in Billy's way as he danced with sure steps. Billy spun her around and Abe and Albert were standing next to her.

"For though she looks a bit embarrassed

"To me it does not look too garish," Abe sang. His voice, a squeaky tenor, wasn't the best, but far better than hers.

The song switched over to Albert. "And we don't care! For you we cherish!

"And these zits quite soon will parish!"

Albert sang in a baritone as he spun and dipped her. She closed her eyes as the song changed keys.

"I have a zit inside my nose!" she sang at the top of her awful voice as Albert brought her back up.

"She has a zit inside her nose!" The three boys sang before she finished her line, solidifying them as her back-up singers.

"And I try not to care!"

"She tries not to care!"

She tried to do a glide dance, doing short dances with each of her friends, but it turned out clunky and awkward.

"There could be worse things in my life!"

Marie's elbow accidentally rammed into Abe's stomach and the song picked up on his groan and made it part of the song. "Ooohhh-oohh!"

"I know a zit can be repaired," Marie continued.

"She knows a zit can be repaired."

This was the absolute worst train wreck of a song she'd ever sung. The subject matter was ridiculous, and the three boys sounded much better than her. It still wasn't finished. Why couldn't it just be finished?

"For zits may come and zits may go,

"But to have one in the nose, it really blows!

"I want to be done, but I have one more verse.

"This song just really is the worst!"

She wanted to dive under the table and whisper the last verse, but the chip urged her to stand up on the table. Marie resisted, but it kept urging until she felt obligated. She stood, trying to look like she meant to sing in an awful voice and awful verse.

"I hate my nose I hate my zit!

"To have them both it is the pits.

"Please take this song with charity,

"Because in this school it is a rarity!"

There was a pause as the music ended. A brief, tension filled second when no one knew how to react as she began to hyperventilate, then the cafeteria burst into laughter and mock applause. Marie leapt off the table and ran as fast as she could.

"Marie!" Billy yelled.

Abe tried to follow her. "Wait, Marie!"

The exit to the cafeteria felt so far away as she continued running. She heard the students closest to her begin a chant.

"Charity case! Charity case! Charity case!"

The sobs began.

"Marie, stop!" Albert called.

She didn't know where to go, but she knew she had to get away. She ran, keeping her head down so no one could remember her face.

She stumbled into the bathroom, trying not to look at the serene girls gossiping inside the bathroom. She got into a stall and pushed the lock, a hand over her mouth to keep her sobs at bay until the girls left. The bell rang to go to the next class, but Marie didn't care. She'd remain in the stall until school was over. Then she'd stay until she was certain everyone was gone. She would return home, hide under her covers, and never come back to this stupid school ever again.