"Cheating?" Maria exclaims, aghast. "You think we were cheating on the maths exam?"

Mrs Miller drums her fingers against the wood of the desk and says, "Miss Garcia, if you would sit down."

Her gaze flickers over Madison briefly before the rest of her friends, her lips pressing into a thin and taut line. Maria is pacing angrily, while Lula looks ready to burst into tears, Audrey hovering beside her with a packet of tissues ready. Elliot simply looks stunned as though he cannot quite believe what the headteacher is telling them.

For her part, Madison is starving.

She's so hungry that she can barely see, her mind still flitting over with worried thoughts of the maths exam, and she's dizzy with thinking about everything that she has to do. When Mr Khan had brought them into the office, Madison had seated herself immediately because she thought she might actually faint, her fingers clenching into a fist so tight that her nails dug into the flesh of her palm. The pain of it all jolted her into reality.

Mrs Miller is still speaking.

"...gotten some information that a few students thought to use a coding program, to hack into the school's website and copy the answers to the exams." The headteacher looks stricter than Madison has ever seen her. "Now, you must understand that these allegations against you are quite serious. Miss Sutton, are you listening to me? This may lead to suspension, at the very least."

"Coding? Hacking?" Lula repeats, her eyes wide. "Do I look smart enough for that?"

She promptly bursts into tears and Audrey quietly clucks over her, with trembling fingers. Both Lula and Audrey are shooting Madison panicked looks, but Madison can't hear anything over the rushing in her ears and the gaping pit in her stomach. She swallows tightly, her mind a blur, before attempting to straighten herself in her seat.

"This is ridiculous," Elliot is saying. "I want my lawyer!"

"I wasn't even in the exam," Maria says, and her ridiculous excuse breaks the dam, letting the rest of her friends pipe up in defence.

"I bet you it was that Diana bitch –,"

"Language, Miss Tallulah –,"

"I don't even know how to work a computer! It's all iPhones now, you dinosaur!"

"– scholarship girl's had it out for us –,"

"What even is a coding program?"

"– ugly shoes and ugly hair –,"

"Enough!" Mrs Miller says angrily, and they all fall silent. "That is quite enough. Regardless of your personal feelings towards students, I will not tolerate such language within my school. None of you are taking this matter seriously. Cheating is an offence and the lightest punishment for it is suspension. I understand that your parents will be very disappointed with you. Especially you, Mr Bradford."

Elliot's sharp inhale makes Madison look up. Her head is pounding painfully, and she's so empty she wants to sink into her bed. Instead, she forces herself to take notice of what's happening.

Mrs Miller is looking at her, eyeing her quizzically.

"Miss Sutton, you have quite the reputation within the school," she says calmly. "To have it marred by such a foolish mistake –,"

"You forget," Madison says, her voice even and almost insultingly polite as her friends sigh in relief, "that you have no proof of our so-called 'cheating', Mrs Miller."

"The accusations of Miss Blanchett seem rather proficient," Mrs Miller begins, but she's flushing heavily and clearing her throat under Madison's cool gaze.

"What the hell is that?" Maria says, wrinkling her nose.

Mrs Miller lets out an imperceptible sigh.

"Miss Blanchett is the very student you, Miss Garcia, are so vehemently against."

"And you would take the simple word of a scholarship girl?" Madison refuses to let the headteacher speak. "Regardless of your personal feelings towards us, Mrs Miller, I would think that you would be professional enough to make decisions with a cool head. To have us seated before you as though you were some grand judge, to make damning judgements without so much as an inkling of proof – and the word of one, who is heavily biased, does not count, Mrs Miller – and to make threats against your own students is a very unwise thing to do."

Madison makes the headteacher crumble as she takes care of everything. When she's finished, they're free and her friends crow in triumph. Elliot lets out a breath of relief as Lula promptly stops crying, and Maria swears, in victory, under her breath, ignoring Mrs Miller's protests.

Though Madison manages a smile, she's exhausted.

*

"Oh my God!" Olivia gasps, and her voice is so grating that Madison winces. "Elliot, are you okay? I heard what the scholarship girl tried to do to you!"

Elliot makes a face and tries to disentangle himself from Olivia as quickly as he can.

"I'm fine, Olivia," he says tightly, and he shoots Madison a demanding look that Madison barely acknowledges.

"Where is that bitch?" Maria is snarling furiously, her eyes blazing. Her fist clenches and Lula is already automatically reaching to grab her waist, to pull the girl back. "Lula, stop it – that sandal-wearing hoe tried to get us suspended –,"

Madison's stomach is so empty she has to grip the brick ledge of the wall they are besides to contain herself. There's something aching and gnawing within her incessantly and it's driving her out of her mind, turning her weak and whimpering. Audrey's gaze lingers on her as she reaches for her, her fingers freezing cold against Madison's feverish skin.

"Madison, are you okay?" Audrey says, her voice wrought with concern. "Sweetie, you don't look so well."

"I'm fine –," Madison begins, but when a shadow falls over her, a voice cuts her off.

"You said you wanted to die, too," Eleanor Yates blurts out, her eyes filled with tears, as she jabs a finger towards Madison.

Oh, dear God, no.

She hasn't the patience nor the strength to deal with another problem, Madison thinks to herself angrily. But Eleanor's presence has brought the attention of all of her friends and Elliot's brows furrow together towards her, his gaze steady and worried.

"Madison," Maria begins.

Eleanor is crying.

"You said I should be feeling better by now, but I'm not," she says to Madison, almost accusing in her distraught state. "You said I was perfection, too, like you, but I don't feel like it, Madison. I'm trying and I'm trying so hard, but I can't do it anymore –,"

"Stop talking!" Madison hisses out, her breaths fraught. "Whatever it is that you're doing, it's not my fault –,"

"Eleanor," Maria says in confusion, and her eyes widen as Eleanor stumbles against her, sobbing into her shoulder. "What is going on?"

Madison forces herself to look strong and lets out a taut breath.

"Maria, take her to the school therapist's office. Lock her in there, if you have to – just make sure she speaks to the therapist. If it's about Mike, his stint in rehab is being cut short, if that's of any comfort to you," Madison instructs, reeling off a strict list. Eleanor stops crying, her mouth opening, and Maria looks suddenly so startled that Madison grows defensive. "Audrey, stop hounding me – I'm fine. Olivia, for once in your life, make yourself useful and bring that scholarship girl to me. If you have to drag her here by her hair, do it. Elliot, go with her."

She reaches for a bottle of water that Lula presses into her fingers and the soft, cool liquid slips easily down her throat, as Madison drinks gratefully. The sound of sloshing within her stomach reminds her to check her watch but though it's past lunchtime, Madison knows that she's not allowed to eat anything else.

Bracing herself tautly, she drinks some more water.

"Madison –," Audrey begins, her gaze soft. "Madison, where is Kyle?"

"Kyle is gone," Madison tells her firmly, turning her head, as Lula's eyes widen. Before Audrey can begin to protest, a terrified and awful expression crossing her features, Madison continues. The lies slip off her tongue smoothly, like melting honey. "I didn't do anything, I swear it, Audrey. I heard that he was in some debt or something and he did a runner." Madison leans in and reaches for Audrey's shaking fingers. "But what matters is that now he is gone, okay?"

Lula is looking confused, but she doesn't say anything, as Audrey gives a shaky nod. Her friend still looks too distraught for her, but Madison cannot deal with that now. Maria is coming back and so is Olivia and Elliot, towing a very nervous-looking Diana with them.

Madison shakes back her hair and narrows her dark eyes on the scholarship girl.

*