Sarafina sat at her desk, the quiet hum of the office doing little to calm her nerves. Her mind kept drifting back to the rooftop confrontation between Tony and Caleb. What were they talking about up there? Had anyone noticed? The thought of rumors circulating that Tony had interfered in her relationship with Caleb made her stomach twist. But if not for Tony, she might have been hurt.
"Hey, Sarafina!"
Sarafina jumped at the sudden voice. She turned to see Solana standing there, her smile wide and seemingly innocent.
"How are you?" Solana asked, her voice syrupy sweet. "You've been avoiding me lately."
Sarafina forced a smile. "I've been busy."
"I get it, but I think you need a break." Solana leaned against the desk, her eyes gleaming. "Let's go to the old school gathering together on Sunday."
Sarafina stiffened, panic rising in her chest. The last place she wanted to go was that gathering, not after the way they had treated her before.
"No. I'm not going," she said quickly.
Solana's smile faltered. "Why not? It's in the past, Sarafina. No one's going to humiliate you again."
Sarafina clenched her jaw. "You don't get it. I won't go through that again."
Solana's eyes narrowed slightly, but then she sighed. "Fine, whatever." She pulled out a small bag from her purse. "But you're wearing this."
Sarafina froze as Solana handed her the bag. Memories rushed back, and her stomach churned. This had happened before. Solana had given her something like this in the past, and the students had laughed at her for wearing fake jewelry.
Sarafina set the bag down, her hands shaking. She wasn't falling for it again.
"Go ahead, take a look," Solana coaxed. "It's beautiful—tiny diamonds. I got one for me, and one for you. We can match!"
Bye and solana turned to leave.
Before Sarafina could respond to the packagein her hands, a voice interrupted.
"You're not wearing that."
Sarafina whipped around to see Sophie standing behind her, eyeing the bracelet in her hands.
Sophie raised an eyebrow. "You know it's fake, right? It's not even a good replica."
Sarafina's heart sank. Sophie was right. "Fake?" she whispered, her hands trembling. The last thing she wanted was to fall for Solana's game again.
Sophie shrugged nonchalantly. "It's no big deal. But if you want to avoid looking ridiculous, I'll help. Free Saturday? I know a place where we can get you ready for the gathering."
Sarafina blinked in surprise. "You're offering to help?"
Sophie smiled. "I owe you. Trust me, it'll be worth it."
Sarafina didn't know what to make of Sophie's offer, but the idea of a fresh start felt tempting. "Alright. Saturday it is."
Sophie nodded. "I'll take care of the details. You just show up."
As Sophie left, Sarafina's mind raced. She couldn't shake the feeling that Sophie was hiding something. But for now, she would take the chance. The gathering was fast approaching, and she had no intention of letting Solana's game control her life again. It was time to prove herself right in front of the bullies.