“You can’t keep missing class.”
Adeline crushed the fire in her fist, blood pounding in her ears for one beat and then two before she felt ready to look up at Elaine. She was not in the mood to deal with the Marias now.
But strangely, Elaine was alone. She was standing imperiouslyin the doorway, yes, but En Yi and Siew Min were gone. Adeline couldn’t remember the last time Elaine hadn’t been flanked. “What do you want,” Adeline said flatly. Elaine hesitated. “Spit it out. Where’s your friends? They finally realized your money isn’t worth your personality? They realized you were dragging them down? I heard they hang out with Tan May Soon when you’re not around.”
May Soon was Elaine’s vice head prefect; her mother was a semi-famous actress, and she was always bragging about invitations to star-studded events. Elaine’s face reddened. “I was going to offer youcondolences. You bitch,” she added in a rush, stumbling over the words as though they’d built up for so long but weren’t quite used to being out. It was embarrassing for her, really. Adeline could only be amused.
“You kiss your boyfriend with that mouth?”
“Don’t talk about my boyfriend.”
“You’re the one always making your ugly boyfriend wait at the gate for you and talking about him where everyone can hear. He’s an ACS boy, his father is a minister, he’s a swimmer, he has agiant—”
“As head prefect,” Elaine almost shouted, “I was going tooffer you support—”
“As head prefect.” Adeline couldn’t hold back the laugh. “Why are you here, anyway, if you’re so guai? Did your mother die, too? Did she finally see you and get a heart attack?”
Elaine stomped her foot so loudly even Adeline was jolted. She stormed right up to Adeline and bent down so they were eye to eye. Adeline had to look up at her, and that truly terrible haircut, and the way anger blotched her cheeks and almost brought her to life. “I take it all back,” Elaine seethed. “I’m glad your mom’s dead and your dad is a loser, you horrible—”
Adeline didn’t find out what she was, because she kicked Elaine in the knee. Elaine staggered backward as Adeline got to her feet, but with surprising quickness, she recovered and flew at Adeline.
Adeline jerked back too late and Elaine’s nails raked across herface. Her cheek split, blood gushing over her chin. As Elaine backed away, shocked at the sight, Adeline hit her right back.
Cartilage snapped. Elaine screamed. Adeline felt dizzy. She’d never actually hit anyone before, and was surprised by how much it hurt her own hand—then shocked again at the blood pouring from Elaine’s nose.
“Where’s your friends?” Adeline spat.
Elaine stared at her in utter loathing, hand pressed over her face. “Where’s your mother?”
Adeline slammed her against the wall. “Do you think this is what happened to Gertrude?” Their necks were both red now. She dragged Elaine sideways with her wrist pressed against her windpipe until they were almost up against the clock, minutes of light soaking them.
Elaine kneed her in the stomach. Adeline’s fist closed tighter, sending them both toppling. They fell to the floor grappling and pulling and scratching and stamping. At some point they collided into boxes and Adeline crushed a corner of them in her fist, trying to get back on her feet. Her face was stinging, her ribs possibly bruised. She screamed, some obscenity that Elaine shrieked right back as she tried to tear Adeline’s hair from her scalp.
“Elaine!”
Hands grabbed Adeline’s shoulders. She let herself be dragged off, panting and tasting blood. It was En Yi pulling Elaine to her feet, which meant it was Siew Min with her arms wrapped tightly around Adeline, breath in her ear shallow with shock. Across from her, Elaine pressed a rapidly reddening handkerchief to her nose and started to cry.
“Get off me,” Adeline snarled at Siew Min. “Getoffme.”
Siew Min did, but then pointed. “Oh my God. Oh my God.”
Adeline turned. Behind her, the empty boxes had caught fire.
She could still see the crumpled imprint of her fists where she’d fallen into them. Had she done that? She’d never set a fire she didn’tremember. But then again she’d never been this angry. She backed away, another first for her, stunned.
“What do we do?” En Yi cried. “We should call the fire service! We should call the police!”
“I—I’m going to get a teacher,” Siew Min stammered. Their hysterics snapped Adeline out of her own stupor. If there was anything she had practice in it was putting fires out.
“Get an extinguisher!” They stared at her. “Are you stupid?A fire extinguisher.”
“There’s one right downstairs,” Elaine spat, her voice coming through thick and distorted. “En Yi! Beside the water cooler!”
En Yi ran, and after a second, Siew Min ran after her.
Adeline stared at the bonfire. The floor was resisting it for now, but eventually something would spark, in a dusty place like this. The molding, the plaster…
“I’m going to tell them it was you,” Elaine said softly. “They’re going to expel you. Bye-bye to your mommy’s dreams.”
