Svetlana Chmakova

“If they're friends, then they've got your back . . . whether you're there or not. Friends won't "forget" about you.”

“True. The school admin decided that a girls clothes were more important than her education.”

“What if . . . What if I am stupid? Like people say?”

“I don't want to leave.”

“Penelope? Thank you. For not leaving me alone to deal with this . . . when things got hard. other people would have. You're a true friend.”

“It doesn't count if it's from friends, right?”

“My mom says . . . there are bad people who hurt others for fun . . . and there are good people who do it by accident. Like, they make a mistake? I think you're a good person.”