"Baby... Baby just thought black was too depressing. Pink brings good luck for everyone... Monica, you understand me best, right? You don't think Baby did anything wrong, do you?"
She aimed the question squarely at me.
In an instant, every pair of eyes in the room turned my way. The few remaining classmates, Henry, Sebastian. All of them, staring.
The suffocating weight of my previous life pressed down on me again, the same crushing force that had driven me to that rooftop.
My fingers tightened around the spare black pen hidden in my uniform pocket.
Meeting their stares, I picked up my own pencil case from the desk and unzipped it. Sure enough, a brand-new pink pen sat inside.
I pulled it out and faced Loretta, forcing a smile uglier than tears.
"Why would I mind? I love your surprise."
I even made a show of sliding the pink pen into the most visible slot of my pencil case, right in front of her, to kill whatever suspicion they had left.
Loretta's tears dried up instantly, replaced by a smug grin. She shot Sebastian a triumphant look.
Henry gave my shoulder an approving pat, satisfaction dripping from every word.
"See? Monica knows how to be a team player."