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“What’re you doing in there?”

The cheap locks of the stall gave and the door swung into my knees. I jumped three feet to standing, straddling the toilet seat, staring directly into the chest of our janitor—who had Mrs. Ellis peering over his shoulder.

“Jessica McMullen, are you high?”

I blinked—I could hardly focus on her—my head felt like one continual explosion, and I still had to— “What?”

“Why on earth are you hiding out in a toilet stall?” She pushed the janitor back to take charge of the situation.

I had to send Mason a text back—I knew he was waiting—he took his history class next—was he texting his accomplice right now for a resend?

“I just—” I tried to think of something to buy me more free time. “I felt sick to my stomach.” I clutched my belly to prove my claims.

One of her eyebrows rose. “So you thought you’d sit there, with your jeans on?”

“I flushed a few times already.” I said.

“Why don’t I believe you?”

“I—I don’t even know how long I’ve been in here.” If I could maybe get her to feel my head—it felt hot on the inside, maybe the outside felt hot too?

“Well Mr. Juarez does,” she snipped, and I could see the janitor’s name embroidered on his shirt. “He’s been waitingpatiently for you to leave so he can repaint this stall. Then he started to get worried that you might be dead or something.” Mrs. Ellis sniffed, as though that might be a more preferable state of affairs.

The warning bell rang and Mason was still waiting. I reached for my powers desperately, like I was grasping for straws.

SARAH I NEED A DISTRACTION BY THE SCIENCE BATHROOMS NOW!

“I just need another second.” I put a hand to my head. I was going to phase out again, audience be damned. I could see the answers Mason was supposed to get in my mind—I pulled all the letters and reversed their order, so the first question had the fiftieth’s answer, when I heard: “Fight! FIGHT!” outside in the hall.

“FIGHT!” someone else shouted—still loudly, but a little down the hall, along with the sound of fast running, like an oncoming storm.

Mrs. Ellis turned on her heel and tromped out to see as I heard the jeers of kids on either side emptying out of their classrooms. I could imagine them all so clearly, each of them had phones out, just in case—what was better than watching a fight, live? Videoing it, so you could share it on ZB later. I sagged against the bathroom stall and in a second—a glimmering second—I crafted my own firefly and set—it—free?—

“Sorry to rat you out—but I’m supposed to paint that stall by the end of the day,” Mr. Juarez explained from a distance as I re-woke up.

“It’s okay—I get it—I’ll go to class now, thanks,” I said, stepping out and around him, running down the hall in the opposite direction.

CHAPTER 50

Iwasn’t hungry at lunch, but that didn’t stop me from chewing on my fingernails.

I was sitting on Lacey and I’s bench in the cafeteria courtyard and all around me my classmates had their phones out and I knew I couldn’t listen in anymore.

Had it just been a matter of time, predestined from the moment the lightning hit me? Or did each time I use my powers eat them up? If it was the latter, I regretted a lot of my prior snooping. I spit out a nail and switched hands. Was there a way I could recharge them? Would licking a battery help? Running out in the rain?

“Hey,” Lacey announced herself, sitting beside me.

“I need you to do me a favor.”

“Anything.”

“Look at my back for me.” I turned away from her and hitched the bottom of my shirt up.

“Uh—okay. What am I looking for?” If she already couldn’t see it?—

“Are there any lines there? Red ones? Maybe pink now, I don’t know.”

I felt her hand run across my skin, looking for what I was asking before answering, “Maybe a little. Are you okay?” She leaned over so that I had no choice but to see her, and I inhaled to lie to her, then realized not-lying was the whole point of having friends.