CHAPTER 6: Whitney’s Perfect Lie

Whitney tried to laugh.
It was the wrong sound for the room.
“That proves nothing,” she said.
Ms. Carter did not blink. “Then keep your hand where everyone can see it.”
Whitney froze.
Hana’s breathing steadied. The tears were still there, but something beneath them had changed. She was no longer only defending herself. She was watching the lie lose its balance.
The full story began to assemble in pieces.
Whitney had entered the classroom before lunch, when Hana was helping in the supply closet. She had found the portfolio on Ms. Carter’s desk. She had pulled the drawing out, torn one corner while removing it, then slipped the larger piece into her own folder.
But the blue wash had still been damp.
Whitney had not planned for that.
She had planned for shock, class politics, and Hana’s fear.
She had planned for everyone to believe the rich girl in the dress over the quiet girl in white.
She had not planned for paint to remember.