Chapter 3

Jessica suddenly looked over at me, her eyes pleading for help.

She said, "Emily, if Mr. Smith asks about it later, could you say it was your mistake?"

I shot Jessica a surprised look and snapped, "Why should I? Just calling it my fault doesn't make it true. This isn't some math test where answers can be swapped so easily."

Jessica didn't look the slightest bit embarrassed. Instead, she fired back, totally unfazed.

She said, "I just graduated, you know? My career's barely started. I can't let such a tiny thing mess up my future.

"Besides, it wasn't all my fault—you were involved too. So if you admit it, it's not like you're doing anything wrong."

I said sternly, "If you still can't admit what you've done wrong, maybe you really shouldn't be a teacher.

"Honestly, I'm scared that one day, every kid in this place could lose their life because of you."

My coworker, Linda, seeing the tension between Jessica and me, quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

She said, "Emily, it's not all Jessica's fault. We all—"

I interrupted her, "We're teachers. If she had a shred of real teacher's decency, those kids wouldn't have ended up dead like that."

Linda gave an awkward smile and said, "Hey, don't be so hard on her. It's her first mistake—maybe you could be a little understanding."

Linda was actually pleading for leniency on the grounds that this was the first time Jessica had caused a death—something I found utterly incomprehensible.

I snapped, "Maybe this is her first time causing someone to die, but I've had to bail her out more times than I can remember.

"Even the youngest kids in our class have way more sense than she does—they at least know not to do something that could get someone killed."

Ever since Jessica started here, I'd already had to clean up her messes over a hundred times—and that was just the first month.

From stupid things like forcing a kid to chug water and then refusing to let him use the bathroom, so he wet himself.

It escalated to disasters like leaving a child locked in the classroom while she sneaked out to party—parents nearly called the cops because they thought their kid had vanished.

Every time parents came in demanding answers, Jessica'd just play the victim, putting on her most pitiful face and mumbling that she didn't do any of it on purpose.

She would whine, "I really am trying my best, but it feels like Emily just doesn't like me and never wants to show me how things are done."

Over time, people started looking at me like I was the bad guy. Even a bunch of my coworkers would jump in to defend Jessica.

Linda still tried to stick up for Jessica. She said, "Come on, Emily, don't be so harsh with your words. Jessica's just a kid herself—maybe she doesn't get how dangerous a stampede really is."

Fresh out of college, Jessica had brandished her youth like a shield: because she was still young, she could watch several children die and then, without a flicker of remorse, shrug and say, "I just didn't realize how serious a stampede could be."

Seriously, I thought they were simply beyond reason.

I stared at Linda, totally stunned. I said, "She didn't just set fire to the kindergarten—several children died because of it. If things had gone even slightly worse, none of us would have made it out alive."

Linda was at a loss for words, then managed to mumble awkwardly, "You're making a big deal out of this. But look at us—everyone's still safe and sound, right?"

She started off sounding hesitant, but by the end, she was practically brimming with confidence.

She lifted her chin slightly, giving me a reproachful look.

She accused, "If you'd just cared a bit more, Jessica wouldn't have gone and done all those things.

"You don't even feel a bit guilty, and you're putting everything on her. Seriously, with a coworker like you, I must be cursed."

Jessica, who was already acting all confident, now stood even taller, her chest puffed out like she had nothing to fear.