I blink.
Sister Agnes takes my untouched cookie.
“Eating your feelings never solved anything.”
Then she bites into it.
I stare.
Is this real?
A nun stole my cookie.
Sabrina snorts into her drink.
“Oh, thank God.”
“What?”
“You're shocked.”
“I am shocked.”
“Good. That's your normal face.”
A reluctant laugh escapes me.
The first one all afternoon.
Sister Agnes points my cookie at me.
“Listen carefully.”
I straighten instinctively.
The woman could command armies.
“I do not care what some fool writes in a newspaper.”
My eyes sting.
“Sister—”
“No.”
She points again.
“You have conducted yourself with dignity.”
The lunchroom noise seems to fade.
“You have served this school faithfully.”
Point.
“You have loved these children.”
Point.