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Neither of them even bothers to answer me. Instead, Principal Hargrove turns his attention back to my father.

“As for the allegation involving Mr. Collins, I assure you the school has already taken immediate action. He was removed from his position last night and is prohibited from entering school grounds or having any contact with students while the matter is being investigated.”

I think I’m going to throw up.

“You… fired him?”

“He has been removed pending the outcome of the investigation, yes.”

“But he didn’t do anything!”

“Maxine—”

“He didn’t!” I grip the arms of my chair so tightly my fingers ache. “Someone took that picture and made it look like something it wasn’t! Why won’t either of you listen to me?”

But Principal Hargrove continues as though I haven’t said a word. “Chief Neptune has also been informed of the allegations. Any determination regarding criminal conduct will be made by law enforcement and the appropriate authorities. What I can tell you is that allegations involving a teacher and a student are taken extremely seriously.”

I’m unable to say another word. I just sit there as tears free-fall down my face, staring at the photograph on his desk.

One picture. That’s all it took. One picture to turn an innocent hug into something filthy. One picture to destroy a good man’s reputation.

And the person who took it knew exactly what she was doing.

“As for the pills found in Maxine’s locker,” Principal Hargrove continues, “possession of prescription medication that does not belong to the student is a serious violation of school policy. Ordinarily, we would be discussing expulsion.”

Dad’s hand tightens around mine.

“However, after speaking with the school board and taking the circumstances into consideration, we have decided against expulsion.”

I barely hear him.

“Maxine will instead receive a ten-day suspension, effective immediately.”

Ten-day suspension.

The words barely register, floating somewhere around me without ever really sinking in. Because all I can do is stare at the photo of Mr. Collins’s arms wrapped around me. At the bottle of pills sitting beside it. Two pieces of evidence that shouldn’t exist.

This isn’t some terrible misunderstanding. It isn’t a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or a photograph taken at an unfortunate angle.

This is payback for not following her rules.

I can hear Principal Hargrove and Dad talking, but their voices gradually fade into the background until they’re little more than meaningless noise. I don’t even bother trying to follow their conversation anymore. What’s the point? Neither of them wants to hear my side of the story. They’ve already decided what happened, and nothing I say seems capable of changing their minds.

The only thing I can do now is try to convince Chief Neptune that nothing inappropriate ever happened between Mr. Collins and me. I might not be able to save his job at Fairhope High, but I have to at least try to save his reputation. He’s done nothing but encourage me, believe in me, and give me something to look forward to when everything else in my life has gone to shit.

And now he’s paying the price for it.

Because of me.

I have to make this right somehow, even if my own reputation is already beyond saving.

I’m so lost in my thoughts that I don’t even realize the meeting is over until Dad places a hand on my shoulder and tells me it’s time to go home.

“It’ll be okay,” he says as we leave the office, though he sounds like he’s trying to convince himself as much as me. “We’ll get through this, Max. You’ll see. We’ll get through it.”

I don’t say anything.

I don’t have anything left to say.