Eliana looked up at me from the dirt, her lower lip trembling violently as she started sobbing right on cue. "Why did you hit me?! Just because I found something better than you, and you don't want to admit it, Ele? You've been trying to make me look bad this entire time!"
The surrounding girls watched the drama unfold, but my expression didn't soften. Keeping my movements steady, I crouched down and carefully grasped the very base of the thick mushroom stem, snapping it cleanly from the rotting log without touching its vibrant red cap.
I walked over and held it a few inches from Eliana's face. "Look at this," I said, my voice cutting through her crying like ice.
"This isn't 'something better,' Eliana. This is a Blister Cap. One accidental touch to the spongy top, and it releases a pre
