“You’re such a loser, Emilia!”
The boys laughed as Max shoved her schoolbooks into the dirt. One landed in a puddle. Her spelling test smeared with mud. Her heart pounded in her chest, small and helpless and humiliated.
“Crybaby!” one of Max’s goons sneered—ten-year-old boys with smug smiles and mean eyes.
Max stood in the middle of them all like he was the king of the playground. He wore that stupid jacket his father gave him, too big for his skinny frame. His smirk was carved into his face like it was permanent. And in his hand? The friendship bracelet she’d made for him in class—ripped in two.
“Next time, stay out of my way,” he snapped, throwing the beads on the ground like trash.
Emilia’s face flushed hot as tears pricked her eyes. She dropped to her knees, picking up the broken
