Chapter 2 Pointing Fingers

I grabbed her by the collar and pulled her close, glaring at her with venom. "Do you know that giving random medicine can kill someone? Do you expect me to watch Ethan die because of you?"

Yvonne went pale; her lips trembled as she mumbled, "Well, I panicked! I was scared something would happen to Ethan. And ambulances can't arrive fast enough."

Whenever trouble came, she either froze or washed her hands entirely of responsibility. She had rifled through medicines when Ethan went into his attack and caused him to lose consciousness, yet she accused me of not shoving more drugs down his throat.

When kids brawled and needed mediation, she'd claim she couldn't make the call and send them home to "work it out". She always schemed her way out of routine drills and tests and called it keeping the teachers' average score up. Every time she made a mess, I was the one left to clean it up.

Brian turned grimmer by the second when he saw me bearing down on her; he stepped between us. "If you'd given Ethan his medicine sooner, he'd be fine right now. I saw that some of the meds in your kit were already opened—didn't you give him anything?

"Maybe he's unconscious because you dosed him wrong. What part of 'look out for Yvonne' do you not get? Have I never made myself clear? You're even pinning this on her now!"

Yvonne stood before Brian, tears streaming. "Brian, don't yell at Jasmine. I told her, but maybe she wanted the credit herself. Don't blame her."

Then, she dropped to her knees and pressed her face against my hand. "If yelling or beating me would wake Ethan, I'd let you do anything."

I played her at her own game and slapped her down to the floor. She held her face and looked at Brian with wounded eyes, mute accusation in her expression.

Her cloying act made me want to strike again, and I did, but Brian grabbed my arm mid-air. He flung me aside and stroked Yvonne's cheek gently, as if afraid he'd bruise her. "Good girl, don't cry. You'll ruin your makeup. It's okay."

I couldn't help a bitter laugh, my scorn plain. "She told me not to tell you because she was scared of getting fired, you know? I acted based on what I knew; I treated him, and his condition improved. What did I do wrong? I told her to call the parents—she vanished. Now she's here, crying theatrically. What's that about?"

Brian's vein in his temple throbbed as he watched my self-righteousness, as if he might strike me at any moment. "Forget that you bully Yvonne all the time; are you really going to shove responsibility for a life-or-death situation onto her? She's new—she doesn't know as much as you."

Then, he whispered comforts into Yvonne's shaking body as if to soothe her whole being. "Heart attacks happen all the time. He was born sick—it wasn't your fault. Getting medicine into him fast was better than her fumbling through the drugs."

At that, he turned back to me. "Jasmine Solano, apologize to Yvonne. She's got a cold—don't you know that? She's gonna cry again when she goes home."