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the only one who stood out.
    Bright copper kettles
    And warm woolen mittens …
    She took it all in while she waited patiently for someone to open the back door and let her out of the Range Rover. The clock on the dashboard said 8:30 A.M ., which meant she only had ten minutes to find her first class. Isaac cranked up the volume on the stereo, sending loud classical music to every corner of the car, and before Claire knew it, they were moving.
    “Isaac,” she shouted from the back.
    He kept driving.
    “ISAAC!” Claire tried again.
    She lifted her leg over the seat and crawled into first class. She tapped Isaac on the shoulder.
    “Isaac,” Claire said, “unfortunately I have to get out.”
    He jumped and slammed on the brakes. “What are you doing here?”
    “That seems to be the question of the day,” Claire said.
    Isaac reversed the car back into the school’s circular driveway.
    “Thanks for the ride,” Claire said. Isaac closed the door after she stepped out.
    But Isaac didn’t answer. He was too busy searching the lawn for Massie.
    He spotted her hugging an eighth-grade girl with a scooter helmet in one hand and a yoga mat in the other.
    “Massie,” Isaac shouted. He obviously didn’t mind attracting attention because he screamed her name three more times.
    Everyone looked his way except Massie.
    He abandoned the Range Rover in the middle of the driveway despite the angry drivers who honked and demanded he move it.
    “I have to talk to you,” he said.
    Massie was still speaking to the eighth-grade girl. Dylan, Alicia, and Kristen waited patiently for her to finish so they could move on.
    “Massie!” Isaac said.
    “What?” she said.
    She looked at her friends and rolled her eyes.
    “You left Claire in the car.” He sounded annoyed.
    Massie and the girls let out a snicker.
    “I thought
you
were going to let her out,” Massie said. She smiled when she spoke.
    More giggles.
    Claire felt everyone’s eyes on her. She wanted desperately to tell them that she had been fine with being left in the car, that it was an honest misunderstanding, and that she’d in no way put Isaac up to this, but she didn’t. She sang to herself instead.
    Brown paper packages tied up with strings
.
    These are a few of my favorite things.…
    “I expect you to treat Claire with kindness and respect.” Isaac looked straight into Massie’s amber eyes.
    “Uh, I better go,” the eighth-grade girl said. “Good luck with your babysitting job.” Claire watched her run toward her friends like she couldn’t wait to tell them what happened. Massie crossed her arms and stared back at Isaac.
    “Thanks a lot,” Massie said. “She’ll probably get at least fifty gossip points for this story.” She watched the eighth-grade girl laughing with her friends in the distance and pointing her out. Then she turned her attention back to the driver. “Isaac, did I ask you to take my temperature?”
    “What?” Isaac asked. “No.”
    “Then why are you all up in my butt?” Massie asked.
    “Oooh, no, you didn’t,” Alicia said.
    Dylan, Kristen, and Alicia whooped and hollered in celebration of Massie’s never-ending cleverness. They exchanged high fives in her honor.
    Even Claire couldn’t help but be a little bit impressed. Everything Massie said was so smart and funny and
cool
.
    Claire looked up at Isaac. She had no idea how he was going to react. She sort of expected him to pull Massie aside and yell or threaten to tell Massie’s parents, but he didn’t. He just stood tall and stared down at her. Massie stared straight back. It seemed like they were communicating telepathically using their own private language. Everyone watched in silence.
    “Fine.” Massie took off toward school and Claire followed. Isaac watched from a distance.
    “This is OCD,” Massie explained in a monotone voice. She sounded like a tour guide who had given the same spiel at least fifty times earlier that day.
    “When you get inside, you’ll see