Sweat beaded on my upper lip and dripped onto the exam. No ink was smudged because I'd yet to write a single thing down. The room echoed with the click of the minute hand moving into its next slot. Only twenty-four minutes left. Twenty-four minutes to answer twenty-six questions, but I couldn't concentrate.

"Rose. Rose Wych!"

I jolted in my seat and looked up into the concerned face of Sister Maria. More wrinkles than usual crinkled around her lips and eyes. "Yes ma'am?"

"You look pale, dear. Is everything alright?"

If only I could tell her the truth, but alas- "Yes, I'm fine Sister Maria."

"Let me know if you need a pass to see the nurse."

My mother would have my hide. "Of course. Thank you."

I looked at the test and pretended to jot something down. Sister Maria's long, black gown and sturdy shoes hovered in my peripheral vision for another thirty seconds, but when her desk chair scraped across the scarred wooden floors, I dropped the pencil and began scratching at my forearm until skin built up under my nails.

"Rose, you're bleeding. Stop that." My best friend, Flannery, leaned across the aisle to grab my arm. "Is this poison ivy?"

"Take your test," I replied. "Your mama will skin you alive if you get busted for cheating."

"And I'll explain I was saving you from self-harm."

"Girls?" We jumped apart and stared at the approaching nun with guilty expressions. I tugged on the sleeve of my sweater to hide the damage to my skin, but Sister Maria's eyes were faster than my hands. "What have you done to yourself?"

"It's just poison ivy," I said, mentally thanking Flannery for her suggestion. "I must've picked it up while on break."

"Oh dear. This will not do. I'll have to speak to the Headmistress about getting the grounds cleansed again. You need to run along to the nurse. We can schedule a time for you to make the exam up later."

I nodded, handed her my paper, and packed my things. Flannery wouldn't look me in the eye- she knew I was not happy. My mother couldn't stand Nurse Della, and she'd been very, very clear I was not visit her again. Maybe if I walked across campus at a glacial pace, the dismissal bell would ring before I could reach her office.

"And Rose," Sister Maria said, "don't forget to get your pass signed by Nurse Della. It'll be required when you sit the makeup exam."

Well, rats. "Yes ma'am. I'll make sure of it."

With my plans thwarted, I darted across campus. Better to get the visit over with if it had to be done, and my arm was burning something fierce. It only got worse- salt in open wounds worse- when I stepped out into the late September heat and started sweating under my cardigan.

"Acantha Wych," Nurse Della shouted when I made it to her station. She heaved herself out of a rolling chair and wiped crumbs from her ample bosom. "What brings you to see me?"

The sound of my first name turned my polite smile brittle. I reached into my backpack and drew out the passbook. I seldom left class and still had most of my slips. Nurse Della took the pass and signed it with a flourish. No questions asked. Silence stretched between us until I sighed.

"I think I've got a bad case of poison ivy. Sister Maria would like you to take a look at it."

"Let's have at it," the school nurse said, popping a pair of half moon spectacles on her stubby nose. I rolled up my sleeve reluctantly, suppressing a hiss when I saw the violent streaks along my arm. I was gonna kill Willow. I'd bet good money and a wishing charm she'd not asked her mother for help at all.

"I was scratching so bad I couldn't take my test."

"I can see that." She twisted my arm to catch the light. Her fingers were cool against the rash. "This doesn't look like any poison ivy I've ever seen, and I've had more than my fair share of experiences. Nasty stuff. Don't wanna get it in your eyes, that's for sure."

I nodded. I'd had it before. You couldn't live in Black Briar without encountering the plant. Heck, Willow's mama grew it in pots on the front porch. The Gardners thought every plant had value, but so help me- if that had ended up in the mess Willow had given me... "What's that?"

Nurse Della stopped swabbing pink goop all over my arm. Her eyes narrowed. "You never used Calamine lotion before? "

No, actually. The liquid dried to a pink so pale it was almost white. Surely, it would wash off. "Oh, of course." My arm did feel better.

"There ya go. Now leave that on there til you get home. Every time you get to itching, put some on. You don't wanna get an infection, and when you touch it, wash your hands. Course, your mama knows all this." She had her back turned to me as she cleaned up her supplies, but I didn't miss the caustic edge to her words. Love was not lost between these women.

The shrill dismissal bell rang, followed by the thundering of feet into the hallway and out the doors. Everyone was eager to start their three day weekend. Everyone, except me. The days loomed before me as a dark cloud creeping across a blue sky. St. Augustine's Preparatory School for Girls was my safe haven, a place where I was normal. Spending three days in Black Briar without reprieve would be worse than having this rash all over my body.

"Thanks Nurse Della. I'll be sure to keep up with it. Enjoy your weekend."

"Good lord, it's hot." Flannery walked up behind me as I unlocked my car. With one hand she fanned herself, while with the other, she wiped sweat off her deep brown cheeks. Her sweater was stuffed down in her bag, and she'd found time to remove her stockings and put on sandals.

"Same as it always is."

"Awe, come on Rosey. Don't be mad at me. On me, you can't be mad at a girl for worrying about her bestie."

I scraped a bit of the lotion off my arm and let out a dramatic exhale. She was right. Plus, I wasn't really angry with her. More like irritated at life, and she was caught in the cross hairs. "It's good. I'm thinking I can get home and wash this mess off before my mama catches me."

Flannery leaned against the hood of the car, careful to make sure uncovered skin didn't touch the sun-warmed metal. "That's a good plan..."

"But?"

"But Mrs. Ali checks your school profile pretty regular, and they're gonna update it with your visit to the nurse."

If I could go back in time and change one thing, it would be the day I taught my mother how to use a computer. A useless skill for most in Black Briar, but for Mama, it was a direct connection to my everyday life. The only way she could know more about me was if I kept a diary, and with two, nosy older sisters, I'd never bothered.

"As long as they don't update it until after the three day weekend, I'm good. At least then, I can escape to school."

Flannery nodded, but there was something else she wanted to say. Drumming my fingers on the roof of the car, I waited for her to speak. There was no rushing this girl.

"You know, you could always spend the weekend at my house. Daddy is out on the oil rig for the next two weeks, so it's just me, Mama, and Charlie. Mama always gets the best junk food the first weekend Daddy is gone. She's so mopey. You'd be doing her a favor."

She flashed her hopeful, doe eyes, clasped her hands together, and grinned real big. It was a sure fire way to win me over to her side- if it was about anything else. Spending the night outside of Black Briar without the parental units wasn't going to fly. Not until I turned eighteen.

"Sorry. I told you I was grounded, right?"

Suspicion clouded the hope. "No, since when?"

"Since I got a 'D' on my math quiz." I hated lying to my friend. I had-in fact- received a 'D' on that quiz, but I hadn't been grounded. No one in my family except my mother understood the grading system in normal schools, and even though Mama knew a 'D' was bad, she was hard pressed to care.

Suspicion cleared and understanding took its place. There were a lot of things about my life I couldn't explain to Flannery, but she knew bad grades earned consequences. For normal people anyways.

"That sucks. Maybe another time."

"I'll text you. Best get going or else I'll be in trouble."

We hugged, and she wandered to her car, stopping when someone shouted after her. She was swallowed by a throng of teenage girls before I pulled out of the parking lot. My sense of guilt eased with the knowledge she wouldn't be alone. Flannery Conners had plenty of friends. 

Why she preferred my company was a mystery.