Sheikha walked down the long hallway, her fingers tracing the cool lockers. Metha and Afra stepped right in front of her.
"Hey, Sheikha! Stop right there!" Metha crossed her arms. The hallway noise faded to silence.
Metha took the yellow star lunchbox from Sheikha's hand before she could blink. "This looks yummy," she said with a grin.
Afra laughed and nudged Sheikha sideways. Sheikha stood very still, her fingers curling into fists at her sides.
Sheikha opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She watched them walk away toward the cafeteria.
The hallway slowly emptied around her. She stood there, staring at the spot where they disappeared.
A blue butterfly landed on the locker beside her head. It flapped its wings once, twice.
Sheikha took a deep breath and turned around. She marched down the hallway to her classroom.
She pushed the door open and walked straight up to the teacher's desk. "Teacher," she said.
Her voice was surprisingly steady. "Metha and Afra took my lunchbox." The teacher nodded slowly.
