Mr. Marquez switched gears, his tone earnest. “Honestly, we all owe Josefina big time. If she hadn’t stepped in when she did, our school would’ve been toast. Now, with Jacob taking the fall, things can finally calm down. But if this had blown up any more, none of us would’ve gotten away clean.”
Everyone immediately picked up on what he meant, and their gratitude toward Josefina was obvious.
Josefina gave a modest smile. “Actually, I didn’t even know what was going on at first. Mr. Marquez called me right away—otherwise, I wouldn’t have had time to get the medicine ready.”
The attention in the room shifted, and now everyone was thanking Mr. Marquez.
Getting singled out like that made Mr. Marquez’s heart race, almost like he was riding a wave. The most important person in the room had just spoken up for him.
He thanked Josefina again, pouring out his appreciation, and then made the final call: Jacob, the troublemaker, was officially expelled.
As for Cassandra, the police would deal with her from here on out.
…
Later, in Mr. Marquez’s office, he poured Josefina a glass of water himself, offering it to her with both hands.
“Mr. Marquez, you’re too polite,” Josefina said, accepting the glass. “I can get it myself.”
He shook his head. “It’s the least I can do. You’ve done so much for me—I really don’t know how to thank you, except…”
Josefina shot him a wary look, sensing where this might be going.
She quickly cut in, “No, seriously, it’s fine! You don’t need to do anything.”
Mr. Marquez burst out laughing. “Relax, I’m not about to make things weird. I just meant, if you ever need a favor, just ask. I’ll help however I can.”
Josefina grinned, the tension easing. Then she asked, “So, after Jacob got arrested, did anyone try to bail him out or get him a lawyer?”


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