A Kind of Spark

Keedie is quiet on the walk home, and Addie thinks back to her sister’s demeanor when she saw her in the lecture hall. 

In school, Emily vandalizes Addie’s thesaurus by writing a slur inside it. Audrey sticks up for Addie, but Emily does not apologize, and Addie begins to have a meltdown. Audrey tries to calm her down, but Emily makes a comment about Keedie that sends Addie into a full meltdown. She attacks Emily.

Mr. Allison and Ms. Murphy break up the fight. Emily accuses Addie of attacking her for no reason, and Audrey calls her a liar. Ms. Murphy puts Addie in isolation. Mr. Allison tries to protest, but Ms. Murphy sends him away.

Ms. Murphy takes Addie to her office and accuses her of being lazy and of cheating on the math test. She then goes on to accuse Addie’s parents of being lax in their discipline and of using Addie’s autism to excuse her behavior. Ms. Murphy then declares that neither Addie nor Keedie should ever have attended the school. She continues to spew verbal abuse, and when Addie protests, Ms. Murphy tells her to shut up. Addie finds herself riddled with remorse and self-loathing.