I know no good comes from comparing what I have to what they have, but seeing all that money and privilege, and having none, hurts. I try to convince… - Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

High school is like a kingdom, only instead of temperamental royals, golden thrones, and designer outfits flown in from Europe, the hallways are filled with loud postpubescent teens, the classrooms with rows of wooden desks and students dressed in ugly plaid skirts, navy-colored slacks, and stiff blue blazers.

Most people think the three of us are friends, since we’re almost always seen together. But we’re not friends. Our relationship is a transaction.

Perhaps if hierarchies weren’t so important and people weren’t constantly trying to take me down, maybe I’d be more trusting of people, and Ava and I would be more than just two girls using each other to survive high school.