Mirtle was in her classroom devouring the book in her hands, a book with a cover showing a big, red apple, just like the ones she always got in her lunchbox.

The book was to help her practice for the spelling bee. Tomorrow, there was a competition, and the grand prize was three tickets to the biggest amusement park in the city. Mirtle’s family was made up of three members: her mom, her dad, and her, a ten-year-old girl.

Lately, she had noticed her parents no longer laughed at the dinner table. They spent their time looking at their phones, and her dad often came home late—sometimes so late that she didn’t even see him. That’s why Mirtle saw this competition as an opportunity to bring them back together. Surely, at the amusement park, everything would go back to normal. Yes, it definitely would.

Her mind wandered to the rides of other parks she visited. Where she went on with her mom. Leaving her dad alone wouldn’t be fun, but afterward, she’d give him a big hug to show him how much she loved him. She needed to make sure he knew. This time, if she wins, she would ride all the attractions with him. That would make him happy, right? She chuckled a little as she remembered more fun moments with her family from when she was younger.

“Don’t bother trying. I’m going to win the spelling bee,” said an annoyed voice that Mirtle recognized immediately.

“Keep bothering me, and I’ll tell the teacher,” Mirtle warned. It was Juan, a boy who always teased her, whether it was about her messy hair, her handwriting, or her socks being taller than those of the other girls in class.

“But I didn’t say anything!” the boy snapped, clenching his fists and furrowing his brow. “You’re such a crybaby!”

Mirtle simply stuck out her tongue and went back to studying. Her desire to win only grew stronger.

Juan stared at her. He didn’t like being ignored by her, so he stepped closer and snatched the book from her hands, waving it around so she couldn’t grab it. Mirtle tried to take the book back from Juan’s grasp, but her efforts were in vain.

The bell rang, signaling the end of recess. Soon, their classmates would return to the room.

“I’m just helping you avoid disappointing your parents,” Juan said, still keeping the book out of her reach.

Mirtle froze for a second, staring at him intently. She didn’t want to disappoint her parents. What if that made them grow even farther apart? What if they abandoned her? Tears welled up in her eyes, and instead of reaching for the book, she lunged toward Juan. Her target was now him. She shoved him hard, making him stagger in surprise and fall onto his back.

Juan was shocked at the sight of Mirtle—teary-eyed, a bit of snot on her nose, and a look on her face that made it seem like she was ready to punch him. And she probably would have if the teacher hadn’t arrived just then.

“Mirtle!” the teacher exclaimed as she approached. “What’s going on? Why did you push Juan?”

“He started it!” Mirtle shouted, seizing the opportunity while Juan was still stunned to grab her book and head back to her seat, avoiding the gazes of her classmates.

Juan stood up with the teacher’s help, watching Mirtle from afar as she focused on her book.

“Are you okay?” the teacher asked.

“Yes, I’m fine… Teacher? Don’t punish Mirtle. I was bothering her,” Juan admitted, scratching his head and looking at the floor.

The teacher looked at them both, one after the other.

“Alright, but I still need to talk to both of you. See me after class,” she said before returning to her desk.

Juan did his best to head back to his seat as his classmates whispered and exchanged confused glances, not understanding what had just happened.

Mirtle didn’t want to meet anyone’s gaze. She kept her eyes on her book, her determination to win stronger than ever.