Zoe Is On the Air

Chapter Nine

The next day is when the girls are supposed to give their presentation on Ancient Egypt. They have a model of a tomb with a sarcophagus in it, and they each have a few paragraphs of a speech about a different aspect of Ancient Egypt.

At her locker, Caitlin comes up to Zoe. Caitlin asks if Natalia is still mad at her. Zoe doesn’t see any reason to sugarcoat the truth. Caitlin doesn’t understand why Natalia’s upset—she was just trying to be honest. Zoe calmly explains that she still thinks Caitlin did the right thing, but the way it came out hurt Natalia’s feelings. Zoe suggests that Caitlin apologize.

But when Caitlin tries to apologize, it comes out all wrong, and she accuses Natalia of being overly sensitive and unable to handle criticism. The apology has completely backfired, and Natalia and Caitlin are out of sorts and are barely able to finish their Ancient Egypt presentation.

In the cafeteria, Natalia and Caitlin sit on opposite sides of the table. Zoe chooses to sit next to Natalia, after all, they are sisters and she needs to support her sister. Emma also sits next to Natalia. Zoe feels bad for Caitlin, she doesn’t want her to feel pushed out.

In the distance, Zoe can hear Charlotte and Malcolm fighting again. This time, it sounds like they’re breaking up for good. Zoe puts her head on her arms. She’s no good at this advice thing.