I've been meaning to read this when my house was quiet and I could really enjoy it, and now that I have... I hardly know what to say! The way you weave the emotions Shari must be experiencing, detailed in a glaring way that points out why me must stand against bullies. I can see the red of her scratched arms and puffy eyes, just grateful that anyone would be nice to her...
And then there's Ms. Ulverstone, who is just as caught up in her own feelings on the matter. Worn down by the school system's apathy and the timeless meanness of teenagers, she probably wasn't looking for anything bad just then. Shari was happy, why would she do anything but sleep good that night? I found that very human because sometimes the worst things we feel culpable for are just due to a lack of awareness.
Life is chaotic like that, and somehow you found the beautiful element... It shines through like the glimmer of sunlight against a river. Maybe Shari went with the other lost girls, and perhaps that is not as sad as it seems. What a read! Thank you very much for sharing it with us! 💚