Leo pressed the call button and handed the phone back.
Bella's eyes widened. The phone was ringing. She pressed it to her ear, her heart pounding.
"Hello?" Miss J's voice was warm, familiar, like a hug.
"Miss J?" Bella's voice came out smaller than she intended. "It's Isabella. Bella. From the exhibition. I hope I'm not interrupting—"
"Bella!" Miss J's voice brightened. "I was just thinking about you. How are you, sweetheart?"
Bella's eyes filled with tears. Again, always with the tears lately. "I'm good. I'm really good. I wanted to tell you—I took a placement exam. For college. And I—" She swallowed. "I scored perfect marks."
The silence on the other end lasted only a second, but it felt like forever.
"Perfect marks?" Miss J's voice was soft, almost reverent. "Bella, that's extraordinary."
"I know it's just a placement exam," Bella said quickly. "It's not a big deal. I just thought—"
