Mom hated it when Jenny called the other girls at school her ‘fractional friends.’ It made sense to Jenny. They were her friends a fraction of the time.

When Heather was there, the giggling cluster inevitably pushed Jenny to the edge of the group. A tattered edge that easily frayed.

Heather wasn’t unkind, she was just more than Jenny. Prettier. Funnier. She took up too much space in the equation. Jenny was always the remainder.

Jenny smiled at Heather’s empty desk.
Not today, though. Today, there’d be enough space for Jenny.

Looking up, Jenny noticed her glistening-eyed teacher hovering over Heather’s desk. “Class. Have you ever heard the word leukemia?”