Before Jioni could get an apology in, Tracey hugged her. With this hug, the anxiety melted off of Jioni, and her confidence rose. But this was Tracey, after all, and she couldn’t shake off the feeling that she was in trouble. That she was only being comforted before being scolded about LaMesha’s report. Jioni’s anxiety melted back onto her. She let go of the hug first.
“Have you been avoiding me?” Tracey said. She smiled, but her tone hinted worry. She took a sip of her coffee.
“No,” Jioni replied. Her eyes wandered around the room, which was big but nearly empty. Her glance searched around for a temporary distraction to hide its blatant dishonesty.
