I hesitantly put one arm around her, patting her back awkwardly. "Uh, you're welcome? But you did all the work."
She pulled back just as suddenly as she'd lunged forward, her face flushed a deep red that matched her hair. She straightened her glasses, which had gone crooked in her enthusiasm, and cleared her throat.
"Right. Yes. I did." She smoothed her uniform skirt with hands that weren't quite steady. "But your methods worked. The graph paper, the color-coding, breaking down the steps. No one ever showed me that before."
"They should have," I said simply.
Cassidy looked at me for a long moment, something vulnerable and warm in her expression. Then, as if realizing she'd forgotten her armor, she quickly schooled her features back into her usual scowl.
"Well, they didn't," she said. "But now I'm going to destroy this test on Friday and win our bet."
I laughed despite myself. "We'll see about that."
