Seraphina's POV
I turned to Alicia. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and looked at me nervously. I gave her an encouraging nod.
"I'm sorry too," she said quietly. "I'm sorry I hit you and pulled your hair. That was wrong."
"It's okay," Steve blurted out. "Your hair-pulling really hurts, though."
"Sorry," Alicia mumbled again.
There was a small pause before I spoke. "So, do you think you boys and Alicia can be friends now? Real friends—no more mean words, no more fighting?"
"Yes!" Tommy said right away.
"Yeah!" Jake nodded along.
Steve hesitated for a second, then stuck his little hand out toward Alicia. "Friends?"
Alicia glanced at his hand, then up at me. I nodded. She reached out and shook it. "Friends."
"That's better," Miss Patterson said, relief evident in her voice. She looked at all four children. "Now, can we all agree to be kind to each other from now on? No name-calling, and absolutely no fighting. Understood?"
