It was a day Lincoln High School would never forget. Thirty-five white mice with beady-red eyes scurrying the halls like inmates set free in a jailbreak.

Susie had never told any of us her plan. Maybe that was because it wasn’t a plan, per se. She just got up and one by one, opened their cages, pardoning what was supposed to be an immutable death sentence—the 10:30, AP Bio class dissection. Chaos ensued.

Susie waving her hands, shooing the mice like she was fanning a fire. Professor MacFarland screaming and trying unsuccessfully to wrangle them back.

Of course, I will never forget that day because it was the day Teri Sullivan grabbed and held my hand. Fear-driven, but unforgettable nonetheless.