Slamming locker doors echoed down the long hallway as I stared at the pleading faces of my two best friends.

“Elise, no one will ever know. Put my name on one of the photos and Jen’s on another. We ace the assignment, and everyone’s happy,” Audrey said, as if that settled the matter.

“I can’t believe you guys! You don’t have one picture we can use?” I asked. Jen’s searching eyes showed her concern. She gave Audrey a quick, furtive glance. I’ve seen that look between them before; it’s the one that says, C’mon, Audrey, manage her like you’ve always done. Audrey’s face was growing red. She reached up to put her hand on my shoulder and said in measured tones, “Elise, your photos will give us an A. Otherwise, we’ll fail. This is our only option.”

“I have to go,” I said. “Jogging club starts in two minutes.”

I slipped my running shoes on and took off. At least I had two miles of peace without Audrey’s nagging. What was I going to do? Miss Richards had told us before the field trip we were all required to take photos for the project. “Use eight strong compositions, but each member of the group must submit at least one photo,” she had said. I’d hounded Jen and Audrey all day, and they kept promising to take them later.

Both of them hated taking pictures, so why had they signed up for photography in the first place? Audrey just wanted to take notes on the animals, and Jen said she was too short to see. They thought I could get the best shots because I’m the tallest girl in the class. Did they think I liked elbowing my way to the front and towering over everyone to get the pictures? Now Jen and Audrey had no photos for the project. Should I give them credit for mine to get the A?

Teamwork?
Showered and dressed, I caught a glimpse of Audrey as I left the packed gym. As Audrey’s grin came into focus, Anna yelled, “Hey, Elise, how’s the weather up there?”

I was about to give a smart reply when Audrey said, “Hey, brainless, why don’t you come up with an original? She’s heard that one a thousand times.”

Audrey grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the door. “See, you don’t want to lose me for a friend. Who would put down all those stupid jokers for you?”

We met up with Jen and walked to my house. By the time we finished the photography project, my room was a whirlwind of photo clippings, spilled popcorn, soda cans and art pencils. My favorite was the picture of a toucan—the bird was sharp with the background all blurry. Audrey’s caption read, “Beautiful but clumsy, toucans thrive on fruit trees in tropical forests.” Jen, our artist, surrounded the photo with lush green trees.

Still munching popcorn, Audrey lay back on my cheetah-patterned beanbag. “I bet our project is the best.”

Jen said, “Yep, no one can top us. Elise, we’ll let you add the photo credits.”

“Guys, this is so unfair. You know Miss Richards is tough! What if we get caught?”

Audrey sat up. “We won’t get caught. Listen, Elise, I figure you owe me. Remember how I helped you in algebra?”

I didn’t know what to say. How were a few algebra pointers equal to giving her credit for my photographs?

“Give it a break, Audrey. She’ll do the right thing. Let’s go.” Jen stood up to leave.

The Letter
We found Dad downstairs, unpacking groceries. “I’ll drive Jen and Audrey home, then I have to run back by the store. They gave me a bag of groceries that’s not mine. I guess the person in line ahead of me left it.” That’s my dad—honesty is his middle name.

The next morning, I walked into Miss Richards’ classroom with my jaw set. I had been up all night mulling the possibilities. There was no other way. I looked from Jen to Audrey and said, “I wrote Miss Richards a letter explaining our predicament, and I think she’ll go easy.”

A storm blew across Audrey’s face. “Elise, you can’t do this to us!”

I turned to the front of the classroom as Miss Richards came in. She talked about studio lighting during class, then collected the projects as we filed out the door. We lagged behind everyone else; I wanted to talk to Miss Richards last. The whole time Audrey and Jen begged me to change my mind. I said, “You can stay with me to talk to her, or I’ll do it on my own.”

“Some friend you are,” Jen said as she and Audrey walked out. They waited right outside the door. I guess they wanted to hear what was going on, but they didn’t want Miss Richards to see them.

“Miss Richards,” I blurted out. “Please read this letter. Would you mind reading it out loud?”

Dear Miss Richards,
As you can see, we three partners put a great deal of effort into this project. Audrey’s gift is the written word. She wrote the captions from her own notes. Jen designed the artistic layout and drew the illustrations. I took the photographs and chose which should be included. I realize we have not fully met your requirements for the project, but my hope is that you will take into account our honesty with you and with ourselves. We each stayed true to our own strengths.
Thank you.
Elise

Miss Richards frowned the whole time she was reading, then said, “Shirking the requirements will affect your grade, but I appreciate the letter and your honesty.” She gave me a rare smile. I felt encouraged.

Audrey and Jen stopped whispering as I stepped into the hallway. Jen stared at my feet as she said, “Elise, you wrote a cool letter.”

Audrey drummed her fingers on the wall behind her. “We should’ve taken our own pictures instead of bumming off you. We put a lot of pressure on you.”

“Still friends?” I asked, looking back and forth between them.

Jen nodded as Audrey said, “If you’ll have us.”

I walked down the long hallway, locked arm in arm with my two best friends. “Hey, anybody want to go take some pictures?” Their laughter was the only answer I needed.