A collective groan rose from the students. The Motivasi Camp was the one time of year when Malay, Chinese, and Indian students slept in the same hall, played kabaddi until midnight, and realised that exam pressure didn't care about your race.

Priya snorted. “You’re such a teacher’s pet.”

Her best friend, Priya, was the daughter of a roti canai seller. They sat together in the third row of 2 Bestari, sharing notes in a secret hybrid language—Malay, English, and Tamil slang—that their strict Cikgu Fatimah would have called rojak .

The officer conferred with the principal. After a long minute, he cleared his throat.