"He'll be fine. It's hard losing a parent, but he wasn't a very good one." 

They arrive. 

"I'm not sure whether that's better than the alternative..."

"I don't know. If you really want to know how he's doing, you should ask." 

"I shouldn't. I don't think it would help him any. I'm just - having some trouble."

"Anything I can do?"

She looks at him and smiles, a slightly sad, deeply grateful, intensely personal smile.

"I - I don't know. But thanks. You're a good friend, Matt."

Nod.

Class proceeds. 

Solvei pays less attention than usual. Which is still more than many of her classmates.

In which case, she may manage to learn anyway. 

Lucky her.

Next, she has music.

She is totally capable of playing the cello right now.

No one notices anything amiss.

And then she has lunch.

She continues to be uncharacteristically withdrawn at lunch. Maybe she'll sit by herself today.

In an equally uncharacteristic turn of events, Isaac isn't sitting alone today.

He has company.

Oh. Good? Is that good?

(And what are they saying? Solvei isn't listening, but someone is.)

It might be good?

They're very intently discussing how Isaac's father treated him.

Solvei quietly eats her lunch.

(How did Isaac's father treat him, then?)

Badly. Shamefully, disgustingly abhorrently.

To the best of his ability.