“Your uniform looks perfect,” Rachel said.

“I have to run a lint roller over the jacket one more time,” I said.

I dragged the sticky white tape down the sleeve, lifting invisible specks of dust from the dark fabric.

My jaw was clenched tight.

The quiet in the small cinderblock room felt heavy.

Rachel walked over to the narrow window and checked the room temperature by touching the cold glass.

“You’ve been staring at the wall for ten minutes,” Rachel said.