Lost by Francine Pascal

family.”
    Tatiana’s eyes were full of sympathy, and Gaia had to look away. The last thing she wanted right now was to indulge in any mushy sentiment. Maintaining the emotionless wall around her was the only thing keeping her from breaking down. And breaking down was not an option.
    â€œAnyway, they took him for a CAT scan, and they said the results would take a while,” Gaia continued, sidestepping a couple of guys who were chasing each other down the hall. “I just had to get out of there . . . you know?”
    â€œWell, we’ll call my mom’s cell at lunch and see how he’s doing, okay?” Tatiana said, pausing outside their history classroom. She fixed her big blue eyes on Gaia’s face, and once again Gaia had to avert her gaze. As close as she and Tatiana had become while theirparents were gone, she still wasn’t used to this. She wasn’t used to having anyone around to reassure her. It made her feel pressure to say more. And really, what else was there to say? She felt angry, she felt confused, she felt guilty, she felt sad. She had no idea what was going on with her father. Was any of this really groundbreaking territory?
    â€œWe should go in,” Gaia said, arching her back to slip through the space between Tatiana and the open door. As she headed for her regular seat in the far back corner of the room, Gaia passed between Trish and Sarah, two FOHs, who were giggling and whispering as always. One was wearing a brown top and a turquoise skirt, and the other was wearing a turquoise top and a brown skirt. They both drew back their heads in an exaggerated fashion when Gaia walked by, as if her very presence offended them. Which it probably did. But after shooting the obligatory eye daggers at her back, they promptly returned to their conversation.
    If communication of such little substance could actually be called conversation.
    â€œOmigod! He’s in your music class?” Trish exclaimed, her well-lined eyes wide. “Does he sing ?”
    â€œI don’t know,” Sarah replied as she absently unwrapped a piece of gum and handed it to her friend. “But he played a little guitar. It was so hot.”
    Gaia’s top lip curled up in a sneer. Who the hell were they talking about?
    â€œWell. All I know is, we needed some new blood around here,” Trish said, popping the gum into her mouth. “Our class is devoid of interesting prospects.”
    Oh, so there was a new guy. That explained the FOHs’ sudden transformation from Manhattan snobs to Valley girls. Probably another rich, preppy snob who would just suck all the oxygen out of the halls with his inflated ego. Gaia stared at Mrs. Backer as she wrote a list of significant dates from World War II on the board. Maybe the lecture, at least, would get her mind off things. Of all the females in the classroom, the elderly, graying, rolled-panty-hose teacher was probably the only one Gaia could relate to. At least she occasionally had something interesting to say.
    â€œOoh! There he is!” Trish whispered.
    Gaia glanced at the door. The guy who walked in did not disappoint her preconceived notions. He was tall and suspiciously tan for this time of year (points deducted) and broad enough to nearly fill the doorway. He wore a gray New York Yankees jersey (Gaia’s team, via Ed, of course—points added for that) over a white T-shirt and a pair of jeans—clearly brand-new (points deducted). His hair was dark and slightly lacquered (points deducted), but even from the other side of the room Gaia could tell that his eyes were light. Almost impossibly light (a point or two added).
    He stepped into the room and looked around withhis chin lifted and an air of confidence about him as if he owned the place. On his first day.
    Gaia hated him.
    â€œOh, hello,” Mrs. Backer said, noticing the visitor. She slapped her hands together to clear the chalk and brought one hand to her