came on, glowing dully in the evening sky. “How about we do something nice and normal, like . . .
bowling?”
“Bowling?” she repeated with a marked lack of enthusiasm.
“Bowling would be good for you. You throw things and knock around all those pins.” Elise considered this. “How about a compromise? We’ll play tennis. At least you don’t have to wear stupid shoes to play tennis. You said you know how to play, right?”
I nodded. “Tennis would be fun.”
“And if we play on campus, maybe we can find some cute guys to play doubles with. I’ll be Trixie. You can be Bambi.” I gave her another incredulous look. I was getting quite good at the facial expressions. “We’re not giving guys fake bimbo names.”
“Okay. I’ll be Claudette and you can be Rowena.”
We had almost reached the Taylor’s house, a brick two-story with a big bay window in the front. I slowed a bit more. “Why don’t you join the chess club? We meet a couple of times a week after school and everybody there is really nice. And it’s mostly guys.”
“Are any of them cute?”
“Yeah.” Most were cute in the way puppies were cute, but I didn’t elaborate on that. I wanted Elise to meet nice people. Smart people. People who didn’t vandalize schools in their spare time. “Come on, Elise. I bet you’ve been playing chess since you were eight years old.”
“I was six,” she said. “Josh taught me.”
“You can try to hide the fact that you’re smart, but you’re really one of us. You’re not going to be happy with some brainless, hot guy.”
“I might be,” she said. “I’m willing to give it a try.”
“How smart were Carter and Bell a?” I asked.
Her lips twitched, then pursed into an unhappy grimace.
“I rest my case,” I said.
She didn’t comment, just looked out at the houses sull enly.
“You don’t have to play dumb to have friends here,” I said. “Embrace your inner genius.” She let out a sigh. “Okay, I’ll try the chess club a couple of times. But only until I find something better to do.” Chelsea’s old Ford was already parked in front of Samantha’s house, looking cheap in comparison to the Taylor’s BMW. We rang the doorbel and Mrs. Taylor answered. She was securing the back of a gold loop earring in one of her ears. It was just like Mrs. Taylor to dress up to go someplace where she would have to wear a hair net.
“hello, Cassidy,” she chimed, then finished with her earring. “And you must be Elise. Come in, come in.” She stepped aside to make room for us. “So far we’ve got eight kids, but more are coming. Let me take you downstairs.” She headed that direction, still speaking. “I’ve set up a couple different centers for the kids so they won’t get bored. There are some ceramic pumpkins for the older kids to decorate, and the younger kids can make ghosts out of marshmal ows and loll ipops. They’re just the cutest things. Oh, and I also have some sugar cookies for them to decorate to look like jack-o-lanterns.”
We followed her down the stairs to the large game room.
“Sam!” Mrs. Taylor called. “Your friends are here!”
That sort of comment always made me wonder if Mrs. Taylor had actually talked to Samantha in the last three years.
Chelsea and Samantha were arranging supplies at several different card tables, laying out paper plates, plastic knives, and tubs of orange frosting. A group of children hovered nearby, eyeing the food. Chelsea and Samantha barely looked up when we walked in.
Mrs. Taylor towed us over to them anyway. “Chelsea, have you met Elise yet? She moved in a couple days ago.”
“Hi,” Chelsea said, then went back to pouring candy corns into a bowl.
Mrs. Taylor smiled at Elise. “We’re so glad you could help us out tonight, and it’ll be fun for the girls to get to know you better. Your mother tells me you surf.”
“I used to,” Elise said. “The only place to surf around here is the internet.”
“Surfing
bowling?”
“Bowling?” she repeated with a marked lack of enthusiasm.
“Bowling would be good for you. You throw things and knock around all those pins.” Elise considered this. “How about a compromise? We’ll play tennis. At least you don’t have to wear stupid shoes to play tennis. You said you know how to play, right?”
I nodded. “Tennis would be fun.”
“And if we play on campus, maybe we can find some cute guys to play doubles with. I’ll be Trixie. You can be Bambi.” I gave her another incredulous look. I was getting quite good at the facial expressions. “We’re not giving guys fake bimbo names.”
“Okay. I’ll be Claudette and you can be Rowena.”
We had almost reached the Taylor’s house, a brick two-story with a big bay window in the front. I slowed a bit more. “Why don’t you join the chess club? We meet a couple of times a week after school and everybody there is really nice. And it’s mostly guys.”
“Are any of them cute?”
“Yeah.” Most were cute in the way puppies were cute, but I didn’t elaborate on that. I wanted Elise to meet nice people. Smart people. People who didn’t vandalize schools in their spare time. “Come on, Elise. I bet you’ve been playing chess since you were eight years old.”
“I was six,” she said. “Josh taught me.”
“You can try to hide the fact that you’re smart, but you’re really one of us. You’re not going to be happy with some brainless, hot guy.”
“I might be,” she said. “I’m willing to give it a try.”
“How smart were Carter and Bell a?” I asked.
Her lips twitched, then pursed into an unhappy grimace.
“I rest my case,” I said.
She didn’t comment, just looked out at the houses sull enly.
“You don’t have to play dumb to have friends here,” I said. “Embrace your inner genius.” She let out a sigh. “Okay, I’ll try the chess club a couple of times. But only until I find something better to do.” Chelsea’s old Ford was already parked in front of Samantha’s house, looking cheap in comparison to the Taylor’s BMW. We rang the doorbel and Mrs. Taylor answered. She was securing the back of a gold loop earring in one of her ears. It was just like Mrs. Taylor to dress up to go someplace where she would have to wear a hair net.
“hello, Cassidy,” she chimed, then finished with her earring. “And you must be Elise. Come in, come in.” She stepped aside to make room for us. “So far we’ve got eight kids, but more are coming. Let me take you downstairs.” She headed that direction, still speaking. “I’ve set up a couple different centers for the kids so they won’t get bored. There are some ceramic pumpkins for the older kids to decorate, and the younger kids can make ghosts out of marshmal ows and loll ipops. They’re just the cutest things. Oh, and I also have some sugar cookies for them to decorate to look like jack-o-lanterns.”
We followed her down the stairs to the large game room.
“Sam!” Mrs. Taylor called. “Your friends are here!”
That sort of comment always made me wonder if Mrs. Taylor had actually talked to Samantha in the last three years.
Chelsea and Samantha were arranging supplies at several different card tables, laying out paper plates, plastic knives, and tubs of orange frosting. A group of children hovered nearby, eyeing the food. Chelsea and Samantha barely looked up when we walked in.
Mrs. Taylor towed us over to them anyway. “Chelsea, have you met Elise yet? She moved in a couple days ago.”
“Hi,” Chelsea said, then went back to pouring candy corns into a bowl.
Mrs. Taylor smiled at Elise. “We’re so glad you could help us out tonight, and it’ll be fun for the girls to get to know you better. Your mother tells me you surf.”
“I used to,” Elise said. “The only place to surf around here is the internet.”
“Surfing
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