thinking, It isn’t fair at all. My parents are the ones who split up—why am I the one who’s suffering?
At lunch, Jenna slid onto a bench next to Nicole. She unwrapped her sandwich slowly, and took a bite of the bologna on wheat toast with mustard—her favorite.
“Everybody’s talking about your party,” she said.
“Yeah, I know,” Nicole said. She bit her lip. “Jen, I really wish you could’ve been there. Why don’t you ask if you can stay home this weekend?”
Jenna sighed and looked down at her sandwich. “Nicole, I really want to. I asked my mom last night if I could stay home next weekend and she said no. She said I just have to get used to this, basically.”
Nicole sighed. “Well, maybe she’ll change her mind,” she said consolingly. “Over here!” she called suddenly. Jenna looked up to see her friend motioning to a group of girls who had just walked into the cafeteria. Molly, Veronica, and Lisa strolled over and set their lunch bags down on the table. “What’s up, guys?” Nicole said excitedly.
“Oh my God, Nic . . .” Molly said. “You know how I was talking to Brad at the party?”
“Yeah?” Nicole prompted, her voice lowered.
“Well, he came up to me at my locker today!” Molly exclaimed.
“Awesome!” Nicole replied. “What did he say?”
“He asked if I was going to go to your house again next weekend,” Molly said. “Do you think you’ll have another party?”
“Um, why not?” Nicole said. “Saturday night.”
“Awesome!” Veronica shrieked. “Are you going to come this time, Jenna?”
Jenna looked down at her half-eaten sandwich. “I have to go to my dad’s,” she said. “I don’t think I can go.”
“That stinks!” Lisa said. “Nicole’s parties are super fun.”
“That’s what I hear,” Jenna mumbled.
“Can’t you, like, fake sick or something?” Nicole said. Her face lit up. “You know, you could pretend like you were sick on Friday, and then you wouldn’t have to go to your dad’s, and then if you told you, mom you were feeling better on Saturday, you could come!”
Jenna thought about it. That just might work! “Maybe . . .” she said tentatively. “I mean, it seems like that might work. . . .” She had promised her parents no more pranks. But this wouldn’t be quite a prank . . . would it?
“You definitely should do it,” Lisa agreed.
The bell rang then, and the girls got up. “You should start faking sick a little bit now,” Nicole suggested as they walked toward their lockers. “That way nobody will suspect when Friday rolls around . . . and you just don’t feel so good. . . .” She pantomimed rubbing her belly in pain and rolled her eyes, pressing her hand to her forehead.
Jenna laughed. “I don’t know,” she said. “Seems pretty risky . . . but it might be worth it.”
Alex > MONDAY
The bell for fifth period rang and Alex hurried to get to her class, pushing past people in her effort to make it to English on time. When she was nearing the classroom, her friend Lucy came running up to her. She grabbed Alex’s arm. “Alex, I just heard that they posted the soccer teams!” she said, out of breath. “Let’s go look!”
Alex was unsure. “But class is about to start—” she began.
“The soccer coach is there—she’ll write you a pass,” Lucy said. “Come on!”
“Okay,” Alex agreed. She took Lucy’s hand and they ran down the hall toward the girls’ locker room.
There was a crowd of girls inside, standing around the big bulletin board next to the coach’s office. Alex pushed her way to the front of the crowd and scanned the board for her name.
There were three pieces of paper on the bulletin board, each listing a different group of girls: those who had made the team, those who hadn’t, and those who would have to go back that afternoon for one more round of tryouts. Alex first looked down the list of people who hadn’t made the team, and was totally relieved to not see her name
At lunch, Jenna slid onto a bench next to Nicole. She unwrapped her sandwich slowly, and took a bite of the bologna on wheat toast with mustard—her favorite.
“Everybody’s talking about your party,” she said.
“Yeah, I know,” Nicole said. She bit her lip. “Jen, I really wish you could’ve been there. Why don’t you ask if you can stay home this weekend?”
Jenna sighed and looked down at her sandwich. “Nicole, I really want to. I asked my mom last night if I could stay home next weekend and she said no. She said I just have to get used to this, basically.”
Nicole sighed. “Well, maybe she’ll change her mind,” she said consolingly. “Over here!” she called suddenly. Jenna looked up to see her friend motioning to a group of girls who had just walked into the cafeteria. Molly, Veronica, and Lisa strolled over and set their lunch bags down on the table. “What’s up, guys?” Nicole said excitedly.
“Oh my God, Nic . . .” Molly said. “You know how I was talking to Brad at the party?”
“Yeah?” Nicole prompted, her voice lowered.
“Well, he came up to me at my locker today!” Molly exclaimed.
“Awesome!” Nicole replied. “What did he say?”
“He asked if I was going to go to your house again next weekend,” Molly said. “Do you think you’ll have another party?”
“Um, why not?” Nicole said. “Saturday night.”
“Awesome!” Veronica shrieked. “Are you going to come this time, Jenna?”
Jenna looked down at her half-eaten sandwich. “I have to go to my dad’s,” she said. “I don’t think I can go.”
“That stinks!” Lisa said. “Nicole’s parties are super fun.”
“That’s what I hear,” Jenna mumbled.
“Can’t you, like, fake sick or something?” Nicole said. Her face lit up. “You know, you could pretend like you were sick on Friday, and then you wouldn’t have to go to your dad’s, and then if you told you, mom you were feeling better on Saturday, you could come!”
Jenna thought about it. That just might work! “Maybe . . .” she said tentatively. “I mean, it seems like that might work. . . .” She had promised her parents no more pranks. But this wouldn’t be quite a prank . . . would it?
“You definitely should do it,” Lisa agreed.
The bell rang then, and the girls got up. “You should start faking sick a little bit now,” Nicole suggested as they walked toward their lockers. “That way nobody will suspect when Friday rolls around . . . and you just don’t feel so good. . . .” She pantomimed rubbing her belly in pain and rolled her eyes, pressing her hand to her forehead.
Jenna laughed. “I don’t know,” she said. “Seems pretty risky . . . but it might be worth it.”
Alex > MONDAY
The bell for fifth period rang and Alex hurried to get to her class, pushing past people in her effort to make it to English on time. When she was nearing the classroom, her friend Lucy came running up to her. She grabbed Alex’s arm. “Alex, I just heard that they posted the soccer teams!” she said, out of breath. “Let’s go look!”
Alex was unsure. “But class is about to start—” she began.
“The soccer coach is there—she’ll write you a pass,” Lucy said. “Come on!”
“Okay,” Alex agreed. She took Lucy’s hand and they ran down the hall toward the girls’ locker room.
There was a crowd of girls inside, standing around the big bulletin board next to the coach’s office. Alex pushed her way to the front of the crowd and scanned the board for her name.
There were three pieces of paper on the bulletin board, each listing a different group of girls: those who had made the team, those who hadn’t, and those who would have to go back that afternoon for one more round of tryouts. Alex first looked down the list of people who hadn’t made the team, and was totally relieved to not see her name
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