Dead to You by Lisa McMann Page B

girls. Blake goes to his friends and I stand by myself, feeling a little bit like my day of fame is over. Not sure I like that, actually. I mean, I don’t like the attention, but I don’t like nonattention even more. Tomorrow I’m bringing earbuds, even if I don’t have a player to plug into. I can fake it.
    I don’t sit with Cami, even though she’s sitting alone like she’s waiting for me. I want to, but there’s the little matter of the asswipe, and I’ve decided I can’t handle it, personally. I just can’t. It’s a stability thing. I have to pretend I don’t like her, or I could get a little freaky. And I’m not going there.
    At school, I see the dude everywhere, now that I know what he looks like. He even says hi to me once. He’s in half my classes and my lunch hour.
    I take my tray and go up to him like the ballsy homeless Ethan would do. “Hey,” I say. “Can I sit?” He’s bigger than me.
    Asswipe shrugs. “Sure.”
    I eat a few bites in silence. Drink some milk. “I’m new,” I say.
    “You’re that abducted kid.”
    “Right.”
    “Who abducted you? Was it, like, for a reward? Your parents loaded?” He’s got this sincere look, like he doesn’t even know he’s asking stupid-ass questions.
    “No . . . she just wanted a kid, I guess. Really bad.”
    He laughs loud at this, and other large guys join us and sit down quietly. “Sh’yeah. That’s a pretty nutty thing to do, swiping somebody else’s kid just because you want one. Was she a total loco?”
    I look around nervously as the guys surround me. “I . . . I guess so. Heh.”
    “What a lunatic.”
    “Well, she wasn’t that bad. I mean, she was nice to me.”
    “That’s whack. Is she in jail now?”
    I’m starting to feel uncomfortable. “Yeah, uh, no, she’s still out there somewhere, probably on an abducting rampage.” I take a bite of the brown meat product on my plate. “So,” I say, changing the subject. “What’s your name?”
    He grins wide. “Lucky number thirteen, Jason ‘J-Dog’ Roofer.”
    “ROOOOOF,” says the rest of J-Dog’s posse.
    I almost choke on my roll. Gracie would get along great with these guys—they’re right at her level. “I’m, uh, Ethan. E-Dog.”
    The posse doesn’t say anything, and J-Dog snorts again. “You’ll know who I am by the end of the week. Basketball game Friday night. You’re going. You sit at my table, that means you’re one of my friends now. Right, guys?”
    “I—I don’t know,” I say, and I shove the pasty mashed potatoes in my mouth and pray that I have enough saliva to swallow them. Getting a stomachache. I push my chair back. “Maybe. See you later.”
    “No, you’re going. Everybody goes.” He’s still grinning. Like, nicely, though I keep waiting for him to beat the shit out of me. God.
    I shrug and head over to the dishwashing station to chuck my tray.
    After school they’re there again, leaning against the bus and talking this time. J-Dog sees me and shouts, “Yo, little E-Dog!”
    There’s a guy like him in every school. “Roooof!” I say. I reach out and bump his waiting fist, and then I accidentally trip going up the steps into the bus on account of catching Cami’s surprised look. I feel the rumble of panic laughter build up, but I hold it back. I have nothing to panic about. Nothing. Everything is exactly as it should be, and getting better every day.
    Cami hops up the steps and flops into my seat with me. “So . . . how’s it going at school?” The bus pulls away from the curb.
    “Pretty good, most of it. Spent half the day testing so the teachers can figure out where to put me. I have more tests the rest of the week. Hope I can get out of some of the loser freshman classes.” I’m actually kind of worried about this.
    “You making any friends?”
    “Besides J-Dog Roofer?” I try to hold back the sarcasm.
    But she’s defensive. “It’s just a silly name to get the basketball crowd riled up. He doesn’t even like