Double or Nothing by Belle Payton

necklaces. It was mildly disappointing; mostly old-lady-looking stuff.
    A girl emerged from one of the dressing rooms at the rear of the store. Her back was to Alex, but Alex thought she recognized the girl’s long, shiny ponytail.
    â€œMom, this dress smells funny,” the girl said to her mother, who was sitting in an old, threadbare armchair, thumbing through a magazine. “Plus, it’s way too long on me.”
    â€œWe can hem it,” said her mom. “Turn around and let me see the back.”
    The girl gave an exasperated sigh and turned around. As she did so, her eyes met Alex’s.
    It was Lindsey.
    Alex waved at her. “Hey, Lindsey!” she called across the store.
    Lindsey weakly waggled three of her fingers at Alex and dove back into the dressing room.
    Alex stood, unsure what to do. Should she keep pretending to be engrossed in the jewelry case, or should she hurry back to the dressing room area to wait for Lindsey to emerge? She wanted to make things up to Lindsey after her cluelessness in the bathroom this morning, but she didn’t want to come across as too eager. She decided to keep studying the jewelry.
    Lindsey must have changed in lightning-fasttime, because she emerged fully dressed just a minute later, carrying the dress she’d been trying on. After a hasty, whispered conversation with her mother, Lindsey finally thrust the dress into Mrs. Davis’s hands. Her mom made her way toward the register at the front of the store, but Lindsey didn’t make an effort to move in Alex’s direction. Instead she stood in the dressing room area and flipped listlessly through a rack of ugly belts.
    Alex decided to make the first move, promising herself she wouldn’t say anything to offend Lindsey.
    â€œSo do you come to this store often?” she asked Lindsey as she joined her next to the belt rack. “This is my first time, but I love thrift shops. My friends and I used to go to them all the time back in Boston. And my mom is always looking for old glass or jewelry and stuff for her pottery.”
    Lindsey said nothing, so to fill the awkward pause, Alex prattled on in her false-cheerful voice. “I came to find a red blazer for my speech this Friday, but I don’t think they have one here. Did you find anything good?”
    â€œI think my mom is ready to go,” mumbled Lindsey. “I’ll see you tomorrow at school.”
    And a second later, she had dragged her mom out of the store.
    Alex stared after her, contemplating Lindsey’s behavior. She’d seemed more embarrassed than anything else. Why would she be embarrassed? What was the big deal about running into someone at a thrift store?
    This time it dawned on her more quickly.
    She’s shopping here because she can’t afford to shop at other stores, not because she thinks it’s cool.
    No wonder Lindsey had seemed so embarrassed. Twice in one day, Alex had inadvertently shown up at just the wrong place at the wrong time. First she had seen Lindsey transfer her school-issued lunch into her own bag. And then she had seen her shopping at a thrift store. Lindsey’s family must really be hurting for money, Alex thought, and I’m the one kid from school who has witnessed firsthand what she’s going through.
    â€œDid you find your red blazer?” asked her mom. Mrs. Sackett was carrying several thick glass bottles, the sort they probably used for medicine back in the olden days.
    â€œNo, but that’s okay,” said Alex, still thinking of Lindsey. “I’ll make do with something from my closet.”

CHAPTER
NINE
    Ava was completely winded. She took off her helmet and gulped fresh air. Must be the pads. They’d take some getting used to, especially in this unfamiliar Texas climate.
    Her second-ever Ashland practice was over. They hadn’t run nearly as much as they had yesterday, but it had still been tough.
    â€œSackett! A word.”
    She