tap on my shoulder. I turned around and saw a familiar looking girl in front of me.
“Hi! Remember me?” She was the girl that had cut me off in the hall the day after Brooke was murdered, the one who wanted to write a column about what happened.
“Yeah, I do.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name last time.”
“I’m Hanna. I’m sorry if I was a little rude before. I wasn’t myself that morning.”
“Completely understandable. No worries. Do you want to get together for coffee or something so we can chat? I’m doing a piece on teen crime, and your story would be a great addition.” She beamed. “Plus, this will give you a chance to tell your side of the story.”
“Okay, sure. I’ll meet you in front of the library after school.”
“Okay, I’ll be there. See you later.”
I watched as she disappeared into the crowd, then I spotted Claire in the hall. She noticed me, too, as she darted towards me.
“Hey, new girl.”
“Okay. I think we’re past the new girl thing, don’t you?”
“Whatever. So what are we gonna wear to Angela Blaine’s party tomorrow night?”
“I don’t even know if I’m going.”
“What?! That’s social suicide!”
“Isn’t it a little soon for us to be going to a party? Brooke just died. It almost feels like we’re celebrating or something.”
“Look, we can’t change the past. Not going to the party isn’t going to bring her back, so we might as well go and have a good time.”
“Well, my mom is being so weird lately, so I haven’t told her yet.”
“So don’t. Just sneak out.”
“Yeah, right.”
“How hard could it be?” she said as she tossed a lock of hair over her shoulder.
“How am I gonna get past my mom?”
“Seriously? Haven’t you ever done anything you’re not supposed to do?”
I had to think about that for a second. I remembered this one time Marisa and I were hanging out at the mall. We went into Zaire’s , our favorite clothing store. We were having fun trying stuff on, then Marisa had this great idea of stealing something, which I never understood because her parents gave her whatever she wanted. There wasn’t much to do in Deerwood, so I think she just liked the thrill. She was my best friend, so at first I went along with it. Our plan was to try on what we wanted and leave the store with it under our clothes. Marisa went through with it, but I couldn’t. I secretly paid for the clothes and told Marisa I stole them. She still doesn’t know to this day. So, I guess the answer to Claire’s question was no; I’d never done anything I wasn’t supposed to do–but there’s a first time for everything.
“Okay, I’ll figure out a way to get past my mom.” I bit my lip.
“Coolness!” Claire exclaimed.
A group of girls on the cheerleading squad strutted by. “Hey Claire! Hey Hanna!” a girl with long straight brown hair and a thin face called out.
“Hey!” Claire and I said in unison.
The shrill blare of the bell alarmed me. I shut my locker, and Claire hooped her arm around mine as we strolled to class.
“Let’s just blow off English and go shopping. I need to find something to wear to Angela’s party.”
“Didn’t we just go shopping?”
“Yeah, but that was for homecoming. This is for Angela’s party. You wanna look hot, new girl, because you never know who you’ll meet. Josh and I met at one of Angela’s parties. My friends and I decided to play that drinking game, I Have Never , and I got totally wasted. Josh pretty much babysat me all night. Everybody thinks we hooked up that night, but we never did. I mean, I threw myself at him, but he didn’t feel right doing it while I was drunk. That was a first. Guys don’t usually turn me down,” she said as we skirted around a bunch of girls in the hall. “Anyway, Josh worships the ground I walk on. He would do an-y-thing for me,” she simpered, impressed with herself.
She was right about one thing, though: she was lucky to have Josh.
“Hi! Remember me?” She was the girl that had cut me off in the hall the day after Brooke was murdered, the one who wanted to write a column about what happened.
“Yeah, I do.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name last time.”
“I’m Hanna. I’m sorry if I was a little rude before. I wasn’t myself that morning.”
“Completely understandable. No worries. Do you want to get together for coffee or something so we can chat? I’m doing a piece on teen crime, and your story would be a great addition.” She beamed. “Plus, this will give you a chance to tell your side of the story.”
“Okay, sure. I’ll meet you in front of the library after school.”
“Okay, I’ll be there. See you later.”
I watched as she disappeared into the crowd, then I spotted Claire in the hall. She noticed me, too, as she darted towards me.
“Hey, new girl.”
“Okay. I think we’re past the new girl thing, don’t you?”
“Whatever. So what are we gonna wear to Angela Blaine’s party tomorrow night?”
“I don’t even know if I’m going.”
“What?! That’s social suicide!”
“Isn’t it a little soon for us to be going to a party? Brooke just died. It almost feels like we’re celebrating or something.”
“Look, we can’t change the past. Not going to the party isn’t going to bring her back, so we might as well go and have a good time.”
“Well, my mom is being so weird lately, so I haven’t told her yet.”
“So don’t. Just sneak out.”
“Yeah, right.”
“How hard could it be?” she said as she tossed a lock of hair over her shoulder.
“How am I gonna get past my mom?”
“Seriously? Haven’t you ever done anything you’re not supposed to do?”
I had to think about that for a second. I remembered this one time Marisa and I were hanging out at the mall. We went into Zaire’s , our favorite clothing store. We were having fun trying stuff on, then Marisa had this great idea of stealing something, which I never understood because her parents gave her whatever she wanted. There wasn’t much to do in Deerwood, so I think she just liked the thrill. She was my best friend, so at first I went along with it. Our plan was to try on what we wanted and leave the store with it under our clothes. Marisa went through with it, but I couldn’t. I secretly paid for the clothes and told Marisa I stole them. She still doesn’t know to this day. So, I guess the answer to Claire’s question was no; I’d never done anything I wasn’t supposed to do–but there’s a first time for everything.
“Okay, I’ll figure out a way to get past my mom.” I bit my lip.
“Coolness!” Claire exclaimed.
A group of girls on the cheerleading squad strutted by. “Hey Claire! Hey Hanna!” a girl with long straight brown hair and a thin face called out.
“Hey!” Claire and I said in unison.
The shrill blare of the bell alarmed me. I shut my locker, and Claire hooped her arm around mine as we strolled to class.
“Let’s just blow off English and go shopping. I need to find something to wear to Angela’s party.”
“Didn’t we just go shopping?”
“Yeah, but that was for homecoming. This is for Angela’s party. You wanna look hot, new girl, because you never know who you’ll meet. Josh and I met at one of Angela’s parties. My friends and I decided to play that drinking game, I Have Never , and I got totally wasted. Josh pretty much babysat me all night. Everybody thinks we hooked up that night, but we never did. I mean, I threw myself at him, but he didn’t feel right doing it while I was drunk. That was a first. Guys don’t usually turn me down,” she said as we skirted around a bunch of girls in the hall. “Anyway, Josh worships the ground I walk on. He would do an-y-thing for me,” she simpered, impressed with herself.
She was right about one thing, though: she was lucky to have Josh.
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