look right now? She’s been punished. It’s not your job.”
Cherise wouldn’t meet my eyes but I could tell by her posture—her arms folded across her chest, her back straight and erect—that she was acknowledging me, as a human, with feelings. Maybe she wasn’t ready to forgive me, but she wasn’t interested in hurting me or attacking my dignity.
Unlike Kellie and Nikki, who were surely filling up the ValleyBuzz blog with mean-spirited posts, unflattering photos, and rude comments. If not at this very minute, then later, certainly.
In a rare moment of concession, Kellie stepped back and tossed her hair to the other shoulder, leaving a trail of her sickeningly sweet perfume in the air. “Yeah, well, I need to go to history. This piece of trash isn’t worth our time, anyway.”
Just then I noticed that others had stopped to stare at our interaction, with gaping mouths and narrowed eyes. Great. We were a sideshow now.
Freed, I hurried away down the hallway to class. So I’d made some bad decisions and I was paying for them. I knew that. But the worst part wasn’t Nikki’s and Kellie’s taunting. The worst part was knowing that I’d lost my best friend and there was nothing I could do about it. Seeing how Cherise had resisted falling into their game only made me miss her more. The girl was golden. And I . . . well, I no longer really knew who I was. Sly Fox.Skank. Loser. Criminal. There was a whole new set of names to choose from, and none of them covered the missing-mother part.
At lunch, I found a far-flung corner of the dining hall, an empty booth in the back. I promised myself I wouldn’t let the Glitterati force me to skip a meal. I wasn’t going to let them have that power. Lunch was too important. But I didn’t exactly want to be a spectacle, either. The compromise was to sit where I could see everyone who would be watching me. Preemptive ogling.
I picked at my salad Niçoise with seared tuna, the day’s special. Of all of Prep’s luxuries, the gourmet cooking was one that would never cease to amaze me. Actually, there were many things I still loved about the school itself—if only I could’ve started the year over fresh.
So far I’d survived French and geometry. Comp was a little tougher, because Cherise was there. I’d sat four seats away and tried not to look over in her direction the whole time, wondering if she was as nervous as I was.
Then I’d spent my free period in the computer lab. I was supposed to be researching a civics paper, but I couldn’t stop myself from checking the Greyhound site. There was a five o’clock bus that was leaving that afternoon. It was a twelve-hour ride with a transfer in L.A., so that would get me to Santa Barbara by the morning. I just needed to get to the station. If, that is, Idecided to go. I was still wavering.
“Hey, Willa.” I looked up. It was Mary, her black hair pulled back in a ponytail. Behind her was Sierra.
“Hey, guys,” I said.
“How are you doing?” Sierra asked, looking down at me with a serious expression, her brown eyes lit with sympathy.
“I’ve been better,” I admitted. I felt the hard shell I’d been cultivating all day starting to crack with their small act of kindness. Tears surged in my eyes.
Don’t go there.
I took a sip of water and tried to pull myself together. If I started talking, I might tell them about my mom, my house, the money, how I’d lost everything. I might totally fall apart right there in the middle of the dining hall. No, I had to keep it together.
“Don’t let them tear you down,” Sierra said. “Those spoiled girls aren’t worth it.”
“It’s not just them,” I said. “It’s everyone.”
“Not everyone. We’re rooting for you. You know that, right?” Mary said. “We’ll never forget what you did.”
“Those gifts made us feel like someone actually cared about us, and that meant a lot when—well, you know, when coming to school was pretty much a nightmare,” Sierra
Cherise wouldn’t meet my eyes but I could tell by her posture—her arms folded across her chest, her back straight and erect—that she was acknowledging me, as a human, with feelings. Maybe she wasn’t ready to forgive me, but she wasn’t interested in hurting me or attacking my dignity.
Unlike Kellie and Nikki, who were surely filling up the ValleyBuzz blog with mean-spirited posts, unflattering photos, and rude comments. If not at this very minute, then later, certainly.
In a rare moment of concession, Kellie stepped back and tossed her hair to the other shoulder, leaving a trail of her sickeningly sweet perfume in the air. “Yeah, well, I need to go to history. This piece of trash isn’t worth our time, anyway.”
Just then I noticed that others had stopped to stare at our interaction, with gaping mouths and narrowed eyes. Great. We were a sideshow now.
Freed, I hurried away down the hallway to class. So I’d made some bad decisions and I was paying for them. I knew that. But the worst part wasn’t Nikki’s and Kellie’s taunting. The worst part was knowing that I’d lost my best friend and there was nothing I could do about it. Seeing how Cherise had resisted falling into their game only made me miss her more. The girl was golden. And I . . . well, I no longer really knew who I was. Sly Fox.Skank. Loser. Criminal. There was a whole new set of names to choose from, and none of them covered the missing-mother part.
At lunch, I found a far-flung corner of the dining hall, an empty booth in the back. I promised myself I wouldn’t let the Glitterati force me to skip a meal. I wasn’t going to let them have that power. Lunch was too important. But I didn’t exactly want to be a spectacle, either. The compromise was to sit where I could see everyone who would be watching me. Preemptive ogling.
I picked at my salad Niçoise with seared tuna, the day’s special. Of all of Prep’s luxuries, the gourmet cooking was one that would never cease to amaze me. Actually, there were many things I still loved about the school itself—if only I could’ve started the year over fresh.
So far I’d survived French and geometry. Comp was a little tougher, because Cherise was there. I’d sat four seats away and tried not to look over in her direction the whole time, wondering if she was as nervous as I was.
Then I’d spent my free period in the computer lab. I was supposed to be researching a civics paper, but I couldn’t stop myself from checking the Greyhound site. There was a five o’clock bus that was leaving that afternoon. It was a twelve-hour ride with a transfer in L.A., so that would get me to Santa Barbara by the morning. I just needed to get to the station. If, that is, Idecided to go. I was still wavering.
“Hey, Willa.” I looked up. It was Mary, her black hair pulled back in a ponytail. Behind her was Sierra.
“Hey, guys,” I said.
“How are you doing?” Sierra asked, looking down at me with a serious expression, her brown eyes lit with sympathy.
“I’ve been better,” I admitted. I felt the hard shell I’d been cultivating all day starting to crack with their small act of kindness. Tears surged in my eyes.
Don’t go there.
I took a sip of water and tried to pull myself together. If I started talking, I might tell them about my mom, my house, the money, how I’d lost everything. I might totally fall apart right there in the middle of the dining hall. No, I had to keep it together.
“Don’t let them tear you down,” Sierra said. “Those spoiled girls aren’t worth it.”
“It’s not just them,” I said. “It’s everyone.”
“Not everyone. We’re rooting for you. You know that, right?” Mary said. “We’ll never forget what you did.”
“Those gifts made us feel like someone actually cared about us, and that meant a lot when—well, you know, when coming to school was pretty much a nightmare,” Sierra
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