The Hot List by Hillary Homzie

was known as the place for students who didn’t really do lunch—the skate rats who practiced tricks on imaginary skateboards, the girls with raccoon-mascara-type eyes, who carved their initials into picnic benches with their protractors, and the wannabe tough guys who did chicken fights. It was not the tattletale crowd.
    Perfect,
I thought. I was going to stay out here for the rest of lunch. Maddie could hang out inside with her new clan and her new way of speaking. “I’m so sad” and “evil.” Ugh.
    Maddie was, like, a jillion times evil for revealing our Hot List identities. A lifetime quota, as far as I was concerned.
    I stared at the trash can that I had just kicked, which had been painted by student leadership last year in a campaign by Nia, of course. That little thought made me happy—I guess because I had kicked it.
    Someone, probably Nia herself, had painted yellow sunflowers and written the message, DON’T HARM A NIMALS . What flowers and animals had to do with each other I had no idea.
    There were other trash cans with other messages, like DON’T POLLUTE AND DON’T LITTER , which seemed dumb to me. Because if you’re the kind of person who’s dumping your garbage in a trash can, you don’t need to be reminded to not pollute.
    Maddie needed a trash can that said don’t be a traitor.
    Suddenly, my throat felt achy. Why did Nia need Maddie? I couldn’t figure it out. She had four other friends. Why did she need to add my best friend to her collection?
    Ex-best friend,
a little voice said in my head.
    I didn’t need her. In fact, I never wanted to see her again.
    But my break from Maddie didn’t last too long. A few seconds later, she raced into the courtyard. And not far behind her stood Nia. And then came McKenzie, Ava, Sierra, and Amber. They looked like little ducklings waddling behind their mother duck.
    Great. Now the entire group of ducklings was watching me cry. Because that’s what was happening. Actual tears were coming out of my eyes. I bent my head so nobody could see.
    â€œI want to talk to you,” called out Maddie, as she marched over to me.
    I hugged my knees and stared at the ground. I watched a pill bug, scurrying over a large crack in the cement, only to fall in a few seconds later. His little legs were moving, as he turned upside down, but he wasn’t going anywhere. He had fallen into the bug pit of doom.
    I took my fingernail and scooped the little bug out of the crevice.
    There was no way I was going to speak to her.
    â€œPlease,” said Nia. “She can explain.”
    I could feel myself about to lose it. The tightness in my throat made it hard to swallow.
    â€œI’m so sorry,” said Maddie. “But don’t blame Nia. It’s so my fault.”
    I looked up. “That’s right. It’s
your
fault.” I could feel some drops of rain coming down from the sky. And a breeze, which gave me goose bumps along my arms, so I hugged myself tighter. The other girls squealed as the raindrops began to fall. They all dashed back inside, except Maddie. She stood out in the rain. Her glasses got so fogged up I could hardly see her eyes.
    â€œSay something,” she said.
    â€œNot with Nia here.” I could see Nia peeking through an open door. Maddie looked pleadingly at Nia, who nodded and retreated back into the caf.
    â€œOkay, I get why Nia was suddenly extra interested in being your friend. You told her that we created the Hot List.”
    â€œThat’s not why,” insisted Maddie.
    â€œHow could you have embarrassed me like that? I mean, if you told Nia and all of them you might as wellhave broadcasted it on Denver TV for that matter. I’m sure
everyone
knows by now.”
    â€œThat’s not true. Nia isn’t like that. Neither are the others. She knows we threw away the pen. That it was a one-time thing.” She gave me a desperate look.
    â€œRight. Like