her eyes. Hmm. Maybe Kirn’s just having a bad day. She seemed fine last night at the arcade. I decide to make an effort to be nice.
“So!” I say brightly, sliding into the chair next to her. “How’s your day going, Kim?”
She looks at me like I’m a leper. “It’s going fine,” she says. “Except that I got a D on my French paper.” She rolls her eyes. “Which is insane, because, hello, I’ve actually been to France.”
“That sucks,” I say. I rip open my carton of chocolate milk and take a sip. “But if you’re having trouble in French, I can help you. I actually—”
I realize then that Kim is ignoring me. She’s turned to Kayleigh Trusco, who is sitting on the other side ofher and is blathering away about some movie she saw last weekend. Well. Okay then.
“This is awkward,” Mel whispers. She’s sitting across from me.
“How so?” I say.
“No one is talking to us.” She’s right. No one
is
talking to us. Luke is all the way at the other end of the table, apparently forgetting that he invited us to sit here. Not that I expect him to babysit us, but still. It would have been nice if he hadn’t just left us to fend for ourselves. Jared’s down at the other end of the table as well, which may be problematic if Lexi shows up. How am I going to explain the fact that I’m not sitting near him? Although I suppose I should be grateful I’m even at this table at all. That in itself is a small miracle.
“They just don’t know us, that’s all,” I tell Mel. “They’re usually really nice.” Mel raises her eyebrows.
“Devi!” Lexi comes rushing up behind me and throws her arms around my back. “I’m so sorry I’m late.” She sits down on the other side of the table next to Mel. “I had to go to guidance again.” She rolls her eyes and pulls the top off of her yogurt. “Mr. Boone thinks I need help with ‘the challenges of acclimatingto a new school.’ Isn’t that crazy?” She throws her head back and laughs. The overhead lights bounce off her braces.
“That’s nuts,” I say. Lexi obviously needs no help acclimating to a new school. She’s been here one day, is sitting at the popular kids’ lunch table, and has the hottest guy in school crushing on her. If Mr. Boone is interested in helping kids, he should talk to his existing students and help
them
get acclimated to school. Lexi could teach him how to do it.
“I know,” Lexi says, sighing. She reaches over and takes a sip of my milk. Right out of my straw and everything. “I told him I don’t need help acclimating, that I already have friends here, and that nothing is wrong.” She sighs again. “And then I was like, hello! If you’re worried about me making friends, you should stop calling me out of lunch, because obviously I’m going to need social interaction.”
“Good point,” I say.
“So what’d I miss?” She scans the table, and notices Jared at the other end. “Oh!” she exclaims. “Why aren’t you—” Then she notices Melissa. “Oh, hi,” she says politely. She gives me a knowing look.
This is bad. This is very, very bad. What if Mel says something about me and Jared being together?And then Lexi will be all, “But I thought you liked him, Mel, so what’s the deal?”
“Hi,” Mel says. I relax slightly Mel wouldn’t say anything about the Jared thing. She’s way smarter than that. She wouldn’t—
“So, how was the mall last night?” Mel asks.
Lexi frowns. My stomach drops.
“Um, Mel?” I say, bolting up out of my chair. “Could I talk to you for a second?”
“Sure.” She looks startled, but follows me into the girls’ bathroom that’s attached to the cafeteria.
“So I did something bad,” I say once we’re standing in front of the sinks. Please don’t be mad, please don’t be mad, please don’t be mad. I chant this over and over in my head, figuring if I say it enough times, it might come true.
“Besides creating a whole secret life for yourself?” she
“So!” I say brightly, sliding into the chair next to her. “How’s your day going, Kim?”
She looks at me like I’m a leper. “It’s going fine,” she says. “Except that I got a D on my French paper.” She rolls her eyes. “Which is insane, because, hello, I’ve actually been to France.”
“That sucks,” I say. I rip open my carton of chocolate milk and take a sip. “But if you’re having trouble in French, I can help you. I actually—”
I realize then that Kim is ignoring me. She’s turned to Kayleigh Trusco, who is sitting on the other side ofher and is blathering away about some movie she saw last weekend. Well. Okay then.
“This is awkward,” Mel whispers. She’s sitting across from me.
“How so?” I say.
“No one is talking to us.” She’s right. No one
is
talking to us. Luke is all the way at the other end of the table, apparently forgetting that he invited us to sit here. Not that I expect him to babysit us, but still. It would have been nice if he hadn’t just left us to fend for ourselves. Jared’s down at the other end of the table as well, which may be problematic if Lexi shows up. How am I going to explain the fact that I’m not sitting near him? Although I suppose I should be grateful I’m even at this table at all. That in itself is a small miracle.
“They just don’t know us, that’s all,” I tell Mel. “They’re usually really nice.” Mel raises her eyebrows.
“Devi!” Lexi comes rushing up behind me and throws her arms around my back. “I’m so sorry I’m late.” She sits down on the other side of the table next to Mel. “I had to go to guidance again.” She rolls her eyes and pulls the top off of her yogurt. “Mr. Boone thinks I need help with ‘the challenges of acclimatingto a new school.’ Isn’t that crazy?” She throws her head back and laughs. The overhead lights bounce off her braces.
“That’s nuts,” I say. Lexi obviously needs no help acclimating to a new school. She’s been here one day, is sitting at the popular kids’ lunch table, and has the hottest guy in school crushing on her. If Mr. Boone is interested in helping kids, he should talk to his existing students and help
them
get acclimated to school. Lexi could teach him how to do it.
“I know,” Lexi says, sighing. She reaches over and takes a sip of my milk. Right out of my straw and everything. “I told him I don’t need help acclimating, that I already have friends here, and that nothing is wrong.” She sighs again. “And then I was like, hello! If you’re worried about me making friends, you should stop calling me out of lunch, because obviously I’m going to need social interaction.”
“Good point,” I say.
“So what’d I miss?” She scans the table, and notices Jared at the other end. “Oh!” she exclaims. “Why aren’t you—” Then she notices Melissa. “Oh, hi,” she says politely. She gives me a knowing look.
This is bad. This is very, very bad. What if Mel says something about me and Jared being together?And then Lexi will be all, “But I thought you liked him, Mel, so what’s the deal?”
“Hi,” Mel says. I relax slightly Mel wouldn’t say anything about the Jared thing. She’s way smarter than that. She wouldn’t—
“So, how was the mall last night?” Mel asks.
Lexi frowns. My stomach drops.
“Um, Mel?” I say, bolting up out of my chair. “Could I talk to you for a second?”
“Sure.” She looks startled, but follows me into the girls’ bathroom that’s attached to the cafeteria.
“So I did something bad,” I say once we’re standing in front of the sinks. Please don’t be mad, please don’t be mad, please don’t be mad. I chant this over and over in my head, figuring if I say it enough times, it might come true.
“Besides creating a whole secret life for yourself?” she
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