where it was embarrassing to have your mother as the first number on your speed dial. Maybe this was the silver lining, an opportunity to not go running to Mom for once andstart relying on myself. Start trusting myself. If I was strong enough to stand up to Icka, I was strong enough to stand this pain, to comfort myself and move on.
The bell rang, and students mobbed the quad, filling it with sunny laughter, hoots and hollers, bustling movement. Voices, talking and Whispering voices, enveloped me. I leaned toward the sounds and took a tiny sip of cocoa.
The rest of the day zoomed by in a blur of cellophane-wrapped roses, hugs, and Hallmark cards.
In algebra, my study group had pitched in to get me a Starbucks gift card, and the girl I sat next to presented me with a giant kitten-shaped card.
In chem, my lab partner Quint handed me a shiny bronze box: Godiva truffles!
Our other lab partner, renn faire dork Pauline, put her head on the desk and sighed. Wish I had my own personal Valentine’s Day .
A pang of guilt hit me as I glanced down at my growing embarrassment of birthday riches. Cards, candies, half a dozen hot pink or red single roses with baby’s breath. It felt good to have people give me presents, but I hadn’t stopped to think it might make someone else feel bad. I tore open the Godiva box and thrust a big milk chocolate truffle at Pauline.
“My chocolate, your chocolate.”
“Seriously?” Her eyes got round. “You rock the galaxy, Joy.”
“Okay, people.” Dr. Kendricks loomed over us, his scowlcutting into my warm glow. “Let’s pretend we actually care about science here!”
As I whipped open my lab notebook, my mind flashed once again on Icka. What she’d said about Dr. K wishing he was a “real” scientist. It occurred to me that Icka wouldn’t have had to Hear anything to guess that teaching didn’t satisfy him. That was obvious to anyone. How like her to figure something out through common sense, then lie to make it seem like she could Hear things I couldn’t! I shook my head, smiled to myself, and flipped to the first blank page. But a tiny part of my brain still worried: What if she really could Hear better?
Near the end of study hall, my phone vibed. I swallowed tightly when I saw it was a text from Parker: omg mr J is insane…pop quiz 2day!!! Btw hope ur having a good b-day!: )
My jaw muscles relaxed. She didn’t even mention the Ben thing—just moved right past it.
In the lunch line, tons of guys made fun of my outfit, but in a funny or flirty way. Girls wanted to know every detail of my kidnapping. Did they blindfold me? Did I scream and fight back?
When I finally joined my friends at our usual bench, they wouldn’t let me apologize for Icka.
“Oh, it’s not your fault,” Helena said, sighing, though I noticed she’d applied a thick coat of concealer and foundation since this morning.
Bree downed a slug of Metro mint water and nodded. “Your sister’s…how to put this? The spawn of Satan.”
Helena grinned, her teeth tinted purple from her açai smoothie. “Wait, does that make Joy’s mom Satan?”
“No, Icka was adopted,” said Parker, “from a demonic orphanage.”
Everyone laughed, and I unwrapped my chicken burrito. We were back to normal.
One weird thing did happen that afternoon. Bree saved my usual seat for me in government, but someone had left a single white calla lily on my desk. I raised my eyebrows at Bree. She leaned halfway out of her chair and murmured, “It was that stoner idiot in back. James, or Jamie…whatever his name is.”
“Good afternoon, citizens!” Mr. Jensen marched to the podium, and Bree snapped back to her seat. I pretended to drop my pencil so I could sneak a peek at the last row. There he was, the boy from this morning. Lanky body hunched over, eyes downcast so his brown emo bangs brushed his desk. I frowned. He hadn’t even wanted me to speak to him in front of his friends at the Path, and now he was giving me
The bell rang, and students mobbed the quad, filling it with sunny laughter, hoots and hollers, bustling movement. Voices, talking and Whispering voices, enveloped me. I leaned toward the sounds and took a tiny sip of cocoa.
The rest of the day zoomed by in a blur of cellophane-wrapped roses, hugs, and Hallmark cards.
In algebra, my study group had pitched in to get me a Starbucks gift card, and the girl I sat next to presented me with a giant kitten-shaped card.
In chem, my lab partner Quint handed me a shiny bronze box: Godiva truffles!
Our other lab partner, renn faire dork Pauline, put her head on the desk and sighed. Wish I had my own personal Valentine’s Day .
A pang of guilt hit me as I glanced down at my growing embarrassment of birthday riches. Cards, candies, half a dozen hot pink or red single roses with baby’s breath. It felt good to have people give me presents, but I hadn’t stopped to think it might make someone else feel bad. I tore open the Godiva box and thrust a big milk chocolate truffle at Pauline.
“My chocolate, your chocolate.”
“Seriously?” Her eyes got round. “You rock the galaxy, Joy.”
“Okay, people.” Dr. Kendricks loomed over us, his scowlcutting into my warm glow. “Let’s pretend we actually care about science here!”
As I whipped open my lab notebook, my mind flashed once again on Icka. What she’d said about Dr. K wishing he was a “real” scientist. It occurred to me that Icka wouldn’t have had to Hear anything to guess that teaching didn’t satisfy him. That was obvious to anyone. How like her to figure something out through common sense, then lie to make it seem like she could Hear things I couldn’t! I shook my head, smiled to myself, and flipped to the first blank page. But a tiny part of my brain still worried: What if she really could Hear better?
Near the end of study hall, my phone vibed. I swallowed tightly when I saw it was a text from Parker: omg mr J is insane…pop quiz 2day!!! Btw hope ur having a good b-day!: )
My jaw muscles relaxed. She didn’t even mention the Ben thing—just moved right past it.
In the lunch line, tons of guys made fun of my outfit, but in a funny or flirty way. Girls wanted to know every detail of my kidnapping. Did they blindfold me? Did I scream and fight back?
When I finally joined my friends at our usual bench, they wouldn’t let me apologize for Icka.
“Oh, it’s not your fault,” Helena said, sighing, though I noticed she’d applied a thick coat of concealer and foundation since this morning.
Bree downed a slug of Metro mint water and nodded. “Your sister’s…how to put this? The spawn of Satan.”
Helena grinned, her teeth tinted purple from her açai smoothie. “Wait, does that make Joy’s mom Satan?”
“No, Icka was adopted,” said Parker, “from a demonic orphanage.”
Everyone laughed, and I unwrapped my chicken burrito. We were back to normal.
One weird thing did happen that afternoon. Bree saved my usual seat for me in government, but someone had left a single white calla lily on my desk. I raised my eyebrows at Bree. She leaned halfway out of her chair and murmured, “It was that stoner idiot in back. James, or Jamie…whatever his name is.”
“Good afternoon, citizens!” Mr. Jensen marched to the podium, and Bree snapped back to her seat. I pretended to drop my pencil so I could sneak a peek at the last row. There he was, the boy from this morning. Lanky body hunched over, eyes downcast so his brown emo bangs brushed his desk. I frowned. He hadn’t even wanted me to speak to him in front of his friends at the Path, and now he was giving me
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