Part 20 (1/2)

”Were you at the party Sat.u.r.day night?” I asked her.

Susannah blushed. ”Well, not at the...Did you mean mine? I just had a few people over. Well, two people. So it wasn't, like, a party, not like the one everybody...So, I guess most people didn't really want to come to mine so much, but I didn't think ninth graders...I texted you about it, but you didn't...So, I just figured you were at the...”

”Sorry,” I said. ”I didn't get your text.”

”No, no, mine was way boring anyway. No worries,” Susannah said, and smiled weakly. ”Plenty of chips left, if you want to come over sometime...”

”Sounds great,” I said.

Jade walked by fast, ignoring me even when I called her name. I followed her to first period and slipped into my seat, feeling everyone's eyes on me.

”Allison?” the Fascist asked.

”What?” I asked defensively. Did she think I really cared what she she thought about how I looked? thought about how I looked? Could everybody just stop looking at me like that, please? Could everybody just stop looking at me like that, please?

She handed me a slip of paper. I'd apparently been chosen to present as Gouverneur Morris at the Wednesday a.s.sembly. ”Congratulations,” she said, beaming at me. ”You did a good job. You've really pulled yourself together lately.” Then she whispered, ”And you look terrific, too. Good luck on the final!”

I cursed silently for having forgotten all about the social studies final, having been too busy not studying for the English final to pay decent attention to not studying for this one. I chewed on my pen and listened to the clock tick as I made my guesses about events in history. If I didn't decide soon whether to go be a model or stay in school flunking finals, the decision would be made for me. When the bell rang to end first period, I checked my wallet. Yes, there was twenty-seven dollars in it; I could get a round-trip train ticket for sure. So that wouldn't settle it for me. Something had to.

On the way out of the cla.s.sroom, I grabbed Jade. ”My phone died,” I told her. ”Did you get my messages?”

She stared at my fingers on her sleeve until I let go. ”What did you do to yourself?” she asked.

I forced myself not to touch my hair. ”I needed a change.”

”You look like a freak,” she whispered. ”And when we text, I would appreciate it if you didn't copy it to every person in your contact list.”

”What?” I yelled. ”I didn't!”

She was walking away, with Serena following. Serena daringly turned around fast and mouthed, ”Yes, you did!”

Then, with a quick glance at Jade, she dashed back to me and held up her phone. On it was a text from me to her: Roxie Green is a jealous s.l.u.t.

I just stood there with my mouth hanging open.

”Allison?”

I turned around. It was Tyler. I walked away from him.

”Hey,” he said. ”Wait up!”

I didn't. I kept walking. I walked right out of school.

He followed me. ”Where are you going?”

”Train station,” I called back, over my shoulder.

”Why?” He had caught up to me.

”To be a model,” I said, without looking at him.

”Oh,” he said.

”You'll be late for second period,” I said after a few moments.

”Yeah,” he said. He touched my hair near the back of my neck with his fingertips.

”What?” I asked.

”Fierce,” he said.

”I'm thinking of bleaching it,” I said.

”Cool,” he said. ”Um, I got your text.”

Fantastic, I thought. Why don't I chop my own head off? Why don't I chop my own head off? ”It wasn't intended for you,” I said. ”It wasn't intended for you,” I said.

”Oh,” he said. ”Roxie was pretty devastated....”

”She got it too?”

He nodded.

”About her being jealous?”

”'Jealous s.l.u.t,' I think was the phrase.”

”My phone is possessed.”

”You mentioned that.”

We walked awhile without talking, until I stopped in front of him. ”Look,” I said. ”I know what happened Sat.u.r.day night.”

”What happened?” he asked, all innocent, but he blushed deep red. That was all the proof I needed.

”Please,” I said. ”It's fine, you don't owe me anything, we're not going out or anything, though she is going out with your best friend, which is kind of lousy of you both, by the way.”

”Allison, that's completely-”

”But would you please do me the favor of not trailing me around town? I have a train to catch.” I sounded so like my mother I almost smiled, so I quickly pivoted and walked away.

He caught up again.

”Roxie is my friend, too,” he said. ”She's physical; she's flirty. That doesn't make her a s.l.u.t. I wasn't hooking up with her; we were just hanging out.”

”Right.”