Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison Page B

changed somehow, and very abruptly. But maybe things would be back to normal soon.
    When I woke up on Monday morning, I was wearing the same pajamas I’d worn the whole day before. And when I headed to the bathroom to put on my makeup, I felt tired of my ref lection.
    Once I’d finished putting on the same makeup I put on every day, I glared at myself. Something was different about me. Something had changed to make the makeup seem empty and mask-like.
    I got to school early (a first) and when I walked into Mr.
    Ezhno’s classroom, I saw that almost everyone was gathered around Jillian. She had her lips tightened, the way she did 9 6
    P A I G E H A R B I S O N
    when she was pretending to zip her lips so she wouldn’t tell a secret.
    “…and
    her
    stepmom? ” asked one of the girls in the crowd, incredulously. I didn’t remember her name.
    Another girl I didn’t know spotted me and said, “Shh” to the rest of them. Shh might as well have meant she’s here!
    They all went back to their seats, tossing glances at me.
    Each of them seemed to think they were being subtle.
    So then the answer to my question would be, No, things are not going to go back to normal.
    “What?” I said, feeling stupid and awkward. It seemed so obvious that they’d been talking about me, but for some reason I still didn’t feel the complete vindication I should have felt by confronting them. It seemed presumptuous to assume the gossip was about me.
    “Nothing, we just thought you were Mr. Ezhno.” It was Logan who spoke this time. Logan, who used to sit in the back and talk about how hot I was, but now apparently had taken up lying badly.
    “How could any of you possibly think I was Mr. Ezhno?
    That doesn’t even make—”
    I was stopped short by Mr. Ezhno himself walking through the door and knocking into me.
    “Oh, I’m sorry, Miss Duke.” He bent to pick up the pile of papers he’d dropped during our collision. “It’s just so weird to see you in the classroom, I suppose.”
    There was a swell of whispers and snickering in the room.
    I headed to my seat, observing more “subtle” looks that were shot my way.
    I felt the familiar shame f low through my bloodstream.
    I hadn’t felt this way since middle school. I couldn’t control what was happening around me.
    Matt Churchill raised his hand as soon as attendance had been called.

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    “So what did you do this weekend, Mr. Ezhno?”
    Mr. Ezhno narrowed his eyes, and I knew he was just as curious as I about the reason for the giggles that were still filling the classroom.
    “I worked on progress reports, which I have here, actually…” He waved the pile of papers he’d just cleaned up and started handing them out.
    “Yeah, what else did you do?” said Logan, clearly speaking for Matt, who was laughing too hard to speak.
    What the hell was so funny? It seemed like the only two people left in the dark were Mr. Ezhno and myself. Since when was I a) in a category with him or b) left in the dark about anything?
    Mr. Ezhno hesitated before looking irritatedly at the ceiling.
    “I had a parent-teacher meeting, and then I took my son to the—”
    The laughing became uproarious upon the mention of the meeting. I stared at him in disbelief, shocked that he would do such a thing as to bring it up.
    He was talking about me, and it was really obvious. He was blatantly referencing my insubordination and the resulting steps taken to amend my “behavior.”
    I thought of the last time I’d been present at one of the conferences. Meredith had been all “John—I mean, Mr. Ezhno and I only want the best for you…” and every time he said anything, she’d nod silently and solemnly. It was enough to make anyone sick.
    I looked at Mr. Ezhno. What a sight he was with his ugly plaid shirt and pleated pants. My lip curled in disgust as I watched him try fruitlessly to regain control over his class.
    Everyone was going to know whose parent he was talking about because I was, as