My Forever Friends by Julie Bowe

she?”
    Jenna’s eyes go icy. Her cheeks burn. “You should know,” she says. “You can’t do anything either. Except for say mean things about my family behind my back.”
    Brooke rolls her eyes. “That again? For your information, Jenna, I didn’t say mean things. I said true things. And I didn’t say them behind your back. I said them to your face.”
    â€œWhat did she say?” I ask Jenna when she turns away from Brooke.
    â€œYeah, tell us,” Dominic chimes in. “I could use a laugh.”
    â€œFighting with your friends isn’t funny, Dominic,” Stacey puts in. She glances at me and away again. “Especially your best friends.”
    â€œ Former best friends,” Jenna grumbles, shooting a look at Brooke.
    â€œFine,” Dominic says. “Tell us what Brooke said, Jenna. I promise not to laugh even if it’s funny.”
    â€œYou’re the last blabbermouth I would tell, Dumb inic,” Jenna replies. “The whole school would know by the end of recess.”
    Dominic makes his face go all serious. He puts his hand on his chest like he’s getting ready to say the Pledge of Allegiance. “What’s said in the friendship circle, stays in the friendship circle.” Then he leans in and nudges his glasses up a notch. “Go on,” he says to Jenna. “Spill it.”
    Stacey leans in too.
    So do I.
    Jenna looks from Dominic to me to Stacey. Her eyes narrow. “I don’t share classified information with the enemy .”
    â€œI’m not your enemy,” Stacey says. “Brooke is. I’m just one of her troops.”
    â€œYeah,” I add. “If you and Brooke stopped fighting, we all would.” I glance at Stacey. “At least, I would. Randi too, I bet.”
    Stacey fidgets and fiddles with her needle and thread. “Meeka and Jolene would too. They told me so this morning.”
    Click-click-click. Mrs. Morgan walks up to our friendship circle, smiling. She has the same smile as Brooke, only bigger.
    She rests a hand on Jenna’s shoulder, her fingers sparkling with rings. “Will you do me a favor, sweetie?” she says to Jenna. “Remind your mother that I’ll be stopping by tonight to pick up the file for the school carnival. I want to get things organized for a change. Oh, and I’ll need the paperwork for the auction too.”
    Mrs. Morgan squeezes Jenna’s shoulder and smiles again. “Can you remember all that or should I write it down?”
    Jenna squirms under Mrs. Morgan’s hand. “I can remember,” she says.
    Mrs. Morgan laughs lightly. “Of course you can, smart girl!” She clamps Jenna’s shoulder tighter and looks at Mr. Crow. “Let’s get this show on the road!” she sings. “Some of us have work to do.”
    Mr. Crow nods, fanning the last of the papers on his desk. He motions to the other parents. “Feel free to pull up a chair next to your student while Mrs. Eddy explains how we’ll proceed.”
    Mrs. Morgan swaps smiles with Brooke. Click-click - click and she’s at the reading corner. Click-click-click again and she’s scooting a kidsized chair between Brooke’s and Rusty’s desks. She sits down and tugs her neon pink skirt toward her knees. Then she checks her watch, drums her fingers on the back of Rusty’s chair, and smiles at Mrs. Eddy. “Ready when you are, Francine!”
    Rusty inches closer to Joey.
    Brooke smiles at her mother and folds her hands. She holds her head perfectly straight like she doesn’t want her halo to slip off.
    â€œYou’ll find everything you need for today’s sewing lesson on your desk,” Mrs. Eddy tells us. “The needles are very sharp, so please—”
    â€œOuch!” Quinn sticks a finger in his mouth.
    â€œâ€”so please be careful not to poke yourself,” Mrs. Eddy continues.
    â€œGood point,”