last week. That Lu didn’t gush. That Lu kept the whole Mac Landis mythos in perspective.
‘I owe her,’ Mac says. ‘When I was at Lincoln Elementary, she’d make lunch for me every day.’
‘Lucky,’ I say. ‘The cafeteria food there was even worse than Dunfield’s.’
Mac looks puzzled. ‘You went to Lincoln?’
I shrink an inch on the spot. ‘Uh, yeah. I guess all the other Luisa Perezes have you confused.’
He has the decency to look embarrassed. ‘Well, I never paid much attention in class. I guess I only noticed the people sitting right in front of me.’
Untrue. He always noticed Mariah, no matter where she sat.
‘Wait a second,’ he says. ‘I think I remember you from Mrs Burton’s class.’
I nod, instantly knowing why. ‘That was the year you stole my Tamagotchi.’
‘I stole a lot of Tamagotchis,’ he admits. ‘Because it made the girls chase me.’
Even at nine he was a dog. ‘Well, mine died under your watch.’
I don’t intend to say so, but I was devastated at the time. Sure, it was just a stupid pink plastic egg, but I didn’t get a lot of toys while they were still popular. Mom would wait until things went on sale (i.e., after they were no longer hot) to get them at a discount – when she could afford them at all.
The year the Tamagotchi took over the classroom, I staged a massive campaign to get Mom to buy me one for my birthday. She didn’t cave, because the new coat I needed pretty much consumed her gift budget. The night of my birthday, however, I found a Tamagotchi on my pillow.Grace said she’d found it on the bus, but Mom told me later that she’d emptied out her piggy bank to get it. It was the nicest thing Grace had ever done for me. Make that has ever done for me.
I took such good care of my Tamagotchi that it lived long after everyone else’s. And then, when it was the only one left to steal, Mac snatched it off my desk. By the time I’d recovered it in the school yard, it was dead.
Mac grabs my hand and gazes at me through wide blue eyes. ‘I’m so sorry I killed your toy. Can you ever forgive me?’
I know a hundred girls have forgiven Mac for similar crimes just because he looked at them that way, and I fall for it anyway. ‘You could have at least come to the funeral.’
Business picks up, and I have to leave Mac to eat by himself. When I deliver the bill, he makes a big show of leaving me a tip – fifteen percent of the pre-tax amount, calculated to the penny.
‘I’d better get going,’ he says. ‘My grandmother’s expecting me.’
‘Okay, see you at school,’ I say, pleased with my own nonchalance.
He walks toward the door, and I summon my nerve to call after him, ‘Are you going to Mariah’s fund-raising dance next week?’
He turns to reply, but Paz beats him to the punch. ‘Yeah, All-star. You going to the dance or what?’
I turn to Paz and find six Donner guys watching us. They’re all wearing hairnets. ‘Shut up, Paz,’ I say.
‘Oooh, Shorty must like him,’ Paz says, in a singsong voice. ‘What do you think, guys?’
‘Yup, she’s hot for him,’ Gordo says. ‘She’s not usually that red.’
‘When’s the last time Lu sounded all girly?’ asks Ace, another guy on Paz’s crew.
‘Never,’ Paz says. ‘I didn’t think she was a real girl.’
I look at Mac, expecting to see contempt on his face. Instead he’s standing in the doorway, grinning at me.
Izzy’s mom welcomes me into the living room of their small but immaculate bungalow. She’s wearing surgical gloves and holding a paintbrush covered in white goo. Hair clips line the waist of her jeans, and the smell of chemicals fills the air. There’s a work in progress around here.
On cue, Izzy’s Aunt Alicia appears, her hair in foils. ‘Hola, Luisa!’
‘Hola,’ I say. ‘Another transformation?’ Alicia’s hair had black-and-cherry streaks the last time I saw her. The time before that it was blond with very dark roots.
‘I like to keep
‘I owe her,’ Mac says. ‘When I was at Lincoln Elementary, she’d make lunch for me every day.’
‘Lucky,’ I say. ‘The cafeteria food there was even worse than Dunfield’s.’
Mac looks puzzled. ‘You went to Lincoln?’
I shrink an inch on the spot. ‘Uh, yeah. I guess all the other Luisa Perezes have you confused.’
He has the decency to look embarrassed. ‘Well, I never paid much attention in class. I guess I only noticed the people sitting right in front of me.’
Untrue. He always noticed Mariah, no matter where she sat.
‘Wait a second,’ he says. ‘I think I remember you from Mrs Burton’s class.’
I nod, instantly knowing why. ‘That was the year you stole my Tamagotchi.’
‘I stole a lot of Tamagotchis,’ he admits. ‘Because it made the girls chase me.’
Even at nine he was a dog. ‘Well, mine died under your watch.’
I don’t intend to say so, but I was devastated at the time. Sure, it was just a stupid pink plastic egg, but I didn’t get a lot of toys while they were still popular. Mom would wait until things went on sale (i.e., after they were no longer hot) to get them at a discount – when she could afford them at all.
The year the Tamagotchi took over the classroom, I staged a massive campaign to get Mom to buy me one for my birthday. She didn’t cave, because the new coat I needed pretty much consumed her gift budget. The night of my birthday, however, I found a Tamagotchi on my pillow.Grace said she’d found it on the bus, but Mom told me later that she’d emptied out her piggy bank to get it. It was the nicest thing Grace had ever done for me. Make that has ever done for me.
I took such good care of my Tamagotchi that it lived long after everyone else’s. And then, when it was the only one left to steal, Mac snatched it off my desk. By the time I’d recovered it in the school yard, it was dead.
Mac grabs my hand and gazes at me through wide blue eyes. ‘I’m so sorry I killed your toy. Can you ever forgive me?’
I know a hundred girls have forgiven Mac for similar crimes just because he looked at them that way, and I fall for it anyway. ‘You could have at least come to the funeral.’
Business picks up, and I have to leave Mac to eat by himself. When I deliver the bill, he makes a big show of leaving me a tip – fifteen percent of the pre-tax amount, calculated to the penny.
‘I’d better get going,’ he says. ‘My grandmother’s expecting me.’
‘Okay, see you at school,’ I say, pleased with my own nonchalance.
He walks toward the door, and I summon my nerve to call after him, ‘Are you going to Mariah’s fund-raising dance next week?’
He turns to reply, but Paz beats him to the punch. ‘Yeah, All-star. You going to the dance or what?’
I turn to Paz and find six Donner guys watching us. They’re all wearing hairnets. ‘Shut up, Paz,’ I say.
‘Oooh, Shorty must like him,’ Paz says, in a singsong voice. ‘What do you think, guys?’
‘Yup, she’s hot for him,’ Gordo says. ‘She’s not usually that red.’
‘When’s the last time Lu sounded all girly?’ asks Ace, another guy on Paz’s crew.
‘Never,’ Paz says. ‘I didn’t think she was a real girl.’
I look at Mac, expecting to see contempt on his face. Instead he’s standing in the doorway, grinning at me.
Izzy’s mom welcomes me into the living room of their small but immaculate bungalow. She’s wearing surgical gloves and holding a paintbrush covered in white goo. Hair clips line the waist of her jeans, and the smell of chemicals fills the air. There’s a work in progress around here.
On cue, Izzy’s Aunt Alicia appears, her hair in foils. ‘Hola, Luisa!’
‘Hola,’ I say. ‘Another transformation?’ Alicia’s hair had black-and-cherry streaks the last time I saw her. The time before that it was blond with very dark roots.
‘I like to keep
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