Pick-me-up by Cecilia La France

out to the mob of activity in the parking lot.
    “How were your finals?” Emily asked.
    Katelyn questioned Emily’s sudden acceptance
again. “Not too bad. I might pass a few classes,” Katelyn
joked.
    “What do you have tomorrow?”
    “Science and math,” Katelyn slightly
groaned.
    Emily turned her face into a wince. “Oh,
yuck. I remember that test. Beef up on your elements.”
    “Yeah, I don’t have a prayer in science, but
I should do okay in math.” Katelyn had been able to catch up on a
few late assignments during her in-school suspension, and Mr.
Brooks came in at least 10 minutes during his prep period each day
to get her started on the daily lessons.
    They reached Emily’s car, actually her dad’s
car. Emily had gotten her license this year. Katelyn had to wait
another year, but her dad let her drive on the highway sometimes,
when he was around.
    Katelyn looked around. “Is Maci coming?”
    Emily didn’t look up, but opened her door.
Just before she ducked in, she said, “I don’t think so,” in a
disgusted voice.
    During the ride to her house, Emily dished
out the latest fight between herself and Maci. It involved a boy,
of course, and Emily hadn’t come out as the preferred party. She
was just finishing her accusation that Maci had told lies about her
in order to hurt her chances. Katelyn played naïve.
    “Maci doesn’t seem like the kind of person to
do that.”
    “Oh, I should know, she’s the biggest liar.”
Here, Emily reached her hand over to place it on Katelyn’s arm.
“Um, like, you know that iPod she said you had stolen?” She paused
for effect. “Well, it turns out that her older brother pawned it
for pot money or something. She actually thought that she’d get a
new one from the school or insurance or something if she reported
it stolen.” Emily’s eyes were wide in disbelief and offense.
    “Is that so?” Katelyn tried to calculate
which bit of information Emily knew first, the iPod truth or the
disinterest of the latest boy.
    “Yeah, she’s something else.” And just like
that, the topic was over. Emily pulled into Katelyn’s driveway and
changed focus. “Anyway, what are you doing tomorrow night? Jake,
JT, and Collin Sawyer are throwing a big end of the year party,
bonfire and everything out at Rollins Dam. You don’t know Jake, but
he’s a junior like JT and Collin—oh, I guess their seniors after
tomorrow,” she exclaimed with a high pitch laugh.
    “Oh my God! I can’t believe we’re going to be
Sophomores.” Emily was already off topic. “We should come up with
some mean things to do to freshman.
    “Anyway, it’s not until nine or ten and
there’s going to be a lot of people there.” Emily was finally
silent.
    “Um,” Katelyn considered. Katelyn glowed
inside from having her friend back, like being fed after a hunger
strike. And, Emily was choosing her to come with her to a party.
Katelyn could meet so many other people there and could set things
right after the rumors of the past two weeks.
    But, Katelyn was hoping to spend the evening
with Tim. Maybe he could go, she thought. “Can I bring my
boyfriend?”
    “Katelyn, you’ve been holding back on me,”
she said in mock offense. “Tell me all about him.”
    Katelyn told a brief version of meeting him
and that they’d spent the better part of two weeks together. Emily
was all questions, but Katelyn stayed brief, aware of both the time
left before he’d show up and the caution she couldn’t help feel in
talking to Emily again.
    “Have you done it with him?” Emily boldly
asked with a sly grin on her face.
    Katelyn blushed and laughed. “No,” she
protested. “Not yet. Geez, Em.”
    “What did you say his last name is? Where
does he go to school?”
    Katelyn hadn’t, but she figured there was
nothing to hide here. “Felske, and he doesn’t go to Northrup. He
goes to some alternative school in Ames.”
    “No shit. Why?”
    “I dunno,” Katelyn grunted her reply,
dismissing the