Revenge of the Girl With the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg Page B

a tight smile. “Don’t let it get you down. She’s just jealous. Ignore her and she’s bound to go away.”
    I’m guessing that ignoring Brooke will be easier said than done, but I try to push those words out of my mind. Is that how she really sees me? Does everybody else see me that way?
    Cam gives me a hug before she heads to class. I do my best to shake the negative thoughts from my head and not let it get to me. I see Benny approach with a sympathetic frown on his face.
    News sure gets around fast.
    “It’s okay,” I say before he can get a word in. The last thing I need is for one more person to feel sorry for me. I wrap my arm around Benny’s. “Let’s get to class.”
    We round the corner to English when we see Brooke approaching me with a smile on her face.
    Benny leans in. “Do you want me to …”
    “It’s okay.”
    Actually, it isn’t okay. But what can I really do about it? Saying something would definitely make it worse.
    “Hey, Lexi,” she says sweetly as she blocks Benny and me from proceeding farther down the hallway, which is quite amazing since she’s so tiny, but her intimidation factor is through the roof. “We need to hang out more. I’d love to go shopping with you sometime. You have such ah -mazing taste in clothing. I’ll text you!” And without another word, she walks past us.
    Benny breaks the stunned silence between us. “What was that?”
    “I have no idea.” Does she think that I wouldn’t hear about what she did? Or does she think that she can break me so easily? Why would she even want to hang out with a “wannabe” and a “troll”? And does she even know what a troll is? I’m a few inches taller than her, so what, exactly, would that make her?
    Benny clicks his teeth in disgust. “You’re not going, are you?”
    “What? Going where?”
    “Shopping. With Brooke.”
    I give a nondescript shrug of my shoulders. Part of me has no desire to be around her. Ever. But another part of me wants to see what game she’s playing.
    And okay, there’s another part of me, a very teeny, tiny part, that wants her acceptance.

    If you would’ve told me a month ago that I’d be invited to a party at Grant’s and go on a date with Taylor, I would’ve said that you were living in a fantasy world. But what I’m doing right here, right now? Well, I would’ve put myself in a loony bin at the mere thought of it even two days ago. Yet here I am.
    Brooke rummages through the rack at an upscale department store in the mall. I visit this place every once in a while to see what they have out, but I could never afford anything here.
    “So …” Brooke addresses me without taking her eyes off of a long black tank dress she has in her hands. “How are things with Taylor?”
    Is that why she asked to do something with me? To find out about my, ah, relationship with Taylor? Oh my goodness, am I in a relationship? I pick up a jacket near me and pretend to study the zipper, delaying a response. I don’t know what to say. I know anything I tell Brooke will be around the school in 2.4 seconds.
    “Good. I’m seeing him tomorrow night.”
    A ringing sound comes from Brooke’s very expensive red leather satchel.
    “Ugh, it’s Hannah,” Brooke says as she silences her phone. “Isn’t she so needy?” she asks expectantly.
    I don’t respond. Hannah’s always been nice enough to me. I thoughtshe and Brooke were BFFs, but I guess with Brooke it’s BFFN (Best Friends For Now).
    It’s funny, because in a way, Brooke reminds me of a few of the pageant girls. She clearly abides by one of their most sacred pageant rules: If you don’t have anything nice to say, wait until her back is turned .
    Brooke heads into the dressing room without another word, probably unsatisfied with my lack of trash talking.
    I continue to look around the store, wondering why I even agreed to this. I guess it’s more out of curiosity than anything else. But I can completely understand that Benny and Cam