Sliding On The Edge by C. Lee McKenzie Page B

noon, pulling
lips apart.
    I spot him heading my way and bury my
nose in my English Lit book.
    “ Afternoon, Shawna,” Mr.
Green calls.
    I nod, hunching over my
book.
    “ I see you’re enjoying the
last of our sunny days.” Mr. Green never takes hints. He’s the kind
of guy Mom says you have to hit up the side of the head.
    “ Yeah.” I give him my
go-away-you-jerk look.
    “ I talked to your
grandmother again yesterday. She says you’re going to a therapist
in Sacramento next week.”
    I shrug. “I guess.”
    “ I’m pleased to hear that.
I’ll check back with you to see how things go, all
right?”
    “ Whatever.”
    The shrink is Kay’s idea, not mine.
And I’m not going along with the program. She can make all the
appointments she wants, but making me talk is totally not
happening. I have Monster under control. I can manage anything, so
take your shrink and stuff him.
    I lean back against the tree and flip
to Chapter Four, The Romantic Movement. On the first page is a
picture of a guy on a black horse, galloping after another guy who
is freaked out because the guy chasing him is headless! This is
romantic?
    “ What are you doing?” Casey
sits down on the grass next to me.
    “ What does it look
like?”
    “ You never let up, do
you?”
    I close the book. “What’s that
supposed to mean?”
    “ It means that you are the
hardest egg I’ve ever met.”
    I laugh. “I’ve never been called an
egg before.”
    “ You outta laugh more.” He
stands to leave. “You look nice when you do, Shawna.”
    Nice. Me? That’s
interesting. Shawna and nice in the same sentence from the guy
who—damn it—has the greatest butt I’ve ever seen. Let it go,
girlfriend. You have enough on your plate without this . . . this
perfectly handsome guy who has just turned his back and is walking
away. “How come you’re always walking off
in the middle of a conversation?”
    “ This is a conversation?” He
smiles over his shoulder. “I thought it was just another chance for
you to show me how tough you are. I’ll see you later about what I
came to say.”
    “ Whatever!” I slam my book
on the ground.
    “ See? Shawna, the hardest
egg around.” He waves and walks over to join a group of students
sitting at one of the picnic tables.
    He doesn’t know tough. I’ll
show him tough one of these days . I pick up
my book and find my place, but Mrs. Heady’s assignment doesn’t seem
as interesting as it did a minute ago. I hold the book so I look
like I’m reading, but I watch over the top. Who’s he talking to?
Two girls I don’t know sitting on top of the table. One is arched
back, her boobs pushed to the sky. And on
the bench is . . . Oh, my gawd. It’s The Troll! He’s talking to old
ferret-face.
    I snap the book closed and stand up.
That’s all I can take. I walk directly to the picnic table and tap
Casey on the shoulder. “I just wanted to conclude our conversation.
Don’t even come near me anymore. You smell like troll, and troll is
a turn-off.”
    “ Who is she?” The blond with
the boobs asks.
    When I look at her and then at the
other girl next to her, I choke. They look exactly
alike.
    The Troll mumbles something about my
being a new student.
    “ What’s your problem?” one
twin asks.
    “ Hold on, Deanna.” Casey
says, and he turns to face me. “I get to ask that question. What is
your problem, Shawna?”
    “ I don’t have a problem as
long as you stay away from me. Your present company stinks, and I
don’t want it to rub off on me.” I look at the twins and at The
Troll. “Spell stink with a capital S. I
leave them all with their mouths open.
    I cram the books I don’t need for my
next class into my locker and go to the girls’ room. When I come
out, Casey is propped against the opposite wall with his arms
crossed over his chest.
    “ Hold up,” he
says.
    I stop a few feet away and face him.
“Guess you don’t hear too well. I told you—”
    Casey steps toward me. “I hear