Solving Zoe by Barbara Dee Page B

today! Okay, Paloma, if you really need some exercise, why not.” She handed a stack of pale yellow sheets to Paloma, who smilingly went around the room slapping them facedown on everyone’s desk.
    When she got to Zoe’s desk, she slapped down a white sheet.
    â€œWhat’s this?” Zoe asked immediately.
    â€œYou heard. Self-assessment,” Paloma whispered back.
    â€œIf you have a sheet, just get started,” Anya called from her desk. “And show all work, please.”
    Zoe turned over her white sheet.
    Someone, obviously Paloma, had written:

16
    Zoe crumpled the white sheet into a tight ball and threw it into the trash. Then she marched up to Anya’s desk.
    â€œI need a new sheet,” she said.
    â€œAlready?” Anya asked, her blue eyes full of concern. “Zoe, I told you, I just want to see your thoughts. I don’t care about the computation. Just relax and have fun with it. And if you made a mistake—”
    â€œBut I didn’t ,” Zoe replied firmly. “Someone else did. May I please just have a new sheet?”
    Anya gave her one. She sat back down without looking at anybody, and completed all the problems with fierce concentration, pressing her pencil so hard that she made small indentations in the pale yellow paper.
    When Math was over, she headed straight downstairs to the Girl’s Locker Room, where Leg, Paloma, and Dara were getting into their shorts and Ts for Rec Arts.
    â€œYou think I have no feelings ?” Zoe demanded. “Is that what you think, Dara?”
    Dara’s cheeks turned bright pink. “I never said that, Zoe.”
    â€œPaloma wrote it, but it’s what you think, right?”
    â€œYou’re yelling. I don’t think you want to do this here, do you?” Dara darted her eyes meaningfully in the direction of Leg and Paloma.
    â€œI don’t care! And I don’t care who hears me! If they want to eavesdrop, let them!” Zoe’s legs were shaking; she sat down on a bench. “Listen, Dara. Just because I don’t wave my arms around, or dance around onstage, or say every little thing that pops into my head, or show my thoughts , doesn’t mean that I’m not feeling anything. Or thinking anything. Don’t assume you have me all figured out like some dumb little math equation, because you don’t.”
    â€œI never said—”
    â€œYou think I wrote those notes, don’t you? Well, I didn’t. I’d never do something like that. To you or anyone. I can’t believe you don’t know that about me by now. Or that you won’t even talk about it.”
    â€œWhy should she?” Leg said calmly. “When it’s so obvious you’re lying.”
    â€œBut I’m not! And I wasn’t even speaking to you, Leg. This is actually none of your business.”
    â€œOh, it’s definitely my business. I got two notes, Zoe, remember?”
    â€œWell, not from me!”
    â€œFrom who, then? Your boyfriend?” Paloma said.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œEzra Blecker. You’ve been eating lunch with him, right?”
    â€œStop picking on—”
    â€œNo, Paloma, I really think it’s Zoe,” Leg said as she tied her sneakers. “She’s the one who’s so angry at everybody.”
    â€œI’m only angry because you’re accusing me,” Zoe said. “And you should also stop accusing other people.”
    Paloma smirked. “Let’s get this straight, Zoe. We shouldn’t accuse you, but we shouldn’t accuse anyone else. Who should we accuse, then?”
    â€œI don’t know!” Zoe snapped. “Don’t ask me to blame other people for you, okay? All I’m saying is, it wasn’t me.”
    â€œWhat about the gecko eyes?” Dara asked softly.
    Leg gave Dara a questioning look, but Dara was staring at Zoe.
    â€œYou’re still doing that after-school job, Zoe, right?” Dara