try to get along? You might find that you actually have a lot in common.”
I snorted. “Like what?”
Dylan opened his copy of East of Eden , the book he had chosen. “Let’s just say that Sailor can kind of relate to where you’re coming from.”
I waited for him to elaborate, but he bent over the table, making notes in his scrawling handwriting. “Which means?” I prompted.
Dylan tapped his pen on the edge of his notebook as he bit his lip. Then he shook his head. “You’ll have to ask Sailor if you want to know more.”
I stood, letting out a short laugh. “I don’t want to know that badly.”
The library had two rows of computers, with the main circulation desk set in between them. Sailor had claimed a computer at one end of the left side row, while on the opposite side Elizabeth, Jackie, and several other kids from the class had taken over most of the computers. The right side row of computers buzzed with activity as they talked about their research or else tried to copy off of each other. Ms. Perez stayed busy keeping that side as quiet as possible.
No one looked toward Sailor. No one spoke to her. And no one sat in the row with her.
The only computer still available on the right side was on the end, only two seats down from Elizabeth. Neither option seemed very appealing, but at least on the left side I could sit all the way at the other end, as far from Sailor as possible. Which was exactly what I did.
I pulled up the library’s catalog and typed “Salem witch trials” into the search box.
“Ms. Perez?” Jackie asked in a loud voice. “Can you help me find this book? I don’t understand where it is.”
“Look at the Dewey decimal number,” Ms. Perez told her as she checked books back into the system. “Then match the number up with the signs on the end of the stacks.”
“But I don’t get it,” Jackie whined. “You’d better come show me.”
“Jackie’s not very good with numbers, Ms. Perez,” Elizabeth said, which made everyone on the other row laugh.
Jackie jabbed Elizabeth in the shoulder. “Shut up,” she said. “Ms. Perez, please? I seriously need some help finding this.”
Ms. Perez sighed, but she pushed back her chair and walked around the desk. “Come with me,” she said, waving to Jackie to follow.
Jackie turned around and grinned back at Elizabeth once Ms. Perez’s back was turned. Something was definitely up. I tried to keep my gaze focused on the screen in front of me while also watching Elizabeth and her friends out of the corner of my eye.
When Ms. Perez and Jackie had disappeared into the stacks, Elizabeth casually stood and sauntered around the row of computers as if she were just taking a stroll. But once she reached the other end of my row, she stopped right in front of Sailor.
“So, Sailor,” Elizabeth said in a voice loud enough for all of us at the computers to hear, “is it true?”
Sailor wrote in her notebook, her pen moving slowly and methodically, taking an extra long time before she set it down and then looked up at Elizabeth.
“Okay, I’ll play along,” she said in a bored voice. “Is what true?”
“Is it true that you’re dating a whale?” Elizabeth asked, a wicked gleam in her eyes.
I didn’t get the joke, but obviously everyone else did, judging from the way they fell over themselves laughing.
Sailor yawned and turned back to her computer, typing in a new search word for the online catalog. “Are you done?” she asked.
Elizabeth perched herself on the edge of Sailor’s table, letting one leg swing back and forth as she leaned down, her evil grin getting wider. “Do you cry whenever you see someone eating a fish sandwich?”
“I think I ate your cousin last week in my stew,” one of the boys said. He earned congratulatory punches on the shoulder for that.
Sailor looked at him coolly over the top of her monitor. “Good one,” she said in a sarcastic tone. “And I saw your mom at the zoo last year, inside the
I snorted. “Like what?”
Dylan opened his copy of East of Eden , the book he had chosen. “Let’s just say that Sailor can kind of relate to where you’re coming from.”
I waited for him to elaborate, but he bent over the table, making notes in his scrawling handwriting. “Which means?” I prompted.
Dylan tapped his pen on the edge of his notebook as he bit his lip. Then he shook his head. “You’ll have to ask Sailor if you want to know more.”
I stood, letting out a short laugh. “I don’t want to know that badly.”
The library had two rows of computers, with the main circulation desk set in between them. Sailor had claimed a computer at one end of the left side row, while on the opposite side Elizabeth, Jackie, and several other kids from the class had taken over most of the computers. The right side row of computers buzzed with activity as they talked about their research or else tried to copy off of each other. Ms. Perez stayed busy keeping that side as quiet as possible.
No one looked toward Sailor. No one spoke to her. And no one sat in the row with her.
The only computer still available on the right side was on the end, only two seats down from Elizabeth. Neither option seemed very appealing, but at least on the left side I could sit all the way at the other end, as far from Sailor as possible. Which was exactly what I did.
I pulled up the library’s catalog and typed “Salem witch trials” into the search box.
“Ms. Perez?” Jackie asked in a loud voice. “Can you help me find this book? I don’t understand where it is.”
“Look at the Dewey decimal number,” Ms. Perez told her as she checked books back into the system. “Then match the number up with the signs on the end of the stacks.”
“But I don’t get it,” Jackie whined. “You’d better come show me.”
“Jackie’s not very good with numbers, Ms. Perez,” Elizabeth said, which made everyone on the other row laugh.
Jackie jabbed Elizabeth in the shoulder. “Shut up,” she said. “Ms. Perez, please? I seriously need some help finding this.”
Ms. Perez sighed, but she pushed back her chair and walked around the desk. “Come with me,” she said, waving to Jackie to follow.
Jackie turned around and grinned back at Elizabeth once Ms. Perez’s back was turned. Something was definitely up. I tried to keep my gaze focused on the screen in front of me while also watching Elizabeth and her friends out of the corner of my eye.
When Ms. Perez and Jackie had disappeared into the stacks, Elizabeth casually stood and sauntered around the row of computers as if she were just taking a stroll. But once she reached the other end of my row, she stopped right in front of Sailor.
“So, Sailor,” Elizabeth said in a voice loud enough for all of us at the computers to hear, “is it true?”
Sailor wrote in her notebook, her pen moving slowly and methodically, taking an extra long time before she set it down and then looked up at Elizabeth.
“Okay, I’ll play along,” she said in a bored voice. “Is what true?”
“Is it true that you’re dating a whale?” Elizabeth asked, a wicked gleam in her eyes.
I didn’t get the joke, but obviously everyone else did, judging from the way they fell over themselves laughing.
Sailor yawned and turned back to her computer, typing in a new search word for the online catalog. “Are you done?” she asked.
Elizabeth perched herself on the edge of Sailor’s table, letting one leg swing back and forth as she leaned down, her evil grin getting wider. “Do you cry whenever you see someone eating a fish sandwich?”
“I think I ate your cousin last week in my stew,” one of the boys said. He earned congratulatory punches on the shoulder for that.
Sailor looked at him coolly over the top of her monitor. “Good one,” she said in a sarcastic tone. “And I saw your mom at the zoo last year, inside the
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