lunch on Monday with Beth, I’d hardly heard from her, even though I’d called and texted a bunch. Anxiety clawed at my gut. If Sylvia really wanted to be queen, then she needed to start campaigning now. It was already Thursday.
But it wasn’t just the lack of prom campaigning that was eating at me, since I couldn’t give two craps if Sylvia was queen to Ryan’s king. Instead, it was more that Beth had been at school for a matter of days but already it felt like she was inching in on my territory with Sylvia. I guessed I could understand that Sylvia and Beth had probably bonded over the fact that Beth had been pregnant once, too. But they didn’t have to cut me out of the picture in order to attach at the hip. Besides which, I was annoyed that Sylvia would even consider attaching at the hip with anyone but me. Sylvia and I had been friends for years. She’d only just met Beth.
Beth’s shine will wear off , I told myself. And besides, I could probably chalk a lot of this up to Sylvia’s phone, which was notorious for fritzing out.
Still, I decided to swing by her locker to see if I could catch her. I ambled past but she wasn’t there. I pulled out my phone again and punched the keys. Lunch 2day?
I snapped it shut and hoped it would vibrate with an answer soon. I was getting tired of eating lunch in my car alone when Sylvia wasn’t around.
In fencing, Jess covered her mouth and tried not to lose it while I attempted a “pass forward.” I crossed and uncrossed my feet, trying to jab her with the tip of my foil.
“Good effort, Winchester,” Ms. Rhone called out. Part of me was annoyed that I looked like a dancing elephant, but then again, the entire class looked like a herd of dancing elephants. It was kinda funny when you thought about it. Behind my fencing mask, I grinned.
I wiped the smile off my face and lifted off my mask when Sylvia walked into class—late. She didn’t look over at me.
Ms. Rhone marched up to her. “I understand you have a pass for participating,” she said, “but you’re still expected to show up. You’ve missed two and a half days.”
Sylvia’s dark-rimmed eyes traveled slowly from Ms. Rhone’s feet all the way to her face. “Yeah, so?” she asked.
“Watch your tone,” Ms. Rhone snapped, “or I’ll send you down to the principal’s office so fast your feet will hurt.”
“Go easy on the prom nominees, Ms. Rhone!”
I turned around to see who’d said that. It was Tommy Oakwell—I was pretty sure he was on the academic decathlon team. He gave the thumbs-up to Sylvia, who actually smiled back. I’m voting for you, he mouthed. His fencing partner, whose name I didn’t know, nodded in agreement. I tried not to fall over.
“Over in the corner for the rest of the hour,” Ms. Rhone said to Sylvia, ignoring Tommy. “If you brought any homework, I suggest you get it out.”
As she made her way to the edge of the gym, Sylvia looked up and found me among the class members.
What is up? I mouthed to her.
She shook her head, then looked away.
I was about to march forward and find out what was going on when I felt a bony hand on my arm. “Let it be for right now,” Jess said.
I swung around. “What?”
Jess pulled her fencing mask off and shook out her cornsilk blond bob. “I said let it be. She’s pissed, the teacher’s pissed, now you’re getting pissed. So just chill, pretend to fence, and when class is over you can go talk to Sylvia. Tommy Oakwell is about all the mouthing off Ms. Rhone can handle right now, and if you butt in right now, there’s a chance Ms. Rhone will send Sylvia to your mom’s office. She’s about a half a breath from doing it as it is. You’ll push her over the edge.”
I wanted to be mad at Jess for bossing me around like this, but she was right. “Fine,” I said, pulling my mask back down. “Whatever.”
Jess and I took a few crisscrossed steps toward one another before she dropped her sword at her side. “You want to
But it wasn’t just the lack of prom campaigning that was eating at me, since I couldn’t give two craps if Sylvia was queen to Ryan’s king. Instead, it was more that Beth had been at school for a matter of days but already it felt like she was inching in on my territory with Sylvia. I guessed I could understand that Sylvia and Beth had probably bonded over the fact that Beth had been pregnant once, too. But they didn’t have to cut me out of the picture in order to attach at the hip. Besides which, I was annoyed that Sylvia would even consider attaching at the hip with anyone but me. Sylvia and I had been friends for years. She’d only just met Beth.
Beth’s shine will wear off , I told myself. And besides, I could probably chalk a lot of this up to Sylvia’s phone, which was notorious for fritzing out.
Still, I decided to swing by her locker to see if I could catch her. I ambled past but she wasn’t there. I pulled out my phone again and punched the keys. Lunch 2day?
I snapped it shut and hoped it would vibrate with an answer soon. I was getting tired of eating lunch in my car alone when Sylvia wasn’t around.
In fencing, Jess covered her mouth and tried not to lose it while I attempted a “pass forward.” I crossed and uncrossed my feet, trying to jab her with the tip of my foil.
“Good effort, Winchester,” Ms. Rhone called out. Part of me was annoyed that I looked like a dancing elephant, but then again, the entire class looked like a herd of dancing elephants. It was kinda funny when you thought about it. Behind my fencing mask, I grinned.
I wiped the smile off my face and lifted off my mask when Sylvia walked into class—late. She didn’t look over at me.
Ms. Rhone marched up to her. “I understand you have a pass for participating,” she said, “but you’re still expected to show up. You’ve missed two and a half days.”
Sylvia’s dark-rimmed eyes traveled slowly from Ms. Rhone’s feet all the way to her face. “Yeah, so?” she asked.
“Watch your tone,” Ms. Rhone snapped, “or I’ll send you down to the principal’s office so fast your feet will hurt.”
“Go easy on the prom nominees, Ms. Rhone!”
I turned around to see who’d said that. It was Tommy Oakwell—I was pretty sure he was on the academic decathlon team. He gave the thumbs-up to Sylvia, who actually smiled back. I’m voting for you, he mouthed. His fencing partner, whose name I didn’t know, nodded in agreement. I tried not to fall over.
“Over in the corner for the rest of the hour,” Ms. Rhone said to Sylvia, ignoring Tommy. “If you brought any homework, I suggest you get it out.”
As she made her way to the edge of the gym, Sylvia looked up and found me among the class members.
What is up? I mouthed to her.
She shook her head, then looked away.
I was about to march forward and find out what was going on when I felt a bony hand on my arm. “Let it be for right now,” Jess said.
I swung around. “What?”
Jess pulled her fencing mask off and shook out her cornsilk blond bob. “I said let it be. She’s pissed, the teacher’s pissed, now you’re getting pissed. So just chill, pretend to fence, and when class is over you can go talk to Sylvia. Tommy Oakwell is about all the mouthing off Ms. Rhone can handle right now, and if you butt in right now, there’s a chance Ms. Rhone will send Sylvia to your mom’s office. She’s about a half a breath from doing it as it is. You’ll push her over the edge.”
I wanted to be mad at Jess for bossing me around like this, but she was right. “Fine,” I said, pulling my mask back down. “Whatever.”
Jess and I took a few crisscrossed steps toward one another before she dropped her sword at her side. “You want to
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