It was fascinating how quickly students at my school got to know things. It seemed to me that before homeroom was over, most of the girls in my class knew that Jackson had taken me to dinner. What stirred their interest even more was how Jackson and I avoided each other. I knew it would. At lunch, I sat at a corner table by the window and read a copy of a Stanford University research paper regarding the human genome. However, I was keenly aware of the gossip around me.
Jackson was sitting practically on the other side of the cafeteria, with Ted and two of their other friends. Marsha Bloom apparently had volunteered to find out the nitty-gritty between Jackson and me. She sauntered over to my table and plopped into the seat across from me. I had anticipated this but pretended to be surprised.
“Are you here to confess?” I asked.
She laughed. “Everyone thought you and Jackson Marshall were hooking up. Two brains.”
“Yeah, well, so did I,” I said. I leaned toward her. “I should have listened to you guys.”
“Huh?”
“Everyone’s idea of perfect. Turns out, I might contaminate him.”
“What happened?”
“Nothing. That’s the problem,” I said, and looked at my paper.
She laughed and started to stand.
“Got to get him to loosen up. Know what I mean?” I said.
“Yeah. Well, good luck with that.”
“Hey,” I said. She turned back to me. I glanced around and then reached between the last pages of my paper to expose the fifty and the twenty. “What can I get for this? Next chance I have, I’d like to turn him on.”
She stared at the money and then sat again. “You serious?”
“We’re seeing each other secretly tomorrow night at his house. His parents have a thing to go to.”
“You’d do that?”
“What’s the difference? His parents think I do it anyway, thank you very much.” I shrugged. “Maybe this time, I’ll have a good time.”
She laughed again and eyed the money. “You want to spend all that?”
“When?”
“Let me talk to Lily,” she said.
She walked back to her table, and I went back to pretending I was reading. Out of the corner of my eye, however, I watched them debate. Lily finally nodded, and Marsha returned to my table.
I looked up.
“Be in the girls’ room next to the music room ten minutes into the last period,” she said.
I nodded and returned to my paper. Indifference was always more convincing. But they weren’t the brightest bulbs on the Christmas tree. They had gotten away with it once; they were sure they could again. As far as they were concerned, I couldn’t compete on their playing field. I was no threat. I was a naive bookworm, and now I wasn’t credible anyway.
When the bell rang, I made sure to take my time leaving the cafeteria. The girls from hell went to their classes. On my way to mine, I took a quick detour and stopped to see Mrs. Turman. Then I went to class and acted no differently than ever. If anything, I was more energetic than usual, developing a new conversation with my English teacher about Huckleberry Finn while the rest of the class sat idle.
Ten minutes into the last class of the day, I asked to go to the bathroom and sauntered down the hallway as casually as ever. When I entered the bathroom, Lily and Marsha weren’t there. I tried not to panic. Standing in front of the sink and the mirror, I toyed with my hair, my heart racing. Almost a minute later, they entered.
“Where’s your money?” Lily asked.
“Where are the pills?” I countered.
She looked at Marsha, who nodded. Then she unbuttoned her blouse, reached into her bra with her left hand, and came out with a packet. She held out her right hand.
The first stall door opened, and Mrs. Turman stepped out. She blew a whistle, and Dean Becker and the school’s security guard entered the bathroom.