Joshua's Island (James Madison Series Book 1)

by Patrick Hodges

  “You can't have it both ways, Eve,” she'd said, frowning. “I know they were your friends when you were little kids, but you're not a child anymore … are you?” I'd just shaken my head.

  It had taken me a week to get up the courage to phone Emily up to give her the news. It was the hardest thing I'd ever done. I could still remember every word of the conversation.

  “Hey, Evie, how's it going?” she'd answered.

  “Going okay …” Say it quickly, Eve, get it over with. “Listen, Em, I have something important to tell you …”

  “What is it?”

  “I, uh … I can't hang out with you and Susan anymore.” God, am I really saying this?

  “Why not?” she'd said, with more than a hint of anger.

  “I'm going to be hanging out with Rhonda from now on. I'm sorry.”

  Seconds went by, and no response came. Finally, I heard Emily take a deep breath and say, “Well, I hope the two of you are very happy together.” Then she'd hung up.

  Well, that went about as well as I could've hoped. I didn't have the heart to make a similar phone call to Susan, as sensitive as she was.

  It's all for the better. I'd pretty much convinced myself of that by then.

  I stepped off the bus feeling like a million bucks. I was wearing a brand-new black knee-length dress and some low-heeled shoes, along with new stud earrings and a new gold-strand necklace … all of which Rhonda had either lent me or helped me pick out. It was by far the most fashionable outfit I'd ever worn to school; I figured that if I was going to make an impression on everybody, best to do it before the rainy season started. My mother had cautioned me about overdoing it on the makeup, so I just went with a little sheer lip gloss and some eye shadow.

  I performed the usual opening-day rituals, trying to remember everything Rhonda and her friends had told me about 'acting popular'. For most of the morning, I did my best to be polite but avoided getting into any long conversations with anyone. A few girls commented on how great I looked, although they were looking at me with a who-are-you-and-what-have-you-done-with-Eve-Devereaux expression when they did it.

  Word hadn't yet gotten around that I was in Rhonda's inner circle, but that would come in time, she told me at lunch. I was a little disappointed that I didn't have any classes with her, but on the other hand, I was grateful that I didn't have any classes with Emily and Susan either; I don't think I could have handled spending an entire year being in the same room with either of them, especially since things between us were pretty tense right now.

  This should have been a happy day for me, but I knew right after lunch came Old Man Taylor's Science class. I'd heard he was as unpleasant as teachers came, a fact Rhonda confirmed.

  “Not only that,” she said, “but he always pairs boys and girls together as lab partners. I got stuck with some guy I don't even know. He's not a total loser, but I wouldn't go out with someone like that if you handcuffed me to him.” Thanks, Rhonda, now I have that to look forward to too.

  An hour later, I was standing on the outer edge of the Science room with the rest of my classmates. I looked at the guys, wondering who among them might make the best partner. There were about fifteen of them, and there weren't any that I really knew. Most of them were trying – unsuccessfully – not to look nervous, but there was one who looked more uncomfortable than the rest: Joshua Harper.

  We'd been classmates for years, but I'd never really spoken to him. He always ate his lunch alone, and I never saw him during recess. Rhonda had coached me over the summer about which boys were okay to talk to and which ones to avoid, and Joshua was on the “avoid at all costs” list. I was puzzled by this at first, but Rhonda went on to explain that Joshua had some very nasty secrets, and now I just felt really icked out by him. Please, God, let me be paired with anyone else …

  Mr. Taylor called out names, and my classmates took their assigned seats and performed their awkward introductions. Then came my turn. “Eve Devereaux and … Joshua Harper.”

  Dammit. Not even a day into the school year and I have THIS crap to deal with? I have to sit next to the creepy freak for an entire semester? Really?

  “Um … Mr. Taylor?” I asked.

  He looked up from his seating chart, eyeing me with a frown.

  “Can I have another partner?”

  “No, you may not,” he said.

  “Please,” I said, looking at Joshua. He still hadn't looked up. “Anyone else? I'll take anyone but him!” I realized that I sounded like a total bitch, but that was still better than the alternative.

  “Miss Devereaux,” Mr. Taylor said, glowering, “take your seat. Now, please.” Obviously, I wasn't going to change his mind.

  I took my seat at the back table, and Joshua silently sat down next to me. I couldn't believe my bad luck. One of the things I'd heard from Rhonda was that he had some terrible skin condition under his clothes, so I quickly moved my chair as far away from him as I could. He looked at me out of the corner of his eye, but didn't say anything. I have to work with him? Really? Just give me a failing grade right now and get it over with.

  I decided right then and there that I wasn't going to tell Rhonda who my partner was. I'd just lie and say it was some guy I didn't know, someone not on either one of her “lists.” I'd sacrificed a lot to get to this point. I was on the doorstep of popularity, and I wasn't going to let this little freak ruin it.

  Chapter 3

  DAY 2

  JOSHUA

  It didn't take me long to get used to the school routine again. I liked my first period math teacher, Mr. McCann; he actually made algebra interesting. Second period Phys Ed was going to be hard, mostly because Randy was in it with me. He wasn't big like the rest of the bully squad, but what he lacked in height he made up for in meanness, as well as a bad complexion. If there was such a thing as a Zit Fairy, she'd visited Randy's house a lot.

  I ended up with Mrs. Cox for third and fourth periods, where I had English Composition followed by Literature. She was old and cheerless, but at least I got to sit next to David, one of maybe two people who still spoke to me from time to time. After lunch and recess came Mr. Taylor's Science class, and then Social Studies. I was so thankful that neither Brent nor Rhonda were in a single one of my classes. Maybe things were looking up.

  Lunch in the cafeteria consisted of me sitting at a table in the corner where everyone could easily avoid me, the same as it had been for the past few years. I'd tried sitting with my classmates several times, but they'd responded by picking up their lunches and moving somewhere else. I was all about avoiding embarrassment, so sitting alone was the easiest solution.

  Since almost the beginning of fifth grade, one of the things I'd done was to make sure I spent as much of recess period being as invisible as possible. There were supposed to be teachers monitoring us during that time, but there never seemed to be any around when I really needed one. Safety in numbers was not much of a strategy either, as the bully squad never had a problem humiliating me in front of large crowds. In fact, they seemed to prefer it that way.

  The grassy area that served as the playground for the seventh- and eighth-grade classes was huge, big enough for four Little League baseball diamonds or two full-length soccer fields, depending on the time of year. I'd spent most of my recess periods in the last year on the remotest part of the playground: the bleachers next to the diamond on the furthest side of the field, right next to the faculty parking lot. None of the other kids tended to venture out that far, not even the bullies. And since everyone else usually avoided me like the plague anyway, I could just sit there for the whole hour, reading, thinking, or listening to music.

  It was nice. I called it “the Island”; a remote sanctuary amidst a sea of persecution. There were even a couple of really big trees on it for shade. It was good to sit there again; everything was exactly as I remembered it.

  * * *

  In Science class, Wednesdays were when all the students had to work together on a lab project. I figu
red I couldn't get into trouble for talking to Eve if all I talked about was science, but she didn't feel the same way. She just pretended I wasn't there at all, so I ended up having to do the project by myself. Mr. Taylor was watching us the whole time. I got a few points for finishing the assignment, but we got a “D” on our teamwork.

  Sigh. And another great year gets underway.

  Chapter 4

  DAY 2

  EVE

  If anyone from Science class had told Rhonda who my new lab partner was, she didn't mention it at lunch that day. If they had, I hoped I'd handled the situation correctly. Sitting with her and the rest of the popular girls, I was disappointed to learn that the main topic of discussion was Rhonda herself.

  She'd show off some new ridiculously expensive accessory she'd gotten that weekend, and Kendra, Chloe and the rest of the girls would fawn all over her. I was somehow able to find the enthusiasm to do the same, but it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. They never talked about schoolwork or classes. Those things were apparently beneath them.

  When the conversation got too brainless for my ears, I stole glances at Joshua, who ate by himself at the table in the far corner of the cafeteria. I couldn't see his face clearly since he was on the other side of the room, and he wore those hideous thick-rimmed tortoiseshell-colored glasses anyway. It didn't surprise me no one sat with him, after all I'd heard from Rhonda and her friends. They called him things like “Barbie Boy” and “Josh the Rash,” and I'd seen him get jostled around and shoulder-shoved by the larger guys a lot in the last year or so.

  Somehow, I was finding it hard to reconcile all the nasty things I'd heard about him with what I was looking at. He was quiet, yes, perhaps even a little shy, but so was Susan, and there was nothing wrong with her …

  I also stole a look at Susan, who was eating with Emily two tables away. Susan had her back to me, but Emily was facing in my direction. I locked eyes with her, and then turned away when I saw the look of disgust she gave me. Bad idea.

  I turned my attention back to Rhonda, who was looking toward the boys' section. One of the boys had met her gaze, and they were staring at each other. He had muscular arms, unkempt light brown hair, and a perpetual sneer on his face.

  Brent Lasky. The biggest jerk in the whole class. That guy is bad news. No way in hell Rhonda would hang out with someone like that. So why would she be looking at him?

  * * *

  In Science class, sitting next to Joshua was no easier on the second day. We were supposed to be partners, but how could I possibly be expected to work with someone who made my skin crawl?

  However I felt about him, though, he sure knew his stuff. While I just stared into space, he did our lab project all by himself. Mr. Taylor saw this and gave me an occasional disapproving frown. There must be a way out of this …

  * * *

  Later that afternoon, my sisters were still nauseatingly cheerful as we walked home from the bus stop.

  “So, how was your day, beauty queen?” Sophie said as she skipped alongside me, her ponytail flapping back and forth.

  “Don't call me that, Soph,” I said.

  “Why not? You're trying to look like those girls in your dumb fashion magazines, right?”

  I rolled my eyes. “No, I'm just trying to fit in with my new friends, okay?”

  “What happened to your old friends?” Kirsten asked. “They were cool.”

  I sighed. “None of your business.”

  She looked hurt. So did Sophie. “I thought we told each other everything,” Kirsten said.

  I was getting fed up. “Well, things change, Kirsten. When you become a teenager, you'll understand.”

  “Whatever,” she said. Neither of them spoke to me again for the rest of the day.

  * * *

  Sitting in my room that night, all I could think about was how to get out of the mess I was in, but I was coming up empty. This was supposed to be my year. I waited all summer for this. So why aren't I happy right now?

  Chapter 5

  DAY 4

  JOSHUA

  I was heading for the Island after lunch when my week took yet another turn for the worse. I left the cafeteria and ran right into Brent, who had the entire bully squad with him.

  Brent immediately slammed me up against the nearest brick wall, pinning my chest with his muscular arms. I looked around for a faculty member, but all I could see were the four ogres who surrounded me.

  “Hey, dog turd,” Brent said, laughing. “Did you miss us?” One by one, his buddies took turns slapping me in the face. It was a game to them, with the winner being whose slap would make the loudest noise. Brent was the last to go, and he made sure he won that contest. My cheeks were already burning.

  A hundred sarcastic comebacks passed through my head during that agonizing minute, but I just kept quiet and stared at the ground until they were done, like I usually did. Provoking them was the worst thing I could do.

  “We missed you,” Brent added. “But don't worry, we'll let you off easy today.” He laughed again, and then the rest of the bully squad proceeded to give me Indian burns on both arms, which stung like hell. It was warm today, so I hadn't bothered to wear my hoodie, and now my bright red arms were visible for all to see.

  “See?” Brent said, like he'd just done me a huge favor. “That wasn't so bad, right?” He put his arm around my shoulders and whispered, “Don't worry, the good stuff'll come later.”

  I kept silent, still staring at the ground. He then slapped me in the face one more time and left, his buddies trailing behind him.

  * * *

  Sitting on the Island, I could barely move my arms. All I could think about was Brent's threat. The good stuff will come later? Just awesome.

  * * *

  Friday was Test Day in science class. I knew the first chapter pretty well, so I was prepared. For some reason, though, I was worried about Eve, despite how she'd treated me. She hadn't paid much attention during class that week, and was still pouting over the crappy hand fate had dealt her. When we were given our tests, I caught her looking at my arms out of the corner of her eye. I thought she might say something, but she didn't.

  * * *

  I made sure to put on a long-sleeve shirt before sitting down to dinner with my dad and Alyson. The redness had faded from my face, thank goodness, so I didn't have to answer any awkward questions.

  Dinnertime was usually pretty quiet. My dad was a sales rep for some big pharmaceutical company, and he was good at it, but it was definitely not a job I'd ever want to have. I found it almost funny that he was so great at speaking to a room full of strangers, but around my sister and me, he couldn't seem to find the words.

  “Any soccer matches on tonight?” I asked. He usually spent his evenings in his study, checking out some new bit of research or preparing for another potential client meeting. Sometimes, though, we would sit together and watch soccer matches on cable, but that was about all the time we would spend together during the week. We found ways to make it fun, though.

  “Not till Sunday,” he said. “Barcelona takes on Real Madrid.”

  “Nice. Maybe I can pick up a few pointers,” I said.

  I was looking forward to soccer season in October. It was the only team sport I'd ever participated in, and since my dad was also my coach, it meant that I got more father-son time with him. The teams I'd been on had usually consisted of boys that weren't aware of my outcast status, so I was welcomed as part of the team, which was also nice. I just hoped there were no eighth-graders on my team this year, or at least none that would make my life even more difficult.

  “By the way, Mom will be later than usual getting home tonight,” Dad said.

  “Again? Nothing's wrong, is it?” Alyson asked.

  He gave a quick half-smile. “No, nothing's wrong. She's training a new assistant chef this week.”

  Aly and I had always been closer to our mom, but we didn't see much of her now. She'd once had a corporate job, but when her company h
ad hit hard times she'd been forced to find other work. She'd found a new career as a chef in a very upscale restaurant, and she loved it. We were all happy for her, but not having her around the dinner table for six nights a week had left a big hole. At least the meals she prepared for us in advance were always delicious.

  I thought about telling my dad about the incident with the bully squad, but I killed that notion as soon as it entered my head. Back in the fifth grade, I'd told my parents about the teasing and name-calling I'd received from the bullies, but it had been so tame compared to now. Mom and Dad had instructed me to just ignore them, and I would be fine. Little did I know.

  It had happened so gradually; the less I saw of my parents, the less I told them. I'd gotten so used to dealing with things on my own that I couldn't even bring myself to tell them just how bad things had gotten. How could I tell them now? Then I'd have to explain why I didn't tell them before, and that was a conversation I didn't want to have. Ever.

  I've survived this long. I can make it one more year. I hope.

  Chapter 6

  DAY 4

  EVE

  I was finishing my first week as a part of Rhonda's inner circle, and people were starting to treat me differently. Being near Rhonda during lunch and occasionally between classes was paying off, especially since pictures of me and her had popped up all over social media. Classmates that hadn't really noticed me before were now looking at me in a whole new light, most likely because of my new stylish clothes, jewelry and makeup. I felt like a movie star. Okay, maybe not a movie star, but definitely someone higher up the ladder than they were. It felt … well, weird. Guess I just needed more time to get used to it.

  The downside was, conversations with Rhonda and her friends were about as intellectually stimulating as a baloney sandwich. Honestly, do they ever talk about anything besides themselves? And shopping? Being more popular was cool, but I wondered if I was going to die of boredom from all the things Rhonda hadn't told me my elevated status would bring.