by Mimi McCoy
Anna struggled to her feet, even though the movement made her head swim. Dory put a hand on her arm to steady her. “Are you sure you’re okay? Maybe we should call your mom —”
“I’m fine, Dory,” Anna snapped, shaking off her arm. “Just leave me alone!”
She turned on her heel and stormed out of the room.
Out in the hallway, her tears started to flow. How could I have been so stupid? She’d been so desperate to be accepted that she’d only made a fool of herself. Jessamyn and her crew were probably somewhere laughing their heads off right now. The thought made Anna sick.
She hurried toward the exit, swiping at the tears with the edge of her sleeve. The last bell had long since rung, and the other students were gone. She was halfway to the main doors when she heard footsteps echoing in the hall close behind her.
“Dory, I told you, leave me alone!” Anna cried, spinning around.
But there was no one there. The hallway was empty.
“I was just starting to wonder where you were,” Anna’s mother said as Anna came through the door later that afternoon.
Mrs. Dipalo was standing at the kitchen sink, still dressed in her nurse’s uniform. Canned tomatoes and a box of spaghetti sat out on the counter, and a pot of water was starting to boil on the stove.
“I was over at Dory’s,” Anna lied. In truth, she’d been walking around for hours, too upset to go home. Now she kept her eyes to the ground. She didn’t want her mother to see she’d been crying.
Her mother sighed heavily. “You know I like you to call me when you’re going to be late.”
“I guess I lost track of the time,” Anna mumbled. She edged around her mother and headed for the door.
Her mother looked up from the lettuce she was rinsing. “Honey, you okay?”
Anna pretended not to hear. She escaped the kitchen and slowly climbed the stairs to her room. Shutting the door, she lay down on her bed, curled up on her side. She ran her fingers over the sore bump on her head, feeling sick and angry all over again.
Why me? she asked herself. Why had Jessamyn picked her to taunt, out of all the kids at school? Anna knew she wasn’t the coolest kid at Wilson, but she wasn’t the biggest nerd, either.
Was she?
Anna considered this carefully. There were lots of cliques at school, but Anna really didn’t fall into any of them. It had always been just her and Dory, best friends ever since kindergarten. When they started middle school, it was almost like nothing had changed.
But things have changed, Anna thought. Middle school wasn’t anything like grade school. At Wilson things mattered — like what you wore and what you said and where you sat in the cafeteria at lunchtime. And who you hung out with.
The more Anna thought about what had happened, the more it was Dory she felt angry with. When Dory had said, “But why would Jessamyn want you to join a club?” Anna was sure there had been a sneer in her voice. And that pitying look Dory had given her when it turned out she’d been right all along — ooh! That really burned her up!
Anna’s brain went around and around in these thoughts until she was all worn out. At some point she heard the phone ring. When her father knocked on the door to say Dory was calling, she pretended to be asleep. Later, when he came to tell her dinner was ready, she really was asleep. She was barely aware of him taking off her shoes and turning out the light before she dozed off for good.
Chapter Three
“I had a great idea this morning!” Dory said the next day as she and Anna took their seats in their fourth-period science class. “The sun and the moon.”
“What are you talking about?” Anna grumbled. All morning she had been acting cold toward Dory. But, much to her irritation, Dory hadn’t seemed to notice.
“Our Halloween costume,” Dory said. “We can be the sun and the moon. We’ll paint our faces gold and silver and wear colors to look like the daytime and nighttime sky. It will be easy!”
“Don’t you think we’re getting a little old for all that? Dressing up in stupid matching costumes?” Anna said harshly. She didn’t really think the sun and moon idea was stupid, but she was in a rotten mood, and it just came out.
Dory blinked. Finally, she seemed to notice that something was wrong. “Are you mad at me or something?” she asked Anna.
Instead of replying, Anna turned her head and looked out the window. It was a warm, sunny day — a last brilliant burst of Indian summer — and Anna longed to be outside. Or anywhere else, for that matter.
That morning, another note had landed on her desk in English class. Anna had unfolded it to see Jessamyn’s neat, even handwriting.
You are a loser.
If you tell anyone you will be sorry.
Anna hadn’t showed the note to Dory this time. She’d shoved it into the back of her English book and stared straight ahead, making her face into a mask. She hadn’t wanted to give Jessamyn the satisfaction of seeing her upset.
But all morning tears kept pricking at the backs of her eyes. It was the “loser” part that hurt most. Anna knew there was no one in the world she’d ever be able to tell that to. She felt completely alone.
She was so caught up in her thoughts, she barely noticed when Mr. Cooper, the science teacher, began to pass out scissors, rubber gloves, aprons, and safety goggles. So when a metal tray with a dead frog in it landed on her lab table, Anna jumped back in alarm.
“What’s going on?” she asked Dory.
“Weren’t you listening?” said Dory. “We’re dissecting frogs in class this week.”
Anna and Dory gazed down at the stiff, rubbery body of their science experiment. Up at the front of the room, Mr. Cooper was explaining how to pin the frog down so they could cut it open. Anna felt her stomach heave.
Around them, the other students had started to get to work. But neither Dory nor Anna could get up the nerve to touch the frog.
Dory’s small face looked as white as a sheet of paper. “You know more about this stuff than I do,” she told Anna. “Your mom works in a hospital.”
“My mom works with people, not frogs,” Anna retorted. “Why don’t you do it? You’re the one who likes science, with your rock collection and everything.”
“Those are rocks,” Dory replied. “This is a dead frog.”
Mr. Cooper was strolling around the room, looking at everyone’s work. He stopped next to Anna’s table. “What’s going on here, girls? Why are you just standing around?”
“Um …” Anna and Dory exchanged glances.
“Hey, Mr. C!” a boy called from the next lab table over.
To Anna’s relief, the teacher turned. “Yes, Benny?” “Yo, I don’t think it’s fair,” said Benny. The teacher looked at him patiently. “What isn’t fair?”
“That everybody should have to dissect frogs,” Benny replied. “I mean, it’s pretty nasty. And, you know, how does this prepare us for life? Unless we all grow up to be frog butchers.”
This remark caused snickers. “Yeah, I got some frog legs cheap over here. Who wants a frog steak?” a boy at another table shouted out.
Around them, kids were laughing. Dory rolled her eyes. “Benny Riveras is such a smart aleck,” she murmured to Anna.
Benny might have been a smart aleck, Anna thought, but he was awfully cute, with his thick black hair and his long eyelashes.
“You don’t have to dissect the frog, Benny,” Mr. Cooper told him, ignoring his last comment. “If you object on the grounds that it’s, as you say, ‘nasty,’ you can write a paper instead.”
“A paper?” Benny asked skeptically.
Mr. Cooper nodded. “A two-page paper explaining the digestive and circulatory systems of an amphibian.”
That was enough to shut Benny up. He glanced over at Anna and shrugged as if to say, “What can you do?” For the first time that morning, Anna smiled.
“Mr. Cooper, can anyone write the paper?” Dory asked suddenly.
“Well, yes,” said the teacher, sounding surprise
d. Clearly, he wasn’t used to anyone choosing this option. “You will need to cite at least three different sources. You can’t just copy from the encyclopedia,” he added, as if he thought that might change her mind.
But Dory didn’t hesitate. “I’ll take the paper,” she said quickly.
“All right then.” The teacher nodded. “I’ll get you a pass for the library.”
“Are you crazy?” Benny said to Dory as the teacher went to write out the pass. “He said two whole pages. You must really love homework.”
Dory ignored him. “Tell Mr. Cooper you want to write the paper, too,” she urged Anna.
Anna hesitated. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Benny watching her.
“I’m staying,” Anna decided. After all, what kind of nerd would choose to write a paper when she didn’t have to?
But Dory didn’t hear her. She was waving at the teacher, trying to get his attention. “Mr. Cooper, Anna needs a library pass, too!” she called out.
“I don’t want a library pass. I don’t want to write the paper.” Anna slammed her hand down in frustration. It caught the edge of the metal tray, flipping the frog onto the table. Dory jumped back with a little gasp.
“Geez, Anna, it’s already dead. You don’t have to kill it,” Benny said, laughing.
“Here’s your pass, Dory,” Mr. Cooper said, coming back to their table.
Dory took the pass and headed for the door, casting a bewildered glance over her shoulder at Anna. Then the door closed behind her with a soft click. So long, sucker! Anna thought.
But her small victory was short-lived. As she turned back to the table, she realized she still had a frog to dissect. And now she was going to have to do it alone.
Toughen up! Anna told herself. She was never going to make it through junior high if she kept acting like such a wimp.
Anna gritted her teeth. She picked up the knife.
As she leaned toward the frog, the room began to spin. There was a chemical smell in the air, and her vision started to tunnel.
“Mr. Cooper, Anna looks sick!” Benny called to the teacher.
The teacher took one look at her and ordered, “Go to the nurse’s office!” Anna didn’t need to be told twice. She dropped the knife and bolted from the room.
Out in the hallway, she stopped and leaned against a row of lockers. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. The metal lockers felt cool against her skin, and after a few moments she started to feel better.
“Escaped, huh?” said a voice in front of her.
Anna’s eyes flew open. A girl she’d never seen before was standing in the hallway, watching her. Where did she come from? Anna wondered. She hadn’t heard anyone approach. It was as if the girl had appeared out of thin air.
“What?” Anna asked, startled.
“You blowing off class?” The girl had a pale face half-hidden behind a tangle of long dark hair. She was wearing skinny jeans and a black hooded sweatshirt. Her hands were shoved into the deep front pockets.
She came closer. “Don’t you talk?”
Anna stared. The girl had silver eyes.
No, not quite silver, Anna thought, looking closer. They were actually a pale shade of blue-gray, as cold and flat as metal discs.
“I’m not ditching, if that’s what you mean,” she said, finding her voice. “I got sick in class.”
“School makes me sick, too.” The girl cocked her head. The gesture was so familiar that Anna couldn’t help feeling she’d met her somewhere before. “So, you want to get out of here?”
“What?” Again, Anna was startled.
“'What? What?’” the girl mimicked, but she didn’t sound mean. “Is that all you say? I asked if you want to get out of here. You know, ditch.”
Anna couldn’t believe she was having this conversation with a total stranger. Clearly, the girl was nuts. But something — curiosity, maybe — kept Anna from walking away. “We can’t leave,” she said. “It’s against the rules.”
“Your teacher thinks you’re in the nurse’s office, and the nurse won’t know one way or the other,” the girl pointed out.
It dawned on Anna that she was right. She could walk right out, and no one would be any wiser. “But what about you?” she asked.
The girl smiled, and once again Anna was struck by the feeling she knew her. “Don’t worry about me. I never get in trouble,” the girl said. Without waiting for Anna, she turned and started toward the exit.
“Wait! What’s your name?” Anna asked, hurrying to catch up with her.
The girl gave her a strange look. “Emma,” she said, as if it was obvious, and pushed open the door.
The minute she stepped outside, Anna felt better. The fresh air washed away the last of her queasiness, and the sunlight warmed her clammy skin.
“So, where are we going?” Anna asked when they were a block or so from school.
“Wherever we want,” Emma replied.
They continued down the street. At first, Anna was too nervous to enjoy herself. She was afraid she would run into someone she knew, one of her parents’ friends maybe, who would ask why she wasn’t in school. But the people they passed hurried by without giving them a second glance, and gradually Anna relaxed. She had never before in her life skipped school. The feeling of freedom was new and thrilling.
Not far from the school, they came to a little park, with a few benches, an old slide and swing set, and several pigeons. At 10:45 in the morning, it was empty.
“Hey, I’ve been here before!” Anna said. “I used to come here when I was a little kid. I forgot about this place.”
She made a beeline over to the swing set and sat down on a swing. Emma took the swing next to hers.
“So, are you new at Wilson?” Anna asked as she gently rocked back and forth.
Emma nodded. “You could say that.”
“I don’t think I’ve seen you in the cafeteria. Who do you sit with?”
Emma shrugged in a way that could either have meant she had lots of different friends, or that she didn’t care to have any. “Who are your friends?” she asked, fixing Anna with those strange silver eyes.
A chill ran across Anna’s skin, as if a cloud had crossed the sun. She glanced up at the sky, but it was clear and blue. Emma was still looking at her, waiting for an answer.
“Well … Dory,” Anna replied. “Dory Welch. She’s my best friend, I guess.”
Emma raised her eyebrows. “You guess?”
Anna sighed and kicked at the ground beneath the swing. “I don’t know … lately, she kind of bugs me.
She thinks she’s so smart,” Anna complained, remembering the I-told-you-so look on Dory’s face the day before. “She thinks she knows everything. But she doesn’t. She doesn’t get junior high at all.” She wasn’t sure why she was telling a stranger this. But Emma was listening with interest.
“And she’s a total klutz,” Anna said, warming up to her subject. “She’s always tripping over stuff. And she’s kind of a wimp. Like today, she chose to write a paper instead of dissecting a frog in science class. Can you believe that? A two-page paper.”
“It doesn’t sound like she’s really your friend,” Emma pointed out.
“Yeah. No. I don’t know.” Anna shook her head. “Maybe I just need a break from Dory right now.”
Emma smiled in reply and began to swing.
Anna began to swing, too, pumping her feet hard to try to catch up with Emma. Back and forth they went, climbing higher and higher, until they were swinging so high that the chains went slack at the top of each arc, then snapped taut again as they swung down.
“Now jump!” Emma cried suddenly, and a second later she was sailing through the air.
Anna let go, too. Her stomach dropped as her heart soared. She was flying!
She landed feet-first in the bark around the swing set, then dropped to her knees and rolled to one side. Emma was lying on the ground, too. They both started to laugh.
“I’ve n
ever done that before,” Anna admitted. “I’ve never had the nerve.”
“Stick with me,” Emma said. “You’ll be surprised what you can do.”
“You know, I keep feeling like I’ve met you somewhere before,” Anna said. “Isn’t that funny? What’s your last name?”
“Diablo,” Emma replied. “ ’Cause I’m devilish. You’d better watch out.” She wiggled her eyebrows wickedly, which set them off laughing again.
“Hey!” Anna said suddenly, noticing a flash of silver on Emma’s finger. “Let me see your ring.”
Emma stretched out her left hand. The ring on her pinky finger was silver, and set with a fire opal. “Do you like it?”
“You’re not going to believe this, but I had one just like it when I was a kid. It was my favorite thing. I don’t know what happened to it. I lost it, I guess.” She admired the ring, twisting it so the opal glimmered in the sunlight. “Where did you get it?”
“An old friend gave it to me,” Emma replied.
Anna shook her head. “What a crazy coincidence.”
They swung on the swings for a while longer, tipping their heads back to admire the deep blue sky. Finally, Anna checked her watch. “We’d better get back. Fourth period is almost over.”
“But it’s lunchtime now,” Emma pointed out. “Why go back? Nobody will miss us.”
With the lunch money in her pocket, Anna bought a sandwich in a little deli across the street from the park. They split it, eating on a park bench, and talked. They discovered that they both hated pickles; they both liked Coke, root beer, and 7UP (in that order); and blue was their favorite color (though Anna liked light blue and Emma preferred dark). By the time they started back to school, Anna felt like she’d known Emma her whole life.
On the way back, they pretended to be spies, ducking behind bushes and peering around corners as they sneaked into the school yard. Anna was giggling hysterically by the time she made it to her locker. She knew one thing for certain: Emma was destined to be her friend.
