“We’re busy,” she said.
“How can he even play kickball?” whispered Callie, who had come up behind her. “I mean—”
Lauren shrugged. “He can kick. He just needs someone to drive his chair.”
“Ball!” said Will again.
“Please?” said Blake. “Just for a bit.”
Lauren looked at their eager faces, then back at Callie. “Want to?” she asked. “Just for a little while? I mean, it’s not like we’re doing much.”
Callie bit her lip. “Okay, why not?” she said after a short pause. “I guess it’s better than sitting around doing nothing.”
Will threw up his hands in joy.
Outside, Callie marked the goals with some bricks they found under the porch. Blake kicked the ball toward Will, and Lauren steered his chair so he could catch it between his feet.
“Go for it,” she whispered.
With a giggle, he let fly with his foot. Callie dodged for the ball, but it sped past her.
“Goal!” Blake shouted.
“A lucky shot,” said Callie. “Okay, game on.”
They kicked the ball back and forth for a while, laughing and stumbling about, until they started to get hungry again.
“You know, I’ve been thinking about that thing we have to write for Mr. Pittman,” said Callie as they sipped lemonade at the kitchen table. “You know how I said I wanted to play football? Dad said there was no point when there really wasn’t a future in it for girls. What about a story about a girl who did play football, and she wouldn’t give it up? Maybe she pretended to be a boy or something, and then when she’d proved she was just as good as everyone else, they had to let her play.”
“Hmm,” said Lauren. “Not bad.”
“I mean, it is an important thing in our family. Connor and the twins play football now, as well as soccer, and I think lots of girls would like to play. They just don’t because girls aren’t supposed to, you know? It’s—like—trying to change people’s attitudes, to accept things that aren’t normal.”
Lauren stared at her. Her gaze flicked back and forth, from Callie to Will. Changing people’s attitudes. Hmm. Maybe Callie was onto something. “Sounds cool,” she said.
“Do you want to work on it with me?” Callie asked.
“Yeah, maybe,” said Lauren. “Hey, do you want to come to the pool with us tomorrow? I’m sure Mom wouldn’t mind.”
“Are you kidding?” said Callie. “Absolutely yes.”
Lauren grinned, feeling lighter than she had for weeks.
Chapter Seven
“So I hear it’s your birthday, Lauren,” said Treena. She dropped onto a bench near the gym, and Maddy sat down next to her. Lauren and Callie were sprawled on the grass in front of them. The ground was wet from the rain, and Lauren could feel the damp seeping into her jeans.
“Yeah, how did you know?”
Treena smirked. “Word gets around. So you’re thirteen?”
“Twelve.”
Treena raised one perfectly shaped eyebrow. “Right. I forgot you’re only in sixth grade.”
Lauren shrugged. She stared off across the school playground. Will and Blake were near the monkey bars. Blake looked her way. Lauren shifted so her back was to them.
“Are you having a party?” said Maddy.
Lauren looked around. “No. I mean—not really.”
Maddy tilted her head. “Callie said you were having a sleepover.”
Lauren’s gaze flew to Callie, who so far hadn’t said a word. Callie looked away, her face flushed.
“Well, yeah,” said Lauren. “Callie is going to sleep over. But it’s not really a party. We’re just going to watch all—”
Callie’s gaze locked on hers, eyes wide.
“Watch what?”
“Movies,” said Lauren quickly. “We’re just going to watch movies.” They’d both agreed a Star Wars marathon wouldn’t be Maddy’s and Treena’s thing.
Maddy was staring intently at her. She nudged Treena with her elbow. “Sounds like fun, doesn’t it, Treen?”
“Absolutely.”
Lauren’s stomach hurt. Her gaze moved from Maddy to Treena and then to Callie. She swallowed.
“I thought…I mean…”
Words tumbled around in her mind. She should invite them. Of course she should invite them. But she couldn’t. The words formed in her head, but it was like there was a dam behind her throat. They wouldn’t come out.
“My parents said I could only have one friend over,” she blurted finally. “I would have invited you. If they’d let me…” The lie trailed off unconvincingly.
Treena raised one eyebrow again. Maddy just stared.
Lauren shrugged. “You know how parents are.”
Maddy’s flat expression widened into a grin.
“Yeah, we know how parents are,” she said. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Believe me, a twelve-year-old’s birthday party wouldn’t have been the highlight of my year,” said Treena. She flicked her hair over her shoulder. “But we can’t let your birthday go by without some sort of celebration, can we?” She looked around, then grinned at Maddy and Callie and stood up. “I know. Let’s go to the 7-Eleven. I’ll get you a Slurpee or a chocolate bar or something.”
“Perfect,” said Maddy, jumping up. “I’m starving.”
“What?” said Lauren, clambering to her feet. “You mean now?”
“Sure, it’s not far,” said Treena.
Lauren looked over the fence toward the 7-Eleven on the other side of the park. Her heart started to thump.
“We’re not supposed to leave the school grounds.”
Treena rolled her eyes. “I knew she’d be too chicken to go for it.”
“I’m not chicken,” said Lauren.
“Then what’s the problem?” Both of Treena’s eyebrows were up this time, demanding an answer.
Lauren looked toward the playground. She thought she could hear Will laughing.
“Come on,” said Callie. “It won’t take long. We’ll be back before anyone misses us.”
“Unless we stand here talking about it for the next half hour,” said Maddy, hands on her hips.
Lauren still hesitated, and Treena sighed dramatically. “Well, I’m going,” she said, turning away. “Maddy? You coming?”
“You know it,” said Maddy. They glanced around quickly and then ducked behind the gym.
“Come on, Lauren,” said Callie. “We won’t get in trouble. No one will know we’ve left.” She took Lauren’s hand and pulled her around the corner. “It’s your birthday. They want to do something special for you.”
Lauren let herself be dragged toward the edge of the school grounds. Her instinct was to go back, but Maddy and Treena had stopped at the gate. They were waiting for them.
“Are you coming or not?”
Lauren glanced over her shoulder. The sounds of the playground were dim. She couldn’t hear any shouts or calls or voices yelling out for them. Maybe no one would notice they were gone.
“All right,” she said. “But we have to come straight back.”
It wasn’t far to the 7-Eleven, but Maddy and Treena seemed in no hurry. They slowed right down once they were out of sight of the school. Lauren trailed along behind them, listening to Callie’s chatter, her palms sweaty and her heart racing.
The lady behind the counter didn’t seem surprised to see them. In fact, she obviously knew Treena and asked how her brother was doing in high school. They chatted for a few minutes while Lauren stood shifting from foot to foot, biting the inside of her cheek.
“I haven’t had one of these in ages,” Maddy said once they were outside. She ripped off a chunk of the chocolate-covered donut she’d chosen and popped it into her mouth. Her eyes rolled back in appreciation.
“My dad makes amazing donuts,” said Callie.
“Your dad’s a pastry chef,” said Maddy. “I’ve been to one of his Sunday brunches at The Grand. He makes great everything.”
>
“That’s true,” said Callie, laughing.
Treena sipped her diet soda. “I don’t know how you’re not the size of a hippo, with a dad who’s a pastry chef.”
Callie shrugged. “It’s not like he’s making stuff at home all the time.” She grinned. “We only get the rejects.”
Lauren nibbled at the edge of her chocolate bar. Her throat felt tight, and it was hard to swallow. “Shouldn’t we be getting back?” she said.
Treena pulled out her phone and checked the time. “I guess we should. Don’t want you to get detention on your birthday, do we?”
Maddy and Callie laughed, and Lauren smiled weakly. She was glad when they turned back up the hill toward the school.
The bell was ringing as they entered the gates, and they filed in with the rest of the kids, pushing their way through to make it up the stairs before Mr. Pittman. As she slipped into her seat, Byron McAfee gave her a long look. Then he lifted his hand and rubbed the corner of his lip slowly and deliberately.
Lauren touched her face. Her fingers came away covered in chocolate. She wiped the back of her hand across her lips, making sure all the evidence was gone. When she looked back, Byron had his head buried in a book. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
Chapter Eight
Lauren looked at the clock on the wall for the fifth time in as many minutes. One thirty. It was a dull, gray day, and Lauren felt about as dark as the sky she could see outside the classroom window. She’d been staring at the blank page in her notebook for the last twenty minutes. They were supposed to be working on their writing projects, but her brain was refusing to cooperate.
“Are you coming, Lauren?”
Lauren looked up to see Treena standing over her, Maddy and Callie on either side. She tried not to scowl. Ever since her birthday, seeing Treena reminded Lauren of the trip off the school grounds. And the lie she’d told her mom when she got home. It turned out Will had been looking for her during recess. He had wanted to sing “Happy Birthday” to her. He’d been practicing with Blake for days.
“Coming where?”
Treena rolled her eyes. “To the design presentation.”
It was Career Day, and the school had organized several presentations and guest speakers. Maddy’s mom was giving a speech about working at a law firm, and Callie’s dad was doing a cooking demonstration. The fashion-design presentation was one of the most popular events. It was being organized by Treena’s mom, who was a friend of the designer.
“Actually,” said Lauren, “I thought I’d go to the library for the author talk.” Callie was coming as well—at least, that’s what they’d decided on the way to school that morning.
Treena raised her eyebrow. “The author talk? Are you a budding writer now too?” The way she said it did not sound like she was impressed.
Lauren flushed, her gaze flicking to Callie. “No. We—I mean, I just thought I might get some tips for our writing project.”
“You’re taking that thing way too seriously, Lauren,” said Maddy. “Just scribble something down.”
“It’s not that easy.”
“Come on, Lauren,” said Callie. “They’ve set up a catwalk and everything. It’ll be fun.”
Lauren glared at her. They’d agreed to go to the author talk. Now Callie was backing out on her?
“Nah, I think I’ll stick with the author thing,” she said, looking down at her book. She was trying hard not to say something she would regret.
“She’s a lost cause,” said Maddy. “Let’s go.” She turned abruptly and walked away.
Callie hesitated for only a second, then followed Maddy and Treena out the door. Lauren stared after her.
What was going on? Callie and Lauren had agreed that the author talk would be a great way to get some ideas for their play. And they’d planned to work on it after school. Why was Callie going to listen to a fashion designer and watch girls strut around like Barbie dolls? It wasn’t like she had any interest in becoming a designer or a model or anything.
Lauren put away her pen and ruler and looked up to see Byron McAfee staring at her. She scowled at him. It was bad enough to be humiliated by her supposed best friend. She didn’t need an audience as well. She slammed her notebook shut and packed up her stuff.
She didn’t belong here. She’d known she wouldn’t fit in even before they moved. She belonged at home in Ash Creek, with her friends. She should be going to Kat’s after school, not to Callie’s.
Lauren threw her backpack over her shoulder and stormed out of the classroom. She wanted to spin on the tire swing in Kat’s front yard until she almost threw up. She wanted to have hot chocolate and cookies on Isabel’s deck, and sleepovers at Gemma’s. She wanted life to be normal again.
Lauren reached the bottom of the stairs and turned toward the library. At the end of the hallway, Will’s class was filing outside, with Will at the head of the line, his chair being pushed by one of the other kids. Will’s arms were flying about like a windmill gone haywire. At least someone’s enjoying himself, she thought bitterly.
She sat through the author talk, trying to concentrate on what he was saying. He had some great stories about how he got his ideas. But her mind kept drifting. It was hard to put Callie out of her mind. She noticed that Byron was sitting on the other side of the library, taking notes. Great. She left as soon as the talk was over.
“Lauren!”
Lauren was tempted to keep going, but she stopped and waited for Callie to catch up.
“What do you want?” she asked, folding her arms across her chest.
“I thought we were going to work on the play,” said Callie. “What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong?” Lauren couldn’t believe it. “How can you ask that?”
Callie frowned. “You’re not mad about the author talk, are you?”
Lauren shook her head and marched down the hall.
“You are!” said Callie, trotting after her. “What’s the big deal?”
Lauren kept walking. “We talked about it this morning,” she said. “You promised you’d come to the author talk with me.”
“Well, yeah…but Treena really wanted to go to the design presentation.”
“So?” said Lauren. “No one was stopping her.”
“I know, but…”
Lauren stopped and turned to face her. “But what?”
Callie bit her lip. “It was really important to her. Fashion is her thing, you know? Plus her mom organized it and everything. She wanted me to see it.” She shrugged. “I thought you wouldn’t mind, that you’d come too.”
“To a fashion show? Really?”
“Sorry,” said Callie. She actually looked sorry too.
Lauren sighed. “We really need to get going on that play. Do you still want me to come over?”
Callie’s face brightened. “For sure.”
“All right,” said Lauren.
“Did you know that Treena was asked if she wanted to model for the presentation?” asked Callie, dodging as a kid ran past. “Only her mom wouldn’t let her because she said Treena only takes jobs that pay, like the catalog shots she did last year.”
It was as if Callie had completely forgotten everything that had happened. It wasn’t quite as easy for Lauren. She couldn’t help but think that Kat would never have let her down like that. Kat would have known she wouldn’t be caught dead at a fashion parade. And she also would have known how important it was for her to do a good job on a school assignment.
They turned the corner, and Lauren saw Blake wheeling Will out of his classroom. He waved at them and headed in their direction.
“Come on,” said Callie. “Let’s go.” She pulled her toward the exit.
Lauren opened her mouth to protest and then closed it again. Treena and Maddy were standing near the door. Maddy was talking to someone on her cell phone. She didn’t look happy and turned her back when she saw them. Lauren hesitated, glancing back at Blake and Will. Her stomach clenched as she sa
w Blake speed up to catch them. She quickly turned and followed Callie out the door.
“See you tomorrow,” Treena said as they walked by.
“Yeah, see ya,” said Lauren. She’d never felt worse in her life.
Chapter Nine
Callie leaped down her front steps and ran over to Lauren, who had told her mom and Will to keep going up the hill to school. “Fifty dollars! Can you believe it?”
Lauren laughed. Callie was so excited. “What are you talking about?”
“I got fifty dollars for my birthday, from my nan,” said Callie. “She always sends us money for our birthdays. Usually it’s twenty dollars, and last year I bought that Chewbacca figure I have in my collection. But fifty!” She spun around and did a little dance. “I’m going to get some new jeans. I begged Mom to get me a cool pair I saw, but she bought me some cheap no-name ones instead. Said she wasn’t going to spend all that money just for a label. Can you believe it?”
Lauren shook her head. “If I had fifty dollars, I wouldn’t be spending it on a pair of jeans.”
“But these ones are so in,” said Callie. “Maddy wears them all the time. They look awesome.”
“Yeah, but Maddy’s stepdad is super rich. You can bet she didn’t spend her own money on them,” said Lauren.
Callie shrugged. “Probably not. But still, she always looks amazing. I have to have them. Want to come to the mall with me on Saturday? I want to get them before my party. And we could go to that comic shop afterward.”
“That sounds like fun,” said Lauren.
A door slammed behind them, and Lauren turned to see some of Callie’s brothers racing down the stairs. Blake was at the back of the pack, but he pushed past the twins and ran ahead. Lauren watched him race up the hill, his backpack bouncing wildly, only stopping when he’d caught up to Will.
Seeing them, the lump in Lauren’s stomach grew just a little bit, as it did each time she saw them at school and chose to ignore them. She turned away and tried to concentrate on what Callie was saying.
Saturday afternoon, Lauren was back in front of Callie’s house. She knocked on the door.
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