Pete, Howie, Rick, Dori, Emily, and Stacey. But no Claudia.
So. Claudia and Stacey hadnât made up, either.
I scanned the lunchroom and finally found Claudia. She was sitting with Trevor Sandbourne. Just the two of them. Trevor is this boy she likes and goes out with sometimes. Claudia was leaning on her elbows, her hair falling over her shoulders, whispering to Trevor. He was listening with a smile on his face. They looked very private and very cozy.
I edged around a crowded table toward the one where Kristy and I always sit with the Shillaber twins, Mariah and Miranda. It was a round tablewith four chairs, perfect for our little group. But halfway there, I stopped. Kristy and the twins were already at the table. They had spread their lunches everywhere so that there wasnât an inch of available space. Furthermore, theyâd removed the fourth chair, or lent it to a crowded table, or something. It didnât matter what. The point was that they hadnât saved a place for me.
I watched my friends for a moment. Kristy was facing me. She was talking away a mile a minute and Mariah and Miranda were giggling.
Kristy glanced up and saw me. She began talking even more earnestly. Then she gestured for the twins to lean toward her, and she made a great show of whispering in their ears and laughing loudly.
I turned around.
Suddenly, I felt like a new kid at school. I didnât know who else to sit with. Ever since middle school began, Iâd been eating with Kristy, Mariah, and Miranda.
I knew that if Kristy were in my shoes, sheâd just join some other group of kids, even if she didnât know them very well. But Iâd die of embarrassment first. I could never do that.
I walked around the cafeteria until I found an empty table. I plopped down in a chair andopened my lunch bag. Since I pack my own lunch, I never have to eat things I donât like, such as liver-wurst sandwiches. On the other hand, there are never any surprises. Treats, yes; surprises, no.
I spread a paper napkin on the table and arranged my lunch on it: peanut butter sandwich, apple juice in a box, potato chips, banana. I looked it over and realized I wasnât hungry.
I was still staring at it when a voice next to me said, âExcuse me, could I sit here?â
I glanced up. Standing uncertainly by my side was a tall girl with the blondest hair I had ever seen. It was so pale it was almost white, and it hung, straight and silky, to her rear end.
âSure,â I said, waving my hand at all the empty chairs.
She sat down with a sigh, placing a tray in front of her. I looked at her lunch and decided I was glad I had brought mine. I knew Stacey and Claudia think Kristy and I are babies because we still bring our lunches to school, but the macaroni casserole on the girlâs tray looked really disgusting. And it was surrounded by mushy, bright orange carrots, a limp salad, and a roll that youâd need a chain saw to slice.
The girl smiled shyly at me. âYou must be new, too,â she said.
âNew?â I blushed. Why else would I be sitting alone? âOh,â I stammered, âum, no. Itâs just â my friends are all ⦠absent today.â
âOh.â The girl sounded disappointed.
âAre â are you new?â I asked after a moment.
She nodded. âThis is my second day here. Nobody ever wants the new kid to sit at their table. And I feel embarrassed sitting alone. I thought Iâd found the perfect solution â another new kid.â
I smiled. âWell, I donât mind if you sit with me. Even if Iâm not new.â
The girl smiled back. She wasnât exactly pretty, I decided, but she was pleasant, which was more important. Especially considering three
un
pleasant people I could think of.
âMy nameâs Dawn,â she said. âDawn Schafer.â
âDawn,â I repeated. âThatâs such a pretty name. Iâm Mary Anne