Chapter six
In each class, I had to wait for the teacher to tell me where to sit. Once everyone got over the initial shock of seeing my face, they made small talk with me. Asking questions like, “How are you?” and saying things like, “I’m so glad you’re back.”
Only half of them sounded sincere.
School didn’t turn out to be a problem. It took me a couple of minutes to figure out where we were in each class, but the material wasn’t outside the realm of my understanding. Veronica was in my English class, and she tugged me into the seat beside her.
Leaning across the tiny aisle, she plucked at the sleeve on my cardigan. “Did you wake up late this morning?”
“No. Why?”
Her eyes drifted over me. “It’s just what you’re wearing isn’t really...”
“Cute,” suggested Candy, tossing her bleached hair over one shoulder. “I mean, it’s great for the weekend, but I know for a fact you have cuter clothes in your closet.”
“We totally covet your closet, actually.” Veronica giggled as she rapped her nails on her desk. “Okay, we also covet Del.”
“Oh, girl, don’t we ever.” Candy fanned her cheeks. “He said he was coming over yesterday. Did he?”
“Yeah, he stopped over.” I dug out my necklace, showing them. “He gave this back to me. I left it at his house.”
Veronica’s lips twitched before she plastered a huge smile on her face. “Was it hard? Seeing him when you ... don’t remember him?”
I nodded. “It was different, but we got ... caught up.”
Candy glanced at Veronica knowingly. “I bet you guys did.”
My brows shot up. “Not in that way. Jeez, he’s kind of like a stranger to me.”
Veronica didn’t miss a beat. “I was talking to Trey this morning, and he said Del was pretty happy after seeing you. That’s good news, right?”
“Yeah, about ... Trey, how is he doing?”
Like a switch being thrown, both girls’ faces went blank. “What do you mean?” asked Veronica.
“He’s dating Cassie, right? Is he doing okay?”
Two seats ahead, a boy with black hair snorted and twisted around. His face was ghastly pale. Thick black eyeliner curved around slanted eyes. “Trey is doing great. He practically had his tongue down her throat in homeroom.” He pointed at Candy with one nail coated in black fingernail polish. “That must be his coping mechanism.”
Candy’s tanned cheeks turned a mottled shade of red, but Veronica leaned forward. Her chest nearly spilled out of her lowcut sweater. It had no effect on Goth Boy.
“Look, Pham or Long Duck, whatever your name is, turn around. This conversation doesn’t involve you. And maybe you’re just jealous.” Her eyes were locked on him like lasers set to destroy. “Maybe you wish Trey had his tongue down your throat.”
“Veronica,” I gasped, embarrassed for the kid and her.
Without another word, the boy flipped in his seat. The back of his neck turned bloodred. I twisted toward Veronica, but she was smiling at Candy.
“It’s not my fault that he wants to be me,” she said, winking.
Candy giggled.
Anger whipped through me, but the teacher ambled in, starting class. I might not have known who I was, but I knew what Veronica had done was wrong. When the bell rang, I grabbed my belongings and hurried out of the class, ignoring Veronica’s and Candy’s attempts to get my attention.
I caught up to the boy, grabbing his arm. “Look, I’m really sorry about that.”
Goth Boy was shorter than me, and he had to tip his head back to meet my gaze. Even then, I could barely see his eyes through the dyed hair. “Excuse me?”
“I said, I’m sorry about the way they acted. That wasn’t right.”
His rounded cheeks turned ruddy as he jerked his arm back. “Seriously?” He laughed. Kids moved past us. Some stopped and stared, openmouthed. “This is priceless. The queen bitch is apologizing for her baby bitches. Whatever. Don’t talk to me.” He left me standing in the middle of the hall, mouth hanging open. A high-pitched snicker cut through the haze. A shiver of awareness whispered its way down my spine. I turned to the right, the source of the sound blocked by a chorus of shifting, moving bodies.
Catching a glimpse of a satiny red dress and black tights and deep auburn hair, I felt my heart stutter in my chest. A mocking laugh raised the hairs on my arms.
Then I saw her. She stood beside the water fountain, her pouty lips painted to match her dress—not the same dress as in the picture I carried with me. Something—something was wrong with the dress.
I took a step forward, right into the path of a bulky guy. He laughed, catching my shoulders before I toppled over backward. “Watch out, Sammy. Don’t want to send you back to the hospital.”
“Sorry,” I murmured, darting around him.
The space beside the fountain was empty.
Smoothing a hand over my forehead and through my hair, I spun around and hurried toward my bio class. Aiming for a table in the back, I took my seat and started rummaging around in my bag as my breath came out in short gasps.