Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg
CHAPTER ONE
I was probably the first kid ever excited for summer to be
over. There was too much free time that summer, which
can lead to too much thinking, especially for a loss-stricken
eleven-year-old. I couldn’t wait for seventh grade to start.
To dive into schoolwork. To distract myself from the loneli—
est facts. At one point, I regretted turning down Dad’s offer
to spend the summer in Ireland with Mom’s family. But I
knew that if I went, there would be reminders of her everywhere. Not like there wasn’t one every time I looked in the
mirror.
So the only escape I had was school. When I got the mes—
sage that I was to report to the main office before class, I was worried I’d be faced with another year of forced visits with
the school counselor, looks of pity from my fellow classmates,
and well-meaning but oblivious faculty members who kept
telling me it was “important to keep her memory alive.”
Like I could ever forget her.
I wasn’t ready for any additional drama that morning. It
was already the first day of a new school year since.
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“Do you want me to go with you, Macallan?” Emily asked
after I received my summons to the office. A tight smile on
her face gave away the concern she thought she was hiding.
“No, it’s okay,” I replied. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”
She studied me for a second before adjusting my hair clip.
“Well, if you need me, I’ll be in Mr. Nelson’s class.”
I gave her a reassuring smile and kept it on my face as I
entered the office.
Principal Blaska greeted me with a hug. “Welcome back,
Macallan! How was your summer?”
“Great!” I lied.
We both stared at each other, neither knowing what to
say next.
“Well, I’m going to need your assistance today with a new
student. Meet Levi Rodgers — he’s from Los Angeles!”
I looked over and saw this boy with long blond hair pulled
into a low ponytail. His hair was even longer than mine. He
tucked a loose strand behind his ear before he reached out
his hand and said, “Hey.”
I had to give him credit — at least he had manners . . . for
a surfer dude.
Principal Blaska handed me his schedule. “Could you
show him around and take him to his first class?”
“Of course.”
I led Levi out into the hallway and started giving him the
five-cent tour. I wasn’t in the mood to play What’s Your Life Story?
“The building is basically in the shape of a T. Down this
hallway you have your math, science, and history classes.” I
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started motioning my arms like a flight attendant. “Then
behind you, English and languages classes as well as study
hall.” I started walking fast. “And there’s the gym, cafeteria, music, and art rooms. Oh, and there are bathrooms at the
end of each hall as well as a bubbler.”
His eyebrows shot up. “What’s a bubbler?”
My immediate reaction was one of disbelief. How could he
not know what a bubbler is?
“Um, where you can get water. To drink.” I walked him
over to it and turned the handle for the water to come out of
the spout.
“Oh, you mean a water fountain.”
“Yes. Water fountain, bubbler — whatever.”
He laughed. “I’ve never heard it called a bubbler before.”
My response was to walk faster.
As his eyes swept the hallway, I noticed they were light
blue, almost gray. “It’s so weird,” he went on. “You could fit
this entire school in my old school’s cafeteria.” His voice went up at the end of everything he said, like it was a question.
“It’s, like, going to be a lot to adjust to, ya know?”
I knew this was supposed to be the point where I politely
asked him about his old school, but I wanted to get to class as soon as possible.
A few friends passed by to say hello, everyone checking out
the new guy. Our school was fairly small; the majority of us
had been together since fifth grade, if not kindergarten.
I stole another glance at him. It was hard to decipher if he
was cute. His hair was practically white in places, probably
from the sun. His tan made his light hair and pale eyes stick
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out even more — but this wouldn’t be for very long, since in
Wisconsin we rarely see the sun past August.
Levi had on a checkered button-down paired with long
cargo shorts and flip-flops. It was if he couldn’t decide
whether to dress up or be casual. I luckily had Emily to help
me pick out my first-day-of-school outfit that day: a bright—
yellow-and-white-striped sundress with a white cardigan.
Levi gave me an eager smile. “So what kind of name is
Macallan? Or is it McKayla?”
My initial instinct was to ask him if the name Levi came
from the jeans his mom was wearing on the day he was born,
but instead I behaved like the good, responsible student I was
supposed to be.