“Very nice to meet you.” She gave him a warm smile as he
and Levi shook hands, too. I tried to find some hesitation on
Levi’s part, but it wasn’t there. He was probably more focused
on getting his mom back to the car.
I found myself nervously overexplaining. “Yeah, my dad
sometimes has to work late even though he owns his own
construction company, so sometimes Adam leaves the hard—
ware store to take me home.”
“Well, if you ever need us to take you home or stay with us
until your dad or uncle is done, we’d be more than happy to
have you.”
I stood there silently for a few seconds. I was used to
Midwestern politeness, but here was a woman who’d just
moved to town and I’d just met, and she was already offering
her home to me. And she was doing it out of niceness, not
because she knew about the accident.
“Great! Wednesdays are always hard,” Uncle Adam said
before I could stop him. He usually worked from seven in the
morning until two, so he could pick me up from school. Except
on Wednesdays, when he had the late shift. Last year, I either
stayed in the library or got a ride with Emily or Danielle
after their respective after-school activities.
Levi’s mom didn’t hesitate. “Why don’t you come over on
Wednesday? Only if you want.”
I glanced over at Levi, who looked at me and mouthed the
words she’d just said — only if you want.
“Sure!” Uncle Adam agreed.
“I’ll give you my number, and Macallan’s father can call
me if he has any concerns, okay?”
13
Levi pointed to the button on his bag, his eyebrow arching in a playful manner. I imagined us watching Buggy and Floyd together.
I do, I mouthed back.
The two adults exchanged phone numbers. The negative
me said Levi’s mom was doing this because she thought my
uncle was unfit to look after me. The positive me said she was
a nice person who wanted her son to have friends.
Or maybe she feels sorry for you, the negative me said.
She doesn’t know, the positive me spoke up. This wasn’t the same thing as a non-friend suddenly paying attention to you
or offering a shoulder to cry on, or bringing over a casserole
that was nothing your mother would have ever, ever cooked
for you.
Uncle Adam and I got into his car. He always made sure I
was buckled up properly before he turned on the ignition.
“Everything okay?” He looked at me intently.
“Yeah,” I said, even though I had no idea how to feel about
what had just happened. I didn’t really like unexpected turns.
I’d had more than my share by that point.
Adam looked so sad. “Your mother loved picking you up
from school.”
I nodded, which was pretty much the only response I had
whenever anybody brought her up.
A tear started trickling down his face. “You look so much
like her.”
I’d been getting used to this. I loved that I looked like my
mother. I had her big hazel eyes, heart-shaped face, and wavy
auburn hair that turned strawberry blond in the summer.
14
But I was also that mirror girl, the walking reminder of
what we all had lost.
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and promised myself:
In fifteen minutes, you can work on algebra homework. In fifteen minutes, you’ll have a reprieve. Get through these next fifteen minutes and you’ll be fine.
15
Do you real y think my mom offered to give you a ride out of pity?
Not anymore. Now I know your mom is the definition of
incredible.
Like mother, like son.
Oh, please.
But you admit you only invited me to sit with you at lunch out of pity.
Totally.
See, you’re supposed to lie and say you wanted to hang out with me because you thought I was beyond cool.
So you want me to lie?
Um, yeah. Friends lie to make each other feel better. You didn’t know that?
Have I told you that you look really cute today?
Thanks, I — Wait a second.
C H A P T E R T W O
I was upset when my parents first told me we were moving to
Wisconsin. Like, why did I have to total y give up my friends and my life because Dad got a big promotion? Why couldn’t we have
stayed in Santa Monica, where the weather was sweet and the
waves were sick?
But then I realized I could have a fresh start. I always used to be jealous when a new guy came to our school. He’d get all this attention. He was a mystery. He could be anybody. So maybe moving would be good. I’d be the stranger from a strange land. What girl could resist that?
Then I arrived.
First I was excited and nervous when the principal introduced me to Macal an, because she was pretty. Then she made it known
within, like, 2.5 seconds that she had no interest in me whatsoever.
You could’ve seriously given her a glass of milk and it would’ve been frozen in less than a minute. She was that cold.
So I figured we’d never talk again and I concentrated on the guys at school. Guys are always way more chill than girls anyway.