Over the drawing someone had scrawled Witch in blue pen. The image, taken as a whole, made Skylar feel weird.
She was happy to find the sports section, and even more pleased to see a feature about Pierce: Freshman Football Phenom, it was called, and it described how last year Pierce was the first frosh to make it onto the varsity team in almost a decade.
“That’s the guy I have a crush on,” she said, feeling young and foolish. “He’s a football player. He’s really popular. Apparently he’s going to be Ascension’s starting quarterback next fall. He’d never notice me.”
“Um, the football player who lent you his sweatshirt?” Meg cried, running the brush through Skylar’s hair a few more times. “I’d say he’s already ripe for the picking. And,” she added as she finished, stood Skylar up, and spun her around, “if he didn’t notice you before, he’ll definitely notice you now.”
? ? ?
With newfound confidence, Skylar strutted through the doors of Ascension High on Thursday morning, sporting her new scarf and freshly highlighted, blown-out blond hair. She’d paired the scarf with a black crewneck top and light-wash jeans.
She looked cool. Effortless. Not like the shy girl in the pretty pink cardigan she’d been on Monday.
Then she saw Gabby down the hall and stopped dead in her tracks. Blond, adorable, perfectly dressed Gabby—wearing the same scarf as Skylar. Skulls and all.
Oh god. Skylar knew she was violating one of the top ten Rules of High School: Don’t wear the same thing as one of the most popular girls in school.
But when Gabby got closer, she smiled. “Hey—nice scarf,” she said, and winked.
Skylar cleared her throat. “Yeah, it’s—it’s new.” Was Gabby seriously giving her a break?
“I love how from far away the skulls look like tiny hearts,” Gabby mused, examining it. “But then up close it’s a little bit more hard-core.”
Gabby was wearing the scarf with a button up white shirt and jeans; wrapped around her neck, the scarf looked casual and cozy—not goth at all.
“So, how are things going?” Gabby asked. “You finding your way around okay?”
“Oh, sure,” Skylar said, as though she hadn’t spent every day this week compulsively checking the school map to make sure she was going in the right direction. “Everyone’s being really nice.” Also a lie. But she was determined to appear confident right now.
The bell rang, and Skylar waited for Gabby to run back to her friends. But she didn’t. Instead, she asked, “Where’s your homeroom? Want to walk together?”
“It’s in the humanities wing,” Skylar said, her heart secretly exploding at the chance to walk through the halls with Gabby.
“Yay! Mine too.” As they started walking, Gabby pointed to a colorful poster taped to the wall. “Are you coming to the dance?”
Skylar looked at the poster, which was adorned with bright flowers. The Spring Fling. A little over three weeks away. Terrific. Now on top of adjusting to a new school, she had a dance to worry about. As though she wasn’t sufficiently aware of her loneliness. . . .
“I hadn’t really thought about it,” she said honestly.
“Neither has anyone else,” Gabby said, suddenly sounding despondent. “I’m chair of the planning committee for all the school dances, but we’ve barely made any progress. My own best friend doesn’t even remember the meetings.”
This was her opportunity. Meg’s voice sounded in her head: Be seen. Be visible. Get involved.
“I like planning dances,” Skylar said, even though she’d never planned a dance in her life. “When’s the next meeting?”
Gabby grabbed her arm and the thousand-watt smile returned. “Oh my god! You should totally join the committee! Everyone is great—totally the cream of Ascension’s crop—but we are desperate for some new blood. Come to the meeting tomorrow!”
Skylar McVoy. Planning dances. Friends with the most popular girl in school. She was liking the sound of this. And it was happening so fast!
“I just had the best idea,” Gabby went on. “Are you free after school? Why don’t we go to the mall and look around, brainstorm, see if we can come up with any great ideas for the dance—or for our outfits.”
“I’m not booked yet,” she said, dying to tell Meg about this fantastic turn of events. “That sounds great.”
“Plus, I’m thinking of having a pajama party really soon. Maybe next weekend. Isn’t that a great idea? So we can totally go to Victoria’s Secret and look for some cute pj’s.”
Skylar could have broken into a happy dance. Had Gabby just invited her to go shopping and to a party? Skylar could only grin and nod.
In homeroom she pulled out her phone below the desk. You were right about the scarf—and my hair, she texted Meg. I think I made my first friend (besides you)! Headed to the mall after school.