"Tori? Earth to TORI!"
"Sorry, Charla. What did you say?" Victoria asked. They were sitting on a bench outside the cafeteria, waiting for Angie. It was hot for September, and some of Charla's friends had organized an impromptu lake party. Charla was her usual outgoing, affable self, talking non-stop. Victoria liked her openness and felt very comfortable with her, especially because she didn't have to talk that much, just nod occasionally.
"I said ... are you going to Marlow's birthday party?" Charla repeated.
"No, probably not."
"Why not? It's one of the biggest parties of the fall!"
Victoria couldn't stop the unwanted blush that stained her cheeks. "I have plans."
"Oh, really?" Charla's eyes brightened. "What kind of plans? Sounds like a date to me. Come on, dish—who with?"
She was saved from having to answer when Angie appeared, her face as usual, sour and tight. It tightened even more when she saw Victoria. Victoria couldn't understand what had made Angie take such a strong dislike to her. She had so much experience blocking people out that it really shouldn't have taken much to ignore Angie, but something about the girl really got under Victoria's skin, made her feel exposed.
Earlier that week, she'd seen Angie looking at her surreptitiously ... assessing her. But when Victoria made eye contact, Angie had just glared and looked away. She had stopped trying to break the ice with her as Angie either looked right through her or looked away rudely. Though it was tiresome, Charla was oblivious to it all and didn't seem to mind being the link between them.
"So are we going or what?" Charla broke her train of thought once again. Victoria realized they were both looking at her. She nodded.
"I'm driving. Come on!" Charla said. "Gabe's going to be there and I want you to meet him."
"Who's Gabe?" Victoria asked, as they piled into Charla's convertible Jetta.
"He's Angie's brother, and well, he's a great guy ... a good friend. He's a senior. You have to meet him." Victoria's doubtful expression made Charla grin.
"Don't worry, I promise you'll like him."
Despite Charla's assurance, Victoria fully expected that Gabe would be a male version of Angie and was already preparing herself for the worst. Something about the way Charla had talked about him showed that Gabe was a lot more than a good friend to her, but Victoria noticed that she had been careful not to say anything that would imply that he was a boyfriend.
They joined the long line of cars heading up to the lake. The weather in Maine was unpredictable—one year it would be December before the temperature dropped below freezing, and the next, it'd be bone-chillingly cold by mid-September. This year, it was still eighty degrees and everyone wanted to get to the lake one last time before autumn arrived.
"How do you like living in Canville? Can't be much different from Millihooha, right?"
"Millinocket."
"Whatever, it's all the same anyway," Charla sighed. "I grew up in Portland, and I cannot wait to get out of here! Angie and Gabe are from New York and they love it. I'm going back with them when I graduate. No Harland for me, I'm only applying to colleges down there. Big city, here I come!"
Victoria was surprised that Angie was from New York, although she knew she shouldn't be, since students at Windsor came from all over the place. But for her, New York was part of a different lifetime, and she didn't bother to correct Charla's mistaken assumption that she was also from Maine.
"Actually, I like Canville a lot. It's peaceful here. And I really love Windsor so far."
"It's a good school, just in the middle of nowhere. You can go a little stir crazy." Charla glanced in the rearview mirror. "Where'd you transfer from again?"
"St. Xavier's." The shape of it was acrid in Victoria's mouth.
Angie caught on quickly. "You didn't like it?" she asked. Victoria was saved from saying anything at all when Charla interjected with a snort.
"No wonder. My cousin went there. It's snooty as hell. And the cheerleaders are manic. They hunt in packs." Charla made spirit-fingers waggling them across her face and chanted, "Be aggressive! Be, be aggressive!"
"I called them the Stepfords. Robotic cheer dolls," Victoria said dryly.
A guffaw from Charla. "I'm coining that one! Hilarious!"
"So why did you leave?" Angie's insistence irked Victoria.
"I got sick and missed a bunch of classes, and I ... wanted to go somewhere else."
Angie blinked. "Just like that?"
"No, not 'just like that.' What is your problem?" Victoria snapped. Angie's black eyes remained speculative, a small smile playing around the corners of her mouth. Charla shot Angie a surprised look.