“But, Aunt Kathy—”
“No buts. Alex, you got an F on your history paper. Star Wars does not count as a valid topic for most significant war in history. Apologize to your teacher and tell him you’ll rewrite it. Isaac, the women’s volleyball coach called and said if she catches you trying to sneak into the girls’ locker room one more time, she’ll make sure you fail gym class. Now get going,” Katherine shouted from the porch. “Jackie better not be late for her first day of school, or I won’t be very happy!”
The guys dumped their backpacks into the bed of the old pickup truck and started piling in. I stared at them from the side of the driveway, feeling like I was watching a picturesque scene from a movie. Everyone had so much personality, and I felt like I didn’t belong. Even the truck had character. It had probably been a bright crimson color when it was brand new, but age and weather had worn it down to a dull red. One of the side mirrors was missing, and a headlight had been smashed in. I wondered how it was possibly roadworthy.
Danny, who had taken more time than anyone getting ready, ran out the front door, trying to avoid his mother’s scolding. He threw the car keys at Cole, who climbed into the front seat. It didn’t take a genius to work out that he was the designated driver. Soon, everyone else had settled into their usual seats, and I realized that the truck was full. Danny, Isaac, and Alex sat in the back, while Cole, Lee, and Nathan sat in the front.
“Um,” I began awkwardly, still standing on the grass, “where should I sit?”
“You could always walk,” Lee replied sarcastically.
I fought the urge to stick my tongue out at him, but thankfully Nathan came to my rescue. “Don’t worry, Jackie. You can squeeze in up front. We’ll make room.” He smiled warmly from the passenger window.
“If that doesn’t work, we can always strap Alex to the roof. Nobody will care,” Cole offered as he started up the car.
“If anyone is going to be strapped to the roof,” Alex shot back, “it should be you, Cole. You take up the most room.”
“Nobody asked your opinion,” Cole said, glaring at his younger brother in the rearview mirror. “Now come on, let’s go.”
Lee grunted in annoyance but scooted closer to Cole. He didn’t look too happy about sharing the front with me, but I opened the passenger door and slid in anyway once Nathan made some room.
During the twenty-minute drive to school, I received a crash course in Boys 101 and decided that maybe the male species wasn’t so different from females after all. To sum it up, the Walters gossiped worse than the girls at my old boarding school. At first the car was silent, which was probably due to my presence, but soon the boys relaxed and carried on as if I wasn’t there. They talked about who was going to make track team this spring and who wasn’t. They discussed what they should wear to a party on Friday night and who was going to be there. But most of all they talked about girls: who was cute, which girl wore the perfect perfume, and who had the prettiest hair.
When they started talking about a girl named Kate who, to use Isaac’s words, had “the perkiest pair of tits in the world,” I felt uncomfortable. Trying to tune the conversation out, I shrunk back into my seat and stared out the window. Please let us be there soon. Please be there soon!
But as the truck sped into the school parking lot, Cole laughing like a little boy when the wheels screeched, I instantly regretted my silent prayer. Valley View High was three times the size of my old school. Instead of the green lawns and bricks covered in crawling ivy that I was accustomed to, it was an ugly, cement block building that looked like it was straight out of the ’70s. A banner hanging over the front entrance read: Home of the Tigers!
Staring at my new school, I decided that the sheer number of kids was making me nervous. A stream of students made their way toward the front steps, backpacks slung over their shoulders. Other people lingered in the parking lot; there was a group of guys tossing around a football, couples making out against cars, and friends talking in big groups.
“Out,” Lee demanded, even though Cole was just swinging the truck into an empty spot. As soon as Nathan and I slid out, Lee dropped to the pavement and tore off into the crowd. I tried to follow him with my eyes, but he disappeared in a matter of seconds. How was I ever going to find my way around this place?
The back doors slammed shut, and the guys grabbed their bags from the bed of the truck. I hung back, hoping someone would offer to show me around.
“Let’s get out of here before the fan club arrives,” I heard Alex whispering to Danny as they brushed by me.