“I was.” I laughed. “But your views on extraterrestrial life sound far more interesting. What exactly makes you think the lunch lady is an alien?”
Jaz scanned the hall before lowering her voice and saying, “She never blinks, and I meannever.”
“Highly suspect,” I agreed with a smile. “And I know all about annoying siblings. I have an older brother who’s so perfect it hurts, and my two younger sisters are cute, but one of them can scream so loud I sometimes think she’s part dinosaur.”
“Oh, my older brother is the golden child too. He’s at college now. My younger brother’s a junior here. But Owen rarely screams.”
“Lucky,” I said. “Okay, what about the school? Just tell me the important stuff.”
“The important stuff?”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “Like, which of the cafeteria food is edible? Are there any places I should avoid? What are the other students like?” I had to hope this wasn’t a school filled with Parker Darlings.
Jaz laughed lightly. “Hmm, well, most of the cafeteria food is fine. Don’t go down the alley that runs along the east side of this building, unless you’re into weed. No judgement if you are, by the way.”
“I’m not,” I said with a laugh.
“And most of the students are good eggs.”
“And the others?”
“Some are a little scrambled,” she said, smiling. “But I’ve always liked my eggs slightly messy.”
Jaz showed me to my locker before taking me to our homeroom. Along the way she pointed out things of interest like the library, the cafeteria, and classrooms I’d need to find later in the day. It was impossible not to notice all the Ransom Devils posters papering the walls, too. Most of the images were promoting the first game of the season this Friday night. But there were also plenty of pictures showing Parker and his teammates in action. Like I needed to see any more of his face.
As we entered homeroom, every student’s eyes darted my way. I did my best to ignore the attention and resisted the urgeto pull my sweatshirt lower. I’d been conscious it was too long at first, but now I was wishing it would make me disappear entirely. I kept my gaze on the teacher, trying to ignore the whispers and giggles my arrival had sparked.
“Mackenzie Foster?” he asked.
I nodded and silently prayed he wasn’t about to make me introduce myself in front of the class. Thankfully, he gestured toward some free seats near the back of the room.
“Welcome. I’m Mr. Green. It’s great to have you here; take a seat.”
I released a breath and rushed to the free chair he was gesturing to. A couple of girls were still giggling to each other as I went to sit in front of them. I preferred that to the guys whose eyes were lingering on my legs.
Jaz slumped into the seat at my side.
“I thought he was going to make me stand up front and tell everyone my life story,” I whispered.
“Oh, no, Mr. Green’s pretty cool,” Jaz replied. “He teaches art.”
He was still calling roll, and now that I looked a little closer, I noticed his fingers were covered in paint stains. Art was my favorite subject, and my hands were also sporting a few marks from spending that morning working on a mural for my bedroom wall. I hadn’t gotten too far with it yet, but I was eager to keep going.
“This is my friend, Isaac,” Jaz continued, leaning back so I could see the guy sitting on her other side. “Isaac, this is Kenzie.”
Isaac was hunched over a book on his desk, and as he liftedhis head, he pushed his glasses up his nose. He wore a faded sci-fi tee under a zip-up hoodie, and as he met my gaze he gave me a welcoming smile. “Joining a new school midway through the semester,” he said. “Military family?”
“My dad’s the new hockey coach.”
“Ah.” He nodded.
Jaz gasped. “I should have known. We can’t believe Coach Ray’s gone, but your dad sounds like he’s a big deal. It’s all been kind of a shock though.”
“For me too,” I agreed.
“Jasmine Cleaver?” the teacher called.
“Here!” Jaz waved her hand in the air for emphasis.
