“What’s going on?”
“The principal is back,” griped Will, with his head bowed.
“Look, I’m leaving before James raises hell,” announced Jackson, walking away.
“What’d you do, Will?”
And the hint of concern that I felt turned into full-blown worry when I saw William break into cold sweats. He covered his face with both hands and then looked at me.
“We’re in deep shit.”
“What’s going on?” I insisted.
“No, June. This time you have to stay out of it. Really.”
I stood in the hall, staring at my locker confused. It was getting hard to organize all my thoughts: William’s coldness, Jackson’s worry, James’s words yesterday. I didn’t know who I could trust anymore.
I jumped in place when the bell rang at the end of the period and the hallway flooded with students. I caught sight of Poppy’s blond head among the crowd. When she approached me, she muttered an aloof hello, so I closed my locker and said absentmindedly, “Everything okay, Poppy?”
“Yeah, you?”
She wasn’t saying much. What was going on?
It was only when I saw Amelia’s face and Ari’s behind her that I understood: They were pissed at me.
But I didn’t feel like taking the time to understand why right then. They ignored me, so I decided to do the same. I wasn’t going to put in the effort to like people who couldn’t even be honest with me.
“Let’s get to class, Poppy.” Amelia’s words sounded like a slap in the face because she uttered them loudly and intentionally.
Ignore her, June.
“Poppy, move it,” she demanded.
“But the teacher’s not in the classroom!” Poppy whined.
“I know, I just don’t like the people in the hallway.” Amelia doubled down. My neck tensed up. Not giving in when someone antagonized me wasn’t my strong suit.
“The feeling’s mutual,” I shot back.
Ari’s eyes widened and Poppy muttered something, but Amelia was the only one to come toward me with her arms crossed and a challenging stare.
“Oh really? Let’s hear why?” she asked skeptically.
“For the same reason you have an issue with me—in other words, none. I didn’t do anything to deserve to be treated like this.”
Amelia’s eyes narrowed into two emerald-green slits.
“June, you turned your back on me despite me being the only one here to accept you. Don’t you think that’s a good enough reason for me to turn away from you when I see you?”
“I didn’t turn my back on you, Amelia.”
“But you’re always with them,” she prodded, glancing at the corner of the hallway where William and his friends usually hung out.
Why weren’t they back? Were they still in the principal’s office?
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t be around them, and maybe I’ll start believing what you tell me.”
My quick response irritated her; I understood that from how she curled her mouth in disappointment.
