“Finn was fighting with Lars.”
“I meant with your locker. Did he find anything?”
“No. I need to go. I’ll see ya later.” I grab my backpack and head to the bathroom. Scarlett’s in there checking her makeup. I swear she and her friends spend half their day in the bathroom, messing with their hair and makeup. Most days, I don’t even wear makeup. I’d rather sleep in than take time to do my face.
Going in a stall, I reach into my backpack and find the small plastic sack. As I’m trying to open it, it slips from my hand and falls on the tile floor.
The stall door swings open.
“Whatcha got there, Trailer Girl?” Scarlett asks, chomping on her gum and staring down at the bag.
I pick it up off the floor. “Do you mind? I’m trying to use the bathroom.”
She snatches the bag from me, holding it up and smiling. “This is worth more than your house. Where’d you get this?”
“I didn’t. I found it. I was about to flush it. Now give it back.”
She holds it high in the air, out of my reach, because she’s so much taller than me. With her heels, she’s almost six feet, and I’m barely five four.
“Give it back.” I bite out the words, ready to climb on the toilet to get it if that’s what it takes.
“Finders, keepers.” She smirks, then whips around and walks off.
“Scarlett, wait!” I go to chase after her, but she’s already out the door.
Whatever. If she wants to risk getting caught with the stuff, let her. I should go report her, and then Principal Perkins can go search her locker like he did mine. But knowing Scarlett, she’ll hide it in her boobs. They’re huge. You could easily hide something in there.
Feeling relieved that it’s gone, I go to the sink and wash my hands, then head to class. I smile when I see Ms. Higgins, the only person at school who makes me feel like I belong here.
“Hi, Ella,” she says, meeting me at the door. “Do you have a minute?”
“Um, yeah, okay,” I say, wondering what this is about. Did she hear about my locker search and wants to give me a stay-off-drugs speech? I could totally see her doing that. She’s one of those people who feels the need to save everyone.
“I wanted to talk to you about your lab partner.”
“Rachel? What about her?”
“Her father was transferred to New York for his job so Rachel is unable to be your partner.”
“She’s moving?Now? Before she graduates?”
“Her mother decided not to wait. The family is moving there this week.”
“Rachel’s gone?” As I say it, I realize I haven’t seen her since we got back from break. I thought she was sick, but apparently, she was packing up to move across the country.
“Anyway, it turns out that Nathan decided to drop the class, leaving another person without a partner.” She sets her hand on my shoulder. “Now I know you two don’t get along but I think this would be a good chance for both of you to put your differences aside and—”
“Wait. You’re not talking about Briggs, are you?”
She sighs. “It’s only for a semester and—”
“No. I’m not doing it. I don’t need a partner. I’ll work alone.”
“Everyone needs a partner. Some of the experiments require two people.”
“Then I’ll switch with someone. Anyone else would love to be with Briggs. He’s Mr. Popularity.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Briggs says, coming up beside me, that smile on his face that seems to charm everyone but me.
