Page 19 of Okay, Cupid

She calls me over to where she and Alice are sitting next to each other in the middle of the cafeteria, a table entirely to themselves. It’s nice, comforting almost, to know that I already have someone who’s looking out for me.

“Neve was telling me you’re one of the homeschool weirdos?” Alice’s voice shocks me, and Neve looks at me with pure mortification.

“Alice!” Neve elbows her in the gut.

“What?”

“I didn’t say ‘weirdo,’ I swear.” Neve turns back to me. “I was just telling her you were homeschooled.”

“How is it?” Alice asks. “It’s different, right?”

“Yeah, you could say that. I’m used to just sitting at our dining room table.”

“Sounds really boring.”

“Alice!” Neve groans.

“Curiosity is never a bad thing,” Alice argues.

“With you it definitely is.” Neve apologizes on her behalf again.

“Oh,” I say, “that’s … okay? What about you?” I look to Alice, going for broke. “What’s your story?” I need to get some info.

“What kind of a question is that?” she replies, grabbing a Starburst candy and unwrapping it carefully until the wrapper is a perfect square. Then she lays it on top of the other wrappers she’s gathered.

There’s something about her stare that makes me hesitant to answer. “I was just … you know. I got to know Neve, and I thought maybe I could … and you were asking me all those questions.”

“So that gave you the right to ask about me?”

Her face is a flat line for another full second before she cracks, finally smiling and letting out this soft laugh. Then I realize that she’s been messing with me.

“Alice, please don’t scare Jude. It’s their first day.” Neve steals some of Alice’s candy.

“But it’s fun!” she mock whines, picking up another piece for herself.

“For you,” Neve tells her. “Everyone else thinks you’re one tragic radioactive-waste bath away from becoming a supervillain.”

“I would rule fairly,” Alice says.

Neve shakes her head. “See, I know you, and I know for a fact that’s not true.”

“Not my fault you don’t believe me.”

Neve scoffs. “Feel free to ignore her.”

“I’m trying.”

“Ohh …” Alice eyes me. “They can talk!”

I glance over my shoulder as a nearby table erupts in booming laughter. It doesn’t take much to realize the source of the sound was Huy, seated with many of the same boys from algebra, laughing about something while the two of them flick a Cheez-It like it’s a paper football. Huy ducks his head low over the finger goalposts, catching the Cheez-It in his mouth and cheering himself on with the rest of the boys.

I turn to Alice just quickly enough to see her switching her attention back to her candy.

“What’s next for you?” Neve asks.

“Band,” I say.

“Orchestra,” Alice corrects me, but it’s clear I’ve got her attention back. “What do you play?”