This Year at Home (A Short Story) Read Online Free PDF Page A

looks and the Derrick incident had propelled Collin into most- popular stratosphere.
    “See you!” Paige called out and continued on, melting into the hallway crowd.
    I turned back to Collin, my heart soaring. “My mom’s always late. Wait for me after school, by the car drop-off. Okay?”
    “Okay.” His gaze lingered on my hair. “You look nice today.”
    “Thanks.” I had skipped using the blow dryer and let my hair dry into its natural soft waves. The new me didn’t need precisely straightened hair every day.
    Everybody at school knew about my makeover. They had seen me in action while I dealt with Derrick and his friends. I had certainly made my entrance!
    As I waved bye to Collin and trekked to class, I thought of how my friends from Israel would have reacted to my return to school. Mia would be cheering me on. Jake would be cracking stupid sex jokes. And Avi and Ben would be insisting that Derrick deserved to be slapped.
    It wasn’t until I got close to the cafeteria that I stopped thinking of my study-abroad friends. They were nearby. As always, their voices were loud and boisterous. My pulse remained steady as I continued on my way.
    I spotted Derrick first, only he didn’t seem intimidating anymore. He seemed like a jerk, unworthy of my time or energy. He squinted when he saw me, but he said nothing.
    Emmy was with him. She stopped talking, frowned, then turned to Derrick, as if I weren’t there.
    Grace wasn’t with them.
    ~ * * * ~
    Leaning against the school brick wall, I waited for Mom. My day had gone well. Paige had been in my lunch period, and I sat with her and her friends. For the first time in years, I wasn’t snubbed. Kids who used to ignore me said hello. Derrick had a different lunch period, as Principal Nelson had promised. Luck had been in my favor, and Emmy wasn’t in my lunch either. Even better, Derrick and Emmy had left me alone when I ran into them again after lunch.
    The swish of shoes on slushy pavement neared me.
    I looked around.
    Grace paused for a moment when she saw me.
    I was still torn. Part of me wanted to be friends with her again. She had been a big part of my life, and we had fun together. The other part wanted to keep moving on. Why try to repair a relationship that was over?
    Her eyes didn’t look much better than they had at my house. Instead of being bloodshot and swollen, she had saucer-sized dark circles.
    “Hi, Rebecca,” she said, voice wavering. "I just want you to know I’m no longer friends with Emmy or Derrick.”
    “Oh?”
    She took a deep breath.
    When I didn’t see her with them, I had wondered if she had been absent. Narcing on Derrick could cause sudden illness. I had headaches and stomachaches after my first complaint.
    As Grace stood there, waiting for me to answer, I thought of her crying at my house, asking if we could be friends again.
    Her tears had been real. She couldn’t make herself cry. In first grade, we begged our moms to let us go trick-or-treating alone. She had volunteered to fake cry when I said they would probably say no. Grace practiced crocodile tears for days, but when the time came, she couldn’t muster anything besides a pathetic sad face. That Halloween, we dressed alike as rock stars, and our moms had walked behind us while we went trick-or-treating.
    “When do you have lunch?” I asked Grace.
    “Third period.”
    “Me too! But you weren’t there. Where were you?”
    “Library.”
    Sympathy gripped me. I had spent many lunch periods in the library when I was the school loser.
    Grace fidgeted. As usual, her nails were cut short, painted dark red, and she had on her favorite ring, the one with the garnet stone—a thirteenth birthday present from the Renaissance festival. After the jousting tournament, Grace’s mom had told her to pick out a present. The ring had immediately caught Grace’s attention, as the silver band had an etched design that resembled flames.
    “You know,” Grace said. “I was happy for you