Fierce(11)

“I just had a rough night, and I’m kind of pissed about it, okay?”

“I understand,” I say.

He nods, still looking like he’s thinking about a whole lot of things at the same time. “Okay.”

I know I said I understand, but I don’t. I’m only saying it so he won’t be so angry anymore. It frightened me, but at the same time I’m still trying to figure out what the hell is going on in his mind.







It’s hot outside, and the sky is clear blue. There’s not a speck in the sky, and I feel good just being here. I’m sitting on the grass together with Evie. We’re studying and enjoying the nice weather. I like changing the location sometimes, keeps my brain from dozing off. Besides, the excitement of a new room quickly fades if you spend hours and hours locked up there.

Evie’s eating an apple, and every time she takes a bite it sounds like a horse is chewing.

I wince at the sound.

I look up, and before I can say anything I see a girl in a tight black dress stumbling over the grass, coming toward us in her sky-high heels. Scarlet.

I poke Evie in the side, and she almost drops her apple. With one eyebrow raised, I say, “Look who’s coming.”

When she sees Scarlet, she stops chewing. “Oh. My. God. Is she coming to us? Oh, please, no.”

I nod, sighing. I try to put up a smile for the girl, but I know everyone can see it’s fake.

“Hey girls!” she says with her usual cheerful voice. “What are you doing?”

Evie holds up her book and dangles it in the air without saying anything. Then she takes another bite of her apple to ensure she doesn’t have to speak.

“Studying,” I say.

“Oh … interesting,” Scarlet says, and she puts up a pretentious smile. “Mind if I join you?”

Before either of us can protest, she sits down on our blanket with her legs crossed like a real princess.

“Well don’t wait on us,” Evie snaps, and she throws away the apple.

“Wait for what?” Scarlet says.

Evie frowns and shakes her head, then she whispers in my ear, “Brains of a sheep.”

I muffle a laugh and hide it behind my hand. “Look, we really just want to study,” I say.

“I know. I was planning to do the same, but when I saw you girls out here I thought I could join you.” She smiles brightly, as if she thinks it’ll help convince us to let her stay.

Well, it’s not like she’s been mean. We have.

It’s just that she’s so not Brody’s type. He used to like the geeky girls. The strong girls. Not the Barbie-doll types. And from the looks of it, that’s all she’s got.

“Oh, and you know about English literature?” Evie scoffs.

“As a matter of fact, I do. I followed a class about poetry in high school.”

Evie chortles and has trouble stopping herself from bursting out into laughter. “Okay. If you say so.”

“Besides, you guys and Brody are friends, so I thought I should get to know you guys.”

Evie rolls her eyes and glances at me.

“Actually … I’m here to ask you for a favor,” Scarlet continues. “I’m doing research about discrepancies between the different social classes and common portrayals of stereotypes. I thought you girls could help me out with that, since you seem just like the type to discuss this. I study sociology,” she says.

My jaw drops. I’m struck in awe by the fact that her words came out in a way that make her seem smart. Her clothing and the way she acts hides all that, but now I’m starting to think she’s smarter than we thought. Maybe we misjudged her.

From the corner of my eye I see Brody approaching. He’s frowning heavily and his lips are smashed together. He doesn’t look happy.

“Scarlet!” he yells as he marches closer.

She turns her head, and when she sees him she starts waving. “Hey!”

“What are you doing?” he says with a high-pitched voice, as if he can’t believe she’s here.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“You know you can’t be in the sun,” Brody says to her, ignoring my question. “Are you just going to ignore the doctor’s advice?”

“No, I was just talking. I didn’t plan on staying long,” she says, pursing her lips. “It’s just sun. Nothing scary about that.”

“You know it’s too hot for you!”

“Brody. It’s the sun. What’s your problem?” Evie snarls. “She have a heart disease or something?”

“Yes,” he snaps.

“What does the sun have to do with heart problems?” I ask.

“It’s none of your business,” he says, furious.