Skinny(38)

“Ever, right?” I look over at Wolfgang. He’s wearing a camouflage baseball hat that reads, Don’t Mess with Texas.

“Yes,” I say. I can’t remember him actually speaking to me before.

“You look different. Did you get your hair cut or something?”

Right. I got a seventy-two-pound haircut. “Or something,” I say.

“It’s not like you look all that different than before. People can’t even tell you lost weight.”

I spend most of history looking at my arms. I move them slightly back and forth on my desk and watch them respond to my thoughts. I flex my fingers. They really are my arms. I glance up at one point and see Jackson looking at me. I look back down, wait a few minutes, and then look back up again. I do this three more times. He’s always looking at me.

The first two times, he glances away quickly when I meet his eyes. But by the fourth time, he keeps looking at me. Maybe my hair is messed up or something, I think. I smooth the right side of my hair down and tuck it behind my ear. There. He still doesn’t look away. Instead, he smiles. I wonder if he means it for someone else, but there’s nothing behind me but a wall. I’m supposed to be invisible when I’m just sitting still like this, so what’s happening?

I smile back, feeling fizzy bubbles of excitement start to explode in my tiny new stomach. Sudden heat causes my face to flush. It’s working. Jackson’s looking at me. Noticing me.

First period is over. I collect my notebook and stuff it into my backpack while the front of the class hits the hallway. I’m in no hurry. My next class is just down the hall. English. I’m the last person out the door. The hall is crowded. I keep to one side, with my head down, glancing up only when I need to avoid a direct collision. A boy with a red baseball hat bumps into me.

“Sorry,” I say, even though it’s his fault.

“Hey, Ever.” I look up to find Whitney and Kristen standing in front of me. Whitney’s actually speaking to me. At school. “You look fantastic.”

I stand there silent and awkward. I’m not used to compliments.

“Or maybe I should say I made you look fantastic.” She punches Kristen on the shoulder, setting all her natural curls bobbing wildly, and says, “I told you. It’s my best work yet.”

“Ummm . . . thanks,” I say. “It’s definitely all about you, Whitney.”

Oblivious to sarcasm, she nods in enthusiastic agreement.

“I like the DKNY jacket with the jeans. Good touch,” Kristen says. They are talking about me as though I’m not here. “And the earrings elongate her face.”

“Urban Outfitters,” Whitney responds. “I thought they’d go well with that Michael Kors top.”

“You were so right.”

“I would have suggested boots with it. But her calves just aren’t quite ready yet.”

“Umm . . .” Kristen looks toward my feet and nods appreciatively. “No, she needs the long lines. Boot cut was a good choice, though.”

“I thought so.” Whitney leans forward to pick up a handful of my long dark hair. “I’m thinking this will be next. Maybe some bangs? Or layers.”

“Highlights at the very least.”

Briella walks up to catch the end of the conversation, but when she sees me, her smile freezes on her face.

“Are we going or not?” she asks her friends. “I don’t want to be late for history. Mr. Watson will make you pay the whole rest of the semester if you’re late.”

“In a minute.” Whitney waves her off. “I’m showing Kristen my fantastic work on your sister.”

“It’s pretty amazing,” says Kristen.

“Yeah. Fantastic,” Briella says. “Now can we go?”

“Excuse me?” Whitney stares at her like she’s lost her mind.

“Since when have you ever been eager to get to class?”

“I just saw Matt in first period. He said he and Wolf are going to Jilly’s after school today. We’re going to be there, right?” Briella asks.

Jilly’s is a hangout for all the cool kids after school. I’ve never been, but I know the name.

“Why don’t we take . . . umm . . . what’s your name again?” Kristen asks me.

“Ever,” I mumble. She knows my name. Teachers have been calling it out on the roll of our shared classes for the last three years.

“Great idea. We’ll take Ever,” says Whitney, clapping her hands together like a five-year-old. “I can’t wait to show Maddie Gonzales those earrings I picked out. I just wish we’d taken some before pictures.”

I look at Briella’s face, and Skinny is quick to tell me her thoughts.