Speechless(69)

                                      day five

                Friday used to be the best day of the week because it                     hailed the start of a weekend of partying and shopping and blowing off homework                     in favor of hanging out with Kristen and everyone else. Now Friday is my                     favorite day for a different reason. It means I get two full days of blissful                     peace where I don’t even have to think about                     school.

                This Friday will be longer than usual due to another detention,                     courtesy of Mrs. Finch. All of my other teachers have, if grudgingly, accepted                     my silence, but she has not. Every day she comes up to my desk first thing, asks                     if I’ve decided to participate, and when I just stare at her with my jaw                     clenched, she writes up the detention slip and sets it in the middle of my desk                     for everyone to see.

                On my way out of her room, Lowell stuck a wad of gum in my hair                     and I had to spend fifteen minutes in the bathroom picking it out best I could,                     warding off the amused looks other girls gave me at the sink as I held my hair                     under the tap. It was disgusting and humiliating and I wanted to scream, but I                     just settled for pulling my hair back in a bun to hide the wet spots.

                Halfway through Geometry, I catch Megan staring at me. It’s the                     first time she’s made eye contact this week. Her expression is unreadable, so I                     try for a small smile, testing the waters. Megan is a sweet person, and we were                     friends before; maybe she hasn’t made a snap judgment about my involvement in                     what happened. Maybe we can still be friends.

                The cold look she shoots me in return kills that short-lived                     hope.

                She leans toward me and hisses, “I know you knew about Owen and                     Tessa.”

                My stomach twists. I’ve been so caught up in the Noah situation                     that I almost forgot about that.

                “You were supposed to be my friend,” she says, her voice tight                     and strained with a mixture of anger and hurt. “You should’ve told me. I had to                     find out from some girl in my science class. She showed me the picture of them                     on her phone. You know, the picture you spread                     around.”