“Yeah. My dad used to own a tile store, but he had to close it after the economy crashed. He tried forever to find something else, but he never did. After that, it was like he just … gave up. He left us two years ago, with nothing but a letter that said 'You're better off without me'.”
I saw Sophie's brow furrow in sympathy, and I felt her place her hand on my shoulder.
“The police looked for him, but they never found him. And then things started getting bad between Mom and Kim. Kim started skipping school, staying out late, coming home drunk …” I sighed deeply. “You see, Dad was always the one who would punish her when she got into trouble. And Mom was fine with that arrangement. She was the 'quiet type,' if you know what I mean. And Kim was a lot like Dad: stubborn and pigheaded. When Kim and Mom would argue, it usually ended with Mom crying and Kim locking herself in her room.”
I leaned over, placing my elbows on my knees and burying my face in my hands. “Then one day, Kim just didn't come home. And again, the police came up empty.” I wiped away a still-forming tear from my eye, and turned to face Sophie again. “It's been just Mom and me since then. Mom had to get a job at this pizza place, Romano's, but it wasn't enough to pay all the bills, so we let this douche bag named Ron move in with us.”
“I'm so sorry, Ayden.” I could tell from the look on her face that she really meant it.
“You know … seeing you in the cafeteria today, you kinda reminded me of Kim. She didn't take crap from anyone. Not even me.” I chuckled. “Especially not me. Whenever I, you know, annoyed her, she would …” I trailed off.
“What?”
“She'd throw me on the couch and sit on my head until I apologized.”
Sophie threw back her head and laughed, a bright, cheerful laugh that warmed my heart. “Oh, I definitely would've liked her, then,” she said, smiling from ear to ear.
My eyes then fell onto the document on Sophie's lap. “What's that?”
She grabbed the papers with both hands, showing me the front cover. It read “PETER PAN” above the word “SCRIPT.” Right below that was a set of dates, explaining that auditions were taking place in a few weeks. She held it out, and I took it from her.
“Is this the next school play?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yeah. Siobhan talked me into trying out this year, and it's one of my all-time favorite stories, so I thought, 'why not?' She gave me this right before sixth period today.”
“Peter Pan's one of my faves, too. You ever acted before?” I asked, thumbing through the pages.
She drew a short breath. “Not since I played a tooth in Mrs. Wicker's class play back in first grade. I'll probably suck.”
I handed the script back to her with a reassuring smile. “I think you'll do great.”
“Thanks,” she said, and now it was her turn to blush. Then her eyes brightened, as if she'd just gotten a great idea. “Would you like to try out with us?”
I was shocked. This is something that wouldn't have occurred to me in a million years. “What? Me, get on stage and perform? I've spent the last few years staying out of sight, remember?”
“And … how's that going for you?”
Sheepishly, I admitted, “Not so well.”
“So, what do you say?”
My mind raced. I love Peter Pan, but to get on stage? In front of an audience? Can I do something like that? Do I have it in me?
I'm not Invisiboy anymore. It's time to be SEEN. But … on a stage?
“I don't know …”
Sophie smiled. “Marissa's doing it too …”
“I'm in.”
Chapter 12
~ Day 22 (Mon.) ~
SOPHIE
Today's been full of surprises.
My confrontation in the cafeteria didn't take long to spread through the entire school. For the first time since ever, my classmates were looking at me with a measure of admiration. It made me feel really good … at least, until I got summoned to Principal Marquez's office halfway through first period. I spent the last few days hoping she might reward me for the righteous stand I took against the tyranny and rumor-mongering my vile oppressors had inflicted on me. As it turned out … not so much.
She was not a tall woman; in fact, she was my height, only a few inches over five feet, but I felt intimidated the moment I walked into her office. As I took a seat on the other side of her desk, it was all I could do to remain calm.
“Miss Devereaux,” she said evenly, “I imagine you know why I've called you here.”
I relaxed. I half-expected her to glare at me the way adults usually do when a child misbehaves. Instead, her voice, while authoritative, showed a hint of fairness. I hoped I was reading her right, and this conversation wouldn't end with me being led away in shackles.
“Yes, ma'am,” I replied.
“I would like to hear your side of the story, so please explain your part in the incident that took place in the cafeteria on Friday,” she said, using her finger to move her glasses a half-inch further down her nose.
“Principal Marquez, I'm really sorry for what I did, and I promise it'll never happen again. I was just sick of being pushed around.” I still couldn't bring myself to look her in the eyes.
“What do you mean?”
I went on to tell her about all the nasty things Alexis and the Coven had said and done since the school year began, starting with the ketchup bomb and ending with Rhianna's tirade in the cafeteria. “And then I found out that Drew Seeley, my lab partner in Mr. Tolliver's class, was using me to get back at Alexis, his ex-girlfriend. I just … lost it, I guess.”
She nodded again, opening a folder on her desk and staring at the contents. “Well, Miss Devereaux, I've been looking over your record, and I'm quite impressed with what I see. You're one of our best students, your attendance record is nearly spotless, and you've never required any disciplining … until now, that is.”
She read further down the page, and her eyebrows went up. “Oh,” she said, her voice lowering to just above a whisper. “You're Eve Devereaux's sister. I should've recognized the surname.” She closed the folder and slid it to one side of her desk. “I remember your sister. It's partly because of what happened to her and to Mister, um …” she paused, obviously trying to recall the name.
“Harper,” I offered. “Joshua Harper.”
“Yes, that's right. It's because of what happened to them that I was brought to James Madison in the first place. That poor boy almost died.”
“I know,” I said. “All I could think about when I was screaming at Alexis and Rhianna was Joshua and my sister. I wasn't going to let them do to me what Rhonda Broots did to them. Maybe I overreacted a little bit, but I guess I hoped you'd understand why I did what I did.”
She straightened up, and her face became stern. “You're absolutely right, Miss Devereaux. I do not abide bullying of any kind, and I've made that abundantly clear to every teacher and student at this school. Unfortunately, there's only so much that even I can do to keep order. If kids choose to break the rules, and there are no adults around to report it, then it falls to the students to do it. And if they choose not to – and most of the time, they don't – well, I can't mete out punishment based solely on rumors or hearsay. I can give stern warnings, as well as notate their student files, but that's all. For example, let's take that ketchup balloon incident you were involved in on the first day of school. No one actually saw who threw it, and even though I've questioned several students about it, they weren't forthcoming with any useful information.”
I finally found the willpower to meet her gaze. “I seriously doubt it was anyone but them.”
“Well, rest assured, Miss Devereaux, I will be placing notes in the files of Miss Metcalf, Miss Kosto, and Mr. Seeley. I cannot reveal any more than this, but I will say that your complaints are not the first I've received, and I will be keeping close tabs on them.”
I nodded, hoping their month-long vendetta against me was finally over. However, my bubble burst when
she continued, “But there are correct ways for dealing with such behavior. And I can tell you right now, an emotional public outburst is not one of them. And while I admit you had the right to be upset, I can't condone what you did. It's important you understand that in the future, such behavior on your part will not be tolerated.”
“I do understand, ma'am,” I said with as much deference as I could manage.
“Good. I will leave this incident off your permanent record; however, you're not escaping detention. I may sympathize with your plight, Miss Devereaux, but I cannot, as principal, simply overlook your actions. I'm afraid I must still ask you to report to detention after school every day this week.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but then thought better of it. Detention was nothing more than strolling around the grounds, picking up garbage for forty-five minutes. Of course, it also meant I'd have to have Mom pick me up from school, and that thought wasn't all that tantalizing either. This made me glad I'd told Mom about my dramatic Friday, and this punishment probably wouldn't come as much of a surprise.
* * *
What did come as a surprise, though, was what happened in Science class. As soon as I walked into the room, I noticed the chair at my work-table, the one next to Drew, was occupied. Sitting there was an athletic but shy girl named Danni, who until today had been Kayla's partner.
Mr. Tolliver wasted no time in pulling me aside. “In light of what's happened, Sophie, I thought it best to give you a new lab partner for the rest of the semester. Kayla has offered to be that lab partner.”
I looked at Kayla, and the conspicuously empty seat next to her. Kayla gave me a knowing smile and a nod.
I was overwhelmed. Suddenly I understood. Kayla was completely sticking her neck out for me. She really was an ally. Nodding, I moved over toward my new work-table, where Kayla awaited.
The look on Rhianna's face was priceless as I took the seat next to Kayla, who gave me a knowing wink as Mr. Tolliver began his lecture. Things were definitely looking up.
* * *
The final big surprise of the day came during detention period when, after I reported to the main office to pick up some rubber gloves and a Hefty bag, I found myself right alongside Kayla.
“Kayla? What are you doing here?”
She turned to look at me, and I saw something in her eyes that I'd never seen before: relief. “Detention, same as you.”
I did the math in my head. Kayla had volunteered to be my lab partner, something I'm sure Rhianna wasted no time reporting to Alexis. And knowing Alexis, she probably didn't take the news in stride. “Alexis or Rhianna?” I asked.
“Alexis,” she replied. “She blew up at me during recess period. She accused me of betraying her, stabbing her in the back, blahdee blah blah. I told her to grow up, to get over herself, and to get out of my face, in that order.”
“Did she?”
“Nope,” she said with a catty smile.
Mrs. Rice appeared, carrying a carton of gloves and a box of trash bags. After we signed our names on a clipboard, Kayla and I each put on gloves, grabbed a bag and left the office. We were assigned to pick-up duty on separate corners of the playground, where “Warden” Rice would monitor our progress until detention ended at 4:30.
On the way there, I whispered to Kayla, continuing our conversation, “So what'd you do?”
A small smile played over her face. “I slapped her.”
My eyes went wide as saucers. “You didn't.”
“I sure did.” She flashed a wry grin. “A New York girl doesn't take that kind of crap from anyone.”
I nodded, laughing. “Thank you, Kayla. For having my back.”
“You're welcome.”
“How much detention did you get?”
“Two weeks.”
I grimaced. “Ouch.”
“Oh, it's totally worth it,” she said, sighing. “I'm glad it's over. I feel … liberated. Still up for being my friend? I mean, now that I'm a convict and all.”
“Hey, I'm wearing rubber gloves too, you know,” I said with a grin. “When you're ready, feel free to join us for lunch. There are some friends I'd like you to meet.”
“Sounds great.”
“Seriously, I think Riss and Shell will love you once they get to know you. If you don't mind hanging out with the misfits, that is.”
She laughed. “No, I don't mind. I should've done that from the start. It would've saved me a lot of trouble.”
“What do you mean?”
Mrs. Rice shot us an angry look. “Shhhh … this is punishment, not chat-time, girls!”
“We'll talk later,” Kayla said. “See you in science class tomorrow, okay?” And with that, we parted ways and headed for our separate corners of the playground.
“See ya,” I called after her, and began scouring the field for garbage. I spent my time wondering how Kayla would fit into our strange little group. I had a feeling the next few weeks were going to be very interesting.
Chapter 13
~ Day 26 (Fri.) ~
AYDEN
Over the past week, I'd made a disturbing discovery: the only thing tougher than trying to be a superhero is trying to stop.
It took some getting used to, not going out of my way to eavesdrop on people. But now that Drew and Zach knew my methods – and had no doubt warned all their jock buddies about me – I'd spent the week avoiding them as much as possible.
Sophie was kind enough to get me a copy of the script for Peter Pan, and I spent every night this week practicing lines. The more I read Peter's lines out loud, trying to get the inflections just right, the more I found myself enjoying the idea of performing. Strangely, I seemed to be more nervous about being around Marissa than I was about getting on a stage.
Speaking of which, Sophie suggested to me twice this week that I meet up with her group so we could rehearse together. As much as this idea made me break out in a nervous sweat, I couldn't argue with the logic of it. I had no idea how many kids tried out for school plays, but I could no longer deny that getting a part, however small, was something I really wanted.
Even so, I wasn't going to just show up at Sophie's pre-arranged meeting spot alone. I needed a wingman. And there was really only one person I could ask.
Between second and third periods, I met up with Simon in the locker building, walking in just as he was closing his locker. “Hey, Simon!” I called to him.
He turned my way with a smile. “Hey, Ayden! You up for another round of pizza and Hellfire this weekend?”
“Yeah, buddy!” I clapped him on the shoulder as we strode out of the locker building and down the sidewalk. “How's it going with Michelle?”
I saw his face go crimson, but he couldn't hide his smile. “Surprisingly well.”
“What does that mean?”
“Well, I've been using P.E. period to try to talk to her. Nothing long, you know, just a minute here, a couple of minutes there. And she seems to like talking to me.” I could swear I saw a gleam in his eyes, through his thick lenses. “Turns out we have some things in common: we both love astronomy, Game of Thrones, and video games.”
I blinked several times, barely able to believe my ears. “She likes video games?”
“I know! I couldn't believe it either!”
“Are you gonna ask her out?”
“Thinking about it,” he said, coughing nervously as we started climbing the stairs to the upper concourse.
“I have an idea … kind of,” I said.
“What?”
“I've been talking to Sophie. Turns out she, Marissa, and Michelle are all going to audition for the school play in a couple weeks. I kinda told her … I would too.”
Simon stopped dead, turning to me with a shocked look. “The school play? You? You're not serious!”
“Actually, I am.” I hoped I sounded confident. “Now that I can't be the Master Spy anymore, I need a new hobby. And besides, I kinda … like Marissa.” Now it was my face's turn to redden.
&nbs
p; “Aaaah,” Simon said as we resumed our ascent. “So what's your idea?”
“The three of them want me to join their rehearsal group. I was kinda hoping you'd come with me.”
“Michelle's doing it too?”
“Yeah. Can you help me out, bud? I don't want to do this by myself …” I shot him a pleading look.
He thought for a few moments, and then smiled. “Simon Kirby, actor. I think I like the sound of that. My mom'll flip.”
I sighed with relief. “I'll get another copy of the script for you. It's Peter Pan, by the way.”
“Really?” His eyes lit up. “I love that story!”
We'd reached Simon's classroom. “It's settled, then. First rehearsal meeting's today during recess.”
“Cool beans. See you then.” He nodded at me, and went into his classroom.
* * *
As I walked out of the cafeteria with Simon, I was determined not to let my nerves get the better of me. Rehearsing lines with a group of girls was way different from reading them to myself in my closet, and that's why I was glad to have Simon with me.
“Where are we going?” Simon asked.
“Follow me,” I said, walking down the sidewalk that divided the playground from the faculty parking lot. As we strode past the gym, my eyes focused on the bleachers next to the baseball dugout on the far corner of the playground. It was a warm, sunny day despite it being late September, and I was glad the bleachers were under one of two enormous shade trees dominating that corner of the field.
Sophie and her friends were already sitting there, waiting for us. As we approached, all three girls stood up, greeting us with friendly smiles. My eyes immediately went to Marissa, who looked great in her white dress with red polka dots. I often heard other girls make fun of the way she dressed, but I just ignored them. She had her own style, and I admired her for that. I would never have the guts to stand out like she does.
“Hey, Ayden,” Sophie said.
“Hey,” I echoed, my throat suddenly dry. “Hope you don't mind, but I asked Simon if he could join us.”
Sophie's Different (James Madison Series Book 3) Page 10