White Teeth Teens

5. Number 23

Week Two at my new school moves faster than Week One. I spend the first two days trying to find Liz or Garrett in the halls between class, only to discover that they both leave campus during lunch, as most students with cars do.

Logan starts hanging out with a group of disheveled looking boys, and he's cryptic about them whenever Mom or I pry for information. On Wednesday, I make my first attempt at joining Logan's new posse at lunch. As I place down my tray, I can feel the eyes of everyone at the table on me.

Logan glowers but the skinny boy with the red hair shuffles in his seat and asks me, "'Sup?"

I run my fingers through my hair and shift my weight. "Um, nothing?"

"Pat, this is my sister, Rory," Logan explains. Pat and the two other boys look me up and down.

"Word," says Pat. "I thought she needed some bud."

"Some what?" I cock my head. Logan's face turns pale. The two boys start snickering like hyenas. I feel the rekindled connection with Logan from this weekend slowly extinguishing.

"I, um, just wanted to see if you had any extra cash that I could borrow for the vending machine later," I lie. Logan fishes a dollar from his pocket and hands it to me, knowing he'd get it back. "Thanks." I pocket the dollar and grab my tray. "Nice to meet you guys."

Pat and the other two boys grunt in response as I beeline it to my usual spot. Marie, Dani, and the Kaylas don't look up from their lunches.

When I start eating my sandwich, Dani leans forward and whispers, "I didn't know you smoked." She leans back and grins at me.

"Um, what?" I say, horrified. "I do not smoke!"

"Then why were you talking to Patrick?" asks Kayla #1.

"He was sitting with my brother." I try to swallow a bite but the bread scrapes down my throat like a rock.

I reach for my water and Kayla #1 says what I was dreading, "Damn, it's only been a week and your brother's already buddied up with Pat's crew? He must be a fiend." She grabs a cherry tomato from her plate with her fingers and pops it in her mouth.

"Logan doesn't smoke," I say, but it comes out like a question. Dean is finally paying attention and stares at me with his big, brown eyes, shrugging his shoulders as if it is old news. I can feel my skin searing. I take a few large gulps of water, slam the bottle down on the table and mutter, "Good to know."

During the rest of lunch, I tune out whatever Yearbook crap the girls are chatting about or upcoming season of The Walking Dead that the guys are gushing about. I pull out my phone and hold it under the table to text Dean.

Me: Since when?

I watch as Dean reacts to the vibration in his pocket, and he reads the screen then looks up at me and rolls his eyes. He taps on the keyboard, and my screen lights up a few seconds later.

Dean: idk. don't tell mom and dad

Me: Do you smoke???

Dean reads my text and glares at me before typing back,

Dean: r u serious? NO

I smile at his response, but I still feel sick. Logan smokes weed. He smokes! How did I not know this? What is he like when he smokes? Imagining his eyes all bloodshot and smoke pouring from his mouth... It's hard to keep down my lunch.

The next day is Dean's first soccer game. It's an Away game but Dad is going to go watch. He asked if I wanted to come, but I said I'd wait for the Home game this Saturday. Rumor has it the entire school shows up to watch and the Captain hosts an after-party at his house. I guess it's some sort of tradition and it seems like only in Duncan Valley could these kids get away with it every year. I know all of this because the Kaylas have been talking about the party nonstop for the past three days.