The Grave Winner

The Grave Winner - Chapter 3

3

A stapler and duct tape. Those were the items I needed pronto; otherwise I would completely lose my mind.

Megan and Lily stood in front of me in the lunch line. The two cheerleaders jumped, clapped, and jabbed at the air with their fists while their boobs bungee jumped for the benefit of a dozen ogling boys at a nearby table. It was Monday, not a game day. They didn't even have their against-dress code cheer outfits on. Were they cheering on the students as they attempted to eat the starchy-smelling cafeteria food? Go! Swallow! Go! Indigestion! Go! Puke!

I really wanted to staple the two Energizer Bunnies to the floor.

The duct tape was to cover every mouth in Krapper. Sarah's return had unleashed the gossip hounds, and the news had made it to every link in the world's blab food chain. National and international news teams crowded the hallways and supposedly set up camp outside Sarah's house. The cafeteria buzzed, but I didn't want to hear any of it. Since I saw Sarah right after it happened, I knew it wasn't some happy miracle. The look on her face had been anything but joyful. Icy fear licked up my back just thinking about her.

Plus, the fact that people discussed Sarah right in front of me, three days after Mom's funeral, made me want to hurt someone. Bad. I didn't want to think about dead Sarah or her return when Mom's death felt so fresh.

"This is all too weird. My grandma is buried in that cemetery," Megan said, jumping, clapping, and jabbing furiously. Bits of glitter flashed up and down her perfectly tanned arms, evidence of the blood drive posters she'd plastered everywhere.

"Do you think Sarah will cheer with us again? I heard her hair turned white, so if she does come back, she'd have to dye it first," Lily said, her wavy blonde ponytail bobbing. She always had a pink lily flower tucked behind her ear, probably to remind herself what her name was. Somehow it stayed put while she bounced.

"I know, right?" Megan stopped bouncing long enough to pat her dark hair. "I love being famous by association. I've been interviewed by every national news station, plus the one in France. But I couldn't believe channel thirteen cut from me to Sarah's lawn."

"Ugh. What is up with that?" Clap, clap. "I wonder if she's, like, okay. Her 'rents won't let anyone see her. They don't even answer their phone."

"Do you think they'll take down her memory plaque in the lobby?" Jump, jab, clap.

"I don't know." Jab, kick. "I hope she doesn't go all suicidal again."

"Everyone says it was Lazy Russ Syndrome that brought her back to life." Jump, clap.

My limit of bouncy conversation reached, I scanned the cafeteria to see if the principal or any teachers were looking. Everyone seemed preoccupied with flapping their mouths, so I bumped into the two girls. Hard. They lost their footing, but they grabbed onto each other and shot me a beyond-pissed-off look.

"Oh, sorry," I said, blinking innocently. "I tripped over my shoelaces."

"Then why don't you tie them, you stupid freak?" Megan said through clenched teeth as she ripped her askew fake eyelashes from her face.

My hands balled into fists. "I think I'll use them to tie a book to both of your hands. It's Lazarus Syndrome, Lily, not Lazy Russ."

Their only response was more glaring. Typical. Everything at Krapper High School was typical: pretty stupid cheerleaders, jocks, nerds, and freaks. If you didn't fit into one of those four categories, then you were a circle in a square school. That summed up the whole town.