One (Sarah Crossan)

Changing

In the overheated locker room during a free period,

we change for P.E. early so we don’t have to strip

in front of a gaggle of girls.

Not that we’ll take part

like the rest of the class—

we will join them for warm up stretches

and the wind-down walk.

We will

sit out

the soccer game.

Yasmeen pretends to be texting

and doesn’t look up as we

unbutton

our shirts.

We are sitting in our bras

taking a breath

when the door

swings open

and the most beautiful girl in the whole school,

Veronica Lou,

bounds in

like an excited Labrador,

her shiny black hair

bouncy behind her.

She peers at us and stops,

holds her bag

up

like a shield and says,

‘I thought I heard the bell.’

Yasmeen picks at her teeth.

‘Next period starts in five minutes, Ronnie,’ she says,

and Veronica nods

quickly,

furiously,

backing out of the locker room

like she’s just seen a monster.