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self-entitlement really knows no end, does it?”
    Huh?
    She glared at me. “Right. Too many big words. Moving on. I suppose you’re trying to be nosy and ask about a certain sick person?”
    Surprised she’d already guessed what I wanted, I nodded in silence.
    She hesitated, as if thinking about what to say. “I’ll tell you, but you’ve gotta tell me something first.”
    â€œOkay?”
    â€œWhy do you care?”
    â€œUh…” Now how was I supposed to answer that one?
    â€œLet’s get something straight, Coleman. Savannah is really nice.”
    â€œI know.” She’d have to be to pick you for a friend, I added silently.
    â€œSo she deserves someone nice. Not a player who just sees her as some sort of challenge.”
    Was that how Savannah thought of me, too…as a player? Ishrugged off the question for now. “Aren’t you kind of laying it on thick here? All I’m asking is if she’s okay. Nothing more. No big deal.” I tried my smoothest smile on her, the one that even won over the dragon ladies in the front office.
    â€œFine. In that case…”
    My heart missed a beat.
    â€œShe’s not dead.” She turned and walked away.
    Something hot and furious that had been building in my chest all week exploded. I yelled to her, “That’s all you’re going to tell me?”
    â€œYep. That’s all you get, Coleman,” she yelled back without stopping or turning her head. “You want more information, go buy it from somebody else.”
    Unbelievable.
    It took a few seconds for me to calm down enough to see straight. When I could, I stomped off toward the main hallway and my locker. Too bad it was the off-season and we were mostly focusing on weight and cardio training. Otherwise I could have at least hit something during football practice.
    In the main hall, I spotted one of Savannah’s other friends. Michelle something. She was an office aide during first period every day and was a whole lot nicer than Evil Anne.
    I took a chance, leaning against the locker beside Michelle’s. I gave her a smile and hoped it worked better this time around. “Hey, Michelle, how’s it going?”
    She turned pink, always a good sign, and giggled. “Fine, and you?”
    â€œGood.” Switching strategies, I tried not to show any personal interest this time. “Listen, some of the girls at lunch were talking about your friend Savannah Colbert. They said she’s missed a lot of school this week, and they’re pretty worried about her. Sounded like they were thinking about sending her a get-well card or something. I told them I knew you andwould ask how she was doing. You wouldn’t happen to have any updates I could pass along, would you?”
    â€œOh! That’s nice of them. I heard she’s doing okay. I’m not sure when she’s supposed to be back at school, though.”
    That wasn’t the kind of news I wanted to hear. “Huh. Sounds like she caught something pretty serious, then. Did you get to talk to her?”
    â€œNo, just her grandma. You know, Mrs. Evans didn’t actually say what was wrong with Savannah, now that I think about it.” Her smile turned hesitant. “If you want, I could call them again tonight and find out more details.”
    Her head tilted to the side like a bird’s as she inspected my expression. She was getting too curious. Not good. “Aw, it’s no big deal. I’m sure the girls were just a little worried about her. I’ll tell them she’s okay.” I straightened away from the lockers. “But hey, let me know if you hear any updates?”
    I gave her another smile, waited till she nodded in agreement, then I walked off with what I hoped was a casual wave.
    Why did I feel even more worried now?
    Savannah
    Fire and ice. They were my entire world for days. That and weird conversations I overheard between Mom