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few freshmen behind me fell silent.
    “Where’d you hear that?” Pixie unwrapped a Blow Pop.
    The girl shrugged. “Around. Everyone’s saying it.”
    “You think it’s true?” I bit my lip to keep from saying more. My mind screamed for details.
    Aubrie turned to look at her sister and the trio of freshmen tagging along. “Whatever. Don’t go walking alone or I’ll tell Mom you’re breaking the rules.”
    Judging by the size of Darcy’s eyes, Aubrie didn’t need to worry about that anytime soon.
    At the next corner, a flash of electric blue reflected off the windows of cars parked in the distance. I turned to look for the motorcycle. Nothing. I needed to get a grip.
    “Darcy?” I asked. “How soon will you know if you got that position in the office?”
    Never the chatty one in any pairing, I barely spoke at dinner. Pixie didn’t notice. She sucked a homemade icy pop, probably concocted of organic guava juice or something equally healthy. I fought with a grilled cheese. I couldn’t get used to the decrepit stove or the singed cookware. I’d made a mess of the effort, but I was hungry.
    Pixie filled me in on all the day’s news while I sat and stewed. She recounted personal stories of atrocious outfits and bad haircuts, whose friendships were over and, of course, the rest of the scoop on our hot new addition to the student body. She even made a few terrible jokes about his “student body.”
    “Everyone’s going totally bonkers, Elle! Don’t you want to climb up on a lunch table, pound your chest, and say, ‘What’s up now, ladies? The boy is M-I-N-E.’”
    “Pixie.”
    “What? He is, right? I saw you two. Don’t lie. He was following you today. I saw that, too.”
    “Following me? When?”
    “Everywhere.” She rolled her eyes. “He’s in half your classes. He ought to be more discreet.” Her perfect face lit up as she ran one finger down the length of her icy pop. “Ah ah ah.”
    He was in more than half my classes, but I didn’t mention it. I didn’t know what to make of the day. There was no sane way to shrug off this scenario. My gut clenched in acknowledgment. Frustration overcame me. Was I crazy? Was the dream creeping into my days, too? I rubbed my forehead. Everything in this little town creeped me out. Hearing rumors about a serial killer didn’t help.
    Pixie gave me a rare look of concern. “I’m glad you’re here.”
    “Me, too. Are you okay?”
    Her cheek lifted in half a smile. “You know I’ve been here for years, but I’m still the odd one out. I never leave the academy. Not unless the school closes. I don’t run home on weekends and short holidays. My family makes itself scarce, so it’s nice having a friend who gets how that feels.”
    I nodded. She nodded. It looked to me like Pixie had hundreds of friends. I let her words sit, unsure of how to respond. My dad wasn’t around because he couldn’t be, but I didn’t point that out. I finished my seared-cheese sandwich and went to brush my teeth. She followed me. No boundaries.
    “Let’s go out!” She was going out with or without me. Her social calendar overflowed. Unlike mine.
    “I’m going to the library. I missed a ton today after I saw Brian.” I shrugged one shoulder and gave the palms up, head tilt. What can I do? Out of my hands. I hated the hold he had on me.
    “Ack.” She spit an exasperated throat noise at me and rolled her head around.
    She planned to fix me. I wished her luck. When she left to meet friends back at the Community Center, I grabbed my laptop and backpack to walk with her. Pixie loved darts and was pretty good.
    I flipped the deadbolt and checked the doorknob on our way back out.
    “Good. I was going to tell you to make sure it’s locked this time.” Pixie tossed the stick of her Blow Pop into a trash bin as we reached the sidewalk.
    “What do you mean? I always double-check.”
    “Not always. When I put my key in after school, it was already unlocked.”
    “Why didn’t