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chunk of the Gaggle, who were Jordan's best friends. I liked to think of them as an elite Gaggle Guard.
    I was kind of surprised that Jordan wasn't there. Zack was exactly her type. She should have been all over him, especially given the way she had been glued to Rob last year. Then again, I remembered the way she had been going after Haley yesterday, and I wondered if her “type” had changed over the summer or just since the first day of school.
    Slinging my backpack off my shoulder to the floor, I did the combination and opened my locker, hoping they'd all just ignore me.
    "Hey, Steph!"
    I looked over to my left to see Zack grinning at me. I examined that grin carefully for any signs of mockery, but just like yesterday, it was simply open and friendly.
    "Morning," I replied, smiling cautiously.
    "It's so sad about Rob!" Jennifer Houghton burbled at Zack, completely ignoring me.
    "What happened?" Melissa Bernetti demanded.
    "Oh my God! Didn't you hear?" Kara Manzino broke in. "He broke his collarbone yesterday during football practice. They took him to the hospital, and he had emergency surgery. They say he'll be back in school by next week, but he won't be playing football this year."
    "Oh, poor Rob," Jennifer sighed. "And it's his last year of playing for Darbyfield."
    "So does that mean you're going to get to play?" Melissa gushed at Zack.
    "Yeah," Zack replied, trying to seem sheepish, but failing. The boy oozed gloat from every pore. "Coach talked to me yesterday and picked me up as the quarterback for the season."
    "Convenient," I mouthed to myself and rolled my eyes as I stuffed my jacket into my locker.
    Honestly, I didn't make a sound, but Zack turned and looked at me as if he had heard exactly what I had said, his eyes wide with surprise.
    Uh-oh, I thought to myself, feeling the familiar pit in my stomach settle in for a siege I wasn't ready to fight. I had been irritated with Zack's cheerfulness about Rob. Even if my crush on him was over, and even if he had never known I existed, I still cared about him...like a total pathetic dork. And now, I'd pissed off the new quarterback. Countdown to social disaster in three...two...one...
    Zack's look of astonishment melted into a huge grin, and he winked at me. Confused and distrustful of my reprieve, I slammed my locker shut, grabbed my bag, and ran upstairs to class.
    I was a little early getting to the classroom. Alright, fine. I was the first person there, but that meant I could take a different seat, two rows over from where I had been yesterday. Haley and Jordan would probably stay in the seats they had already picked yesterday. This was a necessary part of the Project Avoid Haley that I had decided was my current priority. I glanced at the front row, where I knew Rob's seat would be empty as other students started to trickle in.
    Poor Rob—I felt so bad for him, getting hurt like that right at the start of the season. While I was feeling bad for him, another part of me was analyzing exactly how much I was feeling for him. I was pleased and a little relieved to find that my crush on him from last year really had faded.
    Crushes were so demeaning because it was the ultimate sign that you were nobody and nothing. If you weren't worthy of being noticed in the real world, then there was no way pining away in secret would make you any less pathetic. Crushes had a way of consuming you, sucking up all your daydreams and your falling-asleep dreams. Crushes made you an amazing detective, picking up every little scrap you could, trailing behind those who dropped them. Crushes gave you dreams to play with and shadows to cry over.
    As I sat pondering this, I heard Jordan's voice as she walked in, but I didn't look up.
    "Oh my God," she exclaimed. "It's sooo cold today! Aren't you cold, Haley? You're only wearing a shirt. I'd totally be freezing."
    I didn't hear Haley’s reply, but I kept my eyes resolutely focused on my notebook, fighting the need to see what kind of shirt