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straddling the chair.” Biting into the crisp golden delicious apple, I pretended I didn’t know his name just to see what information she would share about him.
    “Zander Stewart,” she said, snatching another fry. “He’s a senior. Cute, huh?” She waggled her eyebrows.
    I nodded. “What’s he like?”
    “He seems nice from what little I know of him. He used to play football, but he tore up his knee pretty bad last year and had to have surgery.” She wiped her hands and opened her bottle of water. “That ruined his football career. He’s not like Andrew but he’s just as hot. If not hotter.”
    “Who’s Andrew?”
    “His older brother. He goes to the university now.” She sipped the water. “He dated my sister for a while. They both graduated together four years ago. My sister was a cheerleader and all that, and he was captain of the football team. They were similar to the king and queen over there.”
    “Huh.” I watched Zander steal a few more fries from his friend’s plate while he grinned, listening to a story one of the other guys was telling. “Did your sister tell you anything interesting about the family?”
    Chelsea shrugged. “Not too much. I just know that Andrew is following in their dad’s footsteps. He’s premed.”
    “Their dad’s a doctor?”
    “Yeah, a surgeon, I think.” Chelsea bit into the burger and then wiped her mouth with a napkin. “You like him?” I shook my head. “I don’t even know him.” She grinned. “He makes for nice eye candy.”
    We both laughed.
    She pulled a cell phone from her purse. “You need to give me your number.”
    “Oh.” I wiped my hands and cleared my throat. The stupid cell phone issue had come up again. “I don’t have a cell phone.”
    “Seriously?” She lifted her eyebrows.
    “I don’t like being tied down to technology.” I sipped the water, hoping I sounded convincing. In all honesty, I missedthe convenience of having a cell phone, but I knew it wasn’t a priority right now since Dad was out of work.
    “Really.” She took a bite of her chocolate cake and then glanced at her watch. “How is it that lunch goes by so quickly and classes move at a snail’s pace?”
    “Because lunch is fun,” I said with a smile. “Thanks for sitting with me.”
    She grinned. “You’re welcome. Same time tomorrow?”
    “Absolutely.”
    The bell blasted through the conversations in the cafeteria, and we both stood.
    “Have a good afternoon,” she said, balancing her bags on her arm and her tray in her hand.
    “You too.” As she walked away, I smiled, thankful to have at least one friend at Cameronville High.

chapter three
    A fter school, I was leaning against the Honda when Whitney approached.
    “Hey,” she said, pushing her ponytail off her shoulder. “I’m sorry, but I’ve got a cheerleading meeting and I can’t miss it.”
    “Oh.” I stood up and adjusted my bag on my shoulder. Glancing across the parking lot, I spotted a line of yellow school buses. “I’ll just take the bus home. Which one goes to your neighborhood?”
    “Oh no.” She yanked the keys from her Coach shoulder bag. “Here.” She held them out and the wad of key chains jingled. “Just pick me up at five.”
    I studied the keys as if they were foreign objects. There was no way I was going to drive her car. I’d be lost for days in this town. “Well, I don’t think —”
    “Don’t be silly, Em. I know you can drive.” She grabbed my hand and slapped the keys into my palm, like a surgical nurse handing a scalpel to a doctor. “Just pick me up.”
    “I don’t even know how to get to your house, Whitney. I’d be driving in circles around town like some idiot tourist.” I handed her the keys. “I’ll take the bus and be perfectly fine. Which one is it?”
    She turned and pointed to the green Jeep, and my stomach clenched. “Zander’s still here. I’ll just ask him to —”
    “No,” I said with more force than I intended. “I’ll take