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you’re a senior. We used to do it last year too. I think the teachers knew, but I can’t be sure because we never got caught. Mr. Davis just used to make really pointed statements like “I could really go for a Subway sandwich right about now,” after we had just thrown the wrappers away.
    The way lunch works senior year is that you can go off campus for your free period or lunch but not both, and if your free period happens to be before or after lunch, so that they’re right up against each other, you can leave for an hour and fifteen minutes. It turns out this will happen to everyone once in the school week, so it’s fair, I guess, but it still makes no sense. Why wouldn’t you get to just take off two full periods? Why deny us those extra fifteen minutes? This is the stuff about high school that I don’t understand.
    I think that since we can legally do it this year, it holds less appeal, but it’s only the first day of school, and no one leaves on the first day of school.
    Rob’s sandwich is kind of soggy, and as I hand it back to him, a piece of turkey falls onto the table.
    Jake has Charlie in a headlock, and she’s squealing loudly, and Ben and Olivia seem to be immersed in conversation, although about what, I really couldn’t say.
    I look at Rob. His shaggy hair is falling down in front of his face, and he looks so painfully cute, I just want to put my arms around him right here in the courtyard.
    “I have to go,” he says, “but I’ll see you tonight?”
    I nod, and he smiles. He leans in, but then Charlie and Jake break apart and so do we. Was he going to kiss me? Not possible. No way. Not here. Tonight?
    “Later,” Rob says to the table, and then takes off toward Cooper House.
    “Dude, the cove, after school,” Jake calls out after him, and Rob turns around and gives a little salute. It’s not directed at Jake, though. It’s straight at me.
    “All you guys think about is surfing.” Charlie leans her head briefly on Jake’s shoulder and exaggerates a sigh.
    “That is not all we think about, yo,” Jake says, tickling her.
    I am still buzzing from Rob being so close and the promise of tonight that it takes me another minute to realize I’m actually hungry. “Come on,” I say to Olivia, and we both stand up and start walking over toward the cafeteria.
    “Can you get us sparkling water?” Charlie calls, and I give her the thumbs-up over my shoulder.
    The cafeteria is pretty small for a high school of our size. There are only about fifteen tables, given the fact that everyone, or at least upperclassmen, eat outside. When it’s raining, we usually take our food into Copper House or the PL. The inside of the cafeteria is depressing, and it’s basically all freshmen.
    Taylor is in line, and Olivia scoots up to him, shimmying herhips in between him and Dan Jenkins so she’s smack up against him. Taylor, I mean. Dan notices, though, and starts tapping Steve Gesher on the shoulder to get him to see that Olivia’s hip is touching Taylor’s hip.
    It’s not really all that surprising. She still flirts with Taylor a lot.
    “Grab me a veggie,” I say to Olivia. “I’m gonna go get the water.”
    Olivia is ignoring me, and Taylor. She’s just casually making her salad, seemingly immune to the hysteria she’s causing around her. At least she solved the problem of waiting in line.
    I turn around and head toward the vending machines, where I pass Brittany Fesner, who everyone calls Brittany Fester because she’s always had the most horrible skin. I think Charlie came up with that. I really hope Brittany doesn’t know.
    Brittany half waves at me, and I half wave back, and then I feed some dollars into the machine and stand around as San Pellegrino bottles dislodge and land with a thump . I pull them out and try to balance them in my arms, but there are six of them and they keep sliding.
    “You need some help, Rosaline?” I spin around, and the bottles scatter to the floor. They’re