what we should do?” CJ asked.
“What?” I asked.
Colette came down and stood in front of me with her hands on her hips. “I need the phone.”
“We should call her,” CJ interrupted.
“Who? Olivia?” I asked.
“No. Morgan,” CJ said. “I have three-way calling.”
“I have to tell Matt something,” Colette insisted.
“In a minute,” I said to Colette. She shook her head but went away. “What’s three-way calling?” I asked CJ.
“You can be on the line secretly while I call Morgan back to ask if she’s spoken to you, and see if she lies, and catch her.”
I said, “OK.” Don’t be nervous, I told myself—it’s just a prank. I’m not the one about to be caught. Why should I worry?
As CJ dialed, I listened to Anne Marie drilling Bay on SAT vocabulary words in the dining room. They were cracking up because Devin had just come in and given a disgusting definition of the word pulchritude . When it’s time for me to take the SATs, nobody will live here anymore but my parents.
On the second ring, CJ told me to stop breathing so loud. I flipped the mouthpiece over my head and covered it with my hand.
They chatted for a minute before CJ asked Morgan if she had spoken to me tonight. I held my breath.
“No,” Morgan said. “Why?”
“Just wondering,” said CJ.
Gotcha , I thought. Like the FBI was about to burst into her kitchen and arrest her for it. Devin shuffled past me to the den and said, “Your pulchritude is showing.” I put my finger to my lips and yanked my shorts a little lower in case pulchritude meant fat thighs.
“I feel so bad for Zoe,” Morgan was telling CJ, meanwhile.
Oh, dread. I settled into the couch to hear why.
“For Zoe?” CJ asked.
“Yeah,” Morgan said. “She is such a nice girl. Everybody loves her. But it’s like, all she ever wants to talk about is sports.”
“Ummm,” said CJ.
I stopped myself from pointing out that she’s the one who brought up softball, not me. I thought she wanted to talk about it.
“I guess mostly I just feel bad about the boy-thing,” Morgan said. “You know, like we were saying last night.”
I bit on my cheeks and kept the talk-part of the phone covered above my head. My heart was pounding really fast. What were you saying last night, CJ?
“Morgan . . .” CJ’s voice sounded a little shaky.
“You know, about the boys not liking her in that way.”
“I didn’t say that.” CJ didn’t sound so sure. “I don’t know who the boys like.”
“Come on,” said Morgan. “You know who they don’t like.”
I swallowed and sank deeper into the couch.
So boys don’t like me in that way. No big deal. Tommy and I will always be just friends. Obviously. I know who the boys don’t like. It’s not like I’ve never realized.
“Ummm,” said CJ. “I gotta go.”
“Don’t say anything to Zoe,” Morgan said before she hung up. I slipped onto the floor and thought, Oh, yeah, CJ? Well, you have no arm! Don’t think I’m the only one people talk about behind her back! You should hear what we were saying about you!
“I didn’t say that,” CJ said as soon as she cleared off the second line.
“Hey, it’s the truth,” I admitted.
“It is not!” CJ said.
“I know I’m not pretty. No need to alert the media.” I tried to laugh but it came out like pathetic gasps for air instead.
“Well, if the boys only like girls who are so pretty, then, forget it—that’s just, stupid, stupid, stupid.”
She didn’t say, Oh, no, Zoe—you are pretty, really pretty . Not that I expected her to. “Stupid,” I mumbled.
“And Morgan is a . . . I can’t even trust her. I can’t believe she used to be my best friend.”
“Used to be?”
Dad’s headlights lit up the window as his car pulled into the driveway.
“We’re just very different,” CJ said. “Morgan doesn’t understand about, you know, anything, I told you, before. And now I can’t even, I mean, like, you would never talk about
“What?” I asked.
Colette came down and stood in front of me with her hands on her hips. “I need the phone.”
“We should call her,” CJ interrupted.
“Who? Olivia?” I asked.
“No. Morgan,” CJ said. “I have three-way calling.”
“I have to tell Matt something,” Colette insisted.
“In a minute,” I said to Colette. She shook her head but went away. “What’s three-way calling?” I asked CJ.
“You can be on the line secretly while I call Morgan back to ask if she’s spoken to you, and see if she lies, and catch her.”
I said, “OK.” Don’t be nervous, I told myself—it’s just a prank. I’m not the one about to be caught. Why should I worry?
As CJ dialed, I listened to Anne Marie drilling Bay on SAT vocabulary words in the dining room. They were cracking up because Devin had just come in and given a disgusting definition of the word pulchritude . When it’s time for me to take the SATs, nobody will live here anymore but my parents.
On the second ring, CJ told me to stop breathing so loud. I flipped the mouthpiece over my head and covered it with my hand.
They chatted for a minute before CJ asked Morgan if she had spoken to me tonight. I held my breath.
“No,” Morgan said. “Why?”
“Just wondering,” said CJ.
Gotcha , I thought. Like the FBI was about to burst into her kitchen and arrest her for it. Devin shuffled past me to the den and said, “Your pulchritude is showing.” I put my finger to my lips and yanked my shorts a little lower in case pulchritude meant fat thighs.
“I feel so bad for Zoe,” Morgan was telling CJ, meanwhile.
Oh, dread. I settled into the couch to hear why.
“For Zoe?” CJ asked.
“Yeah,” Morgan said. “She is such a nice girl. Everybody loves her. But it’s like, all she ever wants to talk about is sports.”
“Ummm,” said CJ.
I stopped myself from pointing out that she’s the one who brought up softball, not me. I thought she wanted to talk about it.
“I guess mostly I just feel bad about the boy-thing,” Morgan said. “You know, like we were saying last night.”
I bit on my cheeks and kept the talk-part of the phone covered above my head. My heart was pounding really fast. What were you saying last night, CJ?
“Morgan . . .” CJ’s voice sounded a little shaky.
“You know, about the boys not liking her in that way.”
“I didn’t say that.” CJ didn’t sound so sure. “I don’t know who the boys like.”
“Come on,” said Morgan. “You know who they don’t like.”
I swallowed and sank deeper into the couch.
So boys don’t like me in that way. No big deal. Tommy and I will always be just friends. Obviously. I know who the boys don’t like. It’s not like I’ve never realized.
“Ummm,” said CJ. “I gotta go.”
“Don’t say anything to Zoe,” Morgan said before she hung up. I slipped onto the floor and thought, Oh, yeah, CJ? Well, you have no arm! Don’t think I’m the only one people talk about behind her back! You should hear what we were saying about you!
“I didn’t say that,” CJ said as soon as she cleared off the second line.
“Hey, it’s the truth,” I admitted.
“It is not!” CJ said.
“I know I’m not pretty. No need to alert the media.” I tried to laugh but it came out like pathetic gasps for air instead.
“Well, if the boys only like girls who are so pretty, then, forget it—that’s just, stupid, stupid, stupid.”
She didn’t say, Oh, no, Zoe—you are pretty, really pretty . Not that I expected her to. “Stupid,” I mumbled.
“And Morgan is a . . . I can’t even trust her. I can’t believe she used to be my best friend.”
“Used to be?”
Dad’s headlights lit up the window as his car pulled into the driveway.
“We’re just very different,” CJ said. “Morgan doesn’t understand about, you know, anything, I told you, before. And now I can’t even, I mean, like, you would never talk about
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