response to this, so they sat for a moment in silence. Then Judith said, “I was living alone before break. Actually, I’m in ninth grade.” The way the girl began her sentences with the word actually , it sounded like she was correcting some unheard person. “You’re in eighth, right?”
Finny nodded. “Unfortunately.”
“When they said a new girl was coming, I volunteered to have you stay with me.”
“Thanks a lot,” Finny said. “But how did you get to choose?”
“My parents are on the board,” Judith said, and then blew at a strand of hair that had come loose from her ponytail. Finny was captivated by her movements, her ease in these strange surroundings. “It just means they give a lot of money,” Judith went on. “You might have seen the Turngate Auditorium? That’s my last name. Turngate.”
“I’m sorry you had to give up your room,” Finny blurted out. She felt clumsy in the presence of big graceful Judith.
“Like I said, I wanted a roommate. My last roommate left all of a sudden, and it was lonely. Actually, I’m very glad you’re here.”
“Why’d she leave?”
Judith shrugged. “Family stuff. By the way, why are you here? I mean, why’d you come in the middle of the year?”
“I got in trouble,” Finny said.
“What kind of trouble?” Judith asked. “Boys?”
“Actually, yes,” Finny said. She was already beginning to talk like Judith. The girl’s pull was that strong, like a huge planet on a tiny pebble.
“Did you get caught doing something?”
“Sort of.” Normally Finny wouldn’t have answered any of these questions. She would have shrugged, or made a smart comment about what she got caught doing. But she felt compelled to give Judith what she asked for. Finny wanted so badly to please her, to win her approval. She could see that Judith must have been used to having that effect on people. “I started taking piano lessons so I could see this boy. Then my parents found out.”
“And what happened?”
“I got sent here.”
“No. I mean, what happened with the boy?”
“He’s at home. We’re still in love.”
Here Judith let out a squeal of pleasure. “How wonderful ,” she said. “Have you written him?”
“I just sent him a letter this morning.”
“Hm,” Judith said, frowning. “Well, you have to be careful about that. Old Yeller will check mailboxes.”
“Really?”
“But she won’t check mine. How about you have your boyfriend send the letters to my mailbox? And then I’ll hand them off to you. I promise I won’t peak at anything. Unless you let me.” Judith was glowing. Finny loved the way their strings were crossing, how they were winding into each other’s lives.
“Thanks,” Finny said.
“Nothing,” Judith said, in a way that sounded faintly European to Finny, though Finny had never been to Europe. “So what did you do last night?”
“I ate dinner with Poplan. Then we played Jenga.”
“Oh, so the Pussy Popper got you to play already?”
“It wasn’t that bad. The only dumb thing was this shirt I have to wear so I don’t run away.”
“Shirt?”
Finny got up and went to her closet, pulled out the shirt. She put it on, and modeled it for Judith, striking a sassy hand-on-hip pose, the way she used to when she was modeling her rat’s nest for Sylvan. Finny was beginning to feel comfortable enough with her new roommate that she could joke like this, strut around and make faces, twist up other people’s behavior into these absurd shapes.
Judith laughed at Finny’s display, so hard she fell back on the bed and hit her head against the wall. “Ow,” she said, then laughed some more. Finny kept dancing, enjoying how silly she and Judith looked together.
“Shorty Finn,” Finny said. “It’s like a deformed shark.”
After a while Judith stopped laughing. “Actually, that’s terrible,” she said. “The shirt, I mean. I’m so sorry they’re making you wear that. But I think I can take care of
Finny nodded. “Unfortunately.”
“When they said a new girl was coming, I volunteered to have you stay with me.”
“Thanks a lot,” Finny said. “But how did you get to choose?”
“My parents are on the board,” Judith said, and then blew at a strand of hair that had come loose from her ponytail. Finny was captivated by her movements, her ease in these strange surroundings. “It just means they give a lot of money,” Judith went on. “You might have seen the Turngate Auditorium? That’s my last name. Turngate.”
“I’m sorry you had to give up your room,” Finny blurted out. She felt clumsy in the presence of big graceful Judith.
“Like I said, I wanted a roommate. My last roommate left all of a sudden, and it was lonely. Actually, I’m very glad you’re here.”
“Why’d she leave?”
Judith shrugged. “Family stuff. By the way, why are you here? I mean, why’d you come in the middle of the year?”
“I got in trouble,” Finny said.
“What kind of trouble?” Judith asked. “Boys?”
“Actually, yes,” Finny said. She was already beginning to talk like Judith. The girl’s pull was that strong, like a huge planet on a tiny pebble.
“Did you get caught doing something?”
“Sort of.” Normally Finny wouldn’t have answered any of these questions. She would have shrugged, or made a smart comment about what she got caught doing. But she felt compelled to give Judith what she asked for. Finny wanted so badly to please her, to win her approval. She could see that Judith must have been used to having that effect on people. “I started taking piano lessons so I could see this boy. Then my parents found out.”
“And what happened?”
“I got sent here.”
“No. I mean, what happened with the boy?”
“He’s at home. We’re still in love.”
Here Judith let out a squeal of pleasure. “How wonderful ,” she said. “Have you written him?”
“I just sent him a letter this morning.”
“Hm,” Judith said, frowning. “Well, you have to be careful about that. Old Yeller will check mailboxes.”
“Really?”
“But she won’t check mine. How about you have your boyfriend send the letters to my mailbox? And then I’ll hand them off to you. I promise I won’t peak at anything. Unless you let me.” Judith was glowing. Finny loved the way their strings were crossing, how they were winding into each other’s lives.
“Thanks,” Finny said.
“Nothing,” Judith said, in a way that sounded faintly European to Finny, though Finny had never been to Europe. “So what did you do last night?”
“I ate dinner with Poplan. Then we played Jenga.”
“Oh, so the Pussy Popper got you to play already?”
“It wasn’t that bad. The only dumb thing was this shirt I have to wear so I don’t run away.”
“Shirt?”
Finny got up and went to her closet, pulled out the shirt. She put it on, and modeled it for Judith, striking a sassy hand-on-hip pose, the way she used to when she was modeling her rat’s nest for Sylvan. Finny was beginning to feel comfortable enough with her new roommate that she could joke like this, strut around and make faces, twist up other people’s behavior into these absurd shapes.
Judith laughed at Finny’s display, so hard she fell back on the bed and hit her head against the wall. “Ow,” she said, then laughed some more. Finny kept dancing, enjoying how silly she and Judith looked together.
“Shorty Finn,” Finny said. “It’s like a deformed shark.”
After a while Judith stopped laughing. “Actually, that’s terrible,” she said. “The shirt, I mean. I’m so sorry they’re making you wear that. But I think I can take care of
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