Read Online The Silver Moon Elm by MaryJanice Davidson - Free Book Online

there—still in shock—for a good few seconds before she caught movement in her peripheral vision.
    “So how’d it go, Jenny?”
    It was Amanda. She was focused on using a tiny lint roller to remove invisible specks from her perfect wool skirt and cashmere sweater. The other three girls were in tight formation behind her.
    “It went fine. I gotta go to geometry.”
    “Bob’s coming to the party with you?”
    Aggravated, Jennifer pursed her lips and put her hands on her hips. “Of course he is. What, you think he’s saying no to this?”
    That got Amanda to look up and grin. Abigail let out a whoop of laughter, and the others tittered nervously.
    “He’ll have his hands full,” Amanda said, scanning the length of Jennifer’s body as if recognizing her for the first time. “Make sure you don’t tell anyone else about this party. I don’t want to wreck the place or my parents will kill me. Sally’s cool with not going?”
    It was barely a question. Jennifer cast her gaze down the hall. Her friend had already disappeared among the crowds of roving teenagers. “Susan will be fine.” But she wasn’t sure of that at all.
    “Where do you get your ’do done?” Anne took a cautious step forward and reached out to touch Jennifer’s platinum hair. “That color is insane. I want it!”
    Feeling brave and still a bit angry, Jennifer reached up and held Anne’s freckled nose between thumb and forefinger. She shook the girl’s head back and forth with gentle mischief. “Oh no, cutie! You don’t want to go through what I had to go through to get this hair. Believe me.”
    Anne gasped and took a step backward, breaking contact. The other three girls stared at the two of them, stunned by Jennifer’s audacious move. I dared touch one of them! The giddy thought raced through her mind with a mixture of surprise at her own transgression, relief that Amanda would probably disinvite her from the stupid mack party, and horror at what rumor they might generate to torture her for the next two and a half years.
    Then all four of them started giggling uncontrollably, and Jennifer knew all was truly lost. They have accepted me. I have become one of them. Kill me now.
    “Oh, Jenny, you are a riot!” Amanda reached out with her lint roller and rubbed it over Jennifer’s own sweater, as if leaving her own scent all over the new girl. “There. Much better. Hey, you wanna go to the mall tonight?”
    Another twinge of regret rankled Jennifer at the mention of the mall. She would have to make it up to Susan when they got back from Crescent Valley. Heck, maybe she could convince her parents to keep the visit brief enough to come back early in the morning, or even tonight…
    “I’ve got plans,” she finally said without paying much attention to Amanda’s look of astonishment. Apparently, not too many girls at Winoka High turned down the A+ of the A-List. “Thanks, though.”
    “Huh. Yeah, well, see you around.”
    The A-List turned as one, flared wool skirts all flipping in unison, and walked away.
    A boy’s whistle behind her made her turn. “Oh, it’s you.”
    “Wow.” Skip couldn’t take his eyes off the retreating foursome. “You know those girls? How come you never introduced—”
    “Forget it.”
    “Yeah, I don’t suppose any of them want a guy with a brain above the belt, anyway. Speaking of which, are you honestly going to a party with Bob Jarkmand this Friday? I mean, that’s a joke, right?”
    Her jaw dropped. “You heard already?”
    His expression froze somewhere between amusement and amazement. His thumb jerked. “I ran into Susan back there. She filled me in. I thought she was just screwing with my head.” Adjusting the backpack on his shoulder, he looked at Jennifer with more confusion—and perhaps less respect. “Bob Jarkmand, eh?”
    “Skip, I really don’t have time for—”
    “Where’s your necklace?” He was suddenly alarmed that the wooden necklace he had given her last spring, with