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her wake. She’s blond (of course), and pretty, and her teeth are unnaturally white. Crest should sponsor this girl. When she sat next to me and smiled, I had to look away to avoid being blinded.
    â€œSo what do you think of Nairne?” Nicole tossed her hair, showing off shimmering highlights. “It must seem like the middle of nowhere after living in Seattle.”
    â€œIt’s okay.” I wasn’t stupid enough to insult her hometown. This was clearly one of those situations where if I called this place the armpit of Washington, the quote would end up in the local paper and I’d be pelted with rocks whenever I went out in public.
    â€œIt must be hard to transfer your senior year.”
    â€œYou do what you gotta do.” I was proud of myself for not calling her Captain Obvious. I couldn’t figure out why she was talking to me. Either she mistakenly believed I was some sort of a volleyball genius and wanted me on her team, or she was working on her Girl Scouts Friendly to Strangers badge.
    â€œIf you need anything, you can just ask me,” Nicole offered. Her eyes suddenly widened. “Hey, you should have lunch with me tomorrow. Then I can introduce you to everyone.”
    â€œSure. That would be nice.” I was careful to hide my surprise. Maybe the popularity threshold was lower here, and I was gettingbonus points for being from the big city. Nicole was a bit perkier than I preferred, but who was I to be so choosy in the friend department? She seemed nice. It would be great to have someone to hang with, since it wasn’t like I could call Anita every second, especially since she was so busy hanging out with Sharon.
    Nicole smiled even wider. Her teeth looked like Tic Tacs. Perfectly white, perfectly shaped. “Do you want a ride home after school? I’ve got a car.”
    â€œI’d love a ride, but I live way out of town.”
    â€œI know where you live.” Her eyes flashed. “Small town, you know, we know everything.”

Chapter 10
    I had pictured Nicole driving something that went with her personality. Maybe a car painted pink with Hello Kitty decals on it. I was surprised when she pulled up to the school door in an olive-colored Jeep with rust holes. The top was down and the sides were splattered with mud.
    â€œJump in.” Nicole cranked the volume up on the radio.
    I threw my backpack onto the floor and buckled in. Nicole was already peeling out. She gave a wave over her shoulder at a group of girls waiting for the bus. One of them was scowling at me. Uh-oh. The world order had been upset.
    â€œI hope giving me a ride didn’t put anyone out?”
    â€œIt’s okay. I usually give Brit a ride, but she lives on the other side of the island altogether. She didn’t mind taking the bus.”
    I hadn’t met Brit yet, but I had the sneaking suspicion she did mind taking the bus. She minded a lot. Great. One thing I didn’t need at my new school was an enemy.
    Nicole sped around a corner, and I grabbed on to the door handle for dear life. My hair was whipping around in the wind, and I suspected by the time I got back to the house it was going to look as if I’d styled it with a blender. Nicole’s hair seemed to blow straight back. If anything, she was going to look better at the end of the ride.
    â€œSo you’ve lived here your whole life, huh?” I yelled over the radio.
    â€œBorn-and-bred native. I know it’s dorky, but I love it. I like visiting the city, but I can’t imagine wanting to live anyplace else.” She looked over at me. “What about you? Are you dying to get off island?”
    â€œNot dying exactly, but I miss the city. My friends and stuff.”
    â€œNot to mention how weird it must be to be living at Morrigan.”
    â€œWeird?”
    â€œYou know about the house and everything, don’t you?”
    â€œOf course,” I said, bluffing. It’s my experience that