The bell rang two seconds before Cree could make it to her first class. When she came walking in after the bell, all the other kids stared and snickered. She figured that they had heard about what happened in the day room. She took her seat in the second row as usual.

“Cree, you’re late,” came the teacher’s quiet but authoritative voice.

“Sorry, Ms. Faigon,” Cree said, a little embarrassed.

“I think I can guess why,” Sally O’Connor whispered over to her with a giggle.

“Hey, too busy suckin’ face with Reese,” Willie Courtly snickered. Cree threw them a sour look. Jenny, who was sitting next to Cree, was equally as annoyed. She turned to the both of them, who were sitting in the fourth row and said, “Lay off her.”

“What’s it to you, blue girl?” Willie said. “Denny told us all about it.”

“Oh, really,” Jenny whispered back. “Well, I wouldn’t listen to anything that jerk said.”

Ms. Faigon looked back from the chalkboard and looked at the class. She always seemed to know what was going on. She threw a look that told them to behave, or things were going to get hairy.

“Would you all be quiet,” Jordon whispered from across the second row. He was sitting two seats down from Cree. “It is very rude to be talking during class.”

“Like you are now,” Jenny whispered back, giggling. “This is chemistry. Too bad Millie isn’t here. She’s knows a lot about chemistry.” Jordon just looked away, pretending to readjust his glasses in hopes that the girls didn’t see him blush.

“Glad to see I’m not the only one embarrassed,” Cree said, laughing along with Jenny.

“So Cree, you never told me,” Jenny started. “Did Reese ask you out again?” She nodded.

“When?” Ms. Faigon looked back again. Jenny straightened up in her seat and didn’t say another word. Cree quickly jotted down the word ‘Friday’ in her notebook and showed Jenny. She just smiled and gave her a wink.

Cree suffered through the rest of the class, faintly hearing the whispers of the other students. Jenny gave them all nasty looks, one by one, all the way through the period. Soon, the bell rang, and the two girls got up from their seats.