Chapter Three: New Allies
"She's deranged." Paige spoke, watching the new girl walk across the courtyard to take a seat on a bench and open her lunch bag. Paige sat on the courtyard wall with Spinner and Jimmy. Spinner shook his head.
"I don't know, Paige. I think she's kind of cute." He replied, and Paige spun to face him.
"Cute? How can you call THAT cute! She's a walking fashion faux pas. Only the Goth kids wear that much black, and we all know how cool Goth kids are." She argued, hitting Spinner on the arm.
"Actually, Paige, I wouldn't exactly call her a Goth. Just because she's dressed in all black, I mean, she's not even wearing makeup." Jimmy added.
"Yes, she is! I can see her black eyeliner from here!" Paige attested, gesturing wildly.
"He doesn't mean that kind of makeup. He means the white stuff. And black lipstick." Spinner explained. Paige shrugged.
"Whatever. I don't care what she is; I think she belongs in an institution." She replied, standing up to go sit with Hazel, who had just arrived in the courtyard. Once she had gone, Jimmy turned to Spinner.
"Dude, are you stupid or something? Don't you see what you just did?" he asked, and Spinner's face was completely blank. "Oh man, you are hopeless. How long have you been trying to get with Paige?"
"Since the middle of last year . . . " He said, not really understanding where Jimmy was going.
"And you still want her, right?" Jimmy continued, and Spinner nodded. "So what would make you think the best way to accomplish that goal would be by telling her you think another girl is cute?"
"Oh, man!" Spinner cried, leaping to his feet and striking himself in the forehead. "How could I be so stupid? I mean, Chloe's cute, but I didn't mean, and now Paige thinks, oh man!"
Across the courtyard Spinner's sudden flailing caught Paige's eye, and she shook her head. Hazel noticed it also and turned to her friend.
"What's Spinner's problem?" she asked, and Paige shrugged.
"I don't know. He's probably trying to catch the attention of that new girl, Chloe. She's so wretched." Paige replied, and Hazel laughed.
"You're just mad because she made you look stupid, which was partly your fault. Fashion rule number one: Always, always, ALWAYS check your fly before you leave the washroom. You know that."
"No, Hazel. Fashion rule number one is: Plaids and stripes together are a total fashion murder-suicide. The fly rule is like, number seven." Paige replied, crumpling up her sandwich wrapper and tossing it into the garbage can. She paused for a moment before continuing. "Whose side are you on, anyway? She was totally rude to me!" Paige cried, and Hazel shook her head.
"Yeah, she was a little harsh. But you threw some mighty big attitude at her." Hazel reasoned. "There don't need to be sides, Paige. I hope this isn't going to become another Heather Sinclair thing. We aren't going to egg her house, right?"
"I don't know, Hazel. One thing is for sure, though. I will get her back for this morning." She declared, pausing to sneer at Ashley as the girl walked past.
Ashley caught the dirty look she was given and felt tears spring to her eyes. She would never get used to Paige's wrath. She had tried to apologize that morning for the things she had said last year, but had been rebuffed. Now, she sat alone with her lunch, thinking over all the ways things could have gone differently. Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice.
"Queenie giving you problems, too?" asked the blonde sitting on the bench next to hers. Ashley wiped the tears from her eyes hastily.
"It's my own fault. Paige really isn't so bad, when she wants to be." Ashley replied, and the blonde smiled.
"Yeah, I thought as much. I think I made an enemy out of her this morning, though. I have this really bad habit of speaking before my brain can catch up with my mouth. I'm Chloe Davidson." She spoke, offering a hand.
"Ashley Kerwin." Ashley replied, taking her hand and shaking it. "You're new."
"Yep. I spent the last year at a boarding school in Paris. I got kicked out the week before summer holiday, though." She spoke, and Ashley's eyebrows rose. "How?" "It was just a friendly game of strip poker. I don't really see what the big deal was. It really was about the poker, and besides, I was winning." Chloe explained, and Ashley laughed. "So, what did you do to Queenie to cause her face to contort like that?"
"I had a party last year and took some Ecstasy. Then I called her a hag and told my boyfriend that I was through with him." She explained, tears springing to her eyes once more. "I spent the summer in counseling and tried to apologize to her, but she just laughed at me. I wish I'd never taken that stupid drug in the first place."
"Yeah, I hear that stuff can really mess you up." Chloe replied, and then decided to try and comfort her newfound lunch buddy. "I don't let it get down. If she's really a worthwhile friend then she'll realize people make mistakes, and she'll forgive you."
"I hope you're right."
"She's deranged." Paige spoke, watching the new girl walk across the courtyard to take a seat on a bench and open her lunch bag. Paige sat on the courtyard wall with Spinner and Jimmy. Spinner shook his head.
"I don't know, Paige. I think she's kind of cute." He replied, and Paige spun to face him.
"Cute? How can you call THAT cute! She's a walking fashion faux pas. Only the Goth kids wear that much black, and we all know how cool Goth kids are." She argued, hitting Spinner on the arm.
"Actually, Paige, I wouldn't exactly call her a Goth. Just because she's dressed in all black, I mean, she's not even wearing makeup." Jimmy added.
"Yes, she is! I can see her black eyeliner from here!" Paige attested, gesturing wildly.
"He doesn't mean that kind of makeup. He means the white stuff. And black lipstick." Spinner explained. Paige shrugged.
"Whatever. I don't care what she is; I think she belongs in an institution." She replied, standing up to go sit with Hazel, who had just arrived in the courtyard. Once she had gone, Jimmy turned to Spinner.
"Dude, are you stupid or something? Don't you see what you just did?" he asked, and Spinner's face was completely blank. "Oh man, you are hopeless. How long have you been trying to get with Paige?"
"Since the middle of last year . . . " He said, not really understanding where Jimmy was going.
"And you still want her, right?" Jimmy continued, and Spinner nodded. "So what would make you think the best way to accomplish that goal would be by telling her you think another girl is cute?"
"Oh, man!" Spinner cried, leaping to his feet and striking himself in the forehead. "How could I be so stupid? I mean, Chloe's cute, but I didn't mean, and now Paige thinks, oh man!"
Across the courtyard Spinner's sudden flailing caught Paige's eye, and she shook her head. Hazel noticed it also and turned to her friend.
"What's Spinner's problem?" she asked, and Paige shrugged.
"I don't know. He's probably trying to catch the attention of that new girl, Chloe. She's so wretched." Paige replied, and Hazel laughed.
"You're just mad because she made you look stupid, which was partly your fault. Fashion rule number one: Always, always, ALWAYS check your fly before you leave the washroom. You know that."
"No, Hazel. Fashion rule number one is: Plaids and stripes together are a total fashion murder-suicide. The fly rule is like, number seven." Paige replied, crumpling up her sandwich wrapper and tossing it into the garbage can. She paused for a moment before continuing. "Whose side are you on, anyway? She was totally rude to me!" Paige cried, and Hazel shook her head.
"Yeah, she was a little harsh. But you threw some mighty big attitude at her." Hazel reasoned. "There don't need to be sides, Paige. I hope this isn't going to become another Heather Sinclair thing. We aren't going to egg her house, right?"
"I don't know, Hazel. One thing is for sure, though. I will get her back for this morning." She declared, pausing to sneer at Ashley as the girl walked past.
Ashley caught the dirty look she was given and felt tears spring to her eyes. She would never get used to Paige's wrath. She had tried to apologize that morning for the things she had said last year, but had been rebuffed. Now, she sat alone with her lunch, thinking over all the ways things could have gone differently. Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice.
"Queenie giving you problems, too?" asked the blonde sitting on the bench next to hers. Ashley wiped the tears from her eyes hastily.
"It's my own fault. Paige really isn't so bad, when she wants to be." Ashley replied, and the blonde smiled.
"Yeah, I thought as much. I think I made an enemy out of her this morning, though. I have this really bad habit of speaking before my brain can catch up with my mouth. I'm Chloe Davidson." She spoke, offering a hand.
"Ashley Kerwin." Ashley replied, taking her hand and shaking it. "You're new."
"Yep. I spent the last year at a boarding school in Paris. I got kicked out the week before summer holiday, though." She spoke, and Ashley's eyebrows rose. "How?" "It was just a friendly game of strip poker. I don't really see what the big deal was. It really was about the poker, and besides, I was winning." Chloe explained, and Ashley laughed. "So, what did you do to Queenie to cause her face to contort like that?"
"I had a party last year and took some Ecstasy. Then I called her a hag and told my boyfriend that I was through with him." She explained, tears springing to her eyes once more. "I spent the summer in counseling and tried to apologize to her, but she just laughed at me. I wish I'd never taken that stupid drug in the first place."
"Yeah, I hear that stuff can really mess you up." Chloe replied, and then decided to try and comfort her newfound lunch buddy. "I don't let it get down. If she's really a worthwhile friend then she'll realize people make mistakes, and she'll forgive you."
"I hope you're right."