Moonglass

head.
    The rest of the day until lunch went by uneventfully. My other teachers were young and enthusiastic. All assured us that this year what we were going to learn would be exciting and relevant to our lives. All were happy to make a little note on their rollsheet to call me Anna. And none of them had known either one of my parents. By the time I got to lunch, I was feeling a tiny bit optimistic that school here might not be so bad. I was even starting to feel thankful that I had somewhere to go during the day, away from the beach and all of the things I didn’t want to think about there.
    As soon as the lunch bell rang, my phone vibrated with a text from Ashley. “Lunch on south green. Lots 2 tell u!” I looked at the map on the back of my schedule and headed down a steep path that overlooked the small upscale-artsy town and the ocean beyond. On the sides of the path were stone tables sheltered by umbrellas. Ashley sat at a sunny one, arranging an array of small plastic containers. Then she folded her hands and looked around, barely able to hold still . When she saw me, she waved excitedly.
    “Hey! Come, sit!” I made my way over and set my bag down, eyeing the lunch spread, which looked like it had come from a gourmet deli. “Grab a sandwich and some fruit. That’s your best bet for before practice today. I just read it in Runner’s World . You know, slow-release energy, because I talked to Coach Martin and you guys have a long run today.”
    I reached for the paper-wrapped sandwich. “Thanks. So, what, you’re his assistant now or something?” She handed me a bottle of water and opened up one for herself, then turned to face me. “Sort of. Anyway, what do you think so far? How’s your first day?” I swallowed a mouthful of sandwich and nodded, trying to match her enthusiasm. “It’s good. My first-period teacher is a little old-school, and seems to have it out for Tyler, but other than that it’s good.”
    “Tyler’s in first with you?” Her eyes widened. “That’s great, right? Maybe he can ‘tutor’ you.” She notched quotation marks in the air.
    I took a swig of water. “I don’t think so. It’s his second time in there. And anyway, he’s not interested. I can tell .” Ashley’s hand flew to her mouth, and I thought she had bit her tongue or something. “That’s even better! You could tutor him! It’s perfect!” She clapped her hands together, and when she did, I noticed she had had her nails done pink with tiny flowers painted on them to match her outfit.
    “I don’t think I’m his type. He’s probably got a zil ion girls here after him.”
    Ashley looked at me very matter-of-factly. “Oh, he does. He’s Tyler Evans. But …” She leaned in close and lowered her voice, despite the fact that there was no one else around. “That’s what I had to tell you! Everybody is talking about you. And him. They’re saying you two left everyone else in the water and hooked up out there. They’re also saying you were drunk and naked.” She took a dainty bite of her sandwich.
    I choked on a gulp at the back of my throat. “What? None of that is true. You were there …”
    “I know, I know. Whoever started that last one was jealous. Because you supposedly hooked up with the most sought-after senior, which is what these two girls in my first-period class told me Tyler is. They saw us all standing together this morning and were totally asking me about you. Not in a bitchy way or anything, though, don’t worry.” I shook my head, slightly amazed that Jillian had nailed it so well .
    “Anyway,” Ashley was saying, “I know I was the one who talked you into running, but would you hate me if I quit? The girls I met in first said that if I do dance, it counts for PE, and I never really liked getting all sweaty running. Plus, dance clothes are way more flattering on me than running clothes.” I gave her an are-you-kidding-me look, but really I didn’t mind too much. She hadn’t actually run at the last few practices anyway, and I’d felt like I should hang out with her even though I would have liked to talk to Jillian more. “That’s fine, Ash. I think I’m gonna stick with it, though. I kinda like getting all sweaty.”
    “I know. I could tell that about you when we met. Hey,” she said, suddenly serious, “it doesn’t mean we’ll stop hanging out or anything.”
    “No, no, of course not.” I smiled at her. Most likely we’d find our own circles of people we fit