Donât tell anyone, but she still sucks her thumb at night.â
âI do not!â I protested, but it didnât matter, because Alicia and Sara didnât believe him, anyway. They were both laughing and giving Ryan flirty looks. Itâs amazing. He is a total girl magnet without even trying.
âYouâre both such naturals,â Sara said. âReally talented.â Then, turning to Alicia, she added, âWe should get them to come to Truth Tellers.â
âTruth Tellers?â Ryan said. âWhoa, that sounds serious. What is it?â
âItâs this kind of drama group that meets after school,â Alicia said. âSara and I are in it, and a bunch of our other friends.â
âYou do plays?â I asked.
âNo, itâs not that kind of drama. We do sketches and monologues and scenes about our lives. We try to tell the truth about things, âexpress our true selves,â as Ms. Carew says. Sheâs our sponsor.â
I recognized her name from my schedule. âOh, sheâs my English teacher. Can anyone join?â
âAnyone whoâs interested.â
âWell, that leaves me out,â Ryan said. âNo offense, ladies, but it sounds way too weird for me. My true self doesnât have all that much to say.â
âWhat about you, Sammie?â Sara asked.
Before I could answer, I heard Laurenâs voice next to me. I hadnât seen her approach, but apparently she had just come from the quick-service window because she was holding two peach yogurts.
âI got you some lunch,â she said to Ryan. âYou coming to our table?â
âSure,â Ryan said. âYou didnât happen to get a cheeseburger or anything, did you? Not that yogurt doesnât look delish, but Iâm what you call a meat eater.â
âWell, come on, meat eater,â she said, flashing him a strawberry-scented smile. âSomeone at the table will have some caveman food. Letâs go. You coming, Sammie?â
What I wanted to do was stay there with Alicia and Sara. It was so easy to be with them. We were having fun. I hadnât realized how much energy I was exerting to talk with all the kids at the SF2 table until I felt how easy and natural it was to be with these other girls. I didnât feel like they were judging me. We were just all being us.
âCome on, Sammie,â Lauren repeated as she and Ryan walked away.
All right, Sammie. Stand up for yourself. Tell her youâre not going to the SF2 table. Tell her those kids make your armpits sweat.
âHey, Lauren,â I called out. âI think Iâm going toââ
Lauren turned around, interrupting me. âSammie. Everybodyâs waiting.â
I stood there for a second, and then I made a decision. Actually, it wasnât even a decision; it was more of a reflex, the kind of thing you do before you even have a chance to think about it.
I went. I donât know why, but I did.
I said a quick good-bye to Alicia and Sara and followed Lauren to the table. When I got there, I sat down next to Ryan, who promptly announced that I would do my baby imitation in exchange for somebody giving him something with meat in it. Jared gave him half of his second meatball sub and I was on.
âDo it, Sammie,â Ryan urged. âYou guys, this is going to blow you away. Watch this.â
I held my nose, stuck out my tongue, squinched up my eyes, and let out one of the funnier baby wails I have ever done.
But you know what?
No one laughed.
Ms. Carew
Chapter 7
âNow that youâve had a week to adjust to the new school year, we are happy to announce that after-school activities will begin today,â Principal Pfeiffer said over the loudspeaker. âThe Chess Club meets in Room Fourteen with Mrs. Zajak, the Film Club in the auditorium with Mr. Walsh, the debate team in Bungalow Three with Mr. Boring, and Truth Tellers in the Patio Room with Ms.