Free Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger Page A

Sebastian,” I continued, trying to calm my racing heart. “Just because I asked you a simple question about somebody—”
    “Look, I don’t care if you like her. Kita’s a beautiful girl, and she’s nice, too. I wouldn’t blame you for liking her.”
    “Well, I don’t , okay? Not the way you mean.”
    We didn’t speak for a few minutes after that. We were wandering aimlessly down the hill by my house, and I was trying to think of an excuse to go home without Sebastian following me, when I noticed who was coming up the hill toward us. “Turn here!” I said, taking Sebastian’s arm and pulling him around the corner and ten yards down the block where we’d no longer be visible to the approaching party.
    “What are we doing?” Sebastian looked expectant.
    “There are some girls coming up the hill. They’re going to Eve Patrick’s house, and I . . . well, I don’t want her to see me. Especially when she’s with them .”
    “Who’s them ?” he whispered conspiratorially.
    “These girls she hangs around with now—Danyasomebody, and Melanie and Zoe. Danya’s a real jerk.”
    Sebastian nodded. “Danya Seifert,” he said. “Known her since elementary school. She’s a big bully.”
    I grunted. “I guess so. I don’t usually think of girls as bullies.”
    “Not all girls are alike, as you know.”
    I shook my head. “I don’t get it. Why does Eve even want to hang around with her? There must be other girls who’d be nicer to her.”
    “They all want to be Danya’s friend,” Sebastian said. “Because if you aren’t her friend, you could be her enemy. And believe me, that’s a lot worse.”
    “The awful thing is that being around these creeps is turning Eve into a creep too.”
    “She used to be a good friend, huh?” Sebastian said. If your IQ was based on how well you guessed personal stuff about other people, this guy would be a genius. Actually, he probably was a genius.
    “My best friend. Now we hardly speak.”
    He nodded, then paced quietly back toward the corner.
    I followed. “Don’t let them see you!”
    “I just want to listen,” he said.
    They stopped in front of Eve’s house. It wasn’thard to hear them, especially Danya, whose voice was like a trumpet.
    “I just don’t get how you could ever be friends with her. Or it , or whatever. Didn’t you know she was a pervert?”
    I think Eve answered her, but her voice was too quiet to hear.
    “If I was like that, I’d just go ahead and kill myself. I really would. I couldn’t stand to be such a sicko. I’m telling you, Eve, if I find out you spoke to that deviant, even once—and I will find out if you do—you will be very sorry. In fact, you’ll regret it for a long time!”
    Suddenly I felt dizzy, and my legs wobbled a little. Danya thought I ought to kill myself? Jesus, I didn’t even know this girl, and she wanted me dead! The worst I’d ever wished on her was that her mouth be magically sewn shut for a week or two. And she also seemed to be threatening Eve. My stomach was suddenly sour with guilt. Had I put my former best friend into this awful situation? Or had she done it to herself? Why did she want to be friends with Danya to begin with?
    Sebastian snorted, and before I could stop him, he was going around the corner, heading toward the girls. “No!” I said, but it was too late.
    “I couldn’t help overhearing you, Danya,” he said as he walked up to the group.
    She swiveled around and glared at him. “Where’d you come from, Tiny Tim?”
    He ignored that and said, “I was just wondering if you might be talking about my friend Grady.” He gestured toward the corner, and all four girls looked in my direction. Crap . I could run away and hope they hadn’t already seen me, but that seemed more cowardly than the situation demanded. I could walk around the corner as if I’d just been headed in that direction anyway, which no one would believe for a second, but at least there’d be no chance for them to