Free Forget-Her-Nots by Amy Brecount White

ain’t so.”
    “It ain’t so.” Laurel said as she caught Tara watching them. “Why are you asking?”
    Kate sat up straighter. “You talked to him a while, and I didn’t know you knew him.”
    “We barely talked.” Laurel felt a sudden flash of doubt about Kate’s motives. “Did Tara tell you to quiz me?”
    “No,” Kate stammered. “I was just wonderin’. I thought we were friends now.”
    “I thought so, too,” said Laurel. “But ‘friends’ don’t report back to other people.”
    Kate’s arms crossed tight on her chest. “So don’t tell me anything.”
    Rose stood. “Let’s get out of here, Laurel. It’s too crowded.”
    Laurel stood uncertainly and then trailed after Rose. Halfway across the room she turned, expecting to seeKate chasing after Tara, but Kate was still slouched in the chair.
    Mina sat cross-legged on the floor outside the dining hall, and Rose sat down next to her. “You really think Kate’s reporting back to Tara? I thought she was your bud,” said Rose.
    Laurel’s spirits sagged as she slid down the wall beside her. “I don’t know.”
    “You should have made something up—something juicy about you and Everett.”
    Mina leaned forward. “What’s juicy?”
    “Nothing.” Laurel let her head fall back against the wall. “My life is not juicy.” It’s nothing like I thought it would be.
    “Your life could be juicy,” teased Rose. “But promise me you won’t do anything moronic like liking Everett. That would send me over the edge.”
    Mina laughed. “You’re already over.”
    Laurel crossed her heart. “I promise.”
    Mina elbowed Rose. “Even you have to give Everett credit for pulling off the mother of all pranks. Bubble gum and helium balloons: pure genius. Mr. Rodriguez was ready to call the SWAT team when the balloons started popping in rapid fire.”
    Rose frowned at her. “Just wait. I have two more years to top it.”
    Out of the corner of her eye Laurel saw several guys coming toward them, and Rose called out, “Hey, Justin. Alan.”
    Laurel’s head snapped sideways.
    “Hey, Rose,” Justin said. “Hi, Mina.” He was wearing jeans with holes at the knees and a black T-shirt. His eyes fell on Laurel, and his smile seemed to warm the air. “Hey.”
    “Hi,” Laurel said. Her voice sounded squeaky.
    Alan held up his hand and slid down the wall on the other side of Mina.
    “This is my cousin Laurel,” Rose said. “These guys are on the debate team with me.”
    Justin hesitated and then settled onto the floor near Laurel. “Victorian flower messages, right?”
    Laurel nodded. “You saw my amazing report.”
    “Yeah. Tough crowd, but you hung in there.”
    “Did I have a choice?”
    “Guess not, but Spinster Spenser’s all right, isn’t she?” he said.
    “Yeah, I really like her. You should hear her read poetry.” Especially luv poetry, Laurel thought, remembering an amazing poem about petals and fingers. She glanced at Justin’s long smooth hands.
    Rose tapped Justin’s knee with her fist. “No more school talk, Geek-asaurus Rex. It’s the weekend now. Laurel’s a big jock like you.”
    “What do you play?” Justin asked.
    “Soccer,” said Laurel. “Left wing. JV. What about you?”
    “I run cross-country.” He pointed at the guy with brown curly hair who was talking to Mina and Rose now. “Alan does, too. What the—”
    Justin jerked his head back as something flew past his nose and landed in Laurel’s lap. It was a red tulip. Totally confused, Laurel picked it up and looked down the hallway. Everett waved to her, but Tara stood next to him, her face twisted in anger.
    A declaration of love? thought Laurel. No way.
    Everett gestured toward her. “She’s the flower girl,” he explained loudly. “She gets all the flowers.”
    Laurel’s face was as red as the tulip, but she longed to breathe in its rich spiciness, for Justin to breathe it beside her. She ignored the question in Rose’s eyes, because Tara was already