Free My Best Frenemy by Julie Bowe Page A

line ahead of Tom, holding her lunchbox. Will she think it’s funny if I yell in the lunchroom?
    Part of me answers yes and part of me answers no .
    I decide to let the no part of me be the boss for a little while, and ask Tom if I can cut in line. He says okay, so I scoot around him and tap Jenna on the shoulder.
    Jenna glances back at me. “What? ”
    “Um . . . I was wondering if maybe I could trade my hot lunch for your cold lunch today.” Jenna’s cold lunches almost always include bread that looks like it was made from twigs, soy milk, and tofu brownies. But I’m pretty desperate.
    Jenna turns. “ You want to eat my lunch? ”
    “Uh-huh, ” I say. “Just this once. ”
    “But you love macaroni and cheese,” she replies.
    “Yes, but I’ve heard that too much dairy can make you moody. ” I do my best moody face.
    Jenna squints. “This doesn’t have anything to do with your dare, does it? ”
    I gulp. “No. ”
    “Because Randi told everyone to keep an eye on you at lunch. ”
    I gulp again. “Well, maybe it has a tiny bit to do with my dare. But if you trade lunches with me, it would help a lot. ”
    “But if I help you get out of doing a dare, then we’ll both get double-dog dared. ”
    “I know, ” I mumble. Then I sigh. I think about this morning and how Jenna helped Tess with her snot problem. It’s hard enough for me to get a mean person into trouble. It’s even harder when it’s someone who was recently nice. “Never mind, ” I say.
    Jenna lifts her chin. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t help you. I only said it might get us into trouble with the other girls. ”
    “So, does that mean you will help me? ”
    Jenna shifts her jaw back and forth, thinking. “What about Stacey? ” she asks. “She’s your best friend. Shouldn’t she help you? ”
    “I asked her to, ” I say. “I mean, I meant to. But some other stuff got in the way. ” I glance behind me and see Stacey talking with Brooke. “I guess I could ask her now, but—”
    “Fine,” Jenna cuts in. “Ask her.” She turns away quickly and one of her braids whips against my cheek. It leaves behind a sting.
    I rub my cheek and watch Jenna push past people to get into the lunchroom.
    The line moves forward. I head back to Stacey.
    But before I can get to her, someone squeezes my arm.
    “Lunch is this way, ” Randi says, tugging on me. “You don’t want to miss mouseroni and cheese, do you? ” She gives me a grin.
    “No, ” I say. “Of course not. I was just—”
    Randi turns me around and steers me toward the trays.
    Each tray has five food compartments—three squares, one circle, and one big rectangle.
    The squares get peas and carrots, a pudding cup, and a carton of chocolate milk. The circle gets a buttered bun.
    The rectangle gets enough macaroni and cheese to feed twenty mice.
    I walk over to our usual table. Jenna is already there. So are Meeka and Jolene. I sit down, leaving a chair between me and Jenna. Randi sits across from me. A minute later, Stacey and Brooke show up. Brooke slides in next to Randi. Stacey takes the empty chair between me and Jenna. “Yum,” Stacey says. “Lunch looks good today. ”
    “Oh, it’s good, ” Randi says, scooping up a forkful of cheesy noodles. “Go ahead, Ida. Dig in.” She stuffs the saucy noodles into her mouth and watches me while she chews.
    I blink at my tray. Each noodle curves like Randi’s grin. I scoop a few into my mouth and swallow them like medicine.
    The other girls start talking about Mr. Crow and how mad he was this morning.
    “I’ll never tell him what’s going on,” Brooke says. “Even if it means getting detention for a week. ”
    “A month, ” Jolene adds.
    “A year , ” Meeka chimes in.
    Randi nudges me under the table and nods toward my macaroni. “Go on,” she whispers. “Do it. ”
    I take a sip of milk.
    And feel another nudge.
    This time it’s from Stacey. “What’s wrong? ” she asks, studying my face. “You look sort of...