Free All That Glitters by J. Minter

Versus the Volcano
.”
    Then, when she got a glimpse of my position on thecouch, SBB dropped the bag and darted over to me. “Oh my God, what happened to you? Don’t tell me you got in a catfight with Kennedy?” She surveyed my face. “At least she didn’t give you a black eye.”
    â€œIt wasn’t exactly a catfight,” I said. “And it wasn’t exactly with Kennedy.”
    â€œFlan, you’re scaring me. Since when do you get into full-on brawls with unknown Manhattanites?”
    â€œSince I joined the field hockey team this afternoon. It just got a little bit, um, aggressive. And it was Kennedy’s best friend-slash-Satan, Willa. The two of us were a smidge too into the hip checking. Don’t worry, though, I’ll recover.”
    SBB was still stuck on one thing. “Willa Rubenstein?” she asked, eyes wide. “
That cow
.”
    I shook my head. “No, she’s tiny. Too tiny to contain all that scariness, actually.”
    â€œWell she didn’t used to be,” SBB said, busily unloading the tubs of Thai food from the bag now that she’d been assured that my condition wasn’t life-threatening.
    â€œWhat do you mean?” I asked.
    SBB sat poised on the arm of the couch. “Back when her mother had fooled herself and a couple of agents from ACA into thinking Willa had a chance as an actor, we used to audition together. Willa alwaystried out for the chubby girl parts. And I’m pretty sure her dad even went so far as to pay off the casting crew just so she could try out. I think she did a commercial or two. But then that was it.
Over
.” SBB shook her head.
    â€œWell, she’s skinny now,” I said, spooling some noodles and broccoli around my chopsticks. “And completely evil. I don’t get it. You know, at least Kennedy and I have a history. We have a reason not to get along. Willa just seems to get a kick out of being nasty to someone she barely knows.”
    SBB dipped a spring roll into some peanut sauce and took a giant bite. “Maybe she’s threatened by you,” she said with her mouth full.
    â€œYeah, right,” I said. “Class president, totally put-together, richest girl in school. There’s no way she’d be threatened by me. I’m the new girl who trips into whole pizzas, remember?”
    â€œThe new girl who trips into whole pizzas and can bounce back, stand up, and laugh about it. Don’t underestimate yourself, Flan,” she said. “Clearly you have something that Willa wants.”
    I considered this. “She wants me not to run for Virgil Host. She made that pretty clear today,” I said, lifting up the heating pad to check on my hip. “I have the bruises to prove it.”
    â€œWell,” SBB said with a knowing look. “If Willa doesn’t want you to run, then obviously you have to run. And not only that, you have to
win
. What is this Virgil Host thing, anyway?”
    I shrugged. “It’s sort of like the party planner of the month. You basically arrange a swanky event with Dalton. And get this, there’s an actual election to decide who’s most qualified for the job.”
    â€œWell, if Willa’s so bitchy, who’s even going to vote for her?” SBB said. “You’ve already got a leg up on her just by being a nice person.”
    I shook my head. “I don’t know if it’s about niceness at Thoney.”
    â€œEverybody likes niceness,” SBB said.
    In SBB’s movie version of my life, maybe this was true. Unfortunately, it didn’t look like real life followed the same script.
    â€œNot on the Upper East Side. It’s so cutthroat. Sometimes I can’t believe how ridiculous the code of conduct is at this school.”
    SBB put her hand up to stop me. “I usually don’t talk with my mouth full, Flan, but I need to interrupt you. It may be ridiculous to have to run for such an