Free Impossible Things by Robin Stevenson

she asked in a low voice.
    I hesitated for a second. Hanging out with Felicia was only going to make Amber despise me more. Then I felt a flush of shame for even thinking that way. I pushed the thought aside and smiled at Felicia. “Sure,” I said. Then I laughed. “All those tormented by the Amber-Madeline alliance are welcome here. We’re going to form our own alliance and take over.”
    Felicia looked slightly alarmed. “Take over?”
    â€œShe’s just kidding around,” Victoria told her. She gave me a stern look. “Don’t scare off the new recruits.”
    â€œRecruits?” Felicia’s voice rose an octave.
    I laughed. “Sorry. It’s just that we’ve been talking about how annoying it is, the way Amber and Madeline give certain people—like me—a hard time.”
    â€œAnd me.” Felicia’s forehead was still creased, but a smile was playing at the corners of her mouth.
    â€œEspecially you,” I conceded. “You are probably number one on their list of people to be nasty to.”
    She gave me a long look. “Not so much, since you and Nathan stood up for me that day. You know, the debate thing?”
    â€œReally? Huh.” I was surprised. I’d figured sticking up for Felicia might annoy Amber, but I hadn’t really expected it to make her back off. I hadn’t expected it to make Felicia want to hang out with me either.
    â€œPower in numbers,” Victoria said. “We outsiders have to stick together.”
    Ms. Allyson cleared her throat behind us. “Um, have you three finished plotting?”
    I blushed. Plotting? Had she been listening to us?
    â€œHere’s the first exercise,” she said. She smiled and handed me a small piece of paper.
    I read it out loud. “You are going to write a short poem together. On one piece of paper, you will each write one word in turn. Go fast and don’t criticize each other’s words. Nonsense is fine. Just keep passing the paper around and take turns adding a word.”
    Felicia giggled. “This is cool.”
    It sounded kind of silly, but I was okay with that. “You start,” I said.
    Felicia bent over our paper, giggling. “Outside,” she said, writing fast.
    I took the paper from her and tried to think of a good word.
    â€œWrite fast,” Victoria reminded me.
    I shrugged. “Is.”
    â€œNot,” said Victoria. She slid the paper back to Felicia.
    Felicia laughed. “Is? Not? Come on guys, don’t make me do all the work.” She chewed on her thumbnail for a moment. “So bad.”
    â€œHey, I thought you were only allowed one word,” I said.
    â€œYou are,” Victoria said. “But leave it. I like it.”
    I laughed. “You’re such rebels.”
    â€œUh-huh,” Felicia said. “Your turn. One word for you.”
    By the time Ms. Allyson told us to stop writing, all three of us were laughing hysterically.
    â€œShall we read them out loud?” she suggested.
    Victoria shook her head at me frantically. “We can’t,” she whispered.
    I looked at Felicia and raised my eyebrows. “Well?”
    â€œDo it,” she said.
    I turned to Victoria. “Let’s do it. Why not?”
    She bit her lip. “Okay. Do it.”
    Ms. Allyson looked around the room. “Any volunteers to go first?”
    Amber was bouncing off her seat, waving one hand in the air.
    â€œAmber?”
    â€œOkay.” She cleared her throat. “A turtle ate my breakfast and followed me to school. The teacher said, that’s against the rule. So the turtle jumped into a swimming pool.”
    Ms. Allyson laughed. “Great. It’s fun, isn’t it? Who’s next?”
    I raised my hand.
    â€œCassidy. Go ahead.”
    I dropped my eyes to the paper and read aloud. “Outside is not so bad. Things can be seen more clearly from the outside. On the outside, there is more