Free Shucked by Megg Jensen

morning and ravenous. Mimi didn't mention
missing dinner and neither did I. We didn't talk about the cheerleading
incident or Illinois Jon. "I've got to stay after school today for
tutoring," I said through a mouthful of bacon.
    Grease dripped down my chin and I
licked up. This was the one food I missed when I wasn't in America. Other
places had bacon, but there was nothing like farm-fresh cooked in its own
grease. Like a piece of heaven on earth is what it was.
    "That's fine. Call me if you
need a ride home. I'll be here."
    "What if you're not? Will your
cell phone be on?" Mimi owned a cell phone, but she never turned it on
unless she needed to make a call. I'd told her a zillion times that defeated
the purpose of carrying one, but she claimed her phone was only for
emergencies. I tried to explain that sometimes in an emergency, it's important
to be able to get a hold of her. She would just brush me off. I loved her, but
it was her logic or nothing.
    "No. I'll be home. Don't worry
so much." She held out the skillet, offering me another pancake. One she'd
cooked in bacon grease. It was a wonder she and Gramps didn't have heart
problems.
    I waved my hand in the air, and then
wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. If I had any more, I'd probably
explode.
    A loud honking noise erupted from
outside. "Better run or the bus'll leave without you," Mimi said. She
handed me my backpack and I ran out of the house, waving my arms wildly as I
sprinted down the quarter-mile driveway to the bus. The driver honked again and
waved to me to hurry up. I rolled my eyes; I was running as fast as I could.
    When I got to the bus, I swung myself
up into it, skipping all three steps. I eyed all the kids. Some ignored me,
others whispered in each other's ears while staring at me. A few scooted to the
center of their seat, making it clear I wasn't supposed to sit anywhere near
them. I just sat down in the first seat behind the driver, the smell of
faux-leather dancing around my nose. I couldn't complain, though. The smell was
far better than the one I'd encountered on public busses in South America. Try
mixing serious body odor with pigs and bananas. I'd take the school bus any day
over that.
    We picked up a few more random kids,
none of who did more than give me a passing glance. I'd settle for that. It was
better than being tossed in the air with the intent of breaking my neck.
    The bus pulled into the parking lot
and I leapt off as soon as the doors opened. I pushed through the crowds to my
locker where Becky waited, staring at her cell phone.
    "Hey," I said. I was
thrilled to see her. I needed a friendly face after all the weirdness of the
day before, but I still couldn't let myself be too vulnerable.
    "Finally. I called you last
night, but your grandma said you were sleeping. Is that true? Because I thought
maybe you didn't want to talk to me anymore. Who goes to sleep before
six?"
    I smiled.
    She took a step back. "You look
like you're going to bite me."
    I toned it down a bit. "Sorry,
just happy to hear we're still friends. After yesterday, I'm a little confused
about how things work around here. Those cheerleaders were really nice to me,
then all of a sudden, they were trying to break my neck."
    Becky rolled her eyes. "Ignore
Kailey. She's a total bitch. Not all of them are that bad. It's just bad luck
she happened to be Alex's girlfriend when you came to town."
    Callie's sympathetic eyes flashed in
my head. But she hadn't said a word to me since.
    "And that she happens to be a
jerk. I could maybe understand if I'd done something to break them up, but I
didn't."
    Becky smiled and nudged me. "I
know you want to." Then her face dropped. "But you shouldn't because
he's really a jerk. I know I already told you this, but based on the look on
your face, I think I have to say it again. He's going to lead you on and dump
you as soon as he's bored with you. Just like he did to Kailey and like he's
done with almost every other girl in this school."
    I