Free Behind the Gates by Eva Gray Page A

spoken to them in another language.
    “They want
us
to sit with
them?”
Maddie asks. Her baffled tone implies that this makes absolutely no sense. And I can kind of see her point.
    “Yeah. Come on,” I say. “It will do good things for our … you know … our status. They’re cool.”
    “We’re cool,” Evelyn counters.
    Not really,
I think. But I don’t say it, of course. “But you’ll like them. You’ll see,” I say.
    “I don’t think so,” Maddie insists. “I don’t know how you got them to invite us, but I’m fine right here, thanks.”
    My temper is rising. She can be so stubborn!
    “Thanks, but we’re okay,” Evelyn agrees in a nicer tone. “We’re kind of into this map thing.”
    “What are you doing?” I ask.
    Evelyn lowers her voice. “Our cover story is that we’re preparing for the geography part of a social studies test, but we’re really trying to figure out where the heck we are.” She opens her closed palm to reveal her compass. “We’re trying to work it out using this.”
    That sounds pretty impossible to me. And so not worth the effort, either.
    “You go, though,” Evelyn says. “I don’t think this is your kind of thing. No offense.”
    “I’m not offended. You’re right; I’m not that into it,” I agree. “See you guys later.”
    My emotions are mixed as I head for the table where Rosie, Chewy, and Mary are sitting with a few other members of their athletic crowd. Even though it wasn’t a big scene, I feel like what just happened was a big deal. It was a rift between Maddie and me, and it feels kind of permanent. All at the same time, I’m super-relieved thatthey didn’t want to join us, and yet I am already lonely for Maddie and even Evelyn, too. It’s as if I’ve moved into some kind of future from which there’s no going back.
    It’s just lunch!
I scold myself.
Don’t make so much out of it.
With that thought, I push Maddie and Evelyn out of my head and sit down with my new friends. “They say thanks, but they were in the middle of studying for some test.”
    Rosie, Mary, and Chewy all brighten. “Oh. Okay, good,” Rosie says. Then she goes on to introduce me to the rest of her friends.
    We’re all free for the rest of the afternoon, so I spend it with Rosie and her crowd. We hang out by the lake and talk about CMS. These girls feel like I do — they love it here. It’s everything they could have hoped for. “I’m getting so strong,” Rosie says, flexing her right biceps.
    Mary punches the hard calf muscle of her leg. “Look at this,” she says. “I can’t wait to play tennis again. I bet my game will be stronger than ever.”
    I realize that I’ve also become more toned than I’ve ever been. It feels good to be strong and to be learning so many new things. A new confidence is growing inside me.
    Across the lake, a group of boys heads out of the forest and into their main building. Seized by a sudden boldness, I stand and wave with a broad, sweeping gesture. They’re pretty far away, but several heads turn in my direction. One boy returns my wave.
    The other girls start giggling and waving, too.
    Several more boys wave back.
    Their teacher notices and reprimands them, hurrying them along into the building. We all dissolve into fits of laughter. “I can’t believe you did that!” Chewy says.
    “I was only being friendly,” I reply.
    Around six thirty, Rosie and I head back to our dorm together. “What was it like to be in a coma?” I ask Rosie.
    “What do you mean?”
    “I heard you on the bus that first day,” I tell her.
    “Oh, that,” she says. She smiles softly to herself. “I was never in a coma,” Rosie whispers. “I just said that toget their attention. They all thought they were so cool with their big sports injuries. Don’t tell anyone.”
    “I won’t,” I agree. “You’re too much. You became their leader as soon as you said that. You know that, right?”
    Rosie nods, pleased by my words. “Do you think