Free The Poison Apples by Lily Archer Page B

can’t smoke in the dorm rooms, right?”
    Alice whipped her head around and stared at me. “You smoke ?” she asked.
    It was the first sentence she’d spoken to me all evening.
    â€œEr,” I said, “Yeah. I guess.”
    Agnes laughed in her horrible condescending way, and shut the door.
    There was a long pause. I glanced in Alice’s direction. She was bent over, her chin cupped in her hand, and her hair fell across her face.
    â€œI guess I’ll turn the lights out,” I said.
    She nodded.
    I stood up, flicked off the light switch, and the room was plunged into total darkness.
    â€œGood night,” I said.
    â€œGood night,” Alice whispered, and I groped my way toward my bed, holding my hands out in front of me and trying to see its outline in the darkness. I felt the edge of my mattress with my knee, and touched my pillow with my finger. Then I let my body collapse onto my new, hard, cold, and unfamiliar bed.
    I listened to the sound of my breath. I listened to the sound of Alice’s breath. Someone had left a single glow-in-the-dark star sticker on the ceiling. I stared at it for a long time.
    Then my cell phone rang.
    Alice bolted upright.
    â€œSorry, sorry!” I yelped, and reached down to the floor to fish it out of my purse. Pradeep’s name appeared on the screen. I took the phone and burrowed under my covers.
    â€œHello?” I whispered.
    I heard Alice exhale in disgust.
    â€œREEN!” Pradeep yelled into my ear. I could hear music playing and people talking in the background.
    â€œQuieter, please,” I murmured.
    â€œREEN!”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œIT’S AWESOME HERE!”
    I didn’t know what to say. Was he kidding?
    â€œAren’t you in bed?” I asked.
    â€œAw, no way! Our RA is awesome! He’s letting us stay up and party!”
    â€œOh.”
    â€œAre you okay?” Pradeep asked.
    I sighed. “Um. I guess.”
    â€œDo you like your roommate? Mine is awesome. He’s from Nova Scotia . Isn’t that crazy? He, like, goes moose hunting for fun!”
    In the background I could hear hooting and laughter.
    â€œI don’t know,” I whispered.
    â€œWait. What? You don’t know what?”
    I sighed, exasperated.
    â€œWhat are you talking about?” he asked again.
    â€œPradeep.”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œI have to go.”
    â€œOh. Okay. Cool, cool.”
    â€œI’ll see you tomorrow.”
    We hung up. I stared at the ceiling. I had never felt more alone in my life.
    And it was all Shanti Shruti’s fault.

SIX
    Molly
    Radicchio.
    I couldn’t believe it. My first day at boarding school and there was already a word I didn’t know.
    An unprecedented event.
    Right after dinner I ran upstairs to my dorm room and looked up radicchio in the OED.
    â€œA variety of chicory,” I whispered out loud.
    The door opened and then slammed shut. I looked up from my bed. My new roommate was standing in front of me, hands on her hips. Her violet eyes blazed with anger.
    â€œIs this what it’s going to be like?” she demanded.
    â€œHi, Kristen,” I said.
    She pursed her lips and stared at me for a long time.
    â€œIs this what what’s going to be like?” I finally asked.
    â€œLiving together. Are you always going to be in here, like, reading?”
    â€œUm, no. But I do like to read.”
    She sighed and flounced down onto her bed. My heart did a terrified little leap. My roommate—Miss Kristen Diamond of Westport, Connecticut—uncannily reminded me of the popular girls at North Forest High. Except with more money. And more rage.
    I had sort of thought everyone at Putnam Mount McKinsey was going to be thoughtful and nerdy and quiet and friendly. Like me.
    Kristen kicked off her flip-flops and lay on her back. I tried to focus on the OED and listen to the whirring of the window fan.
    â€œDo you have a boyfriend?” she finally