pull on my Wile E. Coyote tee. Then I sort of shuffle out of the wheelchair stall like, Yawn, I just woke up.
âOh, hi,â I say casually. I pretend to clear my throat again, but this just makes me sound like Mr. Hubley, so I stop.
âMarigold?â Jada is staring. âWas that you?â
âUh-huh.â
âWere you listening to us?â
âWhat? No,â I say, my brain scrambling for an explanation. How could I possibly be hanging out in the wheelchair stall and not hear a single word of their conversation? Improvise, I hear Momâs voice say. Just see where it takes you. âI was meditating. I always meditate before homeroom.â
Megan laughs. âSeriously?â
âOh, yes. I do a ton of yoga. It centers me.â
They stare.
âAnd grounds me. And helps me . . . (focus!) focus.â
Ashley points at my chest. âLike on getting dressed?â
âWhat?â
âYour top is inside out.â
âOh.â I look down. âWhoops.â Another wardrobe fiasco, and I canât even blame this one on Mom.
âThatâs really, really embarrassing,â Ashley points out. âYou should be so glad we noticed.â
âI am. Thanks a lot.â
âBecause two days in a row . . .â She looks at Megan, who shakes her skinny head like, Yeah. What a loser .
My eyebrows spring into action.
âListen, Marigold,â Jada says, fixing me with her hyper-sympathetic brown eyes. âIn case you did overhear our conversation, and Iâm not accusing you of spying or anything, you should probably know we were talking about Quinn Rieger.â
âOkay,â I say quickly. I pretend to be flicking my hair out of my face, but actually Iâm wiping sweat droplets before they start running down my nose. âThanks for telling me. But itâs actually none of myââ
âYou two had lunch together yesterday,â Ashley interrupts. âDonât you remember?â
They were watching where I sat? âOh, right. I did. She doesnât say very much.â
âThatâs what you think,â Megan says.
âAnyway.â Jada smiles at me sweetly, âYou just moved in and you donât really know anyone yet. So trust us on this: Be incredibly careful.â
âOkay, thanks,â I say. Flick.
âDonât feel sorry for Quinn,â Ashley says. âAnd make sure you donât tell her anything superpersonal.â
Megan nods. âAnd no matter how innocent she acts or what she saysââ
The bathroom door bangs open. Itâs Layla. When she sees us, she grunts. Then she marches into the middle stall and slams the door.
Ashley and Megan give each other a look, but Jada just keeps smiling at me. âWe can talk about this later,â she says. âWeâll save you a seat at lunch.â
âThanks.â Thatâs it, I have GOT to stop using this word. âBut I sort of made plans today,â I add desperately.
âOkay, so tomorrow,â Jada says, like sheâs writing it on her mental calendar. âWell, you guys, itâs almost homeroom; weâd better go. Donât forget your top, Marigold.â
Then poof , the three of them are gone.
I let out a long, overdue breath and catch myself in the mirror. Not only is my tee inside out, but my jeans are unzipped, and my hair is all mussed and staticky from pulling clothes over my head. I look like an electrified zombie, which leads directly to the question: Why does Jada want me to eat at her table? So she can tell me more scary things about Quinn? What if I really, really donât want to hear them?
The middle stall door bangs open.
Layla looks surprised. âYouâre still here.â
âUh, yeah,â I say.
âWhy? Donât you want to run after them?â
âWhat for?â
âTo join the pack.â
âExcuse me, but Iâm not a dog.â
âI didnât