Along Came Jordan Read Free

with Sarah and fixed my gaze outside the window.
    When we got home, Dad was parked like a slug on the couch. For the past eight years, he'd hardly ever been home on account of his two jobs, but those days were over.
    "How was it, girls? Not too bad, I trust." He leaned forward, hope stamped on his face.
    I pinched Sarah's arm in warning. She spun around, ready to hit me, but I was too quick. I stepped aside. "It was fine, Dad. Everything was smooth."
    Sarah is smart for an eleven-year-old, so she got my meaning. "Yeah, Dad, it was okay."
    Dad's shoulders relaxed. "I'm relieved. I still feel awful you had to change schools."
    I didn't know how long Sarah could fake it, so I hustled her into the kitchen. "We're hungry."
    "Eat up, but I'll want to hear from each of you about your day."
    I stuck my head out from the kitchen. "Find any job openings?"
    He shifted and rolled his shoulders as if trying to break free from some invisible grip. I could've bitten my lip. I'd been worried about Sarah saying too much when I should've worried about my own fat mouth.
    "I'm looking, girl. Won't be long now," Dad answered. The strained cheerfulness in his tone scraped my heart.
    "I'm sure you're right." My words tumbled out with certainty, but inside my belief evaporated. I'd seen the news; nobody was hiring.
    Sarah and I'd be doomed to public school forever.
    I grabbed an apple and headed to my room. I plopped on my bed, and my phone buzzed. Someone had remembered!
    I slumped in relief and smiled before I saw who had texted. I opened my phone. Farah.
    how ws publc? missd u.
    I dropped the phone as if it were slime. What nerve. What colossal nerve. There had been days when I would've paid to get a text from Farah. Not long ago, either, but no more. My stomach still jolted when I remembered her betrayal, and I couldn't afford to be stupid again. It had cost too much.
    A text from Marc was my ultimate hope. Yeah, right, like he'd text me after the way I'd treated him. Guess he couldn't afford to be stupid again, either.
    My stomach cramped into a tight wad. How could I have been so delusional? I liked him. I'd always liked him, but I'd dumped him for Lance. What a brilliant choice that had turned out to be.
    I sighed.
    It was over. Marc would never trust me again.
    ****
    The next day at Edgemont, Sally saw me come into the school and rushed over, dragging a short girl behind her.
    "Emili, this is Margo," she said. She waved her arm in front of her and bowed as if presenting the queen.
    Margo's clear blue eyes crinkled when she smiled. She pulled her long wavy black hair off her neck with one hand and then let it fall back down like a shawl over her shoulders.
    " Mucho gusto , nice to meet you," she said. Her voice was soft, and she spoke with an accent. She leaned toward me, and her algebra book slid out of her grasp and tumbled to the floor.
    "Smooth move," Sally said, scooping it up.
    "Nice to meet you, too," I said and helped straighten her stack of books.
    Sally giggled and crushed Margo in a one-armed hug. "You'll love her, and she's not always so clumsy. Isn't your locker close to mine? We'll go with you."
    "Second floor, and I've got a lock." I pulled the lock out of my front pocket and waved it around.
    "You got one of the broken lockers then. Shame. Glad you brought a lock though. You're gonna need it around here," Sally said. "We've got a lot of sticky fingers."
    "Remember when my pencils were stolen?" Margo asked from behind us. "What a catastrophe."
    Sally nudged me in the side. "Margo's an artist, and she's good. She means her art pencils, in case you're wondering."
    We reached my locker, and I squatted to take my stuff out of my backpack. I began stacking it on the metal shelf, lining up the corners of all my books. Then I grabbed my lit and history books and stood up.
    Margo smiled and elbowed Sally. "Look, another neat freak. You're outnumbered now."
    Sally rolled her eyes and grimaced. "Oh, marvelous. No matter, Emili. I'll