Broken Read Free Page A

the face of the world. Anything out of the ordinary is
instantly gossip fodder. I'll bet half the town knew you and your
mom had purchased the old Syler house before the ink was dry on the
mortgage. The other half learned about it at church the next
day."
    I tried to smile, but I found it more than a
little unnerving. Big city life hadn't been so intrusive. I hadn't
even known my neighbors growing up. In Minneapolis the people you
lived next to and the people you associated with were always kept
properly segregated.
    I tuned back into what Britney was saying
just in time to answer a question with something safely
non-committal. She didn't seem to need much in the way of responses
to keep her talking. Probably for hours if she could get away with
it.
    "I'm glad you feel the same. You'd think
they'd be a little more welcoming. Instead it's like they go out of
their way to make sure you know you don't really fit in. We've been
here a year, and I still can't get invited to any of the really
cool parties."
    I'd never been invited to any parties, let
alone cool ones. I'd never felt the lack too strongly, but I smiled
and let Britney keep talking until Mr. Whethers realized it was
time to start class.
    I quickly gathered we'd be reading Wuthering
Heights, a prospect that both elated and disappointed me. After
seeing how far behind I was already in Biology, it was nice to know
we'd be working on something I'd already been through twice. On the
other hand I hadn't liked the novel the first time I'd read it, and
when I'd gritted my teeth and sat down for a second attempt I'd
found I liked it even less. Maybe I just lacked the maturity to
appreciate Bronte's so-called masterpiece, but I couldn't stand
that her characters were almost all really nasty people.
    I wondered what else we'd be reading. I could
always ask Britney, but the odds of her knowing anything useful
seemed pretty slim. When the bell finally released us from an
analysis of Heathcliff's early depravity, Britney asked what my
next class was.
    She was elated to find we were both headed to
Algebra. As we trailed the other students out of the class, I
wasn't so sure I was equally enthused. Nobody had said anything to
either of us. It was starting to look like Britney was receiving
just as much of a cold shoulder as I was. And she'd been here an
entire year.
    It was bad enough not fitting in because you
preferred your own company over that of your peers. It sucked a lot
more when you didn't have a choice.
    I tried to amuse myself by people watching
with the half of my mind that wasn't paying attention to Britney's
chatter as we went back to our lockers. We passed one of those
gorgeous, skinny red-heads who always look good without looking
like they spent much time in front of the mirror, then Britney
exchanged smiles with a couple of artificial blonds. I'd seen the
type before in Minnesota, girls who have a perfectly acceptable
figure, but who throw money into their wardrobes, makeovers and
accessories in an effort to achieve the cutting edge look, when
they'd be much better off just picking outfits that didn't try to
compete with the anorexic-looking beauty queens.
    A surprisingly-adorable looking nerd in jeans
and a tee-shirt ducked out of our way, and I felt a pang of
sympathy. He was the kind of boy mom pointed out when she surfaced
from one of her projects. She hadn't ever managed to really pique
my interest in any boy, but I could see how a few years from now,
he'd probably be fairly popular among college girls.
    Britney stopped before one of the top lockers
and started spinning the tumbler. She was still relating some story
about her old school, but suddenly I couldn't hear a word.
    The crowd of students had drifted to the
sides of the hall, like worshipers making way for a pair of pagan
gods. Even so, there still wasn't quite room for them to walk side
by side. The girl was leading. Her dark, wavy hair and perfect skin
would've made her pretty in any crowd, but she also