My So-Called Family Read Free Page B

there’s the possibility of everything staying perfect and easy. I took notes as the teachers outlined the curriculum for the semester. Mom had also bought me a new day planner, and I made a list, as neatly as I could, of the homework I would have for each class. I listed the classes on the left and the assignments on the right. That’s the way Mom always lists things when she’s writing. She’ll divide the page into two columns and list the main points on the left side of the page, and then jot down ideas on the right side. When I surveyed my homework list, it seemed like an awful lot just for the first day, but we’d also started algebra at the end of seventh grade back at my old school, so at least my math homework would be pretty easy to do.
    After fourth period I followed the crowd to the cafeteria. I had sort of been dreading lunch. I wasn’t worried about the food or anything, but lunch is always the part of the day when you get to sit with your friends, and since I was new, I didn’t have any friends to sit with. I was sure there were other new kids. It was a big enough school that there had to be some other kids who had just moved to Riverdale who didn’t have anyone else to eat with. But I didn’t know how to find them in the crowd, and I was worried I would end up sitting alone. I held my lunch tray and looked out at all the tables. Kids were hunched over, laughing, deep in conversation. I didn’t see anyone sitting alone.
    â€œYou’re the girl with the hyphen, right?” I heard a voice beside me say. I turned and saw three girls standing next to me. I recognized one of them from homeroom. She had long dark hair and the most perfectly clear skin I’d ever seen. When Mrs. Levitt had called out “Ms. Monahan,” the girl had raised her hand but had kept on reading the magazine open on her desk. Now she was looking straight at me, waiting for an answer.
    â€œYeah,” I said. Mom hates when I say “yeah.” Since she’s a writer, she’s obsessed with things like language and grammar. She has a whole list of words she wishes I didn’t say.
    â€œI’m Avery,” the girl said.
    â€œI’m Leah,” I said.
    â€œThis is Brenna, and this is Callie,” Avery said. She balanced her tray on one hand and waved toward the other girls. Brenna had dark hair like Avery, except it was very curly, and Callie was blond. They were all very pretty. I rolled their names around in my head. Avery, Brenna, and Callie—cool girl names. I wished my name were more exotic, although it could have been worse. There was a girl at my old school named Harriet, and some of the kids called her “Hairy.” Parents should think about these things before they name their kids.
    â€œNice to meet you,” I said.
    â€œThey’re in a different homeroom,” Avery said. She turned to them. “You should have seen it. Mrs. Levitt is so old she’s practically senile, and you know how she calls everyone by their last name? So when she was calling roll this morning, when she got to Leah, she pronounced the hyphen in her last name!”
    Brenna and Callie laughed. I knew it wasn’t that funny a story, but I could tell Avery was the kind of person you laughed at whenever she said something she thought was funny.
    Avery turned back to me. “You’re new, right?”
    â€œYeah,” I said again. I could just imagine how embarrassed Mom would have been if she’d been listening to our conversation.
    â€œDo you have anyone to sit with for lunch?” Avery asked.
    â€œI don’t really know anyone yet,” I said.
    â€œWell, you should sit with us, then,” she said. “It would suck to have to eat alone.”
    â€œThanks,” I said. I followed the girls over to a table on the far side of the room. We put our trays down, except for Brenna, who had brought her lunch. She put down her bag and