Shucked Read Free Page A

what was in front of them, rather than noticing
potential to be something else?
    “Kinda. I don’t fit in here and I got
tired of trying. I assumed everyone would make fun of me if they knew. I also
don’t feel like putting on makeup or high heels for school like some girls do.
I want to get the grades to get me out of here and to New York City. My parents
can only afford to set aside a small amount of tuition for college in addition
to the money I’ve made modeling. I need to make up the rest by getting the best
grades possible. It’s my ticket out. I need a good education along with my
modeling career. Looks don’t last forever.”
    I’d only just gotten here, but I
understood wanting to get out. Technically I’d lived here longer than any other
place, due to my three-month sentence every summer. Every year mom moved us
somewhere new and I considered the world my home, not this small patch of
farmland hidden in rural Illinois.
    “Your secret is safe with me.” I smiled
at Becky and she grabbed me, pulling me into her arms for a bear hug. I patted
her back and let go first. I’d only known her for a few hours and while she certainly
was the coolest kid I’d met, I wasn’t ready to become blood sisters or
anything.
    “I knew we’d be best friends. Just
like our moms. You should hear the stories she tells about them when they were our
age.” Becky’s eyes widened as she stared past me and her voice trailed off.
    Craning my neck around, I saw the gym
teacher walking towards us, an angry look on her face. Was there some sort of anti-hugging
law at this school? Harassment? Did they think we were gay? Oh no, don’t tell
me it’s illegal to be a lesbian. Not that I was, or have a problem with it, but
you never know what kinds of things small town people worry about.
    “Smith?” she barked at me. Yes, Smith
is my last name. Unique, I know.
    “Yes, Mrs. Jordan?” I asked in the
sweetest voice I had.
    “You,” she pointed at Becky, “hit the
showers.”
    Becky wiggled her fingers at me in a
little wave. On the way to the locker room, she stubbed her toe. Becky hopped
precariously on one foot while massaging the other. I was dying to see her walk
a runway in heels after that.
    I eyed the gym teacher. I’d been out
of the country for a long time, but I was quite sure mullets went out of style
about twenty years ago. Someone forgot to give her the memo on that. If
Highlights Gone Wrong was a reality show, surely she’d be on it.
    “You haven’t signed up for a sports
team yet.” Mrs. Jordan dropped next to me on the bleachers, hiking up her pants
as she sat. Legs spread wide, she rested her elbow on her knees, put her chin
in her hands, and stared at me.
    “Sports team?” I repeated.
    “There’s nothing in your file about
playing an instrument, right?”
    I’d learned elementary didjeridu
during a quick stint in Australia. I couldn’t imagine they had a section for
that here. I shook my head.
    “You are required to participate in
an extra-curricular activity. Marching band is out. What skills do you have?”
    I thought quickly. I didn’t want to
end up on an awful team. Too short for volleyball. Too slow for track. No penis
for football. What did that leave me?
    “I am a black belt in taekwondo,” I
said, sure that I could get a spot on their martial arts team. I could probably
disable them all with a glance. I sat up straighter, my shoulders back.
    Mrs. Jordan’s eyes widened. “Taekwondo?
You beat people up?”
    “Well, kind of,” I said, puffing up
my chest with pride. Not many people would suspect tiny me to be dangerous. I
liked that. “It’s more self-defense than attack strategies, but if pressed,
yes, I can hurt someone. I have this amazing jump-kick combination that never
fails to knock people off their feet. I also learned how to flip over someone’s
kick to avoid being hit. It’s really amazing.”
    I stopped when I realized Mrs. Jordan
was staring at me. Yes, I was babbling.