As Caroline suspected, her mom was more than happy to let her go to the mall with new friends. It seemed Saturday school was now forgiven.
Shopping at the mall was a lot of fun, and Ginny and Elle didn’t care if the dresses Caroline picked out matched their “color scheme” or not. There were no rules, and for the first time in a long time, Caroline just enjoyed herself without feeling self-conscious. Aria seemed to be enjoying herself, too — she’d never gone shopping before, she explained to Caroline in a whisper. Aria didn’t buy a dress for herself — Caroline knew she could summon one up for the dance — but Caroline picked out a shimmery blue one with a poofy knee-length skirt.
By the time Monday rolled around, Caroline wasn’t even dreading school.
Lily stayed out of her way, and didn’t shoot her dirty glances. In fact, she didn’t look at her at all. Erica still glared, of course, and Whitney whispered something harsh under her breath when she and Erica passed Caroline in the hall.
“Ignore them,” said Aria, and to Caroline’s surprise, she did.
For the first time all year, she had fun in gym. They were playing dodgeball and by some miracle, she got through most of the class without being hit a single time (she suspected she had Aria to thank for that).
“Hey, do you actually go to class when we’re not together?” Caroline asked Aria as they walked down the hall together.
“Yeah,” said Aria cheerfully. “Well, everything except math.” The teacher had claimed that math was a kind of magic, explained Aria, but she remained unconvinced. To her, it just looked like numbers.
“What class do you have now?”
“Math.”
“So what are you going to do instead?”
Aria shrugged. “Wander,” she said. “Invisible, of course.”
“Of course,” said Caroline. “Well, have fun. I’ll see you at lunch.”
She watched Aria go, and then, just as she was rounding a corner, a girl slammed into Caroline hard. Hard enough to make her drop the books and papers she was carrying. It was Jessabel.
“You’re still nothing,” she muttered, then bounced cheerfully off to class. The blow knocked the wind out of Caroline, and the words made it worse, and she crouched in the hall, trying to gather up their things. And then she felt someone kneel down to help.
“Thanks,” said Caroline. “You don’t have to.”
“I know,” said the girl. Caroline looked up to see that it was a seventh grader named Jen.
“Hey,” said Caroline, straightening. “You’re in the science club, right?”
Caroline knew that because in sixth grade Lily had told her to fill Jen’s locker with bugs — mostly crickets and a couple of worms, because she liked biology — and Caroline had done it. And she’d laughed along with everyone else when Jen opened the locker. Jen probably hated her. She had every right to.
They hadn’t said a word to each other since then. Now Jen gave her a guarded look. “Yeah … why?”
Caroline offered a genuine smile. “I was thinking about joining the club.”
Jen raised a brow. “You?”
“Yeah,” said Caroline. “Why not me?”
“It’s just, you never struck me as a science nerd.”
“I love science,” said Caroline. “Astronomy is my favorite, but really, I like all of it. I just never joined before because —”
“Because you were too cool then?” cut in Jen. “And now you’re not cool enough for it to matter?”
Caroline cringed. Jen’s tone made her want to hide. But she didn’t. She had to face the fact that she’d done bad things. “You’re right,” she said. “I didn’t join because I thought it was nerdy and uncool. I didn’t know what cool was. I always thought being popular was what made you cool. But it’s not. Liking something — really liking it — that is cool. So I think it’s awesome that you like science. I think it’s really cool.”
Jen considered her a moment, clearly trying to decide if this was some kind of trick. Caroline recognized the distrust. But then Jen pulled a flier out of her bag and handed it over. “We meet after school on Wednesdays,” she said.
Caroline brightened. “Do you get to do experiments?” she asked. “Like crystal-growing or how to get the colors in fireworks?”
Jen smiled, this time a real smile. “Yeah,” she said. “Last week we got to make our own bouncy balls out of polymer.”
“No way,” said Caroline. “That’s awesome. How did you do it?”
The second bell rang overhead.
“We have English together, right?” asked Jen. Caroline nodded. “Well, walk to class with me; I’ll tell you about it….”
Instead of going invisible, Aria went looking for Lily.
She’d spent all weekend thinking about what to do, how to get through to her. Now she thought she finally understood what Lily needed to hear.
As Caroline’s smoke had thinned, and Lily’s hadn’t, the pull toward the second girl had gotten stronger. Aria wove through the halls of Westgate to the headmistress’s office, and paused outside. The office door was ajar, and she could see Lily standing in front of the headmistress’s desk — her mother’s desk. Her blue smoke was swirling around her.
“This is unacceptable,” Ms. Pierce was saying, waving a test paper. A grade was written on the top in bright red pen: B. “I don’t know where your head is, but it clearly isn’t here. First the infractions —”
“I didn’t do any of those —”
“And now this.”
“It’s just a B, Mom. It’s not the end of the world.”
“Just a B?” snapped Ms. Pierce. “This isn’t just a B, because you aren’t just a student, Lily. You’re an example for every girl here at Westgate. I told you when you started here there would be expectations. How do you think it looks when the headmistress’s daughter doesn’t embody the excellence expected by the school? And for goodness’ sake, stand up straight.” Ms. Pierce sighed and rubbed her eyes. “Maybe you’re spending too much time with your friends, and not enough on your work.”
Lily let out an exasperated noise. “It’s called a social life! Isn’t having one part of being a well-rounded Westgate girl?”
“Don’t you take that tone with me.”
“What more do you want from me?” snapped Lily. “I run track in the fall. I play tennis in the spring. I’m class president. I’m the most popular girl in this school!”
“Exactly. All eyes are on you. Every girl here should look up to you, should want to be you. You owe it to them to be the best example.”
“I just —”
“No,” Ms. Pierce cut her off. “No excuses.”
Lily’s shoulders slumped. The bell rang. “Go to class,” said her mom. “The last thing you need is an infraction for being late.”
Aria felt bad for Lily. No wonder she trying so hard to be in charge. And no wonder she had become a bully. Her mom was one, too. Aria didn’t think Lily’s mom would change anytime soon. But Lily could. She had to.
Lily pushed the door open, and nearly ran straight into Aria. Her eyes narrowed.
“Why can’t you just stay out of my way?” she barked.
“Lily Ann Pierce,” warned her mother from the office doorway. “You’re going to be late!”
Lily looked back in the office and forced a smile. “I was just talking to Westgate’s newest student,” she said tightly. “I wanted to make sure she felt welcome.”
“I’m sure she does,” said Mrs. Pierce. “And I’m sure you two can talk and walk at the same time.”
Silently, Lily nodded, and started walking away. Aria followed.
“I’m sorry,” Aria said.
“For what?” Lily grunted. “Getting in the way?”
“For your mom,” said Aria. The answer seemed to catch Lily off-guard and she glanced at Aria, her face paling. “It’s not fair to put that much pressure on you.”
“That’s not really any of your business,” Lily snapped, recovering.
br /> Aria shrugged. She wasn’t going to back down. “I couldn’t help but overhear, okay? It hurts, doesn’t it. Being singled out by somebody. Being picked on.” Lily’s eyes narrowed as she saw where Aria was going with this. “If you ever want to talk —”
“Why would I ever want to talk to you?”
“Because you have to talk to someone,” Aria said. Erica and Whitney didn’t seem like good listeners. Mimickers, sure, but not listeners. Caroline had been Lily’s listener, until Lily had pushed her away. “You can’t just bottle everything up and then take it out on others,” pressed Aria.
Lily threw her hands up. “I don’t get it. What do you want?”
“To help,” said Aria.
“I don’t want your help,” said Lily. “And I certainly don’t need it.”
“Do you miss her?” asked Aria.
Lily came to a stop. “Who?”
“Caroline. Do you miss her?”
The blue smoke coiled around Lily’s shoulders.
“I know what happened between you two,” continued Aria. “I haven’t had very many friends, but I don’t think friends are supposed to do what you did.”
“You don’t know anything —”
“I know she stood up to you,” said Aria. “And instead of listening, or letting it go, or just saying you were sorry, you decided to ruin her life.”
Lily stared at her, wide-eyed.
Guilt. Aria could practically see it woven through the smoke. Guilt, and sadness. But Aria knew now: Lily didn’t need a hug. She didn’t need support. She needed someone to stand up to her. And maybe that someone needed to be Caroline. But first, Aria could make a few cracks in the armor of Mean Lily so that when Caroline did stand up to her, the words would get through, and Lily would finally hear, finally listen.
“How dare you talk to me that way?” said Lily. “You are nothing. You are no one.”
“The girls at this school aren’t nice to you because they like you,” said Aria. “They’re afraid of you. But I’m not. Nothing you do can hurt me.”
Lily clutched her books to her chest. “You think Caroline’s your friend,” she said, “but she will always come running back to me.”
“Are you sure about that?” asked Aria. “What happens the day she doesn’t? What happens when she realizes she’s not afraid of losing you anymore?”
Lily stood there, speechless. Aria thought she might finally have gotten through. Then the bell rang again, and the sound jarred Lily free.
“You are nothing,” she said again. “I’ll prove it to you.”
And with that, she stormed away.
“I think it’s time we pick a new target.”
Lily and Erica and Whitney were walking to lunch. Lily still walked in front, the other two trailing, but Erica and Whitney’s arms were linked, and now and then they passed a secret look between them. A smile. An eye roll.
“Getting soft?” asked Erica.
“No,” snapped Lily. “Getting bored. Caroline’s no fun anymore. And frankly, this group is lame without her.”
“Ouch,” said Whitney.
“Harsh,” said Erica.
“Honest,” said Lily. “But the point is, we need a change.”
“Because you’re slipping,” said Erica. She’d stopped echoing Lily, and started speaking up. She was getting bolder.
“Did you know someone turned Jessabel in for being mean?” said Whitney. “It’s like they actually care what happens to Caroline.”
“It’s Aria,” snapped Lily. “It’s all her fault. And that’s why we’re going to make her the newest target.”
“You sure that will work?” challenged Erica. “People seem to like her.”
“You think they’ll actually freeze her out?” asked Whitney.
“They’re not going to,” said Lily. “Caroline is.”
Erica raised a brow, and a second later, so did Whitney.
“Ouch,” said Whitney.
“Harsh,” said Erica.
But they both smiled as they said it. The three girls pushed open the cafeteria doors and vanished within.
For a moment, the hall was empty.
Then the air shimmered and Aria became visible again. She’d heard everything. And she knew what she had to do.
Nothing.
It was up to Caroline now.
Aria took a deep breath, smoothed her skirt, and went to lunch.
Caroline was halfway through the lunch line when she felt an arm loop through hers, and looked up to see Lily beside her. Caroline tried to pull free, but Lily tightened her grip.
“Hi,” said Lily. Hi. Like they were still friends.
“What do you want?” asked Caroline.
“Look,” said Lily. “We need to talk.”
“We were talking, on Saturday. And then you decided to stop.”
“I’m sorry.”
Two words Lily almost never said, but Caroline didn’t buy it.
“I’m sorry about Saturday school,” Lily went on, “and I’m sorry about the diving board, and I’m sorry about the pool party last week. That was Erica, not me. She took my phone. I didn’t even know about it until I came out and saw them giggling.”
“Whatever.”
“You don’t have to believe me,” snapped Lily. “But it’s the truth.” She waved her free hand. “Anyway, that’s not the point.”
“What is the point?”
“I’ve been talking to the girls, and we all agree. It’s time for you to come back to the group.”
Caroline stared at Lily. She didn’t know what to say. “Even Erica?” she asked.
“Even Erica,” said Lily. Caroline didn’t believe her.
“Come on, Car,” cooed Lily. “I miss you.”
“I miss you, too,” said Caroline. The words came out before she even thought of stopping them. And they were true. She did miss Lily. In spite of everything.
“There’s just one thing you have to do,” said Lily. “To prove you want back in. To show you’re one of us.”
Caroline’s heart sank. “What?”
“If you do it,” Lily went on, “then things can go back to the way they were. The way they’re supposed to be. Don’t you want that?”
Caroline swallowed. Her eyes traveled over the lunchroom. She saw Aria sitting with Ginny and Elle. Aria’s back was to her, so she didn’t see Caroline standing there with Lily. Caroline remembered how she’d said there were more choices than being a bully or a nobody.
“Well?” pressed Lily.
Caroline frowned. “What do I have to do?”
Lily smiled, and leaned in, and whispered in her ear.
Caroline stood there, clutching her tray.
She could feel Lily and Erica and Whitney watching her, all waiting to see if she would do it. She made her way toward Aria.
The drink on her tray was filled to the brim with an icy red concoction. As she crossed the cafeteria, she had to focus on not spilling it.
Dump it on Aria, Lily had said when she set the drink on her tray. Dump it on her, and everything will go back to the way it was before.
When Caroline finally reached the table, she hovered at Aria’s shoulder. Aria looked up.
“Hey,” said Aria cheerfully. “You going to sit down?”
The other girls at the table looked up, too. Ginny, Elle, Renée, and Amanda. It felt like the whole cafeteria was watching her. Caroline tightened her grip on her lunch tray.
This was it.
The moment of choice.
She took a deep breath.
And then she sat down next to Aria.
As soon as she did, the fear and the stress went out of her. She knew she’d made the right decision. Aria reached over and squeezed her arm, as if she knew. Knew what Caroline had thought of doing. Knew what she’d decided not to do.
“Hey, Ginny,” said Caroline, a little shaky, “can you pass me a —”
A hand came down on her shoulder, hard, and she jumped. When she did, the icy
red drink spilled over the table, and the girls all jumped up out of its path. Caroline spun around to find Lily looking furious.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she hissed. “This isn’t how you get back in the group.”
Everyone at the table — everyone in the cafeteria — was staring at them. Sixty-two pairs of eyes.
“I don’t want to be back in the group,” said Caroline. Her voice trembled but she kept going. “I don’t want to be your friend anymore, Lily. I don’t like the person you’ve become.”
Lily turned red. It started in her cheeks, and spread across her face and down her neck, and for a moment, Caroline thought she was going to cry.
Erica appeared at Lily’s shoulder. “Lily, are you seriously going to let her talk to you like that?” she asked.
“You can’t let her do that,” Whitney chimed in, appearing on Lily’s other side.
“You’re supposed to be —”
“Back off,” snapped Lily. “Both of you.” She turned and stormed out of the cafeteria.
Erica and Whitney stood there, shocked, before slowly retreating back to their own table.
Caroline felt Aria squeeze her arm again. She took a deep breath and turned back to Ginny, and Elle, and the rest of Table 2 watching with a mixture of surprise and approval. She looked down at the icy red slush on everything, and sighed. “We’re going to need more napkins.”
By the end of the day, everyone in school seemed to know about the lunchroom scene. Caroline hadn’t realized how many people wanted to stand up to Lily Pierce until girls started coming to thank her. Everyone treated it like a victory … so why did Caroline still feel strangely defeated?
“You did the right thing,” insisted Aria.
“I know,” said Caroline.
“Miss Mason,” called Ms. Opeline as they passed her office. “Is everything all right?”
“Yes, ma’am,” said Caroline.
“I haven’t seen you in a while. No more accidents? No wardrobe malfunctions?”
“No,” said Caroline with a smile. She and Aria started to walk away, but Ms. Opeline stepped forward.
“I know it hasn’t been an easy year,” she said. You have no idea, thought Caroline bitterly, before reminding herself that it wasn’t Ms. Opeline’s fault. Caroline hadn’t told her. “But I’m glad that things seem to be getting better.”