brothers.

22~ First Session

"Then you came with her brothers," Blanche finished for her. "Same eyes, same face... same everything. So... people were kind of scared to approach you. But they didn't necessarily think you were a horrible person. Like me. I didn't think that. It just freaked me out a bit."

Silence stretched out between us.

"It's like o-one of those urban l-legends, only true," Kate said, shuddering.

"What about the brothers? Are you... okay with them? Or no?" Thelma asked.

"Sort of... with Harry, I'm okay. Now that I know, I understand how hard it must've been to confess something so... personal. But with the others, we're not really talking much. And I'm too angry with their parents to talk to them." I put my head in my hands. "I don't know what to do. Part of me wants to move. But if I move, I don't-"

"Know where you'll end up," Blanche finished for me.

I stopped. "Yeah."

"It's a gamble. And if you have a bad record, most likely, it'll go down the drain." She scrunched up the hem of her shirt. "I got lucky this time, considering."

"What's the family's name again?" I asked, changing the subject. I really didn't want to talk about all the drama between me and the Fields anymore.

"The McCarthy's. Their son Stuart goes here; he's a freshman. And he's such a jerk." She crossed her legs, sitting more comfortably. "He's so arrogant. And he loves calling me stuff like 'smooth brain' or just 'stupid', stuff like that."

"Aren't you advanced in math?" Alma asked.

"Two years ahead."

"Wow, cool. Why don't you use that against him?" said Thelma.

"Oh, I do. I win every argument. But he acts like a 2-year old and comes up with some stupid insult to feel like he won."

Thelma's phone rang with an alarm. "AP Calculus class starts in 5 minutes."

"And that's our cue to leave." She pulled her phone out of her pocket and dismissed the alarm. We walked out of the library together. On the way, Thelma was suddenly shoved over, nearly falling when Kate caught her arm.

"Hey, watch it!" she said.

"You watch it." A blonde turned, glaring at us. "You bumped into me." She gave Thelma a judging once-over and continued. Her friend turned her gaze on me.

I stopped.

Ivy.

She kept her piercing gaze on us for a few more seconds before turning away. Blanche cursed at her under her breath, muttering angrily.

"Who is she?" I asked.

"Ivy Ebersole. She was Amy's best friend," she explained. We continued walking. "Since she died, homegirl's been hanging out with Lisa Preston's clique."

"Honestly, I don't get why no one's talking about it," Alma said. "She's friends with the girl that made Amy's life hell. I remember they pranked her at Hannah Stinson's Halloween party. And they body-shamed her for a while— before she announced her cancer. They said she did coke."

"Wait, so... Lisa? Is she the blonde?" I asked as the duo disappeared behind the corner.

"Yup." Blanche glared in the direction the girls had gone in.

"And Ivy— A-Amy's best friend— is her f-friend now?" Kate asked.

"Ridiculous, isn't it?"