Paper Flowers (Pretty Plastic People) ★

017. Out in the Open

Now her fists are the ones that are clenched in her lap. She looks so small and weak with her gritted teeth, staring down at the carpet so she doesn't cry. Without even thinking, I slide off of the couch and sit down beside her, wrapping my arms around her.

"Now you know," I say. "That's what counts, right? And you have a great family now, and a sister who loves you. And Dad—come on. What more could you ask for?"

Suddenly she hiccups, her shoulders shaking. I think she's crying until she reaches out and hugs me, grinning from ear to ear. "I'm so relieved," she stutters as she grips my neck so tightly I think I'll choke. "You don't know how happy I am right now."

"Good." I pat her back and Cassidy sidles up beside us, trying to hug both of us as best she can. Glancing sideways, I see Brynn contemplating—it's one thing to suggest making up but another to actually do it. I know she's the one who has the most to hold against us.

To my relief though, she hops down from the couch, too, and then the four of us are hugging it out on the carpet. It feels cliché, like some sappy ending to a rom-com, but it's exactly what we all need.

"We're going to fix this," I say. "No more competition or pettiness. I'm breaking things off with Taylor. We're starting fresh—clean slate. Nothing's more important to me than my friends and family."

"Me neither," says Allison, and Brynn and Cassidy nod vehemently. For the first time since last summer we're all on the same page.

Thinking about Taylor makes me think about the Post-It notes on my locker. He's the one who started the sick system, and whether or not his intentions were good doesn't matter. I know for a fact that people are bullied: girls who have anything less than a five are harassed, and every Monday everyone is stressed over the fact that their ranking may have gone down. It has to stop, and if Mr. Denham won't act then who will?

"All of this judging and backstabbing has to end," I say, pulling away from our embrace. "Including the Post-It system."

"We can't get rid of that," Allison points out. "It would be all of the senior guys against us."

I shrug. "Other girls have to hate the system. And even if they don't, we can still take over it. Liam's a computer hacker—he can help us."

"Does he want to help us?" asks Brynn.

"Yes." Liam is loyal and he won't be able to turn down an opportunity to put his superhero skills to work. To him, it'll be just like a game. For us, there's a lot more at stake, but I'm confident we can win.

"They meet every Friday afternoon in the gym," says Cassidy. "So if we can just watch the meeting we can probably gain some info about what goes on."

"Not to mention we can figure out who's leaving ratings for who! Imagine how many secret crushes there are."

I glare at Allison, who quickly arranges her features to look contrite. I guess it's hard for all of us to remember not to focus on gossip and taking advantage of people. At Aquino High, getting the upper hand has been rooted into everyone for so long—but now, maybe things can finally change.

"We'll just sneak into that meeting," I say. "No biggie. We can record the whole session and then show it to the school board. We can bypass Mr. Denham—he clearly isn't worried about helping us."

Brynn chews down on her lip, contemplating. "What if we get caught? We need someone on the inside to make sure the tape gets recorded no matter what."

"Liam will probably help," Cassidy says. "He's still good friends with you, right Erika?"

I nod, but I worry about Liam. He's a little rash and not the most careful; one wrong move and he could get the recording confiscated and all of us in trouble. And if we get all of the senior guys angry, there's no way we won't suffer consequences.