Rolling Dice [sample]

8: Rolling Dice

“Oh, okay. Well that’s cool.”

But in my head I think, Duh. Like I didn’t already guess he was Mr. Big-shot Jock?

“He’s totally going to end up with a soccer scholarship, too.”

“Really?”

“Mm-hmm, everyone says so.” She pauses. “And I think he’s pretty interested in you,” she tells me in sing-song. We walk into a room I assume is our biology classroom, and it looks like nearly everyone’s already there, but the teacher hasn’t started yet. Tiffany guides me toward a lab bench with a couple of spaces on, and I sit down next to a girl who’s doodling in her notebook.

Out of the corner of my eye I see her glance up at us, then shuffle over to make a little more room.

I laugh in response to Tiffany. “Yeah, right. I barely know the guy. He’s not interested in me.”

Tiffany smiles, like she’s holding onto a secret that only she knows. “Whatever you say, Madison, whatever you say.”

I give a careless kind of laugh. Meanwhile, my mind races, trying to process everything.

Because 1) Tiffany, one of the most popular girls in school, seems to be my friend. And she introduced me to her friends, which should mean that 2) I may actually be becoming a part of the elite popular clique of high school, and that’s something that I’d never even have considered happening to me. I just wanted to make friends here, and to not be miserable and lonely. Being part of the popular clique was never even considered as part of my plan in being the new Madison.

And then there is the small matter that 3) Bryce, who from the sound of things is Mr. Popular and quite possibly considered the cutest guy in school, could be interested in me. At least, according to Tiffany. And that seems totally crazy to me. He’s totally out of my league, and I don’t expect him to be interested in me.

I’d like him to be interested, of course.

But I don’t think he is.

And frankly, I’d rather not get my hopes up.

Throughout the next forty minutes, Tiffany tells me everything and anything about all her friends. She, Summer and Melissa have been best friends since third grade.

Marcus, who I met earlier, is the ‘strong, silent type’. And totally loved up with Summer – they’ve been dating for fifteen months now. “It’s so totally adorable,” Tiffany gushes. The last of the guys who they usually hang out with is Richard – “but everyone calls him Ricky.”

The teacher shoots a glare in the direction of me and Tiffany before carrying on explaining the PowerPoint presentation about natural selection the class is all taking notes on. My notes are disjointed and I know I’ve missed some stuff out, trying so hard to pay attention to what Tiffany’s telling me. I’m sure I’ve got something amidst my notes on Warfarin-resistant rats about that time Melissa had a crush on her geography teacher in the eighth grade.

I know I wanted to try and focus a little more on my schoolwork here, but I don’t really care that I’m not giving my full attention to the teacher, choosing to be more attentive to Tiffany. I’m flattered she wants to be friends with me, and how it seems like that’s given me an easy pathway right into the popular clique, the highest point of the high school social hierarchy. I don’t want to mess it up. But they seem like nice people, taking me in without question like this.

Besides, it’s not like I can afford to turn down the offer of friendship.

Tiffany rolls her eyes once the teacher turns back to the projector screen and away from us, and carries on, lowering her voice only a little.