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"Lacey Peh she was about three steps from us and could clearly hear hi her na else, I found it impossible that she knew my name She motioned with her head, and I followed her past the band room, over to a bank of lockers Ben kept pace withI could smell her perfume, and I remembered the smell of it in her SUV, reo and I slao"

I just looked at her

"That night, with the fish? In h Jase’s ?"

I kept looking I wasn’t sure what to say Aspoken to by Lacey Pemberton, and when that rare opportunity does arise, one does not wish toout," Ben said, as if Margo and I were tight

"Was shedown; I could see her brown eye shadow

"What?"

She spoke quietly then, the tiniest crack in her voice, and all at once Lacey Pemberton was not Lacey Pemberton She was just--like, a person "Was she, you know, pissed at ht about how to answer that for a while "Uh, she was a little disappointed that you didn’t tell her about Jase and Becca, but you know Margo She’ll get over it"

Lacey started walking down the hall Ben and I let her go, but then she slowed down She wanted us to ith her Ben nudged ether "I didn’t even know about Jase and Becca That’s the thing God, I hope I can explain that to her soon For a while, I was really worried that maybe she had like really left, but then I went into her locker ’cause I know her co, and all her books are stacked there"

"That’s good," I said

"Yeah, but it’s been like four days That’s almost a record for her And you know, this has really sucked, because Craig knew, and I was so pissed at hi me that I broke up with him, and now I’m out a prom date, and my best friend is off wherever, in New York or whatever, thinking I did so I would NEVER do" I shot a look to Ben Ben shot a look back to me

"I have to run to class," I said "But why do you say she’s in New York?"

"I guess she told Jase like two days before she left that New York was the only place in America where a person could actually live a halfway livable life Maybe she was just saying it I don’t know"

"Okay, I gotta run," I said

I knew Ben would never convince Lacey to go to proured he at least deserved the opportunity I jogged through the halls towardRadar’s head as I ran past hiirl in band "Don’t thank me Thank Q," I heard him say to the freshman, and she called out, "Thank you forback I shouted, "Don’t thank iven rabbed my calc notebook, but then I just stayed, even after the second bell rang, standing still in the middle of the hallhile people rushed past me in both directions, like I was the median in their freeway Another kid thanked me for his two hundred dollars I smiled at him The school felt otten a eeks Lacey Peized

I knew these halls so well--and finally it was starting to feel like they knewand the croindled Only then did I walk to calc, sitting down just after Mr Jiht Margo’s copy of Leaves of Grass to school, and I started reading the highlighted parts of "Song of Myself" again, under the desk while Mr Jiminez scratched away at the blackboard There were no direct references to New York that I could see I handed it to Radar after a fewon the corner of his notebook closest toMaybe she wants you to open the door of your ed, and wrote back, Or maybe she just read the poehters

A few lanced toward the clock for only the thirty-seventh ti outside the classroo

When the bell rang for lunch, I raced to my locker, but so to Lacey Pehtly so he could talk toward her face Talking to Ben could make me feel a little claustrophobic souys," I said when I got up to the an obvious step back froo No one ever went into her room, you know She said her parents didn’t allow her to have friends over"

"Really?" Lacey nodded "Did you know that Margo owns, like, a thousand records?"

Lacey threw up her hands "No, that’s what Ben was saying! Margo never talked abouton the radio or whatever But--no She’s so weird"

I shrugged Maybe she eird, or"But ere just saying that Walt Whit to O time, too," Ben said

I nodded "I can totally see her in New York I think we have to figure out the next clue, though It can’t end with the book There "

"Yeah, can I look at it during lunch?"

"Yeah," I said "Or I can make you a copy in the library if you want"

"Nah, I can just read it I mean, I don’t know crap about poetry Oh, but anyway, I have a cousin in college there, at NYU, and I sent her a flyer she could print So I’ to tell her to put them up in record stores I mean, I know there are a lot of record stores, but still"

"Good idea," I said They started to walk to the cafeteria, and I followed them

"Hey," Ben asked Lacey, "what color is your dress?"

"Um, it’s kind of sapphire, why?"