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The first bell rings Hoottenmy way past the whispers and stares
It’s the sweater That’s all it is
And then I push through the crowd converged in front of ood look at the word spray-painted across it
WHORE
This is a freeze-out
The scene fades out until it’selse
I step forward and touch ers to one of the letters It comes back black I rub h to ruininto an unintelligible ain It’s really there "Did you really bone Donnie Henderson?"
The scene fades back in Voices assert the inabout me
Me Donnie Henderson Did I really bone Donnie Henderson
His hand up my skirt Mouth on my neck
I step back and end up on someone’s foot They swear atlike a cornered animal and try to zero in on a face I know, someone familiar amid the slack-jawed rubberneckers
Josh My boyfriend
He hovers just outside the mob Our eyes meet He turns away
"Oh, my God, here comes Holt" Another voice "This is so awe- sos Principal Holt is there before I can escape, the decrepit old janitor trailing behind hie He paces, yells, and makes such a fuss, a ned is born He orders a temporary cover for my locker until the paint can be reht to justice
And then he asks one I’ain I pick at the phone book dangling fro better to do, while the sun continues its slow rise overhead It’s hot in this booth I turnpast et his voice oes by I sice and try to figure out what to say while the silence on the other end of the line waits for --what I--" I can’t tell this to Josh Not on the phone"…You heard it fro up Kara
Kara, Kara, Kara
Kara Myers
Kara
I am such a fool
I’ new When you’re
Anna Morrison’s best friend, people look We’re the kind of popular that parents like to pretend doesn’t exist so they can sleep at night, and we’re the kind of popular that ht Everyone hates us, but they’re afraid of us, too Anna thrives on it She says the day people stop hating us is the day so She says I should look at it that way, but I can’t Everyone hates us, and it makes me a total wreck She hated that aboutThey don’t matter None of this matters There’s a whole world outside of this hellhole God, Regina You could at least act like you don’t give a damn
So I do it like she does it: I squarelot, my jaw clenched and my eyes narrowed I try not to let the heat touch me or flinch at the blast of cold air on h the school doors
I’m ushered in by whispers and stares Half the student body relishes it; they’ve waited a long time to show me just how much they hate me The other half doesn’t knohat tomy locker, but whoever repainted it doesn’t kno to color-match My locker has been painted red Every other locker in this school is a bright, hideous pue It’s a wash of a coat, too
I can still see the WHORE forcing its way through
I grab o by, and I hearlike: Regina Afton is a slut who slept with Anna Morrison’s boyfriend I know can you believe it pass it on
I will kill et used to this
Anna catchesdown the hall in the opposite direction A dozen guys watch her as she goes; it’s the way her skirt moves with her hips when she walks She takes a sharp turn left, and I knohere she’s going And she’s alone
This is h the pale blue door that opens into the girls’ washroo her reflection in the mirrors over the sinks I don’t blame her Anna is beautiful, with her soft, fine auburn hair and the kind of body that brings guys to their knees It’s cliché, but she’s a Siren I than to hear her sing your name until she has you and eats you alive The people at this school think it’s hard enough living beneath her, but it’s even harder being her friend Anna
The door swings shut She stiffens and turns, and the air leavesto be far away froiveness for soain
I’ain, never, never, never…
Maybe I should’ve thought this out better
She takes me in slowly, one eyebrow arched She wants ed, and it’s working I’m suddenly aware of the sloppy ponytail tied at the back of my head and how du day--but it doesn’t matter She’s always been prettier than me
"Nice job you did on my locker," I say
We stare at each other, Western- seconds pass, but Anna never draws her gun, which is good, because I’s through thein front of her