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"That’s your name," I reminded her

Scout shook her head, then ran the tips of her fingers across the silver plaque "For the first ti a little dreamy, "it doesn’t say ‘Millicent’ And only juniors and seniors get the wooden lockers" She bobbed her head down the hall, where the lockers switched back to white enah school classic

"So you’ve upgraded?"

Scout nodded "I’ve been here for four years, Lil, squeezing books into one of those tiny little contraptions, waiting for the day I’d get wood"--I made an admittedly juvenile snicker--"and G-Day"

"G-Day?"

"Graduation Day The first day of my freedom fro for G-Day for four years" She rapped her knuckles against the locker as girls swarmed around us like a flock of birds "Four years, Parker, and I’ve got a silver nameplate A silver nameplate that means I’m only two years from G-Day"

"You really are a weirdo"

"Better to beto squeeze into solanced behind us, just in tier St Sophia’s girls--awed looks on their faces--moved aside as Veronica, Amie, and Mary Katherine floated down the hall on their cloud of s That they were only juniors--still a year from full seniority--didn’t seereed, then looked back at Scout, as still et a locker?"

"Only the best one," she snorted, then pointed down LILY was inscribed in Roman capital letters on a silver nameplate on the Utah- shaped locker beneath hers (which was shaped ym sock odor invades my locker, you’re in deep, Parker" Scout slipped her own ribboned room key from her neck and slid the key into the locker It popped open, revealing three shelves of the sa wood

She faked a sniff "This is theI have ever seen in my life Such luxury! Such decadence!"

This tiinning to clear out of students, I poked her in the aret to class"

"You have to stop the co me blush" She popped extra books into her locker, then shut the door again That done, she glanced atus Best we can do is honor the, really"

"Totally," she said, and off ent

Our lockers arranged (although I hadn’t soabout having h theto our first class--art history--to drag a littleit best to hit the interesting stuff first, I started with Veronica’s breakfast-hour ploy

"So," I said, "since you didn’t answer ain Tell lancing at the room numbers inscribed on the wooden classroom doors as we passed "Just a friend," she added before I could ask a follow-up "I don’t date guys who go to Montclare One private school brat in the fah"

There was obviously more to that story, but Scout stopped in front of a door, so I assulanced back at me "Do you have a boyfriend back ho about her, anyway The door opened before I could respond--although my ansould have been "no" A tall, thina dour look at me and Scout

"Ms Green," he said, "and Ms--" He lifted his eyebrows expectantly

"Parker," I filled in

"Yes, very well Ms Parker" He stepped to the side, holding the door open with his arm "Please take your seats"

We walked inside Much like the rest of the buildings, the classroom had stone floors and walls that were dotted hiteboards There were only a couple of girls at desks e came in, but as soon as Scout and I took a seat--Scout in the desk directly behind , unfortunately, the brat pack Veronica, Amie, and Mary Katherine took seats in the row beside ours, Amie in the front, Veronica in the middle, Mary Katherine behind theht next to an pulling notebooks or laptops fro I had enough to worry about today without adding power outlet locations and midclass system crashes to the list, so I pulled out a notebook, pen, and art history book froreeted us, who I assureen letters on the whiteboard, closed the door and walked to the front of the room He looked pretty much exactly like you’d expect a private school teacher to look: bald, corduroy slacks, button-up shirt, and corduroy blazer with leather patches at the elbows

Hollis glanced down at his podiuaze and scanned the room " ‘What was any art but aelusive element which is life itself?’ " He turned and uncapped a marker, then wrote "WILLA CATHER" in capital letters below his na the uessed

"What do you think Ms Cather meant? Anyone?"

"Bueller? Bueller?" whispered a voice behind h at Scout’s joke as Alanced around before calling her nauessed Amie answered a lot of questions "Ms Cherry," he said

"She’s talking about a piece of art capturing a moment in time"

Hollis’s expression softened "Well put, Ms Cherry Anyone else?" He glanced around the roo onon ure that I’d be called on during the first day of class? I was ave it a shot, my voice weirdly loud in the sudden silence

"Uet about them--the details, hoe felt at that moment You still have a memory of what happened, butor a poem--those can save the heart of the s"

The rooood answer or a pile of nonsense "Also well put, Ms Parker," he finally said

My sto fulfilled his interest in seeking our input, Hollis turned back to the whiteboard and began to fill the space--and the rest of the hour- long period--with an introduction to major periods in Western art Hollis clearly loved his subject h-pitched when he was really excited Unfortunately, he also tended to spit the little foaathered in the corners of his ht after breakfast, but I had at least one other form of entertainment--Mary Katherine had this really coirl had a system She picked up a lock of dark hair, spun it around her index finger, tugged on the end, then released it Then she repeated the process Twirl Tug Drop Twirl Tug Drop Again and again and again

It was hypnotizing--so hypnotizing that I nearly ju the end of class Girls scattered at the sound, so I grabbed my stuff and followed Scout into the hallhich was like a six-lane interstate of St Sophia’s girls hurrying to and fro

"You’ve got to figure out how to e!" Scout said over the din, then disappeared into the throng I hugged my books to my chest and jumped in