Aria tried to make sense of it as she followed Erica to class. Erica wasn’t surrounded by any smoke. She seemed to wear her meanness on her sleeve.
Erica didn’t say a word to Aria the whole way, and then, just before they reached the door, she looped her arm through Aria’s, and flashed her a sharp grin. As they went inside, Erica suddenly laughed, as if Aria had said something funny, even though she hadn’t said anything at all.
“Girls,” warned Mr. Pincell. “You’re late.”
“Sorry,” said Erica cheerfully, letting go of Aria’s arm. “I was just showing Aria around.”
Aria glanced at Caroline, who looked confused. Aria wished she could explain, but she knew she had to take her seat. She hoped they’d have to pair up, but it turned out not to be a partner day.
As class started, Erica passed Aria a note.
What’s your fave color?
Aria wasn’t sure why the girl was asking — Erica didn’t strike her as the type to care. Blue, she wrote. Then she added red below it, before finally writing purple underneath, because she couldn’t decide. She slid the note back to Erica, and went back to listening to Mr. Pincell. But only a few minutes later, another piece of folded paper found its way onto her desk.
When did you move here?
Aria wrote down yesterday and sent the paper back.
The third time the paper came to Aria, it didn’t have a question on it. Instead it said, Caroline Mason isn’t worth your time.
Aria frowned, and looked over at Caroline’s desk. She was surprised to see Caroline staring at her, or rather, at the paper in her hand. The blue smoke swirled around Caroline’s shoulders and Aria realized what it must look like, what Erica was making it look like. Showing up late to class, the hooked arms, the passed notes … it looked like they were friends.
Aria didn’t send Erica’s note back. Instead, she crumpled it up and shoved it in the back of her notebook, and started writing one to Caroline.
It’s not what it looks like.
Caroline didn’t write back, so Aria sent another.
It’s REALLY not what it looks like.
Still nothing. Caroline kept her eyes on the board. Aria sighed, and tried one last time. But instead of writing a note, she drew a picture. Of a monster with rows of teeth and squinty eyes and lots of hair. The monster was dressed in a plaid skirt.
Under it she wrote Erica Kline.
She was about to pass it to Caroline when she stopped herself. What would happen if Mr. Pincell caught her and took the drawing? What would happen if Erica saw it? Aria had only been trying to make Caroline smile. It hadn’t even occurred to her that she was making fun of someone else at the same time. Putting one person down to lift someone else up. That was something bullies did.
Aria wasn’t a bully.
She crumpled the paper and shoved it into her backpack.
A few moments later, Caroline finally passed her a note. I wish it was a partner day.
Aria wrote back, Me too.
“So,” said Mrs. Mason at dinner that night. “How was school?”
It had become Caroline’s most dreaded question. But for the first time in a long time, the true answer wasn’t horrible. It was still bad. Still full of stress and worry and nausea. But not horrible. Thanks to Aria.
“It was okay,” she said. “There’s a new girl. I’m sort of … showing her around.” Even though Aria didn’t seem to need much showing around, now that Caroline thought about it.
Her mom brightened. “That’s really nice of you. Starting at a new school —”
“— is hard, I know.” It was the same lecture her mom had given her about Whitney Abel. “It’s not a big deal.”
“It is,” said her mom. “And I’m proud of you, Car.” She turned to Caroline’s dad. “Isn’t that great, honey?” Mr. Mason, who’d been reading a book at the table, mumbled something that sounded like yes. Across from him, Megan was texting. Her mom sighed, and turned back to Caroline. “Well, I think it’s great.”
Caroline asked to be excused, then got up and put her plate in the sink. She headed for the back door.
“Where are you off to?” asked her mom.
“Just out back,” she said.
“Car —”
“Let her go,” Caroline’s dad finally joined in. “A little stargazing never hurt anyone.”
“I’m just worried about her….” she heard her mom say before the door swung shut.
Out in the yard, Caroline climbed up onto the trampoline. It wasn’t full dark yet, so there were no stars, but she stared up at the clouds. They had made a really good sunset, just like she knew they would.
Her mind wandered, as it always did, back to summer, when everything was perfect. When she didn’t dread waking up. When the hardest question was what to wear to the mall, and the worst thing she had to deal with was the occasional jab from Erica, who only had an attitude because she was jealous that Lily liked Caroline best.
Lily had an amazing heated pool with a slide and a sloped shallow end like a beach where they could sit, and during the summer they would gather there, with cool, clear water washing up over their legs while they talked.
If Caroline tried hard enough, she could almost hear the sounds of summer, the splash of a pool party, the echoes of laughter….
And then she opened her eyes and realized the sounds weren’t part of her memory at all. They were coming from next door. Chatter and soda cans and the voices of Erica and Whitney, and then Lily’s voice, calling a meeting to order. Lily loved holding meetings.
A wave of nausea rolled over Caroline as she wondered if the meeting was about her.
It was still warm out, but Caroline shivered. She could hear Erica’s sharp laugh, and it made her think about her walking into science, arm in arm with Aria. Why was Aria hanging out with her? Yes, Aria had tried to explain in her note, but Caroline still wasn’t sure. And she wanted to know, because she really liked Aria. The new girl was starting to feel almost like a friend, but …
And then a horrible thought crept into Caroline’s head: What if it was too good to be true?
She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, and pushed the idea away. And then she heard a voice, much closer than the ones next door, say, “Can I come up?”
Caroline blinked to find Aria resting her elbows on the rim of the trampoline.
“Aria?” she asked, sitting up. “What are you doing here?”
“Your mom let me in,” she said, pointing to the house. “So, can I join you?”
Caroline nodded, and Aria hopped up onto the platform and nearly fell over. As she fought to keep her balance, Caroline chuckled. “Haven’t you ever been on one of these before?”
Aria shook her head and sank down beside her, sitting cross-legged. The force bounced Caroline up and down a little. “It’s like Jell-O,” said Aria, poking the elastic floor.
“It’s a trampoline,” said Caroline. “Here, do what I do.”
Caroline stretched out, her head in the center of the trampoline, her feet to the edges. Aria did the same thing, going the other way, and they lay there in the almost-dark as stars began to show up overhead.
There was something about the stars — and about Aria — that made Caroline feel safe.
“Three years,” she said absently. “That’s how long Lily and I have been best friends. Lily wasn’t always so … the way she is now.” Caroline couldn’t believe she was making excuses for her.
“When did she change?” asked Aria.
Caroline squinted, making the starlight blur. “When we started sixth grade at Westgate. Maybe it’s because of her mom, but Lily decided that she wanted to be queen bee. She said she had to be. And she said she wanted me to be with her. No matter what happened — no matter how she was around other people, or to other people — she was always on my side. And I was always on hers.” Caroline thought of all the things she’d done for Lily. “It got worse when she met Erica. Lily treated her like a pet project. Er
ica and I never got along great, but the three of us were fine. Everything was fine. Until now.”
Aria drew up her knees. She was still wearing her school uniform, but Caroline noticed that her shoelaces were bright pink. “So,” said Aria, “what are we going to do?”
“About what?” asked Caroline.
“About you. About this.”
“It’s not your problem.”
“But I’m here to …” Aria trailed off. “I want to help,” she said.
“How?” asked Caroline.
“We can stand up to her.”
Caroline slumped back against the trampoline. “No,” she said. “We can’t.”
“Yes we can,” pressed Aria. “And I bet if we do, others will, too.”
Aria obviously knew nothing about Westgate. Silence fell over them, and Caroline realized how much she hated being surrounded by it every day. And how nice it was to have Aria there with her, making the quiet feel warm instead of cold. And since the other girl clearly wasn’t going to stay out of things — even if Caroline asked her — she broke the silence and said, “Hey, Aria?”
“Yeah, Caroline?”
“Do you want to ride to school together?”
And even though she wasn’t looking at her, Caroline could feel Aria smile.
“Yeah,” Aria said, tucking her hands behind her head. “I’d love that.”
Aria paced back and forth on Caroline’s front path the next morning, waiting for her to come out. Caroline had offered to pick her up, but Aria had insisted on meeting her instead, since she didn’t really know how to explain that she lived in a tree.
It was a pretty Wednesday, all blue sky and cool breeze, and Aria had a good feeling about the day. Now that Caroline was finally opening up, she could help her move forward. Stand up to Lily and her old group. Make a new start.
Aria glanced beyond the picket fence to the house next door.
She still didn’t know what to do about Lily.
As if on cue, the front door swung open, and Lily Pierce strode out, her black curls pulled back by a green headband. Aria squinted at the girl’s blue smoke, as if by looking hard enough, she could see what Lily needed. How she was supposed to help.
Lily saw Aria standing there, and smiled.
It was a contagious kind of smile, and Aria found herself smiling back. There had to be more to her than met the eye. More than meanness and control. After all, Lily and Caroline had been friends for years.
Lily wasn’t always so … the way she is now. That’s what Caroline had said. The new Lily was the problem. Maybe there was some of the old Lily left in there somewhere. Aria just needed to find it.
Lily walked over, and rested her elbows on the fence.
“Hi, Ari,” she said cheerfully. “Whatcha doing here?”
“Waiting for my ride,” Aria replied.
Lily gave her a pitying sigh. “Why don’t you ride to school with us? Erica and Whitney should be here any second.”
“That’s okay,” said Aria. “I’m going with Caroline.”
Lily frowned. “I thought we talked about this,” she said coolly.
Aria looked into Lily’s eyes. “You used to be best friends, didn’t you? What happened?” she asked, even though she already knew. She wanted to hear Lily’s side.
Lily tossed her hair. “I outgrew her,” she said. “The truth is, I only stayed friends with her so long because I felt sorry for her.”
But her blue smoke tightened around her shoulders when she said it.
“You know, Lily,” said Aria simply. “I don’t believe you. I think you still care. I think you miss her.”
For an instant, Lily’s smile faltered. And then it was back, tighter than before. She leaned closer. “Look, I’m trying to help you. Ride to school with us. Sit with us. You’ll be one of the most popular girls at Westgate. I’m giving you a chance to be someone.”
“I’m already someone,” said Aria softly, but Lily either didn’t hear, or didn’t listen.
“A lot of girls would kill to be friends with me,” she said, pursing her lips. “You should accept my offer.”
Aria leaned in. “Or what?” she asked, truly curious.
Lily’s smile fell. “Or stay with Caroline, and be a total loser.” She pulled away. “It’s simple. You can be somebody. Or you can be nobody. It’s your choice.”
Aria’s brow crinkled. “Are those my only two options?”
Just then, someone honked a horn. Lily pulled back from the fence and waved to the car, where Erica and Whitney were waiting inside.
“Well?” Lily asked Aria. “Are you coming or not?”
Aria looked from Erica and Whitney in the car to Lily at the fence, and then up at Caroline’s house. She shook her head. “Thanks for the offer,” she said, “but I’ll stay.”
Lily rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she muttered, turning to go.
“Hey, Lily,” said Aria.
“What?” she snapped.
“It doesn’t have to be like this,” said Aria. “You don’t have to be like this.”
Lily sneered. “You don’t know anything. You’re just like Caroline. A nobody.”
She marched off toward the car, and Aria sighed. “What am I going to do about her?” she asked her shadow, but her shadow didn’t seem to have a clue.
A second later, Caroline came storming out of her own house.
“Oh, hey!” said Aria, trying to recover. “You ready to go?”
But Caroline didn’t even say good morning, just got into the car and shut her door. Caroline’s mom appeared a second later.
“Someone’s in a mood,” said her mother in a singsong way.
“Is everything okay?” asked Aria.
“I’m not sure,” said Caroline’s mom as they walked toward the car. “She’s been so up and down lately, I can’t keep track.” Aria had met Mrs. Mason last night, when she’d come by to see Caroline. Caroline’s mom seemed very nice, but Aria could tell she didn’t know about her daughter’s predicament.
Now Aria climbed in beside Caroline. She’d never been in a car before. There were lots of buttons, but she resisted the urge to push them. Instead, she leaned in toward Caroline.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered. Caroline didn’t answer. Her smoke swirled furiously around her. Aria’s spirits fell. She had really thought this was going to be a good day.
“Seat belts,” instructed Caroline’s mom, tapping the strap across her lap. Aria found the pieces, and fit them together. “So, Aria,” she added once they were on the road, “that’s a pretty name.”
“Thank you,” said Aria, glancing over at Caroline. Caroline didn’t look back.
“And you just moved in down the road?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Which house?”
Aria couldn’t exactly say the tree house, so she said the blue one, because the tree house was indeed painted blue.
“The blue one?” said Caroline’s mom. “I can’t think of any blue one besides the one Mrs. Hinkle lives in, and she certainly didn’t move away….”
“Um,” said Aria, who didn’t like lying and wasn’t very good at it. “It’s actually more of a green house. Blue green.”
“Ah,” said Caroline’s mom. “Well, we’ll have to have your family over for dinner sometime. Do you have any siblings?”
“No,” said Aria. “Just me.”
“I bet Caroline wishes she were an only child, don’t you, sweetheart?”
Caroline made a sound that could either have been a yes or a no.
“So, Aria, how are you liking Westgate? It’s an amazing school. Fabulous athletic program. Do you play sports? Caroline here was thinking about joining the swim team. She’s an excellent swimmer …”
Caroline’s mom went on like that for the rest of the ride to school, filling the car with chatter. Which was fine because Caroline remained silent. When the car stopped, she unfastened her seat belt and stormed out without saying good-bye to her mom.
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Or waiting for Aria.
By the time Aria got out of the car, Caroline was halfway to the front doors.
“Hey,” she called, jogging after her. “Hey, Caroline, wait up!”
Caroline had seen everything.
She’d been getting ready for school, and for the first time she wasn’t dreading it. Because she wasn’t going alone. She’d be with Aria. The thought made her feel light. And then, as she was pulling on her shoes, she looked out her bedroom window at the front yard below, and she saw them.
Lily Pierce leaning across the fence talking to Aria. Lily was smiling, not her mean smile but her nice one, the one she only used around her friends. It was like a punch in the stomach. And then Aria leaned in as Lily whispered something in her ear. Lily looked up when she said it. At the bedroom window on the second floor.
At Caroline.
And Caroline had realized in that moment what was happening.
What must be happening.
It was all some kind of sick game.
Caroline reached her locker, grabbed her books, and slammed it shut. She hurried down the hall, past the other students, wiping away stray tears.
“Caroline?” came Aria’s voice behind her, but she kept walking.
She should have known. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. The reason Aria was being so nice. The reason she was so intent on spending time with her. The reason she wasn’t afraid of making Lily mad.
It was a setup.
Lily was so determined to make her life a nightmare that she’d talked the new girl into pretending to be friends with Caroline. And then what? One day, Lily would snap her fingers, and it would all go away.
“Caroline!” called Aria, catching up.
“Just stay away from me.” Caroline stormed into the stairwell.
“What did I do?” asked Aria, following.
Caroline reached the top of the stairs and started toward a door, but Aria blocked her way. “Talk to me,” she said, breathless. “Please. I don’t understand —”
“I saw you talking to Lily.”
“So?” said Aria, looking confused. “She showed up while I was waiting for you.”