today. You should come.”
Anna’s smile froze.
Did Benny just ask me out?
she wondered.
Benny seemed just as surprised because he started to stammer. “Y-you don’t have to. I mean, it’s no big deal. I’m just going with a few of my friends and —”
“It sounds fun,” Anna interrupted. “I’d like to come.”
“Really? That’s cool. Okay, so I’ll see you thereafter school. Wow. Okay. Cool,” Benny babbled. He seemed almost relieved when Mr. Cooper yelled at them to stop talking.
When the bell rang, Benny quickly scooped up his books. “Meet you there at three fifteen!” he told Anna, and rushed out of the room.
Anna slowly collected her things and floated out the door, humming to herself. She had a date with Benny!
Well, not a date,
she reminded herself.
We’re just hanging out with a bunch of kids. But I think maybe he likes me. Wait till I tell Emma!
But when she did see Emma, moments later, Anna lost the nerve. Emma was leaning against Anna’s locker, with her arms folded across her chest. “Where have you been?” she asked accusingly. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
“I was in class.” Anna was surprised at her friend’s strange behavior. She seemed so cold and bossy lately.
“Whatever,” Emma huffed. “Come on. I’m hungry. Let’s go to lunch.”
Anna glanced out the window, which was spattered with rain. “I guess the roof is out today. We’ll have to eat in the cafeteria.”
Emma gave her a look of disdain. “You mean, the barfeteria? No thanks. I’ve got a better idea. Let’s go to the diner on Fifth Street.”
“I can’t,” Anna said. “I don’t have enough money.” She had only a few dollars in her pocket, and she wanted to save them for Moxie. “Anyway, I brought my lunch today.”
“Don’t worry about the money. I’ve got us covered.”
Anna opened her mouth to object, then changed her mind. She didn’t think she’d win an argument with Emma.
Outside, the rain was slashing down. They pulled up their hoods and sprinted the few blocks to the diner. Even so, they were soaked when they came through the door.
A waitress walking past with a pot of coffee glanced at them and pursed her lips. She pointed to a booth in the corner near the door.
“Perfect,” Emma said. She slid across the yellow vinyl seat, streaking it with rainwater.
After a moment, the waitress came over and dropped a single menu on their table. She had on thick blue eye shadow, and her curly hair was piledlike a haystack on her head. “Something to drink?” she asked them tiredly.
Emma ordered coffee, and after a moment’s hesitation Anna did, too. She never drank coffee, but it sounded sophisticated. Not to mention warm. She was shivering in her wet clothes.
The waitress sloshed coffee into two cups that were already on the table. Emma ordered a turkey sandwich for them to share. The waitress wrote their order down on a little pad, stuck her pen behind her ear, and shuffled off to the kitchen.
“Nice service,” Emma said with a snort.
Anna didn’t say anything. She’d just taken a sip of the hot, bitter coffee and scalded her tongue. She fanned her burning mouth with one hand and pushed the cup away with the other.
Emma leaned back in the booth, kicking her dirty sneakers up on the seat next to Anna. “Isn’t this great? Way better than eating in that lame cafeteria.”
Anna glanced around the room. There were a few people in business suits sitting at the counter, staring into space as they chewed their sandwiches. In the booth across from Anna, a lonely-looking old man was spooning cottage cheese into his mouth.
The diner didn’t seem so great to Anna. At least at school, there were other kids.
“You know, maybe we should cool it for a while. Cutting school, I mean. We’re going to get caught one of these days,” she said.
Emma waved a hand as if that was of no concern. “So today, I was thinking we’d —”
Their conversation was interrupted by the