What She Left Behind by Ellen Marie Wiseman Read Free Book Online Page B

or pity in his eyes? It was hard to tell. Izzy put her information on the desk, picked the condom up off the floor, and held it out to the teacher. He finally looked up.
    “I think this is for you,” Izzy said. Everyone laughed.
    “Is this some kind of joke?” Mr. Hudson said, his forehead furrowed.
    “No,” Izzy said. “I was just standing here waiting to give you my papers, and someone threw this at you. They hit me with it instead.”
    Mr. Hudson took the condom, threw it in the garbage, and stood. “Okay, everybody,” he said. “Settle down and take your seats.” He took the paper from Izzy, read it, then addressed the class. “This is Isabelle Stone. Make her feel welcome, please.” He looked at Izzy. “Sit wherever you’d like.”
    Izzy scanned the room for a seat. The only empty desk was in the back corner, on the far end of the classroom. She slid her backpack from her shoulder and headed toward the windows, intending to walk along the edge of the desks instead of through the middle. Then she realized that, to get to the empty seat, she had to walk past Raven Boy and his girlfriend. For a second, she thought about turning around and going the other way. But it would have been too obvious. She kept going. Halfway down the aisle, she passed Raven Boy and his girlfriend. Then, one of the guys put his sneakered foot on the windowsill, blocking her way.
    “Excuse me,” she said, forcing a smile.
    “What’s your name again?” the guy said. He was good looking, with clear skin and thick, blond bangs pushed to one side above blue eyes.
    “Isabelle,” she said, trying to sound friendly. “But everyone calls me Izzy.”
    “Izzy?” the guy said. “Like Izzy Pop?”
    “No,” Izzy said. “That’s Iggy Pop.”
    “Mr. Anderson!” Mr. Hudson barked from the front of the room. “Is this how we’re going to start the year?”
    “I’m just introducing myself,” the guy said. “Making Izzy Pop feel welcome, like you said.”
    Everyone laughed. Izzy felt her neck and chest welting up.
    “Don’t be a jerk, Luke,” someone said behind her.
    Izzy turned to see who had spoken. It was Raven Boy.
    “Let her by,” he said to Luke. Raven Boy’s girlfriend slapped his arm, scowling at him. He ignored her.
    Luke let his foot drop and winked at Izzy. “If you need someone to show you around,” he said, smirking, “I’m your man.”
    “Thanks,” Izzy said, and went to her desk.
    This is starting out well, she thought, sliding into her seat. And I’ve been here, what, five minutes?
    During roll call, Izzy learned Raven Boy’s name was Ethan Black, and his girlfriend’s name was Shannon Mackenzie. Izzy surveyed the other kids while Mr. Hudson talked about fund-raisers, prom committees, and class elections. One of the girls sitting next to Shannon—her name was Crystal—glanced back at Izzy, then leaned over and whispered something in Shannon’s ear. They looked over their shoulders and laughed. When another girl—if Izzy remembered correctly, her name was Nicole—looked at Shannon with questioning eyes, Shannon whispered in her ear. The three of them stared back at Izzy, grinning as if sharing a private joke.
    Izzy dug her nails into her palms, fighting the urge to flip them off. There was always one group in every school—a clique of mean girls who made the other girls’ lives a living hell. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who the mean girls were in this school. She knew the best thing to do was ignore them, and hope they never found out her mother was doing time in a maximum-security prison for shooting her father. But it wouldn’t be easy in this small class. Just then, a memory came to her: two girls in her last school calling her “psycho” in the hall, asking if she still had her mother’s gun. She could almost taste the coppery blood in her mouth from biting her lip to keep herself from clawing their eyes out.
    Now, she tugged on her sleeves, making sure they were