Page 9 - My FlipBook

“That was pretty awesome,” Megan, a freshman, com-
mented as Mari took her seat at the table. “Like, you landed
so gracefully.”
“Thanks.” Mari was used to these types of comments.
People always wanted to make her feel better, but she knew
that they were really putting themselves at ease. And Megan
was naïve, young in the way that she just hadn’t lived a lot.
But then again, compared to Mari, her entire lunch table was
years behind.
“Are you okay? Anything hurt?” Brooke slid a fry into a
mound of ranch dressing.
“Oh, just my pride.” Mari smiled, but her head still hurt.
“I’m fine, promise.”
Thankfully, her friends moved on quickly from her feats
of clumsiness to more pressing matters like the auditions for
the fall play and who had been cast. Mari was one of the few
debate team members who wasn’t involved in the drama club.
Listening to her friends’ chatter, Mari scrolled through
her phone, even though it was just torture. She needed to
leave it alone. To move on. But she wanted to see what he’d
posted today.
And there Jase was. In his school-required blazer, the fancy
logo of Atlanta West Prep on the breast. In the selfie was Jase
and a girl who Mari assumed was Lindsay, kissing his cheek,
and Jase was looking both annoyed and not at all annoyed.
He hadn’t posted the picture, but @ActuallyLindsAy2001 had
tagged him.
“Jase?” Hannah asked from Mari’s side.
Hannah and Ellie were the only two who knew the whole
story. The week of incredible flirting at camp. When he had

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