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The boys went crazy. And in a very different way, so did the girls.
Juniper was gorgeous. Long, wavy, thick dark hair. Flawless skin. Curves in the right places. Everywhere she went, the boys’ eyes followed. As they goggled at her, the girls glared at them. It was a corporate stare down, and no one was winning.
On Thursday morning, Juniper showed up early, with her dad, and picked up her schedule and locker combination from Julie. Then Jake Jasper vanished, leaving her to find her locker alone. Emily approached her then, impressed that Juniper was able to get the locker open on the first try. These were some really old, dented, abused, sticky lockers.
“Hi, Juniper. Welcome to our little school. My name is Miss Morse.”
Juniper gave her a disgusted look but didn’t say anything.
“My classroom is the last one on the left, and you are welcome there anytime. If you need anything, just pop in.”
Juniper returned her gaze to the inside of her empty locker. “I won’t be here long enough to need anything.” She slammed the locker door and looked at Emily. “But thanks,” she said, not sounding as if she meant it.
“I’m also the softball coach. Hoping you’ll play for us?”
Juniper looked her up and down. “I’ve heard about your softball team,” she said with disdain. “No thanks. Can you tell me which room is math?”
Emily pointed.
“Thanks,” she said, again sounding entirely ungrateful.
Trying not to be offended, Emily made her way to her classroom to wait for Thomas and Chloe.
She didn’t have to wait long.
“Well, Miss M,” Thomas began. “I was willing to help Juniper out, but I can’t get close to her. Blake is all over her.”
“I thought Blake was going out with Sydney?”
“Not for long, I think,” Thomas said.
“I don’t think the infatuation will last long,” Chloe said. “Juniper is a ...” She trailed off, looking at Emily. “Well, she’s not a very nice girl.”
“She just got here. She doesn’t want to be here. Give her some time,” Emily said.
“Time?” Chloe said, indignant. “Hailey just asked her if she was going to play softball, and she flipped Hailey off.”
Emily raised an eyebrow. “Well, that’s not good.”
Thomas was laughing.
“What?” Chloe snapped.
“Nothing, really. It’s just, life is so boring around here. This is the first part of the windmill drama I’m actually going to enjoy.”
“Why is her father here already, anyway?” Chloe asked.
“They’re starting. They’re excavating the land right now. He’s supervising. More men are arriving every day.”
“How is this all happening so fast?” Emily asked. “The vote just passed.”
“The vote was just a formality. Because, technically, Piercehaven Power is a cooperative. But the wheels have been in motion for a while.”
“I see,” Emily said thoughtfully. “So then there must already be a plan for where all these windmill workers are going to stay?”
“Didn’t you hear?” Thomas asked, his tongue in his cheek. “You’re hosting.”
“Don’t be a wise guy,” Emily said with affection.
“No, they’re all staying in our apartments. Most of them are doubling and tripling up.”
“I didn’t realize you had so many apartments, Thomas.”
“Well, we used to only have two buildings, and those were pretty much full, so my dad has bought two more in the last two years, getting ready for this.”
“He knew this was coming two years ago?”
“It was only a matter of time before the land became his. Grandma owned the highest land on the island. He knew that once he owned it, he’d try to get wind power up. I’m pretty sure he’s been planning this since Vinalhaven put theirs up.”
“Why? Why is he so devoted to wind power?”
Thomas held up his right hand and rubbed his thumb against his fingertips. “It’s all about the moola, Miss M. My dad is a businessman.”
“Is he really going to make that much money off this?” Emily didn’t understand.
“He’s going to make more than my grandmother did just letting the land sit there.”
“I’m surprised she never sold it, if she didn’t want it for anything,” Emily said.
“It’s been in the family forever. Islanders don’t sell their land. If they do, they’re hated for it.”
“Why?” Emily was appalled at the thought.
“Because people from away buy the land. And then they come here.” He looked at her as if she were dense. “And that’s not good.”
“Why?” Emily asked, even though she was starting to get the picture.
“Because we don’t like people from away. Because we’re Piercehaven,” Thomas said.
“You like me?” Emily said.
“You don’t count,” Thomas and Chloe said in unison.
––––––––
Juniper was in Emily’s second period class, and she was at least as unpleasant as she had been for their introduction. There was lots of sighing and eye rolling—and no eye contact. Emily had to tell her to put her phone away three times. When Emily said, “Everyone, this is Juniper. Welcome to Piercehaven, Juniper,” Juniper replied, “No thanks.”
When Emily handed out a Lucille Clifton poem, Juniper refused to look at it. She continued her refusal as the class discussed it, and when Emily asked, “Why do you think the poet chose to use boats as a metaphor, Juniper?” Juniper replied, “Don’t care.” At the bell, she got up so fast that she caused a wind, which blew the poem to the floor, where she left it. She’s obviously not planning on doing the homework, Emily thought, beyond annoyed.
––––––––
Emily cheered up when she found a softball rulebook in her mailbox. The MPA is certainly on their toes. She carried the small book into the gym for lunch duty but then forgot about it as she watched the male population of Piercehaven High watch Juniper go through the line. They stared at her as she stared at her phone, but then she put it into her back pocket as she held her tray out for a floppy slice of pizza. Then, remarkably, she made her way to the emptiest table in the place and wordlessly sat down kitty corner from DeAnna, who looked up at her and then jerked her head back down toward her tray.
Juniper didn’t look at her.
Emily walked over to the table and sat down opposite Juniper. “Hi, Juniper.”
Juniper didn’t acknowledge her.
“I understand that you don’t want to be—”
“You don’t understand anything,” Juniper snapped.
“I understand,” Emily repeated, “that you don’t want to be here. But you are here. So maybe you should make the best of it. You can choose not to be miserable, you know.”
Juniper took out her phone and looked at it. “Who says I’m miserable?”
“Well, there are a bunch of cool kids, kids worth getting to know, in this school, and you’re spending all your time staring at a phone—”
“Just stop. I don’t want to bond with you. Leave me alone.”
Emily paused, trying to decide what to say next. She was about to silently pray for assistance when words came out. “Juniper, this is my first year here, and I promise you, this is not an easy place to be new. You’re going to need someone on your side. When that time comes, I’ll be here.” Then, before Juniper could respond, Emily stood and walked away.
Kyle said something to her as she passed, and though she thought he was asking about what had just transpired, she didn’t hear him, nor did she slow or stop her stride. She had to get to the staff restroom. Because she was crying.
After she got a grip, she ditched lunch duty and went to her room to Google a phone number. Then she walked the entire length of the school again, back by the cafeteria, and into the teachers’ room, where several teachers were eating. This surprised her. She hadn’t realized teachers actually ate together in the teachers’ room. She had thought it was just a place for the coffee pot and the phone. (She always ate lunch alone in her room during her prep, while she graded papers.) Emily greeted her colleagues with a nod, hoped her eyes weren’t red enough to be telltale, and dialed the number.
“Mattawooptock High School, how may I help you?”
“Hi, yes, I’m trying to get in touch with your softball coach.”
“Which one?” the voice on the other line said, her tone flavored with snark.
“Sorry, the varsity coach.”
“Who is this?”
“This is the Piercehaven softball coach.”
“Oh!” she said, as if she had solved all the mysteries of the universe. “Well, he’s not here right now. He doesn’t work at the school. But I can take a message and ask him to call you back?”
“Sure.” Emily provided her name and the school’s number. Then she added her home phone number, just in case. She hung up, feeling impatient. She wasn’t sure how this man would be able to help, but she didn’t see how he couldn’t.
