Joss and Eva went to the cafeteria as soon as the lunch bell rang. They got their trays and looked around for Rainie.
“I don’t think she’s coming,” Joss said. “We’d better go or we’ll be late.”
“Maybe she misunderstood us,” Eva said. “I’ll bet she’s already in Mrs. McArdle’s room.”
“She may be up there, but not because she misunderstood,” Joss said. “She’s really acting odd. You know she lied to me this morning.”
“About what?” Eva said.
“About something stupid. She absolutely told me she had been working last night. She said that’s why she looked so rough this morning. Then when she started talking to Durand, she said she was out running late last night. I heard her tell him she runs five miles a night. You can’t do that and work each night at the yogurt shop. So she’s lying about something—either running or working.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Eva said. “Why would she lie? Do you think she was trying to impress him?”
“No, just the opposite,” Joss said. They started for the stairs. “I think she was telling him the truth. I think she lied to me about working. But I can’t figure out why.”
“I wonder what happened to her,” Eva said. “She looked good this summer. But she looks awful now. Like she’s homeless or something. Do you think it’s because the family is broke since her dad bailed on them?”
“It’s possible,” Joss said. “That row house they live in looks like it should be condemned. But I feel like there’s more going on. Something serious. And I’m going to figure out what it is.”
They walked into Mrs. McArdle’s room. Rainie was sitting in the front row.
“Hey, where were you?” Eva said. “We waited for you in the cafeteria.”
“Oh, sorry!” Rainie said. “Is that where we were supposed to meet? I thought we were meeting up here.”
“Really?” Joss said. Her tone made it clear that she didn’t believe her.
Fortunately, right then Mrs. McArdle told everyone to take their seats. Besides Joss and Eva, there were eight other girls.
“All right, let’s get started,” Mrs. McArdle said. “For some time now, I’ve been thinking that this school needs to have a poms team. Poms are just like drill teams or dance teams but they use pom-poms.”
“So when would we perform?” Joss asked. “Like at sporting events?”
“Right. Football games, basketball games, pep rallies. And depending on how you all feel about it, you could even compete. Competitive dance is getting to be really big, and we don’t have a dance team.”
“What would we wear?” Eva asked, looking worried. “I just can’t see myself in a skanky little two-piece!”
“That would be up to you,” Mrs. McArdle said. “But even if the uniform is two pieces, it doesn’t have to be skanky. Some teams wear tank tops and shorts, others wear little skirts. You’ll have to raise money for uniforms, so it might be a year or two before you have official-looking outfits. Until that time, you could just choose matching shorts and T-shirts.”
“Will we have to try out?” asked Keisha Jackson, the student government association president.
“I don’t see why,” Mrs. McArdle said. “There aren’t that many of you, so there’s no competition for slots—yet. In a year or two, we may have to hold tryouts. But let’s just assume you’re all in. How’s that?”
Her announcement was met with a buzz of excitement.
“Girls, girls! We don’t have much time,” Mrs. McArdle said, holding her hand up for silence. “I’ve made a list of things to think about before our next meeting.” She passed out photocopied lists. “Let’s get together in the small gym next Monday after school. Wear shorts and a T-shirt. Be prepared for a workout.”
The other girls gathered up their lunch trash and threw it out on the way out of the classroom.
Rainie continued to sit at the desk.
“You coming?” Eva asked.
“Actually, I have Mrs. McArdle next period, so I’m just gonna stay,” Rainie said.
“You didn’t eat anything. You want my chips?” Joss asked.
“No, I’m good,” Rainie answered. “I ate on the way up here.”
A suspicious look crossed Joss’s face. “Really?” she asked.
“Yes, Joss, really,” Rainie repeated. “Something wrong?”
“I don’t know. Running five miles a night, no breakfast, not meeting us at lunch, no chips—you training for something?” Joss asked.
“Did eat breakfast, did eat lunch, just didn’t want the chips,” Rainie mimicked. “Not training for anything. Just keepin’ in shape.”
Joss thought Rainie sounded more confident than she looked. She had found a small hole in her sweatpants and was poking a finger in and out of it in a nervous manner.
“I could not go through the day without eating,” Eva confessed. She seemed oblivious to the tension between Joss and Rainie. “It is truly the highlight of my day. No wonder you’re so skinny.”
“But I’m not!” Rainie said forcefully. “I mean, I’m still really fat.”
Joss couldn’t believe what she was hearing. For a moment, she couldn’t even speak.
“Where?” she finally asked incredulously.
“You’d be surprised,” Rainie said.
“I’ll take those chips if no one else wants them,” Eva said.
Joss rolled her eyes and even Rainie laughed.
“Although I shouldn’t,” Eva said. “My butt is ready to get its own zip code!”
The bell rang, and Joss and Eva left.