All the Secrets of the World by Steve Almond

Author:Steve Almond
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Zando

AT SCHOOL, SHE moved about in the shadow of her infamy. Her classmates had seen the reports on television. Wherever she went, kids elbowed one another and quickly looked away. Her teachers, clearly stunned to see her in class, made elaborate efforts to pretend nothing was out of the ordinary. She saw two of the girls she sat with at lunch and they nodded at her, as if from the far side of an ocean. A boy from church, a gangly sophomore, grasped her hand and announced that his family was praying for hers. There was no sign of Jenny Stallworth whatsoever.

Just before lunch she was called out of class and led down to a dinky office where the guidance counselor, Mr. Olney, began to speak with her about her options. He was an enormous man with a high-pitched voice that seemed to be apologizing for his bulk. “You can certainly remain in school. But it’s also possible for you to work from home if you prefer. That would be easy to arrange. Just until things get back to normal. Really, it’s up to you.” Olney brushed a crumb off his tie, which was decorated with a cartoon turtle famous for his guileless idiocy. “We don’t want to see this situation affect your academic performance.”

He prattled on about the logistics—work packets, take-home tests—and presented her with documents for her mother to sign. “Do you have any questions?”

Lorena shook her head. “Can I leave now?”

“Of course.” Olney paused a moment and looked at Lorena. His hands, which were pink and puffy and damp, seemed to want to reach toward her. “Everybody knows you had nothing to do with all this.”

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