The Quick Fix by Jack D. Ferraiolo

Author:Jack D. Ferraiolo
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Amulet Books
Published: 2012-09-20T04:00:00+00:00

I figured it out an hour later, as I was walking to school. She was speaking Italian. The answer just popped into my head, and for some reason I knew it was right. But why was my mom suddenly speaking to me in Italian? I had no idea what to make of it.

When I got to school, my brain started ticking off the names of the kids I didn’t want to run into: Liz, Vinny, Jenny Finnegan. Cynthia I wasn’t sure about. Part of me wanted to see her more than anyone else in the world; the other part of me was scared to death of her. I was so preoccupied, I almost ran into the girl in front of me.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t see you. My mind was orbiting Satur—”

She turned around, and for a moment, I didn’t recognize her. Her blond hair stuck out like uncooked spaghetti. Her skin was pale and blotchy, and there were small clusters of pimples on her forehead and right cheek. Her eyes were still bright blue, but their gaze was more piercing and uncomfortable than attractive. Her body was barely visible under her baggy, shapeless clothes.

“Melissa?” I said.

Before I could say anything else, her eyes filled up with tears. I reached out for her, to try to stop her from running away, but she turned and ran off anyway.

“Melissa!” I called after her. She threaded her way through the hall like a person afraid to touch anyone. Kids glanced at her as she passed but didn’t pay her much attention. By the time the shock wore off, she was gone. I wasn’t sure if I had just witnessed a reminder of my duty or an omen of my future.

I trudged over to my locker. Cynthia was already there, waiting, leaning against it in a pose that mirrored Melissa’s from a couple of days ago. You can tell your life has taken a drastic turn when you see a gorgeous cheerleader waiting for you and you’re not sure it’s a good thing. I approached her cautiously. She saw me coming and straightened up.

“I just wanted to apologize again for yesterday,” she said. She looked at me, then cast her eyes to the floor. “I didn’t mean to come between you and Liz.”

“You didn’t.”

“Are you sure?”

“No.”

“Well, good, then,” she said, and smiled. “Because I’m not sure I’m sorry.” She took a step closer to me. I noticed for the first time that she was a half-inch taller than me, adding to the list of her intimidating attributes. She leaned toward me, her lips as close to mine as they could get without actually touching. “In fact, I know I’m not.”

My heart thumped in my chest. “Interesting,” I said, my voice only cracking on every other syllable. “I suppose it’s only a matter of time before I figure out your angle.”

Her expression changed to one of confusion, but she stood her ground. “What do you mean?”

“I’m sure there’s a reason why you’ve decided to stand this close to me, but I don’t think it has anything to do with my charm.

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