Where You've Got to Be by Caroline Gertler

Author:Caroline Gertler
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2022-07-14T00:00:00+00:00

9

No Lie

Nolie sat with Serena at lunch every day the rest of that week. Aside from this new lunch companion, who was still pretty much silent, Nolie felt totally alone, like she’d lost both her big sister and her best friend at the same time. And she had no idea how she’d ever get either of them back.

But the following Monday morning, after a week of more or less ignoring each other, Jessa was waiting for Nolie at her locker. Surprise.

“Hi.” Nolie tried to act like it wasn’t odd that Jessa was standing there after they hadn’t spoken in a week.

“Are you trying out for Annie?” Jessa asked.

Auditions were after school that day, but it wasn’t really on Nolie’s radar. Coming from Jessa, this felt like a trick question. “Are you?”

“I mean, it’s kind of silly, but it’ll be fun.” Maybe Jessa had decided that Annie was silly as part of her big realization about wanting to be a serious stage actor.

“I still love it.” Nolie wasn’t ready to throw Annie under the bus yet. “But I’ll leave the stage roles for the pros, like you.”

Jessa narrowed her eyes. “Is that some kind of insult?”

“Huh? Why would you think that?”

“Why are you doing this, Magnolia?” The collar of Jessa’s uniform polo shirt was turned up stiff around her neck. Both of the buttons were undone, and her amethyst crystal hung in the exact right spot to draw attention to her chest.

“Doing what?” Nolie asked.

“Don’t pretend. You started sitting with Shady Serena, and now you’re ignoring me.”

That’s not how Nolie’d seen things. All those days the week before, she’d tried to catch up to Jessa, to find a spot next to her. “Your table seemed kind of full.”

“I’ll squeeze in an extra chair for you. Come, sit with us today. You’ll see.”

After a week of ignoring her, why would Jessa suddenly want Nolie to sit with them at lunch? Maybe Jessa missed her, and wanted to go back to how things were. It was so tempting to slip back into their friendship. But Jessa only wanted Nolie around if she was going to try to be Magnolia. And Nolie didn’t think that’s who she wanted to be.

“I kind of like sitting with Serena. She’s not so bad,” Nolie found herself saying. Even though they’d barely talked, so she didn’t really know that. For all she knew, Serena didn’t even know her name.

What she did know was that Serena wasn’t asking Nolie to try to be someone else. And that Serena’s name suited her: she was calm, serene. Serena’s quietness was like silent acceptance.

“We can’t fit two extra seats at our table,” Jessa said. “Whatever. Make your choice.”

The homeroom bell rang, and Jessa didn’t wait for Nolie to answer.

At lunch Serena looked up from her table across the dining hall and gave Nolie an expectant smile. She hadn’t started in on her sandwich yet. She was waiting for Nolie to sit with her.

Nolie’d noticed at homeroom how Serena had styled her hair like a little kid that day.

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