Such a Good Family by Caitlin Weaver

Author:Caitlin Weaver [Weaver, Caitlin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-06-12T00:00:00+00:00

THIRTY-ONE

KNOX

Tuesday, 9 a.m.

I was already in my first-period Spanish class when other kids started coming in. I’d gone straight there from the parking lot, not even stopping at my locker. I couldn’t stand the thought of seeing any of my friends, most of whom had been texting me fucked-up stuff about Summer. By the end of the day yesterday it seemed like everyone knew.

The classroom was always noisy in the morning with everyone settling in and Mr. Villanueva playing Mexican pop songs or whatever Broadway musical soundtrack he was currently obsessed with—today it was Mamma Mia!, the Westwood spring musical he’d just directed. Today, though, even beyond the music there was a weird energy in the room that made me sit up and look around. People’s faces were flushed and everyone was talking in loud voices.

“Can you believe⁠—”

“Holy crap⁠—”

“—the look on her face⁠—”

I waited for Spencer to walk in and take the seat next to me so I could ask what was going on. But the bell rang and his seat stayed empty.

“Hey,” I whispered to the girl in front of me, Olivia Lombardo. She was president of the Westwood Model UN team, not exactly my crowd. Though she’d sat in front of me all semester we’d never exchanged more than two words. When she turned around and saw it was me talking to her, her eyes widened. “What’s everyone so worked up about?” I asked.

“You missed it?” she asked. “Oh my God, there was a huge fight.”

“What about?”

Her face reddened. “Um, maybe you should ask someone else.”

“Like who?” I gestured to Spencer’s empty seat next to me.

She sighed. “OK, fine. Mackenzie Canley called Summer Van Doren an S-L-U-T. Then Violet Doyle, like, took her down. Everyone went totally bonkers.”

“Olivia? Knox? ¿Hay un problema? Something you’d like to share with the rest of the class?”

I looked up to see Mr. Villanueva’s eyes on me. “No,” I mumbled, sinking lower in my seat. I felt a rush of heat to my face but the rest of my body went cold and clammy. I watched everyone around me follow Mr. V’s instructions to open their books to a certain page but I was frozen in place, my head thick like the oatmeal my mom had tried to get me to eat that morning.

Who the hell did Mackenzie think she was? Was Summer OK? Did the whole school know? How did this happen?

I raised my hand.

“Si, Señor Keller,” said Mr. V.

“Could I have the bathroom pass?”

He sighed and checked his watch. “Class just started. ¿Està necessario?”

“It’s, um, kind of an emergency,” I said. Someone snickered.

“Bien, ándale,” Mr. V. waved his hand toward the miniature Spanish flag hanging next to the classroom door that doubled as his hall pass.

Outside the classroom everything was quiet. I leaned against the wall, suddenly lightheaded. I bent forward with my hands on my knees. Everything felt like it was spiraling out of control.

I thought of Archie in the car that morning, how he refused to look at me when I asked if he thought I did it.

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