The next day, Erin got ready for school, just like any normal day. She walked the two blocks to school, just like any normal day. She sat in all her classes, just like any normal day. Then came lunch.

She went to her locker and got her purse. She had three dollars left. She’d have to get something small’ it was only Tuesday and her next paycheck didn’t come until Friday. Walking to the lunchroom, she planned to get a water bottle and a salad. It was two dollars total; Erin knew she had back up money at home. After purchasing her lunch, she walked to her normal table. Except a group of preps were sitting there. She stopped and groaned. She didn’t know what they wanted but it couldn’t be good. Walking around the lunch room, she looked for somewhere to sit.

“Hey!” Someone called. Erin looked up. Were they calling her? Looking around, she saw a girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes dressed in a red and black striped polo and low-rise jeans. And she was looking at Erin.

“Me?”

“No, silly, the wall. Of course you!” She smiled.

“Oh.” Erin felt her face get hot.

“You need somewhere to sit?”

Great, Erin thought. Classic. Normally, when she answered yes to this question, they’d respond, “Try the dumpster, white trash!” It was extremely embarrassing.

“Yes,” she answered shyly.

“Well, stop being scared and sit with us!” Not only the Blondie, but a black-haired girl and a guy with black Emo-style hair, looking inviting.

“Seriously?”

“Yes!” They all confirmed.

Erin smiled for the first time in her life. Happily, she sat down next to the Emo Boy.

“I’m Casey,” the Blondie introduced herself.

“Jana,” Black Hair smiled.

“Barry,” the Emo Boy smiled too.

“I’m Erin,” she smiled the brightest.

“We know,” they said in unison.

“You do?”

“Duh!” Casey rolled her eyes. “Everyone knows you. You’re in invisible girl.”

“Your father walked out on your family two years ago,” Jana continued.

“And your mother and sister don’t even realize you’re there,” Barry finished.

“How do you know all this?”

Jana shrugged. “Gossip. Overheard the preppies.”

“Oh.” Erin shrunk in her seat.

“It’s ok,” Barry nodded. “We’re all like that.”

“You’re invisible too?”
“Sort of. Not like that,” Jana smiled shyly.

“Then…what?”

“We all have really weird problems,” Jana explained.

“Problems?”

“Yeah,” Barry nodded again. “Like, see, I was born a mistake. My mom is promiscuous. And she’s always on drugs.”

“That’s horrible!” Erin exclaimed.

“Yeah, I guess. It’s life for me.”

Casey rolled her eyes. “Barry, I told you to go move in with Larry!”

“Dude, I can’t! I can’t just barge in on my dad and his family! Besides, Mom needs me!”

“Yea, for money!” Casey stood up.

“Does not!” Barry stood up too.

“Does too!”

“Um…you two?” Jana said quietly. Barry and Casey looked down at her. “Can we please be normal?”

“Oh.” Barry sat down. “Erin’s here.”

“Right.” Casey sat down too.

“Now, to continue,” Jana smiled sweetly at Erin. “I, on the other hand, have breast cancer.”

Erin gasped. “No way!”
“Yes.”

“That’s terrible!”

“I’ll be ok.”

“What about you, Casey?” Erin asked curiously.

“What? Oh, um…I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Come on, yo,” Barry said. “We told our story. Your turn.”

“I said no, Barry.”

“Barry, leave her alone,” Jana glared.

“Ok, ok,” he held up his hands. “I surrender.”

“So…”Erin started, “are we, like, friends now?”

“If you want to be,” Casey smiled.

“Really?” Erin smiled brightly.

“Yea!” Casey smiled just as brightly. Their smiles, anyone who witnessed them, won’t be forgotten.

“Eva!”

Eva’s head snapped up. Her teacher was standing over her desk.

“I said wake up!”

“Sorry, Ms. Clinton,” Eva mumbled.

“Sure you are. One more and it’s a detention.” Ms. Clinton walked back to her desk. Eva flipped her off while her back was turned.

She was in her last class of the day, English. She was supposed to be working on her creative writing assignment, but Eva was so tired from the sleep she’d lost. But who cares? She was in love; sleep meant nothing to her.

She had no idea what to write about. Maybe about a mother abandoning her child? After all, she’d know how the child would feel. Her own mother abandoned her at age eight. Her mom ran away with a millionaire, leaving poor Eva to live with her somewhat rich but work-involved father. Maybe she could write about a father who was so busy, he had no time for his only child, leaving her to grow up alone. He was always at work, so Eva learned to fend for herself. Everyone knows you cannot live without the love of another. She’d been ok with her pet cat Desmond. But he died shortly after his fourth birthday; the poor black fluff ball had been run over by a drunk driver. Eva was all alone.

Maybe she could write a romantic story about love at first sight. That’s how she met Adam. She’d been walking home in the rain. When Adam was walking his dog. His dog had found Eva. And Adam had been worried she’d get ammonia. That’s how Adam was. Caring. He’d taken her home; his mom was gone in Illinois at his sick aunt’s house. He’d warmed her up. She spent the night there. Slowly, friends at first, Adam and Eva fell in love.

Or maybe she could write about a girl who goes from nothing to everything. Her life went from worthless to everything for Adam. Typical love story.

Anything she tried writing turned into crap. That’s why she wasn’t writing. Nothing would compare to the talents of her fellow classmates. She’d read their work. Now that was talent.

Saved by the bell, she thought as the bell rang, signaling the end of the day. She grabbed her bag and headed out of the classroom. Time to go home!

Or so she thought. “Eva, I’d like to talk to you, please.”

Great, she thought. Ms. Clinton is going to give me a detention.

She hung back as the rest of her fellow seventh-graders walked out of the room. She looked at Ms. Clinton.

“Sit down, please,” her teacher motioned to the desk in front of her own. Obediently, Eva walked to it, set her bag beside it, and sat down.

“Eva, I may be old, but I’m not dumb.” She paused before going on. “Something is different about you.”

“I don’t see anything different, Ms. Clinton.”

“Well, I do. You’re acting…Dare I say, you’re acting like my sixteen-year old granddaughter, Miss Turner. I haven’t slightest idea what is going on in your head but I want you to know that you’re thirteen.”

“I know that, Ms. Clinton.” What was her teacher getting at?

“That’s not what I meant. You’re acting grown up. Too old for your age. You’re only thirteen, Miss Turner; you have a childhood still!” She leaned in her seat towards Eva. “I don’t mean to scare you, Eva, but I knew a young girl like you. Her mother was all she had, yet, she paid no attention to her. You may know this girl; her name was Emily Potter.”

Eva’s heart skipped a beat. Everyone knew Emily Potter. Her face must have shown it because Ms. Clinton could tell.

“I see you do. Tell me, Eva, what happened to Miss Potter?”

“She killed herself.”

“That’s right, she did. Blew her brains out with her momma’s gun. Now tell me, Eva, why did Miss Potter commit suicide?”

Why was Ms. Clinton forcing her to do this? “She’d gone mad.”

“Correct. And why did she go mad?”

“She was on drugs.”

“Ah-ha!” Ms. Clinton exclaimed so suddenly, Eva jumped. “That’s what they want you to think. Eva, Miss Potter was so alone, she’d begun to act like an adult without even knowing it. She’d begun to have sex with a sixteen-year old boy. She was thirteen. It wasn’t long before she got pregnant, Eva. The father left her. Her mother threw her out.” She paused again. “Eva, Miss Potter took her momma’s gun and shot herself in the head, killing not only herself but the baby. Two lives. And all because she’d grown up without realizing how scary reality is.”

Eva was silent. She knew perfectly well what Ms. Clinton was getting at.

“Eva, I’m telling you this not as a teacher, but as a friend. I care about you. I can see you’re not only acting like an adult, but you’re also having sex with a boy.”

Eva looked up at Ms. Clinton sharply. How could she have known?

“Like I told you, Eva, I’m not dumb. I know you’ve been staying at Adam Scott’s house. I know what you two have been doing.”

“Ms. Clinton…Have you been stalking me?”

“No. Adam Scott…Well, he’s my grandson. I know Adam. He’d never leave you if something happened. But I’m warning you, Eva, watch yourself. Don’t turn into another Emily Potter.”

Eva nodded. Then she grabbed her bag and hurried out of there.

In Adam’s car, Eva felt safe.

“Hey babe. Everything ok?” Adam asked, rubbing her leg.

“Yea.” She forced a smile. She couldn’t tell him. Oh no, she couldn’t. What would he say if she told him his grandmother had warned her to be careful? How embarrassing would that be?

“Are you sure? You don’t look ok…”

“Just a long day, that’s all,” Eva reassured him.

“Well, in that case,” he smiled, “we’ll have to take you home and get you into a nice warm bath.”

Eva giggled. “What are we waiting for?”