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“Got it. When?”

I doubted I could get away from my mother for two nights in a row. “Friday?”

“Sure.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” he said, and pulled back, disappearing back into the herd once more.

I walked around in a daze for the rest of the day, feeling messages pass through me. It was impossible not to snoop—I heard about people’s sick cats, sick grandmas, condom purchases, homework assignments, and a series of what I was pretty sure were answers to one of Coach Steven’s history tests. There were plenty about Lacey and Danny—Which girl is that? The one with the tits or the skinny one? Him? Why does he get laid instead of me?—but nothing useful. I could shut them out if I wanted to, but I was hoping I’d feel one from Lacey.

At lunch I went into the library, gave Mrs. Frost a pleasant nod, then took myself back to my corner to hide, I was briefly away from all that.

And just when I thought I was safe, I felt a sting, a message actually meant for me.

I whipped my phone out of my pocket like it was on fire—but I knew just as I unlocked it who the message was from.

sorry about the trailer-trash comment.

s’okay

I typed, then decided to throw Sarah a bigger bone.

Next time I see you, I’ll tell you about Liam.

She sent me a string of emojis in return.

I went into chem that afternoon not knowing what to expect. Were Liam and I ‘friends’ now? He gave me a grin as he walked in the room, but then went straight to sit behind me. I tried to think of things to say but before I could the bell rang and Ms. Goodman announced, “Pop quiz!” and began walking the isles, placing papers on our desks face down.

The entire room groaned, and even I, who knew I knew what I was doing, felt the pit of my stomach drop.

“Ten minutes—and ten minutes only!” she warned, then counted us down. “Three, two, one?—”

Thirty papers turned over at the same time. I scanned all eight of the ‘show your work’ questions—they were pretty much the same as I’d done with Liam the prior night. I started working on the first one when?—

You shouldn’t have told anyone, Mason?—

zipped through. I chased after it in the other world, feeling it slip away like fine grained sand.

I’m just watching your back, dawg. This way, if she does talk?—

This one, I tried to catch, or to follow, but Lindsey sneezed three rows back and five people said bless you, and half the class laughed and—the moment was gone. I’d caught the butterfly, but it’d disintegrated in my hand.

I grit my teeth and threw myself back into the lightning-place, harder and farther than I ever had before, until my classmates were red mazes of nerves and the bright light of the projector overtook the room.

Who’d sent those messages?

There was a quick drumming on my table that distracted me. I gasped in air like I was resurfacing as Ms. Goodman leaned over, her black fingers ending in the red nails that beat impatiently on my desk. “Five minutes, Jessica,” she said, pointing to my currently blank quiz.

I finished in time, barely, and didn’t have a chance to check my answers. Hopefully I’d get enough points for showing my work to cover if I’d messed up the math.

We passed our papers forward to Ms. Goodman and I risked looking over my shoulder. Liam saw me and gave me a wide smile and a thumbs up.

As Ms. Goodman lectured, I knew she was onto me. Any time I started phasing out, she asked me a question—it felt like I was being picked on by the end of class. And it wasn’t worth it anyhow, all the other green-zings I went after weren’t from the same phones from earlier, I could tell. Probably because they were busy now in class just like I was supposed to be. I looked out the nearest window, and realized that the science wing was closest to the gym, but when the bell rang I was no closer to answers.

I was packing my backpack as Liam walked by and paused.

“Hey—Friday night?”