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June’s lips parted. She had been about to say that she’d tell someone

about the book, but she knew how stupid that was. She would never tattle

on anyone, let alone Arabella. That would be like throwing gas on the fire,

and Arabella didn’t need more fuel.

“If you’re so smart, you won’t need it,” Arabella taunted. “You seem to

have all the answers in class. I’m sure you can get by just fine without it.

That is, if you can’t afford to replace it.”

“I need it,” June protested. “You know that my family isn’t well off.

You’re always telling me I smell poor, and you know that I live downtown,

not anywhere near where anyone else here lives. I have no idea why you

hate me or why you want to make my life hell, except that it’s easy for you

to dislike what you don’t understand, and try to grind down what you feel

threatened by so it can’t rise up.” June snapped her mouth shut. She’d said

way too much. She should have said nothing and just tried to reach out and

get her book back. Anger and annoyance had gotten the best of her.

Scarlet crept up Arabella’s neck, up towards her pink shellacked lips.

“Did you hear that?” she screeched, sounding every bit like a shrill crow.

Aberdeen glanced around nervously. June felt like doing the same,

hoping that Summer would come walking over to her locker and save her.

Summer was better at dealing with Arabella’s aggression. They were on

equal footing, and Summer didn’t let anyone push her around. She would

have the perfect thing to say. Something snarky and witty, and it would send

Arabella on her way because Summer wasn’t an easy target and Arabella

didn’t like to be humiliated or bested, especially not in front of her posse.

Savannah scowled, while Christine stared at June in surprise. It seemed

like her growing a backbone had taken them all by surprise.

“Just give her the stupid book back,” Charlene, who was almost as

fearlessly mean as Arabella was, said evenly. She tossed a mass of blonde

curls over her shoulders. “She’s so basic it’s disgusting. She does smell like

trash. She is poor. She needs all the help she can get. She wouldn’t even be