Everyone at our table is tense after the encounter with Sheila. I can tell Katie can barely wait until we can talk about it, but she doesn’t want to do it now. Not because of the boys, but because someone else might hear it. And I can’t say how much I agree with her.
Before it’s time to leave for our first period, Jake grabs my hand and holds me down. He looks me directly in the eyes with a searching gaze, probably trying to determine if I’m going to lose it today or not.
“Don’t listen to her. She’s not worth it,” he tells me, staring at me like he’s hoping to reprogram my brain. I wish I could say it’s working, but it’s not. No one can change the way my mind works, not even Jake.
“I’ll keep my mouth shut, if she will,” I respond, shrugging. It’s simple mathematics, really. The way some
