Page 14 of Wicked Dreams

Robert doesn’t mention the bullying, but he does rest his chin on his fist and says, “Margo…”

I pause with my fork hovering halfway between my plate and mouth.

“Hockey season is starting soon, and I just wanted to let you know that I volunteer to oversee the spirit committee.” He smiles, proving he knows nothing of what’s going on between Caleb and me. Caleb, the hockey captain. “It just requires some afternoon meetings, that’s all.”

I lower my fork. “Oh. Right, okay. I didn’t know Emery-Rose had a spirit committee.”

“They run fundraising events, organize the buses for our sports teams’ away games, tackle homecoming and prom, things like that. Every student has a portion of their tuition funnel into their budget. But ever since the Eagles won the championship two years ago, hockey has taken priority. If you’re interested in joining, I can pass your name along to the committee head.”

I choke. “Oh, um. Thank you. I’m okay. I’ve got enough on my plate…”

Lenora reaches over and pats my hand. “What happened at school today?”

My lungs stop.

“Anything fun or interesting?” she prompts.

“Um…” I lift one shoulder. “We ran in gym today.”

“Oh!” She grins. “Do you like running? I usually manage a few miles on the treadmill, but I’ve always wanted to be the sort who runs outside. Just not in the winter.”

I feign a smile but end up going with the truth. Otherwise, I’d end up being roped into morning runs with her, and that sounds like actual hell. “Running is my least favorite.”

Especially a few miles.

Robert bursts into laughter and quickly covers his mouth. “Sorry,” he says through his fingers. “Sorry, Len, but the hope in your eyes…”

She waves him off. “No, stop. It’s okay, Margo.”

My face heats. “I?—”

“It’s okay,” she repeats. “I’ll stick to my treadmill, and hopefully your coach will move on to something more interesting soon.”

“I did want to ask… do we have plans this weekend?”

Robert and Lenora exchange a glance.

Lenora is the one who says, “No, but we were going to run by you the idea of going to see a movie.”

“That sounds great. I was asking because I made a friend, and she wanted to see if I could go to the mall with her.”

“Look at that!” Lenora exclaims. “You made a friend? That’s so exciting, Margo!”

Oh boy. My face feels like the sun.

“Who is it?” Robert asks.

“Riley Appleton.”

Lenora turns to him, and he nods.

“Lovely girl,” he tells his wife. “She’s a junior, I believe?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. Yes, of course.”

So… they’re not unreasonable. I go back to my meal with a modicum of confidence under my belt. We’re going to a movie, Riley and I will wander around the Rose Hill mall, and I’m going to catch up on homework. I can’t fail out of Emery-Rose Elite before I’ve even begun.

---