Over the next few days, the atmosphere at school shifted subtly. The constant, shadowing hostility and whispers seemed to dissipate. When I walked the halls, Tabitha and her crew no longer stuck their feet out to trip me; they just shot me cold, complicated glances before quickly looking away. My backpack stayed safely in my locker. At lunch, someone even silently placed their tray at the empty spot opposite me. No one spoke to me, but the stark,naked isolation had lessened. This unnatural calm made me uneasy. It felt like the oppressive quiet before a storm, unsettling and heavy. I cornered Jim Miller in a quiet corner of the library while he was searching for materials. When he saw me, a flash of understanding passed through his green eyes—eyes that looked far too much like my own. "Why
