Rocco was acting squirrelly at school that morning as he raced through the halls at meteor-speed, hunched forward, his head covered in a hoodie, as if somebody was following at his heels.
I yelled his name from my post in front of my locker, but the only attention I attracted came in the form of Anna, her mouth agape, blowing bubble gum and forming words from ten feet away.
Hoping she wouldn’t notice me, I turned around quickly, reaching for my algebra textbook from the top shelf, praying she would pass me and continue through the sea of students to first period English class.
I had never been so lucky. Why should today be any different?
Anna’s squawking voice penetrated me like an IV needle through a vein. She shoved her way through the flood of moving bodies and planted a hand on my
