Ivy didn’t say anything. She let Sophia lead the way.
“What’s with you?” her friend said. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost. What, did Brendan Daniels ask you for a pen or something?” she teased.
“I don’t feel well,” Ivy replied weakly. “I think I’m sick.”
Sophia stopped in her tracks. “No way, Ivy.” She shook her head. “You are not going to bail on me! You promised me ages ago that you would come to today’s meeting.”
Ivy realized that she had completely forgotten about the meeting. She couldn’t go to the mall with Brendan; she’d agreed weeks ago to go to a meeting after school with her best friend. Sophia would put a stake through Ivy if she backed out now.
“I know you, Ivy,” Sophia declared. “You never get sick!”
“That’s not true,” Ivy replied halfheartedly. “I got sick in fourth grade.”
Sophia smirked. “You got a marble stuck in your ear.”
“Okay, okay,” Ivy said. She took a deep breath. “I’m going. Four o’clock, right?”
Sophia nodded, and Ivy felt the blood drain from her heart. It’s better this way, she told herself. I’ll put a note in his locker after school, telling him I can’t go.
She let her hair fall in front of her face and followed her friend into their fourth-period class.
“Okay, class!” Mr. Strain shouted, holding a ridiculous red hunting cap on his head. “Spread out! I want to see a full report on this soccer field’s flora! Remember, conifers are extra credit!”
Olivia clutched her sweatshirt around her and looked down at the leaf-covered grass. “I’m all in favor of science class outside,” she said just loud enough so that Ivy would hear. “But this is really dumb.”
She turned to see her sister’s reaction, but . . . Ivy was gone. Olivia spun around and spotted her sister’s black figure trudging off into the distance. “Wait up!” Olivia shouted.
She caught up with Ivy near the edge of the field. “Hey!” she said. “What are—”
Ivy held up a red leaf. “Do you think this is an oak or an ash?” she asked tentatively.
“An oak,” Olivia told her, slightly confused. “I didn’t know where you went.”
Ivy threw the leaf away and bent down to pick up another and then another. She mumbled, “I didn’t want anyone to disturb my leaf sampling.”
“Okaaay,” said Olivia doubtfully.
Ivy kept working silently, picking up leaves, looking at them, jotting notes down, throwing them back. She looked really sad.
Olivia sighed. She touched her sister’s shoulder. “You’re really nervous about your date with Brendan, huh?”
Ivy moved away.
“It’s okay, Ivy,” Olivia continued, full of sympathy. “This summer, there was this guy I had the biggest crush on and he—”
“I’m not going,” Ivy said to the grass.
“What?” Olivia said.
“I can’t.” Ivy shook her head. “I forgot I had this meeting I have to go to. I promised Sophia ages ago.”
“The guy you’re ‘utterly in love with’ asked you out, and you’re not going?” Olivia cried.
Ivy wouldn’t look at her. “That’s right,” she said. “And it’s for the best anyway. If I go, I know I’d just do something seriously grave, like throw up on him on the escalator or something. And then I’d regret it for the rest of eternity.”
“What are you talking about?” Olivia demanded.
“I know I would, Olivia,” Ivy barreled on. She was scattering leaves this way and that. “And he’ll hate me—worse, he’ll think I’m seriously bizarre. And—and I’ll have ruined everything.”