want it to become a spectacle, especially in front of Chase. If he’s the one who wrote it, I don’t want him to get the satisfaction of a reaction. And if he didn’t write it, then I don’t want him to know it even exists.
But then, over the clamoring chatter of students, I hear Ryder call out, his voice deep and loud.
“Hey, Danielle. Is it true?”
She pulls her arm away from Sophie’s and opens her locker, glancing back over her shoulder at him. “What?”
“Shut up, Jason,” Hannah says through clenched teeth, glaring at him. I hold an arm up as he finishes the question, as if the slight movement might help change his mind. It doesn’t. He barrels on without concern.
“That you taste like rotten fish?”
The room goes quiet, conversation decreasing to whispers. Chase pulls off his headphones and puts his phone away, cocking his head in confusion at the scene unfolding. Simon reaches a hand up in a high-five motion and Ryder slaps it.
Danielle slowly turns to face them. “What did you just say to me?”
“I’m just reading what it says on the wall,” Ryder answers, shrugging innocently. He looks over at Andrew. “Hey, man, show her what it says.”
Andrew folds his arms and doesn’t budge. His voice is calm and steady. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You’re no fun,” says Simon. “It says you taste like rotten fish. Right over there on the wall.” He twitches excitedly, likely surprised and delighted he’s gotten the words out.
Danielle slams her locker door shut. “Excuse me, Rabbit?”
He pales slightly, moving back and forth from foot to foot, jumpy. If he’s a rabbit, Danielle is a fox, and she stalks toward him, eyes narrowed for the kill.
“I said . . .” he stammers, trailing off.
She folds her arms and taps her foot impatiently. “Say it again, Terst. Say it to my face.”
“I didn’t write it!” Simon’s cheeks flood with color.
“That’s what I thought.” Danielle turns toward Andrew and sighs. “You might as well show me.”
“We tried to clean it up,” he says, then takes a step to the side.
Danielle looks at the words for a long moment, the quiet in the room palpable. Everyone waits for her reaction, waits to see what will happen next. A few people pull out their phones, holding them up to record the action. The bell rings over the loudspeakers, signaling the start of the next class period. Nobody moves.
Danielle closes her eyes for a second and takes a deep breath, the calm, pretty expression on her face almost eerie. Then her eyes whip open and she turns to Simon, pointing her finger in his face like a blade.
“First of all, let’s get one thing straight, Rabbit. You’ll never know what I taste like. If you ever even touched me, it would be the single most thrilling moment of your sorry, pathetic existence.”
Simon is bright red, a thin film of sweat forming on his forehead.
“That’s not true!” he sputters. “That’s—”
Danielle cuts him off and turns on Ryder, raising her hand higher so it matches his height.
“And who do you think you are? Nobody thinks you’re funny. I’m surprised you even know what this says.” She motions toward the phrase on the wall. “Did somebody have to read it to you?”
She whirls on Chase, who’s watching the scene with wide eyes. “And if I find out you had anything to do with this, I will castrate you.”
He lifts his arms up in surrender, but doesn’t say anything back. It almost looks like he’s smiling.
SIXTEEN
“DANIELLE IS SO scary,” Andrew says the next day at lunch, taking a huge bite of his peanut butter sandwich. With his mouth full of food, it comes out more like “Thanieth is tho sthwy,” but I understand what he means.
Danielle got to leave early yesterday after the teachers saw the wall, and Ava—who burst into tears when she heard what happened—went with her. The tears are likely a direct result of the fact that Ava has been living mainly on kaleories for